High-speed scanning in optical coherence tomography (OCT) often comes with either compromises in image quality, the requirement for post-processing of the acquired images, or both. We report on distortion-free OCT volumetric imaging with a dual-axis micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based handheld imaging probe. In the context of an imaging probe with optics located between the 2D MEMS and the sample, we report in this paper on how pre-shaped open-loop input signals with tailored non-linear parts were implemented in a custom control board and, unlike the sinusoidal signals typically used for MEMS, achieved real-time distortion-free imaging without post-processing. The MEMS mirror was integrated into a compact, lightweight handheld probe. The MEMS scanner achieved a 12-fold reduction in volume and 17-fold reduction in weight over a previous dual-mirror galvanometer-based scanner. Distortion-free imaging with no post-processing with a Gabor-domain optical coherence microscope (GD-OCM) with 2 μm axial and lateral resolutions over a field of view of 1 × 1 mm² is demonstrated experimentally through volumetric images of a regular microscopic structure, an excised human cornea, and in vivo human skin.

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We propose a fast algorithm to estimate the flux collected by conic reflector patches, based on the calculation of intersections between neighboring patches. The algorithm can be employed in conjunction with the supporting ellipsoids algorithm for freeform reflector design and is shown to be orders of magnitude faster and more scalable than the commonly used Monte Carlo ray tracing approach.

Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy (GD-OCM) was applied ex vivo in the investigation of corneal cells and their surrounding microstructures with particular attention to the corneal endothelium. Experiments using fresh pig eyeballs, excised human corneal buttons from patients with Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy, and healthy donor corneas were conducted. Results show in a large field of view (1 mm × 1 mm) high definition images of the different cell types and their surrounding microstructures through the full corneal thickness at both the central and peripheral locations of porcine corneas. Particularly, an image of the endothelial cells lining the bottom of the cornea is highlighted. As compared to healthy human corneas, the corneas of individuals with Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy show characteristic microstructural alterations of the Descemet’s membrane and increased size and number of keratocytes. The GD-OCM based imaging system developed may constitute a novel tool for corneal imaging and disease diagnosis. Also, importantly, it may provide insights into the mechanism of corneal physiology and pathology, particularly in diseases of the corneal endothelium.

We implemented the linear programming approach proposed by Oliker and by Wang to solve the single reflector problem for a point source and a far-field target. The algorithm was shown to produce solutions that aim the input rays at the intersections between neighboring reflectors. This feature makes it possible to obtain the same reflector with a low number of rays - of the order of the number of targets - as with a high number of rays, greatly reducing the computation complexity of the problem.