Human Foveal Cone and Müller Cells Examined by Adaptive Optics Optical Coherence Tomography

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to image and investigate the foveal microstructure of human cone and Müller cells using adaptive optics-optical coherence tomography. METHODS: Six healthy subjects underwent the prototype adaptive optics-optical coherence tomography imaging, which allowed an axial resolution of 3.4 µm and a transverse resolution of approximately 3 µm. The morphological features of the individual retinal cells observed in the foveola were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated. RESULTS: In the six healthy subjects, the image B-scans showed hyper-reflective dots that were densely packed in the outer nuclear layer. The mean number, diameter, and density of hyper-reflective dots in the foveola were 250.8 ± 59.6, 12.7 ± 59.6 µm, and 6966 ± 1833/mm(2), respectively. These qualitative and quantitative findings regarding the hyper-reflective dots were markedly consistent with the morphological features of the foveal cone cell nuclei. Additionally, the images showed the funnel-shaped hyporeflective bodies running vertically and obliquely between the inner and external limiting membranes, illustrating the cell morphology of the foveal Müller cells. CONCLUSIONS: Using adaptive optics, we succeeded in visualizing cross-sectional images of the individual cone and Müller cells of the human retina in vivo. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: Adaptive optics-optical coherence tomography would help to improve our understanding of the pathogenesis of macular diseases.