Abstract
The purpose of this project is to develop a retinal imaging system suitable for routine examination or screening of mouse models that acquires fundus and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images. The imaging system is composed of a digital camera with an objective for biomicroscopic examination of the fundus, an OCT interferometer, an OCT beam delivery system designed for the mouse eye, and a mouse positioning stage. The image acquisition is controlled with software that displays the fundus and OCT images in real-time, and allows the user to control the position of the OCT beam spot on the fundus image display. The system was used to image healthy mice and a mouse model of glaucoma. Fundus images and OCT scans were successfully acquired in both eyes of all mice with eyes that had clear optics. The study demonstrates the feasibility of acquiring simultaneous fundus and OCT images of the mouse retina, by a single operator, in a manner suitable for rapid evaluation of mouse models of retinal disease.