Successive order scattering transport approximation for laser light propagation in whole blood medium

Optical Scattering from Vitreous Floaters

Vitreous “floaters” are a common entoptic phenomenon that can result in significant reduction in quality of life in a proportion of sufferers. The authors use a computational mathematical model based on Fourier optics and reflection and transmission coefficients calculated for a planar type II collagen opacity suspended in aqueous to show that floaters are perceived by the patient through interference effects that result in significant variations in intensity on the retina when viewing a constant brightness surface. The model also predicts that backscattered intensity from floaters is ten thousand to one million times lower than the variations in intensity produced on the retina, which demonstrates that the visible effects of floaters for the patient can be highly significant, whereas clinical observation of the vitreous may be entirely unremarkable. Importantly, the results also demonstrate that floaters do not need to be opaque to cause symptoms, with only small differences in refractive index between the floater material and the surrounding vitreous needed to produce significant optical effects. The model predicts that pupil size is an important factor in determining the severity of symptoms from floaters, with constricted pupils giving much greater effect than dilated pupils. Finally, the authors’ model predicts that floaters degrade contrast sensitivity function, with greatest degradation occurring in the 5–40 cycles per degree spatial frequency range and that the effects of shadowing caused by floaters are very strongly correlated to the predicted degradation of contrast sensitivity function. Bioelectromagnetics. 43:90–105, 2022. © 2021 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Bioelectromagnetics Society.

High-resolution angle-resolved measurements of light scattered at small angles by red blood cells in suspension

Red blood cells (RBCs) scatter light mainly in the forward direction, where the scattering phase function has a narrow peak. We performed an experimental investigation into the angular distribution of light scattered by blood in the small-angle domain. A highly diluted suspension of RBCs (hematocrits in the range 5 x 10(-5)-10(-2)) was illuminated with a He-Ne laser with 633 nm wavelength. We focused our research on two main topics: the scattering efficiency of the RBCs given by the mean scattering cross section and the scattering anisotropy obtained from the angular distribution of the scattered photons. The collimated beam transmission and the angular distribution of scattered light were measured and compared with the predictions of the effective phase function model. The RBCs' mean scattering cross section and scattering anisotropy were obtained by fitting of the experimental data.

Effective phase function for light scattered by blood

The scattering process induced in blood by a collimated laser beam is theoretically investigated. An individual red blood cell (RBC) has a scattering phase function strongly peaked in the forward direction. For far-field experiments, the small scattering volumes can be considered as "macroscopic particles" characterized by an effective scattering phase function. Using the single-cell phase function as "input data" the angular distribution of light scattered at small angles by the whole scattering volume, containing RBCs in suspension, is calculated analytically. The angular dispersion of the light scattered by blood can be approximately described by the same formula used to characterize the light scattered by a single cell but with an effective, hematocrit-dependent anisotropy parameter.

Scattering of he-ne laser light by an average-sized red blood cell

The scattering of He-Ne laser light by an average-sized human red blood cell (RBC) is investigated numerically. The RBC is modeled as an axisymmetric, low-contrast dielectric, biconcave disk. The interaction problem is treated numerically by means of a boundary-element methodology. The differential scattering cross sections (DSCS's) corresponding to various cell orientations are calculated. The numerical results obtained for the exact RBC geometry are compared with those corresponding to a scattering problem in which the cell is assumed to be either a volume-equivalent sphere or an oblate spheroid. A parametric study demonstrating the dependence of the DSCS on the wavelength of the incident wave and the cell's refractive index is presented.

Measurement of blood hematocrit inside the magnetically suspended centrifugal pump using an optical technique: application to assessment of pump flow

To measure blood hematocrit inside the magnetically suspended centrifugal pump, we have performed both forward and backward light scattering measurements using a specially designed optical cell. In the forward scattering measurement, an optical fiber was used to guide the near infrared light at 780 nm into a 250 microns gap region, and the light that forward scattered toward a detector fiber was measured using a phototransistor. The light intensity decreased exponentially with an increase in the hematocrit to around 20%. The forward scattering method suffered from sensitivity at the hematocrit levels around 25-45% due to the diffusion effect. By making the optical path length larger than several millimeters, the sensitivity of the forward scattering method in terms of hematocrit change can be improved. In the back scattering method, however, better sensitivity in terms of hematocrit change from 0-50% was obtained. By making the optical fiber separation distance less than 1 mm, the system will measure the first order back scattering from the shallow layer while, by making the fiber separation distance larger than several millimeters, the system will primarily measure the diffuse reflectance from the deeper layer. Both approaches will yield sensitive optical intensity change in terms of the physiological hematocrit range.