ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the basic principles of time domain and Fourier domain low coherence interferometry (LCI) and discusses system parameters like resolution, sensitivity, and measurement range. It demonstrates the use of LCI for ophthalmic applications like intraocular ranging and optical coherence tomography (OCT) with applications to retinal imaging. The chapter introduces functional extensions of OCT like polarization-sensitive OCT and Doppler OCT. One of the most important components of an LCI or OCT system is the light source. Via scattering and absorption coefficients, the central wavelength determines the light penetration into the tissue. The bandwidth determines the axial resolution, and the power determines the sensitivity of the system. Contrary to other optical imaging techniques like microscopy, axial and lateral resolutions are decoupled in LCI and OCT. The transversal resolution of OCT is limited by similar criteria as in the case of confocal microscopy.
