Bimorph deformable mirror-based adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope for the clinical design and performance

We developed a clinical ophthalmic prototype by combining bimorph deformable mirror (DM)-based adaptive optics (AO) with a confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope. A low-cost bimorph DM with a large stroke of $$ and an aperture of 20 mm was utilized to realize a strategy for successive AO control of aberration correction, which permitted open-loop compensation for low-order aberrations and closed-loop correction of high-order aberrations to acceptable root mean square errors of $$ in all subjects. Spherical mirrors were folded in a nonplanar configuration to minimize off-axis aberrations and provide a compact, cost-effective design, which achieved a diffraction-limited performance capable of imaging individual photoreceptor cells and blood vessels not only in healthy subjects but also in patients suffering from retinitis pigmentosa. The adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) images of the diseased retina had much higher resolutions than those captured by the commercial AO fundus camera, and loss of the photoreceptor mosaic could be distinguished more accurately due to the improvement in resolution. The compact design and easy handling of the bimorph DM-based AO control may facilitate the translation of AOSLO into clinical settings, and this prototype development will continue with future device refinement and extensive clinical testing.