Axicons for improved resolution and depth of focus in adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy. Biomed Opt Express 2025 Aug 01;16(8):3172-3193
Date
08/14/2025Pubmed ID
40809987Pubmed Central ID
PMC12339292DOI
10.1364/BOE.564398Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105012882975 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 2 CitationsAbstract
Adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopes are instrumental for studying the eye, yet they use truncated Gaussian illumination and are limited by diffraction, restricting resolution and depth of focus (DOF). Non-diffractive Bessel beams have emerged as an alternative. Here, we use two axicons configured as: (1) an extended DOF beam for resolving multiple retinal layers; and (2) an annular beam for increasing lateral resolution. We compare both approaches to truncated Gaussian illumination using a variety of metrics. Using Configuration 1, we successfully observed multiple retinal layers simultaneously. Using Configuration 2, we observed enhanced lateral resolution but decreased signal-to-noise ratio.
Author List
Woehlke RE, Cooper RFAuthors
Robert F. Cooper Ph.D Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering department at Marquette UniversityRuth E. Woehlke Postdoctoral Researcher in the Biomedical Engineering department at Medical College of Wisconsin
