The aqueous outflow system (AOS), including the trabecular meshwork (TM), the collector channels (CC) and the
Schlemm’s canal (SC), regulates intraocular pressure (IOP) through the drainage of the aqueous humor (AH). Abnormal
IOP elevation leads to increased pressure stress to retinal ganglion cells, resulting in cell loss that can ultimately lead to complete loss of eyesight. Therefore, development of imaging tools to detect abnormal structural and functional changes of the AOS is important in early diagnosis and prevention of glaucoma. Multiphoton microscopy (MPM), including twophoton autofluorescence (TPAF) and second harmonic generation (SHG), is a label-free microscopic technique that allows molecular specific imaging of biological tissues like the TM. Since the TM and other AOS structures are located behind the highly scattering scleral tissue, transscleral imaging of the TM does not provide enough optical resolution. In this work, a gonioscopic lens is used to allow direct optical access of the TM through the cornea for MPM imaging. Compared to transscleral imaging, the acquired MPM images show improved resolution as individual collagen fiber bundles of the TM can be observed. MPM gonioscopy may have the potential to be developed as a future clinical imaging tool for glaucoma diagnostics.
The development of technologies to characterize the ocular aqueous outflow system (AOS) is important for the understanding of the pathophysiology of glaucoma. Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) offers the advantage of high-resolution, label-free imaging with intrinsic image contrast because the emitted signals result from the specific biomolecular content of the tissue. Previous attempts to use MPM to image the murine irido-corneal region directly through the sclera have suffered from degradation in image resolution due to scattering of the focused laser light. As a result, transscleral MPM has limited ability to observe fine structures in the AOS. In this work, the porcine irido-corneal angle was successfully imaged through the transparent cornea using a gonioscopic lens to circumvent the highly scattering scleral tissue. The resulting high-resolution images allowed the detailed structures in the trabecular meshwork (TM) to be observed. Multimodal imaging by two-photon autofluorescence and second harmonic generation allowed visualization of different features in the TM without labels and without disruption of the TM or surrounding tissues. MPM gonioscopy is a promising noninvasive imaging tool for high-resolution studies of the AOS, and research continues to explore the potential for future clinical applications in humans.
We report on some of the optical properties of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether
(HMME), a relatively new photosensitizer that has been in clinical trials in China
since the early 1990s. We characterized the photosensitizer on the basis of one
photon absorption and emission. In addition, the effects of photobleaching were
probed to characterize its decay kinetics.
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