University of Utah, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112.
J Biomed Opt. 2013 Nov;18(11):116001. doi: 10.1117/1.JBO.18.11.116001.
We have developed a reflection-based capability of the RetCam(®) platform, an FDA-cleared pediatric retinal-imaging instrument, for the purpose of measuring macular pigment levels as well as their spatial distributions in infants and children. Our modifications include narrow-band blue-wavelength excitation of the macular pigment absorption in combination with spectrally selective blue-wavelength readout of the reflection signals received by the instrument's CCD detector array. Furthermore, an algorithm is developed that allows the computation of optical density maps for the macular pigment relative to peripheral retinal areas. This made it possible for the first time to directly measure macular pigment levels and their spatial features in the developing human retina. In contrast to adults, infants with measurable pigment levels had almost exclusively a narrow, circularly symmetric, pigment distribution. The described methodology holds promise for future investigations into the role of macular pigment in the developing human retina and the effect of dietary interventions in diseases resulting from a lack of normal carotenoid levels.
我们开发了一种基于反射的功能，可以在 FDA 批准的儿科视网膜成像仪器 RetCam(®)平台上测量黄斑色素水平及其在婴儿和儿童中的空间分布。我们的修改包括窄带蓝波长激发黄斑色素吸收，并结合仪器 CCD 探测器阵列接收到的反射信号的光谱选择性蓝波长读出。此外，开发了一种算法，允许计算相对于周边视网膜区域的黄斑色素的光密度图。这使得首次能够直接测量发育中人类视网膜中的黄斑色素水平及其空间特征。与成年人相比，具有可测量色素水平的婴儿几乎仅具有狭窄的、圆对称的色素分布。所描述的方法为未来研究黄斑色素在发育中人类视网膜中的作用以及饮食干预对因正常类胡萝卜素水平缺乏而导致的疾病的影响提供了希望。
