Scanning Laser Tomography of the Living Human Eye

Many problems in ophthalmology deal with the three-dimensional structure of various parts of the living human eye. A complete confocal laser scanning microscope for diagnosis of eye disorders and first clinical results are described. Geometric measurements of the cornea and topographic measurements of the retinal substructures are presented. In addition, laser scanning tomography can be used to assess quantitatively the morphometry of the retina of the human eye. The confocal imaging mode of the laser tomographic scanner (LTS) is applied to evaluate the thickness of the nerve fiber layer. The contrast of nerve fiber layer images can be enhanced by polarization-dependent imaging modes, such as Fourier ellipsometry (FE) and differential interference contrast (DIC) imaging. To improve the depth resolution, an active-optical focusing system is employed.