Adaptive optics is used in optical coherence tomography (OCT) to provide very high axial resolution in a non-invasive "optical sectioning" technique for imaging at various depths within living human tissue. In the current commercial application of OCT for retinal imaging, the transverse resolution is limited by the intrinsic ocular aberrations of the eye. This invention applies adaptive optics via a deformable mirror and wavefront sensor to correct for those aberrations.ApplicationsRetinal imaging is used to diagnose diseases of the eye. AdvantagesAxial resolution down to a few microns has been obtained in the living human retina. Lateral resolution, which is limited by the blurring effects of diffraction and aberrations in the optics of the eye, can be significantly improved by correcting the aberrations across a large pupil using adaptive optics. AO-OCT can be realized with 1D, 2D, and 3D imaging using either a scanning spot or flood illumination.Technology StatusThis technology is being developed at Indiana University by Prof. Donald Miller, who was previously at the University of Rochester. The technology is now assigned to the University of Rochester.