In vivo depth-resolved birefringence measurements of the human retinal nerve fiber layer by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

  • Barry Cense
  • , Teresa C. Chen
  • , B. Hyle Park
  • , Mark C. Pierce
  • , Johannes F. De Boer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

165 Scopus citations

Abstract

To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of in vivo depth-resolved birefringence measurements of the human retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) by use of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT). Because glaucoma causes nerve fiber layer damage, which may cause loss of retinal birefringence, PS-OCT is a potentially useful technique for the early detection of glaucoma. We built a fiber-based PS-OCT setup that produces quasi-real-time images of the human retina in vivo. Preliminary measurements of a healthy volunteer showed that the double-pass phase retardation per unit depth of the RNFL near the optic nerve head is 39 ± 6°/100 μm.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)1610-1612
Number of pages3
JournalOptics Letters
Volume27
Issue number18
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 15 2002
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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