Visible light optical coherence tomography for assessing retinal structure and function in diseased mouse models

The measurement of retinal structure and function is critical for the early diagnosis of blinding eye diseases. Here, we develop a visible light OCT system that integrates high-resolution imaging, GPU-accelerated computing, and automated retinal layer segmentation algorithms that allow for three-dimensional high-definition retinal imaging and blood flow and oxygen saturation measurement for mouse models. We conducted a series of imaging experiments on diseased mouse models, including those with retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma, and compared them with wild-type mice, and evaluated the OCT imaging results with histological analysis. We observed a reduction in retinal thickness in the retinitis pigmentosa model, along with damage to the inner/outer segment junctions and the outer nuclear layer. In the glaucoma model, the intensity of the ganglion cell layer relative to the internal limiting membrane was reduced. Both disease models exhibited decreased retinal arteriovenous and total blood flow, increased venous oxygen saturation, and a reduced arteriovenous oxygen saturation difference. We also compared the visible light OCT system with an 840 nm spectral domain OCT and a 1060 nm swept source OCT for mouse retinal imaging. The visualization and monitoring of retinal function and metabolic capacity using mouse models through visible light OCT may provide new opportunities for understanding the pathology of ocular diseases.