Measuring the ocular pulse with an optical fiber interferometer

Abstract

An interferometer in which a single-mode, polarization-preserving fiber serves as the conduit of light for both the object arm and the reference arm is described. By a noise-cancelling optical configuration, the system is able to measure displacements on the order of tens of nanometers. It was applied to measuring the ocular pulse of a model eye. The optics are described with reference to the interface between the optical fringe signal and the electronic processing circuitry. There appear to be several attractive qualities about this instrument with regard to potential clinical applications, so that further development is warranted.<>