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In vivo cellular-resolution retinal imaging in infants and children using an ultracompact handheld probe

Nature Photonics volume 10, pages 580–584 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Enabled by adaptive optics, retinal photoreceptor cell imaging is changing our understanding of retinal structure1,2 and function3,4, as well as the pathogenesis of numerous ocular diseases5. To date, use of this technology has been limited to cooperative adult subjects due to the size, weight and inconvenience of the equipment, thus excluding study of retinal maturation during human development. Here, we report the design and operation of a handheld probe that can perform both scanning laser ophthalmoscopy and optical coherence tomography of the parafoveal photoreceptor structure in infants and children without the need for adaptive optics. The probe, featuring a compact optical design weighing only 94 g, was able to quantify packing densities of parafoveal cone photoreceptors and visualize cross-sectional photoreceptor substructure in children with ages ranging from 14 months to 12 years. The probe will benefit paediatric research by improving the understanding of retinal development, maldevelopment and early onset of disease during human growth.

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Figure 1: Optomechanical design of the ultracompact SLO/OCT handheld probe.
Figure 2: High-resolution retinal images acquired on a healthy adult.
Figure 3: High-resolution retinal images acquired on healthy young children.
Figure 4: Imaging results from children with eye disease.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank L. Vajzovic, S. Freedman, D. Tran-Viet, S. Mangalesh and A. Dandridge (Duke University Medical Center) for their assistance with enrolling research participants and with acquiring clinical research data. The authors also thank C. Viehland and B. Keller (Duke University) for developing the software used to render the volumetric OCT data. This research was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R21-EY02132 and R01-EY023039) and the Hartwell Foundation. D.N. was funded in part by the Fitzpatrick Foundation Scholarship.

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Author notes

  1. Derek Nankivil

    Present address: Present address: Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Jacksonville, Florida 32256, USA,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering and Fitzpatrick Institute of Photonics, Duke University, Durham, 27708, North Carolina, USA

    Francesco LaRocca, Derek Nankivil, Theodore DuBose, Cynthia A. Toth, Sina Farsiu & Joseph A. Izatt

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, 27710, North Carolina, USA

    Cynthia A. Toth, Sina Farsiu & Joseph A. Izatt

Authors
  1. Francesco LaRocca
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  5. Sina Farsiu
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Contributions

F.L. designed and constructed the optical system, collected data, analysed data and drafted the manuscript. D.N. developed the mechanical design and edited the manuscript. T.D. contributed the theoretical and mathematical basis for the novel compact telescope design. C.A.T., S.F. and J.A.I. provided overall guidance to the project, reviewed and edited the manuscript, and obtained funding to support this research. This work was carried out entirely at Duke University from May 2014 to April 2016 without consultation or influence by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc. As of June 2016, D.N. is employed by Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph A. Izatt.

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Competing interests

During part of this work, J.A.I. was Chairman and Chief Scientific Advisor at Bioptigen and had corporate, equity and intellectual property interests (including royalties) in this company. F.L., D.N., T.D. and J.A.I. are inventors on a patent application assigned to Duke University related to this work. Other authors declare no competing financial interests.

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LaRocca, F., Nankivil, D., DuBose, T. et al. In vivo cellular-resolution retinal imaging in infants and children using an ultracompact handheld probe. Nature Photon 10, 580–584 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2016.141

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