Colloquium Series: Austin Roorda, Ph.D.

Microscopic Structural and Functional Imaging in the Living Human Eye

Adaptive optics (AO) is a technique to correct for the aberrations in the eye's optics, and offers non-invasive, optical access to the retina in living eyes on an unprecedented scale. The technology is very useful for improving ophthalmoscopy and has promising clinical applications. But the scope of applications goes well beyond imaging. By coupling scanning laser technology with adaptive optics, we are able to track and deliver light to the retina with the precision and accuracy of single cones and can simultaneously record either perceptual (human) or electrical responses (monkey). These measurements are helping to reveal basic properties of the human visual system.