Ocular fundus imaging: From structure to function

Abstract

Imaging the ocular fundus, namely the retina, to detect and/or monitor changes over time from the healthy condition is of fundamental importance to assess onset and disease progression and is a valuable tool to understand the basic mechanisms of ocular diseases. Current trends point to the need for less or non-invasive approaches, to the need for detailed (higher spatial and temporal resolution) imaging systems and to the quantification as opposed to qualitative classification of any findings. In this work we present a snapshot of our research by presenting two examples of technical development aiming to obtain structural and function information from the human retina, in vivo, using non-invasive techniques, namely optical coherence tomography imaging. Based on our experience and developed work, we are now starting to bridge the gap to brain imaging as the eye is only the starting point of vision.