Structural properties of the cornea determine the shape and optical quality of the eye. Keratoconus, a structural degeneration of the cornea, is often treated with UV-induced collagen cross-linking to increase tissue resistance to further deformation and degeneration. Optimal treatments would be customized to the individual and consider preexisting structural properties as well as the effects induced by treatment and this requires the capability to noninvasively measure tissue properties. The purpose of this study is to use novel methods of optical elastography to study the effects of UV-induced corneal collagen cross-linking in the rabbit eye. Low-amplitude (<1μm) elastic flexural waves were generated using focused air-pulse stimulation. Elastic wave propagation was measured over a 10x10mm area using Phase Stabilized Swept Source Optical Coherence Elastography (PhS-SSOCE) with a sensitivity of ~ 10 nm. Wave amplitude and velocity were computed and compared in tissues before and after UV cross-linking. Wave amplitude was decreased by the cross-linking treatment, while wave velocity was greater in cross-linked tissue than it was in the untreated cornea. Decreased wave amplitude and increased wave velocity after cross-linking is consistent with increased tissue stiffness. This was confirmed by conventional mechanical tension testing. These results demonstrate that the combination of the PhS-SSOCE and focused air pulse stimulation is capable of measuring low amplitude tissue motion and quantifying corneal stiffness.

Date Published: 26 March 2013
PDF: 7 pages
Proc. SPIE 8567, Ophthalmic Technologies XXIII, 85671G (26 March 2013); doi: 10.1117/12.2007109

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8567:
Ophthalmic Technologies XXIII
Fabrice Manns; Per G. Söderberg; Arthur Ho, Editor(s)