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Researchers at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed what they claim is a new and faster way to capture highly detailed 3-D pictures of the eye which can help with the diagnosis of many ocular diseases.

Engineers claim that the new method, dubbed optical coherence tomography, can 'scan the retina at record speeds of up to 236,000 lines per second, or 10 times faster than current technology'.

According to MIT electrical engineer James Fujimoto - who designed the retinal scanner with his colleagues - the method has taken a decade to develop and could be used for early diagnosis of the leading causes of blindness such as AMD, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

'It's impossible to test the retina by removing tissue from it with a biopsy,' said Fujimoto. 'Our technique allows ophthalmologists to image the eye non-invasively to perform earlier and more sensitive diagnosis,' he said.

He added that the new laser technology is scheduled for commercial launch within five years.

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