A polarized light imaging apparatus for separating light from a superficial single-scattering layer of a sample and its deeper diffuse layer, comprising: a light source configured to produce square-wave light beams; an illumination optic coupled to the light source for guiding the light beams towards the sample; a linear polarizer coupled to the illumination optic, wherein the linear polarizer is configured to produce linearly polarized light directed towards the sample; a non-total internal reflection birefringent polarizing prism (BPP; 330) optically coupled to the sample; and a detection optic unit coupled to the non-TIR BPP for guiding the light waves returning from the sample towards a single polarization sensitive sensor element (SE; 310), wherein the SE is configured to capture at least one frame of the sample; wherein: the non-TIR BPP is configured to maximize a difference in refraction between ordinary parallel-polarized waves (PAR component) and extraordinary perpendicular-polarized waves (PER component) of light returning from the sample, resulting in the at least one frame capturing simultaneously the PAR component and the PER component as a function of space, and the apparatus comprises a processing unit configured to produce an image from the at least one frame, the image representing the difference between the PAR component and the PER component, the apparatus further comprising a plurality of aperture stops coupled to the non-TIR BPP, wherein the plurality of aperture stops are configured to regulate the amount of light waves returning from the sample that pass through the non-TIR BPP. a light source configured to produce square-wave light beams; an illumination optic coupled to the light source for guiding the light beams towards the sample; a linear polarizer coupled to the illumination optic, wherein the linear polarizer is configured to produce linearly polarized light directed towards the sample; a non-total internal reflection birefringent polarizing prism (BPP; 330) optically coupled to the sample; and a detection optic unit coupled to the non-TIR BPP for guiding the light waves returning from the sample towards a single polarization sensitive sensor element (SE; 310), wherein the SE is configured to capture at least one frame of the sample; wherein: the non-TIR BPP is configured to maximize a difference in refraction between ordinary parallel-polarized waves (PAR component) and extraordinary perpendicular-polarized waves (PER component) of light returning from the sample, resulting in the at least one frame capturing simultaneously the PAR component and the PER component as a function of space, and the apparatus comprises a processing unit configured to produce an image from the at least one frame, the image representing the difference between the PAR component and the PER component, the non-TIR BPP is configured to maximize a difference in refraction between ordinary parallel-polarized waves (PAR component) and extraordinary perpendicular-polarized waves (PER component) of light returning from the sample, resulting in the at least one frame capturing simultaneously the PAR component and the PER component as a function of space, and the apparatus comprises a processing unit configured to produce an image from the at least one frame, the image representing the difference between the PAR component and the PER component, the apparatus further comprising a plurality of aperture stops coupled to the non-TIR BPP, wherein the plurality of aperture stops are configured to regulate the amount of light waves returning from the sample that pass through the non-TIR BPP.