ABSTRACT Retinal images in the human eye are normally degraded because we are forced to use the optical system of the human eye- which is fraught with aberrations - as the objective lens. The recent application of adaptive optics technology to measure and compensate for these aberrations has produced retinal images in human eyes with unprecedented resolution. The adaptive optics ophthalmoscope is used to take pictures of photoreceptors and capillaries and to study spectral and angular tuning properties of individual photoreceptors. Application of adaptive optics technology for ophthalmoscopy promises continued progress toward understanding the basic properties of the living human retina and also for clinical applications. [J Refract Surg 2000;16:S602-S607]