The adult zebrafish retina: In vivo optical sectioning with Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy and Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

Abstract

Non-invasive imaging is an invaluable diagnostic tool in ophthalmology. Two imaging devices, the scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT), emerged from the clinical realm to provide research scientists with a real-time view of ocular morphology in living animals. We utilized these two independent imaging modalities in a complementary manner to perform in vivo optical sectioning of the adult zebrafish retina. Due to the very high optical power of the zebrafish lens, the confocal depth of field is narrow, allowing for detailed en face views of specific retinal layers, including the cone mosaic. Moreover, we demonstrate that both native reflectance, as well as fluorescent features observed by SLO, can be combined with axial in-depth information obtained by SDOCT. These imaging approaches can be used to screen for ocular phenotypes and monitor retinal pathology in a non-invasive manner.