High-Resolution Retinal Imaging: Technology Overview and Applications

Abstract

Adaptive optics (AO) has been used in many applications, including astronomy, microscopy, and medical imaging. In retinal imaging, AO provides real-time correction of the aberrations introduced by the cornea and the lens to facilitate diffraction-limited imaging of retinal microstructures. Most importantly, AO-based retinal imagers provide cellular-level resolution and quantification of changes induced by retinal diseases and systemic diseases that manifest in the eye enabling disease diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression or the efficacy of treatments. In this paper, we present an overview of our team efforts over almost two decades to develop high-resolution retinal imagers suitable for clinical use. Several different types of imagers for human and small animal eye imaging are reviewed, and representative results from multiple studies using these instruments are shown. These examples demonstrate the extraordinary power of AO-based retinal imaging to reveal intricate details of morphological and functional characteristics of the retina and to help elucidate important aspects of vision and of the disruptions that affect delicate retinal tissue.