UC Berkeley

The tracking scanning laser ophthalmoscope (TSLO) was designed, built and characterized for high-resolution eye-tracking, imaging, and targeted retinal stimulus delivery. Eye-tracking is done via an image-based software program that monitors the image of the retina over time while simultaneously logging the displacements of the eye. Currently, this system is the most accurate, fast and functional eye-tracking system used in a standard ophthalmic instrument. The TSLO has the ability to non-invasively track the eye at 960 Hz (with an accuracy of 0.2 arcminutes or roughly 1 micron) and present stimuli to the retina at the resolution of single cone photoreceptors (0.66 arcminutes, which is roughly 3 microns). The combination of structural imaging and functional testing allows one to begin to more thoroughly understand retinal disease progression, as well probe specific retinal locations in order to test new treatment efficacies. This level of accuracy is unprecedented in the clinic and is crucial when monitoring minute changes in eye motion, structure, and function. Additionally, the system is capable of providing external eye-tracking for other high-resolution imaging systems, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) systems through the active steering of an imaging beam. This feature allows the imaging raster or stimuli to stay on target during fixational eye motion. This dissertation steps through all of the above-mentioned uses of the TSLO and further elaborates on the optimal design and system test performance capabilities of the system.