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What is possible with very high frequency sounds should also be possible with low coherence length light thought Professor James G. Fujimoto from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, USA. Together with his team and research partners, he developed optical coherence tomography (OCT) or ultralight examinations in very simplified terms. It is the optical equivalent of acoustic ultrasound technology.

OCT is already being routinely used for eye examinations, e.g. to detect glaucoma, for diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. For the diagnosis of cardiac blood vessels, this technology is currently at the threshold of broader clinical use; intensive global research is also being conducted into further medical applications such as functional brain mapping.

Due to the wide range of uses of OCT in medical applications and in fundamental research, its inventor, James Fujimoto, has been honored with the 2011 Carl Zeiss Research Award. He joins a long list of renowned award-winners. Past recipients of the prize include subsequent Nobel laureates Eric A. Cornell and Ahmed Zewail. The award with a cash value of 25,000 euros will be presented to James Fujimoto in person during the course of the year.

January 12, 2011