ABSTRACT
Imaging biological tissue at higher resolution and greater depths is required in many applications. Optical microscopy is used to visualize structure and function of biological tissue, organelles, and cells. Confocal microscopy is a high-resolution optical microscopic modality that is used to obtain 3D images of thick samples. A unique property of confocal microscopy is optical sectioning that allows one to obtain images of thin sections of a tissue without excision, thereby helping to visualize the tissue without a biopsy. Confocal microscopy can provide images in real time and in vivo that can be used in the diagnosis of disease and other pathological conditions. In vivo confocal microscopy has become a mature technology and has found its way into clinical settings, where it is used in visualization and diagnostics on a routine basis.
