Martin Zinkernagel - Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Ophthalmoscopy

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Imaging technologies for retinal diseases have made considerable progress in the last decades. One of the cornerstones of retinal imaging is based on autofluorescence. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF), including quantitative fundus autofluorescence, which measures the intensity of autofluorescence of endogenous fluorophores, is nowadays an established imaging modality in clinical ophthalmology. However, fluorescence cannot only be quantified by its intensity but also by its lifetime. Fluorescence lifetime imaging provides information on how long a fluorophore remains, on average, in its excited state before returning to its ground state. In contrast to intensity imaging, fluorescence lifetime imaging depends on the molecular environment of the fluorophore but not on its concentration and therefore is able to provide entirely new insights into the pathology of retinal and macular diseases. With the introduction of the fluorescence lifetime imaging ophthalmoscopy (FLIO), our understanding of fluorescence lifetimes of endogenous retinal fluorophores has expanded tremendously and new impetus has been generated for research of various retinal diseases.

This book is meant to provide a review of current knowledge of fluorescence lifetime imaging of the retina and an overview of fluorescence lifetime findings in common retinal diseases, starting from techniques and principles to clinical applications of FLIO. The book has been written for anyone interested in retinal imaging and understanding fluorescence lifetime imaging or in learning more about it.

We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Heidelberg Engineering who have further refined fluorescence lifetime imaging of the retina based on a confocal scanning ophthalmoscope and have supported the advancement of FLIO with relentless dedication. We would also like to thank the staff at Springer Publishing for their professional commitment and efficiency to publish this book and to promote this emerging imaging technique.