Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography of the rabbit eye

Abstract

A polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PSOCT) system was used to acquire depth-resolved images of the Stokes parameters of light backreflected from ex vivo rabbit eyes. The light backreflected from the eye interferes with that from the reference arm and is coherently detected in two orthogonal polarization channels. The two signals are digitized and the four Stokes parameters (I; Q; U; I ; Q; U; I ; Q; U; and V V V) of the backreflected light are computed for light backreflected from each longitudinal/lateral position in the eye. From the measured Stokes parameters, an estimate of the relative phase retardation between the two orthogonal polarizations can be determined. Two eyes were enucleated, imaged within 6-h postmortem and histology performed. Images of the Stokes parameters of light backreflected from the corneal stroma show significant local variations in the polarization state, possibly due to local changes in stromal structure. Depth-resolved Stokes parameter images of light backreflected from the retina were also acquired. A birefringent layer was observed at the position consistent with the known location of the nerve fiber layer (NFL). The local thickness of the birefringent layer determined with PSOCT was in good agreement with values determined histologically.

Dual-wavelength polarimetric glucose sensing in the presence of birefringence and motion artifact using anterior chamber of the eye phantoms

“…12 Several models have been proposed to explain this behavior of corneal birefringence. 7,8,[13][14][15][16][17][18] Most of these models agree that birefringence is at its minimum at the center of the cornea and increases monotonically toward the peripheral regions of the cornea. These models also indicate that the effective birefringence increases as the angle of incidence with respect to the surface normal of the cornea increases.…”

Complex degree of mutual coherence of biological liquids

“…Among the methods of optical diagnostics [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] of human biological tissues the techniques of laser polarimetry diagnostics of their optical anisotropic structure became widely spread .…”

Mueller-matrices polarization selection of two-dimensional linear and circular birefringence images

“…To describe the interaction of polarized light with such sophisticated systems, more general approximation based on Mueller-matrix formalism is required. Nowadays many practical techniques based on measuring and analyzing the Mueller-matrices of the samples under investigation are being used in biological and medical researches [1][2][3][4][5][6]. During recent 10-15 years a separate direction -laser polarimetry -has been formed in matrix optics [7][8][9][10][11].…”