System and method for multi-scale closed-loop eye tracking with real-time image montaging

A system for multi-scale closed-loop eye tracking to compensate for translation and rotation motion while imaging in vivo a surface area of an internal structure of an eye of a subject where a subject's head is supported by the system comprising:

• a narrow field imaging device optically coupled to an optical path to receive light reflected from the surface area of a structure of the eye;
• a wide field camera optically coupled to the optical path by a beam splitter disposed in said optical path;
• a tracking mirror disposed in said optical path between said beam splitter and the structure of the eye;
• a torsional correction device comprising a rotating mount which rotates the subject's head in a plane about parallel to a surface of the surface area of the structure of the eye, said rotating mount comprising a chin rest at a first end of said rotating mount, said rotating mount extending from rearward from said first end of said rotating mount to a second end of said rotating mount behind the subject's head, and a motor mechanically and rotatingly coupled said second end of said rotating mount;
• and
• a control process algorithm running on a computer, said computer communicatively coupled to said wide field camera and said narrow field imaging device and said tracking mirror and said torsional correction device rotating mount, and wherein said control process algorithm causes movements of said tracking mirror and said motor of said torsional correction device rotating mount to actively compensate substantially in real time for both translational and rotational movements of the eye, at least in part based on feedback images from said wide field camera and said narrow field imaging device.

A method for multi-scale closed-loop eye tracking to compensate for translation and rotation motion while imaging in vivo a surface area of an internal structure of an eye of a subject's head comprising:

• providing a narrow field imaging device optically coupled to an optical path to receive light reflected from the surface area of the structure of the eye, a wide field camera optically coupled to the optical path by a beam splitter disposed in said optical path, a tracking mirror disposed in said optical path between said beam splitter and the structure of the eye, a torsional correction device, and a control process algorithm running on a computer;
• calculating by computer a translation and a rotation of the eye at least in part from an image received from said wide field camera and said narrow field imaging device;
• and
• setting by computer a position of said tracking mirror to compensate for said translation of the eye and setting by computer a rotational movement of said torsional correction device, to compensate for said rotation of the eye, and setting by computer said torsional correction device which rotates both of said wide field camera and said narrow field imaging device to compensate for said rotation of the eye.

A system for multi-scale closed-loop eye tracking to compensate for translation and rotation motion while imaging in vivo a surface area of an internal structure of an eye of a subject comprising:

• a narrow field imaging device optically coupled to an optical path to receive light reflected from the surface area of the structure of the eye;
• a wide field camera optically coupled to the optical path by a beam splitter disposed in said optical path;
• a tracking mirror disposed in said optical path between said beam splitter and the structure of the eye;
• a torsional correction device mechanically coupled to one or more optical components of the system;
• a control process algorithm running on a computer, said computer communicatively coupled to said wide field camera and said narrow field imaging device and said tracking mirror and said torsional correction device, and wherein said control process algorithm causes movements of said tracking mirror and said torsional correction device to actively compensate substantially in real time for both translational and rotational movements of the eye at least in part based on feedback images from said wide field camera and said narrow field imaging device;
• and
• an over-sampling analog to digital converter (A/D) in combination with a pixel-binning process algorithm which runs on a pixel-binning hardware to increase a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of a raw image from said AOSLO imaging apparatus.