Multi-modal functional sensorless adaptive optics for small animal retinal imaging

The proposed preclinical study investigates pathological characteristics of retinal diseases such as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) with transgenic small animal models using a multi-modal functional small animal retinal imaging system. For characterizing the animal models, we visualize the melanin concentration, lipofuscin accumulation, and choriocapillaris using a single imaging system. The system implements Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PS-OCT), fluorescence Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (fSLO), and Sensorless Adaptive Optics (SAO) for the visualizations of pathological features. As preliminary data, we acquired three different mice models and visualized the outer retinal thickness and melanin concentration. The newly developing system is expected to provide multilateral perspectives for further studies in AMD, enabling vision scientists to investigate the correlations between melanin, lipofuscin, and choriocapillaris for the root cause of AMD.