Optical properties of ocular fundus tissues determined by optical coherence tomography

Goal: To determine the extinction coefficient and the anisotropy of scattering as well as the refractive indices in the retina and in the choroid non-invasively in vivo. Method: The power of coherent reflected light versus fundus depth is recorded by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The ratio of the refractive indices is derived from the height of the reflection peaks. The extinction coefficient and anisotropy of scattering are calculated from the offset and the slope of the signal behind the reflection peaks. Results: Values similar to those known from in vitro measurements were found for the extinction coefficient and scattering anisotropy of the retina and the choroid. Conclusions: The OCT, usually employed for the measurement of intraocular distances and tomographic imaging, is capable to determine further interesting parameters of single ocular layers. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.