Optics and Photonics / Canadian Astronomical Society (DOP/CASCA)
Optique et photonique / Société canadienne d'astronomie (DOP/CASCA)
Austin ROORDA
University of Houston College of Optometry
From Telescopes to Ophthalmoscopes: Adaptive Optics for Microscopic Imaging of the Living Eye
Adaptive optics (AO) describes a set of techniques to measure and compensate for optical aberrations that cause blur in images. AO was invented to remove the blur in astronomical images from ground based telescopes caused by phase distortions caused by turbulence in the earth's atmosphere. In the last decade, the same techniques have been applied in ophthalmoscopes to correct for optical aberrations of the human eye. Using AO, microscopic features, such single cone photoreceptors and dynamic blood flow in the smallest capillaries, are revealed in the eye. The most important aspect of AO imaging is that it offers noninvasive imaging for living, functioning eyes, which facilitates efforts to relate structure to function. Applications range from the study of basic visual processes to the identification of phenotypes for specific genotypes of blinding eye diseases. In this talk, will describe the techniques, discuss the applications and, of course, display the images.