Aybuke Calikoglu

1 Introduction Endomicroscopy is an emerging technology for in situ extraction of diagnostically relevant information on tissue pathologies using purpose-built instruments operated through the working channel of conventional endoscopes. It employs a plethora of microscopy methods, offering improved image resolution, enhanced contrast, and greater tissue penetration compared to standard endoscopy and providing structural and molecular information on different diseases.

Retinal damage is a common intraoperative complication during vitrectomy, caused by a complex interplay between the suction of the vitrectome, the cut- and aspiration rate, and the distance of the instrument to the retina. To control this last factor, we developed two miniaturized fiber-optic distance sensors based on low-coherence interferometry for direct integration into the vitrectome. Both sensors have a diameter of 250 µm, which makes them compatible with a 25G vitrectome.