Longitudinal Visualization of Neurodegeneration: Digital Biopsy of the Retina

As treatment for most retinal diseases only begins after vision impairing degeneration is detectable, a better understanding of what changes lead to neurodegeneration is required. Due to the isolated physiology of the eye, the classical markers of inflammation are not detectable in-vivo without an invasive biopsy. The major aims of this dissertation are to explore optical methods for a digital biopsy and demonstrate their utility in animal models of disease. In this dissertation, traditional ophthalmology methods were augmented with emerging optical techniques and biological markers to track inflammatory progression in different disease models.