Fig. 5.

Retinal images, varying in polarization content, of a 70 year old white female with a normal retina. (Top left) Depolarized light image, emphasizing deeper features and with retinal vessels seen as absorbing structures, rather than the largest retinal vessels appearing to have highly reflective vessel walls. (Top middle) Average of all 40 images. Note in the lower right that there is a bright stripe down the center of the larger retinal vessel. (Top right) Maximum of the parallel detector, emphasizing superficial features. This image is the brightest of all computed images prior to scaling. (Bottom left) Birefringence image, showing a typical macular cross. (Bottom middle) Cardinal directions map of phase of the maximum phase of the crossed detector. The macular cross indicates good symmetry about the fovea, indicating an intact retina. The bright green area in the lower right of this panel is the strong light return of the nerve fiber bundle, which can be seen as achromatic in the birefringence figure. (Bottom right) Cardinal directions map of phase of the maximum phase of the parallel detector.