Patent ID: 7039452

Claim:
A method for imaging the spatial distribution and concentration level of macular carotenoids, the method comprising: obtaining a light source that generates light at a wavelength that produces a Raman response with a wavelength shift for one or more macular carotenoids to be detected; directing light from the light source onto macular tissue of an eye for which macular carotenoid levels are to be measured, wherein the light directed onto the macular tissue of the eye has an intensity that does not destroy the macular tissue; collecting light scattered from the macular tissue, the scattered light including elastically and inelastically scattered light, the inelastically scattered light having a plurality of Raman signals corresponding to the one or more macular carotenoids; selectively removing the elastically scattered light; analyzing the spatial position and intensity of the Raman signals in the inelastically scattered light; and producing an image of the Raman signals, the image representing the spatial distribution and concentration level of the one or more macular carotenoids in the macular tissue at a plurality of data points.