Optical coherence tomography and Raman spectroscopy of the ex-vivo retina

Imaging the structure and correlating it with the biochemical content of the retina holds promise for fundamental research and for clinical applications. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is commonly used to image the 3D structure of the retina and while the added functionality of biochemical analysis afforded by Raman scattering could provide critical molecular signatures for clinicians and researchers, there are many technical challenges to combine these imaging modalities. We describe an OCT microscope for ex-vivo imaging combined with Raman spectroscopy capable of collecting morphological and molecular information about a sample simultaneously. We present our first results and discuss the challenges to further development of this dual-mode instrument and limitations for future in-vivo retinal imaging. [GRAPHICS] Layout of the combined OCT microscope and Raman spectrometer (C) 2009 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim