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Adaptive Optics at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology
Close-up of the UCL AOSLO showing some of the spherical mirrors, the deformable mirror and optical scanners.
The retina is a uniquely accessible piece of brain tissue, amenable to direct visualisation through a variety of imaging approaches such as colour fundus imaging, autofluorescence imaging, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO). However, human eyes are fraught with optical aberrations that limit the resolution of images conventionally acquired with these approaches, meaning that by the time pathology is visible, significant cellular damage has already occurred.
Adaptive optics (AO) is an enabling technology that corrects for the eye’s monochromatic aberrations, resulting in nearly diffraction-limited imaging that supports visualisation of the living retina at a microscopic, cellular scale. In the nearly 30 years since AO imaging was first demonstrated in the human eye, it has been used to reveal a wide range of sub-clinical pathologies, such as: disruption of individual photoreceptor cells, light damage to the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE), microvascular changes, as well as inner retinal membranes and granular structures.
Our institute's Adaptive Optics Facility is equipped with cutting-edge instruments designed to meet the diverse needs of UCL researchers and beyond. Our equipment includes:
- An Adaptive Optics Scanning Light Ophthalmoscope with reflectance confocal, quadrant-detection and dark field capabilities
See also: 'Minimum intensity projection of embossed quadrant-detection images for improved photoreceptor mosaic visualisation' - An Adaptive Optics Scanning Light Ophthalmoscope optimised for retinal blood flow recordings
See also: Adaptive Optics Microscopy
Our facility supports a wide range of research activities such as:
- Image acquisition
- Image processing, analysis and interpretation
- Help with design of image acquisition protocols
Team
The facility is partly funded by the NIHR Moorfields Biomedical Research Centre based at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
- Grant applications
Before applying for a grant, make sure you include costings for using the Facility accordingly. Current rates can be found in Worktribe as follows:
- Full Economic Costing (FEC)
Image acquisition
Image processing- Charity
Image acquisition
Image processing- Industry
Image
Top banner image: Sample images acquired in our facility of the photoreceptor mosaic in the human retina affected by retinitis pigmentosa. From left to right: confocal (photoreceptor outer segments), non-confocal split-detection (photoreceptor inner segments), non-confocal quadrant-detection (photoreceptor inner segments), dark field (RPE cells).