Fourier Domain Optical Coherence Tomography and Fluorescent Scanning Laser Opthalmoscopy for In Vivo Rodent Retinal Imaging

Abstract

In vivo visualization of the internal structures of the retina is critical for clinical diagnosis and monitoring of pathology as well as for medical research investigating the root causes of retinal diseases and developing treatment to improve vision. Rodent models of ocular diseases provide powerful tools for analysis and characterization of disease progression. We present two custom rodent retinal imaging systems: Fourier Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (FD OCT) for non-invasive high resolution cross-section imaging and fluorescent Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (fSLO) for information on the molecular content of the retina. The information from these imaging systems is highly complementary, permitting both the retinal structure and function to be investigated non-invasively.