English: Investigation of AMD, macular degeneration a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina macular degeneration.

Sections from human eye tissue were analyzed with Structured Illumination Microscopy (SMI) / Optical nanoscopy using a specially designed Super Resolution Microscope setup: LSI-TIRF as a total internal reflection interferometer with laterally structured illumination. This SMI technique allowed to acquire light-optical images of autofluorophore distributions in the tissue with previously unmatched optical resolution. Use of three different excitation wavelengths (488, 568 and 647 nm), enables to gather spectral information about the autofluorescence signal.

Detailed Image description: Overview image. The SMI image (right) shows more details and less out of focus light than the widefield image (left). The Bruch membrane (B) is located between the choroid (C) and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). On the top of the image endings of retinal rod cells (R) can be seen. The scale bar is 2�m.

Reference: Best G, Amberger R, Baddeley D, Ach T, Dithmar S, Heintzmann R and Cremer C (2011). Structured illumination microscopy of autofluorescent aggregations in human tissue. Micron, 42, 330-335.