High-resolution human retinal imaging and eye-tracking enabled by adaptive optics
Benjamin Moon, University of Rochester
Abstract
The human retina—a thin, light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye—is essential for visual perception. Retinal degenerative diseases can cause irreversible vision loss through the progressive atrophy of photoreceptors in the retina, which is a leading cause of low vision and blindness worldwide. Studying the structure and function of the human retina in vivo has enabled new discoveries in the disease progression of these incurable degenerative diseases, while also providing a tool to investigate the complex interplay between retinal anatomy, eye movements, and visual perception in healthy observers with normal vision.
In this talk, high-resolution retinal imaging using adaptive optics is demonstrated for characterizing the photoreceptor mosaic in healthy human observers. First, a custom retinal imager was assembled, aligned, and validated. This retinal imaging device enables quantification of the cone density distribution at the center of the fovea and precise tracking of stimulus motion on the retina, providing an opportunity to study the relationship between cone density and eye movement behavior. A psychophysical study was then conducted to assess the impact of a small, simulated occlusion at the center of gaze, an experimental condition that models the visual impairments present in multiple disorders. Using the simultaneous imaging and stimulus delivery capabilities of the retinal imager, a simulated scotoma (i.e., a visual field abnormality or blind spot) was stabilized at each observer’s center of gaze during an acuity task. Results from this experiment show that the visual system is sensitive to this small occlusion, and it adapts by shifting the stimulus toward a region of visibility surrounding the scotoma. An external monitor for greater flexibility in stimulus delivery was then integrated with the retinal imager. This monitor enables the presentation of color stimuli at high spatial and temporal resolution over an area 45 times larger than the typical field of view of the retinal imager. The integrated system was then used for high-resolution retinal tracking during acuity and free-viewing experiments. Altogether, this talk highlights new tools for investigating human visual perception and retinal anatomy, and new insight into the fine control of oculomotor behavior, with implications for both healthy and diseased retinas.
About the speaker
Benjamin Moon (Ben) recently completed his PhD in Optics at the University of Rochester under the supervision of Professor Jannick Rolland and co-advised by Professors Martina Poletti and Michele Rucci from the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. He now works in contact lens metrology research and development at Bausch and Lomb in Rochester, New York. Prior to starting graduate school at the University of Rochester, Ben worked at Quantel Laser in Bozeman, Montana. He completed his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Montana State University in 2017.
Parking and location
The talk will be held in the Room 101 of Goergen Hall (Institute of Optics, 480 Intercampus Drive). Parking is available in the lot across the street in Intercampus Drive Lot, and is free for talk attendees (no pass needed).
There will not be a pre-talk dinner for this event.
