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Applications for Studying Retinal Degeneration

Arch Ophthalmol. 2008;126(6):857-858.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Since its first application to retinal imaging more than a decade ago,¹ adaptive optics (AO) has helped researchers make fundamental advances in our understanding of the normal human visual system.^2-8 However, owing to the limited availability of such imaging systems, their application to the study of retinal degeneration has been sparse.^9-10 A recent article by Duncan et al¹¹ illustrates the potential clinical utility of this imaging modality.

The recent article presents the first report of photoreceptor structure obtained in vivo in patients with retinitis pigmentosa and cone-rod dystrophy with known mutations.¹¹ The data were obtained using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope equipped with AO. Adaptive optics uses a wavefront sensor and deformable mirror to measure and then correct for the eye's optical aberrations that normally preclude high-resolution imaging. The result is a near diffraction-limited image of the living retina, where structures as small as 2 µm can routinely be visualized. There . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION
Joseph Carroll, PhD