Optical coherence tomography


Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an interferometric, non-invasive optical tomographic imaging technique offering millimeter penetration (approximately 2-3 mm in tissue) with micrometer-scale axial and lateral resolution. The technique was first demonstrated in 1991 with ~30µm axial resolution. Since then, OCT has achieved sub-micrometre resolution in 2001 due to introduction of wide bandwidth light sources (sources emitting wavelengths over a ~100 nm range). By now OCT has found its place as a widely accepted imaging technique, especially in ophthalmology and other biomedical applications.