System and method for in vivo cellular resolution transmission interference imaging of an eye

A system for in vivo, full-field transmission interference cellular resolution imaging of an eye of an individual, the eye having an outer surface, the system comprising:

• an object block configured to arrange, when the system is in operation, the eye of the individual in an imaging plane, the object block having an axis coincident with an imaging axis,
• an illumination block comprising a light source coupled to a first optical lens and to a polarization beam splitter, configured to produce together an illumination beam, wherein the illumination beam is substantially collimated and symmetric with respect to the axis of the object block,
• wherein, in operation, at least part of the illumination beam penetrates the eye of the individual, focuses onto an area of an internal reflective layer of the eye, and is back reflected by the internal reflective layer to form a secondary light source,
• wherein, in operation, the imaging plane is located between the internal reflective layer of the eye and the outer surface,
• a detection block comprising a tube lens and a bi-dimensional acquisition device, the bi-dimensional acquisition device comprising a plurality of sensors arranged in a detection plane, configured to acquire at least one bi-dimensional interferometric signal resulting from interferences between (i) a substantially collimated reference wave obtained by a direct retransmission of a first portion of the secondary light source by the eye, and (ii) a divergent sample wave obtained by the scattering of a second portion of the secondary light source by a region of a slice of the eye of the individual, the detection plane being optically conjugated with the imaging plane, and the slice of the eye being localized on the imaging plane,
• wherein the divergent sample wave presents an additional optical phase shift relatively to the substantially collimated reference wave.