Retinal Imaging of Low Light Signals

This technology enables high resolution in vivo images of the retina by a technique of simultaneous image capture and dual registration, which corrects for the natural movement of the living eye to enable many imaging frames to be combined to increase the signal to noise ratio from very weak signals, such as those from fluorescence or phase imaging, by monitoring the eye motion with conventional reflectance imaging.

Applications
Retinal imaging is done to diagnose retinal disease, such as diabetic macular edema, retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration (MDA) and glaucoma.  This technology for collecting low light signals is combined with adaptive optics and confocal scanning laser detection to obtain high resolution images of single ganglion cells and retinal pigment epithelial cells in vivo for the first time.

Advantages
This technology enables the imaging of retinal cells types, such as ganglions, axons and retinal pigment epithelial cells, which have not been observed in vivo in the past because, unlike the rods and cones of the retina, they are not readily visible in reflectance imaging.  Imaging techniques, such as fluorescence or phase imaging, which can be used to detect these types of cells, provide weak signals.  Because there is a limit to the strength of illumination that can be applied to living eyes because of safety concerns, it is necessary to combine many images to reduce the signal to noise.   This technology enables the registration of those images, so that the cells are clearly visible.

URV Reference Number: 1-11030-06032
Patent Information:
Title Country Patent No. Issued Date
Method and Apparatus for Imaging in an Eye United States 8,226,236 7/24/2012
Method and Apparatus for Imaging in an Eye United States 8,556,428 10/15/2013
Category(s):
Diagnostic
For Information, Contact:
McKenna Geiger
Licensing Manager
University of Rochester
585-276-6600
mckenna_geiger@urmc.rochester.edu
Inventors:
David Williams
Jessica Wolfing Morgan
Daniel Gray
Alfredo Dubra
Keywords:
in vivo
Ophthalmology
Retinal Imaging