Structured light could deliver a new method for diagnosing eye disease

Researchers at the University of Waterloo have discovered a new way to enhance subtle optical patterns in human peripheral vision using structured light from quantum optics. Per Physics World, the team — led by Dusan Sarenac — engineered polarized light to make nearly invisible patterns called Boehm's brushes far more vivid by amplifying how the retina naturally scatters light. Testing with eleven participants, the enhanced patterns not only became sharply visible but changed shape depending on the light's properties. The breakthrough could lead to a new non-invasive test for retinal disease — a way to diagnose eye health through patterns that only healthy retinas can clearly perceive.

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