In:
Biomedical Optics Express, Optica Publishing Group, Vol. 12, No. 7 ( 2021-07-01), p. 4340-
Abstract:
A new method based on polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is introduced to determine the polarization properties of human retinal vessel walls, in vivo . Measurements were obtained near the optic nerve head of three healthy human subjects. The double pass phase retardation per unit depth (DPPR/UD), which is proportional to the birefringence, is higher in artery walls, presumably because of the presence of muscle tissue. Measurements in surrounding retinal nerve fiber layer tissue yielded lower DPPR/UD values, suggesting that the retinal vessel wall tissue near the optic nerve is not covered by retinal nerve fiber layer tissue (0.43°/µm vs. 0.77°/µm, respectively). Measurements were obtained from multiple artery-vein pairs, to quantify the different polarization properties. Measurements were taken along a section of the vessel wall, with changes in DPPR/UD up to 15%, while the vessel wall thickness remained relatively constant. A stationary scan pattern was applied to determine the influence of involuntary eye motion on the measurement, which was significant. Measurements were also analyzed by two examiners, with high inter-observer agreement. The measurement repeatability was determined with measurements that were acquired during multiple visits. An improvement in accuracy can be achieved with an ultra-broad-bandwidth PS-OCT system since it will provide more data points in-depth, which reduces the influence of discretization and helps to facilitate better fitting of the birefringence data.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
2156-7085
,
2156-7085
Language:
English
Publisher:
Optica Publishing Group
Publication Date:
2021
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2572216-5
Permalink