Adaptive optics (AO) ophthalmoscopes enable retinal imaging at cellular resolution. The small field of view (FOV) and high magnification of these instruments make inclusion of a fixation channel critical for controlling the patch of retina that is stimulated with light and imaged. Here, we develop a more powerful fixation channel that is integrated with an improved stimulus channel in the Indiana AO optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) system. It uses all stock components except one 3D printed optical mount and some machined adaptor plates. We balanced the trade-offs between subject working distance, steering field of view, dioptric correction range, and stimulus light efficiency and achieved better performance in all areas compared to our previous channel. We report on the overarching objectives of the integrated fixation and stimulus channel, its design and its validation as illustrated by several AO-OCT imaging examples. While intended for our AO-OCT system, the design, components, and performance trade-offs are general enough to be applicable to many other AO ophthalmoscopes in the field.
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