Durable phantoms with optical properties and layered structures like healthy and diseased tissues are highly desirable for reliable performance testing of novel high-resolution optical coherence tomography (HR-OCT) systems. In this context, we performed investigations on the establishment of durable 3D retina models from eyes dissected ex vivo from control mice and eyes from animals treated with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) which induces glaucoma-like tissue alterations. The comparison of data from resin-embedded tissue with native murine retina in gels demonstrates that by utilization of appropriate preparation protocols highly stable 3D samples with layered structures equivalent to native tissues can be fabricated which are suitable for reliable HR-OCT performance characterization.
For performance testing of high-resolution label-free optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems, durable test standards with optical properties similar to native biological tissues are highly desirable. Therefore, we explored the establishment of ex-vivo 3D samples from dissected mouse retina. To achieve high stability, dissected tissue parts were embedded in EPON resin. Results from comparative investigations with OCT on murine retina in agarose demonstrate that by utilization of appropriate EPON embedding protocols durable samples with adequate refractive index properties can be created in which even tiny structures near the OCT resolution limits can be detected.
In ophthalmologic imaging, the optical properties of the retina are essential parameters. The retina’s refractive index (RI) determines the light propagation inside the tissue towards the photoreceptors and its spatial distribution reflects biophysical tissue properties. In addition, information about the RI’s wavelength dependency is crucial for optical imaging, as it has to be considered, e.g., for dispersion compensation in high resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT). However, the spatial RI distribution in retinal tissue is difficult to access. We explored the capabilities of quantitative phase imaging (QPI) for RI characterization of murine retina utilizing digital holographic microscopy (DHM). Multispectral QPI was achieved by a Michelson interferometer-based DHM configuration that was combined with the light from a tunable supercontinuum laser light source.
The refractive index (RI) of the retina and its dispersion are essential parameters in ophthalmologic imaging. However, the spatial RI distribution in retinal tissue is difficult to access. We explored the capabilities of multispectral quantitative phase imaging (QPI) with digital holographic microscopy (DHM) for label-free refractive index characterization of dissected murine retina. The retrieved tissue refractive indices are in agreement with previously reported values for living cells and dissected tissues. Moreover, the detected spatial refractive index distributions correlate with results from complementary conducted OCT investigations. In summary, multispectral DHM is a promising tool for label-free characterization of optical retina properties.
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