Abstract: A device and method for aberration-free imaging of the fundus of the human eye includes a light source, an active mirror for directing light from the light source to and from the fundus and imaging units for viewing the fundus. A sensor compares the wavefront reflected from the eye with an aberration-free wavefront to establish an error signal, and the error signal is used to program the active mirror to remove aberrations from the reflected light. Importantly, all of this is done by focusing the light to a focal spot on the fundus which has three dimensional volumetric measurements, i.e. point spread function (PSF), of as small as approximately 2 &mgr;m×2 &mgr;m×20 &mgr;m. The imaging units include an ellipsometer and a fluoroscope, and the light source can be a laser diode or an AP-diode.

Abstract: A system for determining the birefringent topography of a birefringent sample (e.g. cornea of an eye) includes a scanning tomopgraphy unit for establishing a plane of focus and an ellipsometer for generating a laser beam that is useable to obtain a birefringent measurement of the sample. The system also includes a topography unit for determining the angle the laser beam is incident on the sample, and a computer for correcting the birefringent measurement to account for this angle of incidence. A Z-tracker unit is used to maintain a proper relationship between system components during its operation. In a refinement of the system, where the sample is the cornea of an eye, the affects of patient heart beat and respiration can be preprogrammed into the computer for use in correcting the birefringent measurement.

Abstract: A system and method for the in-vivo measurement of optical characteristics of a cornea includes an ellipsometer which measures the phase shift in reflected light after it has passed through the cornea or been reflected from the retina. This ellipsometer has a polarizing unit which selectively irradiates the cornea with light having one of four preselected linearly independent states of polarization (irradiation states). For each irradiation state, an analyzing unit in the ellipsometer selectively detects reflected light with one of four preselected linearly independent states of polarization (detection states). With the consequent sixteen ellipsometer measurements, a Muller matrix is generated which reveals the birefringent characteristics of the portion of the cornea through which the light passed. These measurements are then used in determining the birefringent characteristics of the cornea. Alternatively, birefringent properties of the deeper retinal layers can be determined.