MHz-OCT for low latency virtual reality guided surgery: First wet lab experiments on ex-vivo porcine eye

MHz-OCT systems based on FDML swept laser sources combined with the massive parallel processing capabilities of modern computer hardware enable volumetric imaging, processing and stereoscopic display at video rates. The increasing image quality and speed might enable new fields of application where the volumetric OCT completely replaces stereoscopic microscopes instead of being a mere supplement. Aside from the depth resolving capability, a particular advantage is the ability to display a whole image volume from arbitrary points of view without the need to move the actual microscope or to rotate the patient’s eye. Purely digital microscopy is already offered as alternative to traditional through-an-eyepiece surgical microscope. We explore the use of virtual reality to present digital OCT microscopy images to a trained surgeon, carrying out a series of surgical procedures ex-vivo on a porcine eye model.