Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become a standard tool in ophthalmology clinics for diagnosing many retinal diseases. Nonetheless, the technical and clinical communities still lack a standardized phantom that could aid in evaluating and normalizing the many protocols and systems used for diagnosis. Existing retinal phantoms are able to mimic the thickness and scattering properties of the retinal layers but are unable to model the morphology of the foveal pit, particularly the tapering of the retinal layers. This work demonstrates a new fabrication procedure that is capable of reliably and consistently replicating the shape and tapered appearance of the retinal layers near the foveal pit using a combination of spin-coating and replica molding. We characterize the effects of using different mold sizes which enable us to achieve a range of pit dimensions. We also present a modified procedure to replicate two diseased states of the retinal tissue, such as retinal detachment and dry aged-related macular degeneration. The ability to create an anatomically correct foveal pit for healthy and disease-mimicking phantoms will allow for a new standard better suited for intra- and inter-system evaluation and for improved comparison of retinal segmentation algorithms.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has become a standard tool for diagnosing retinal disease in many ophthalmology clinics. Nonetheless, the technical and clinical research communities still lack a standardized phantom that could aid in evaluating and normalizing the various scan protocols and OCT machines employed at different institutions. Existing retinal phantoms designed for OCT imaging mimic some important features of the retina, such as the thickness and scattering properties of its many layers. However, the morphology of the foveal pit and the visible tapering of the retinal layers underlying the surface surrounding the pit remains a challenge to replicate in current phantoms. Recent attempts at creating a realistic foveal pit include molding, ablation and laser etching but have not proved sufficient to replicate this particular anatomical feature. In this work, we demonstrate a new fabrication procedure that is capable of replicating the tapered appearance of the retinal layers near the foveal pit using a combination of spin-coating and replica molding. The ability to create an anatomically correct foveal pit will allow for a new phantom better suited for intra- and inter-system evaluation and for improved testing of retinal segmentation algorithms.
Speckle noise is one of the dominant factors that degrade image quality in optical coherence tomography (OCT). Here, we propose a new strategy, interleaved OCT (iOCT), for spatial compounding and angular compounding. We demonstrate the efficiency of compounding with iOCT to restrain speckle noise without compromising imaging speed in phantoms and tissue samples.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.