Real-time high-speed volumetric imaging using compressive sampling optical coherence tomography

Volumetric imaging of the Optic Nerve Head (ONH) morphometry with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) requires dense sampling and relatively long acquisition times. Compressive Sampling (CS) is an emerging technique to reduce volume acquisition time with minimal image degradation by sparsely sampling the object and reconstructing the missing data in software. In this report, we demonstrated real-time CS-OCT for volumetric imaging of the ONH using a 1060nm Swept-Source OCT prototype. We also showed that registration and averaging of CS-recovered volumes enhanced visualization of deep structures of the sclera and lamina cribrosa. This work validates CS-OCT as a means for reducing volume acquisition time and for preserving high-resolution in volume-averaged images. Compressive sampling can be integrated into new and existing OCT systems without changes to the optics, requiring only software changes and post-processing of acquired data.