Visualization of individual cells in the living retina is important to understanding normal retinal structure and its changes with disease. Advances in adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy have made it possible to see the smallest retinal cells including rods and cones Other cell layers in the retina are erther transparent or opaque and are thus more difficult to visualize However, the addition of fluorescence imaging capabilities makes 1 possible to successfully mage a larger variety of cells With single photon- fluorescence, the retinal pigment epithelium, a single layer of opaque cells behind the cones that provide qitical support for photoreceptors, is now accessible. Two-photon excited fluorescence imaging in the living eye prowdes a method to non-invasively image not only retnal structure, but also to assess retinal functon The further additon of assessing fluorescence iifetme allows differentaton of relatve fluorophore contributions that vary across differemt cell types. The application of this technology in non human pnmate eyes and in humans will be discussed
About the speaker
a % re. Dr, Jennifer Hunter is an Associate a] Professor in the School of Optometry and > Vision Science at the University of Waterloo. She has over 16 years of zg experience in retinal imaging. Dr. Hunter is ” an ARVO Silver Feliow and a Fellow of Optica
