Retinal thermal deformations measured with phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography in vivo

Controlling the tissue temperature rise during retinal laser therapy is essential for predictable outcomes, especially at non-damaging settings. We demonstrate a method for determining the temperature rise in the retina using phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (pOCT) in vivo. Measurements based on the thermally induced optical path length changes (ΔOPL) in the retina during a 10-ms laser pulse allow detection of the temperature rise with a precision less than 1 °C, which is sufficient for calibration of the laser power for patient-specific non-damaging therapy. We observed a significant difference in confinement of the retinal deformations between the normal and the degenerate retina: in wild-type rats, thermal deformations are localized between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the photoreceptors' inner segments (IS), as opposed to a deep penetration of the deformations into the inner retinal layers in the degenerate retina. This implies the presence of a structural component within healthy photoreceptors that dampens the tissue expansion induced by the laser heating of the RPE and pigmented choroid. We hypothesize that the thin and soft cilium connecting the inner and outer segments (IS, OS) of photoreceptors may absorb the deformations of the OS and thereby preclude the tissue expansion further inward. Striking difference in the confinement of the retinal deformations induced by a laser pulse in healthy and degenerate retina may be used as a biomechanical diagnostic tool for the characterization of photoreceptors degeneration.