Assessing the changes in the biomechanical properties of the crystalline lens induced by cold cataract with air-pulse OCE

Abstract

A cataract is the increase in opacity of the crystalline lens that can pathologically degrade visual acuity. In this study, we utilized a phase-sensitive optical coherence elastography (OCE) system to study the effects of a cold cataract on the biomechanical properties of the porcine crystalline lens in vitro. The cold cataract was induced by placing the whole lens in a low temperature environment until the lens was obviously clouded. Air-pulse OCE measurements were conducted on 6 lenses before and after cold cataract induction. A low amplitude displacement (≤ 10 µm) was induced by a focused air-pulse and the temporal deformation profiles from the surface and within the lenses were analyzed. The results demonstrated that the stiffness of the porcine lens increased after induction of the cold cataract, and it demonstrated the feasibility of OCE to assess the biomechanical changes in the lens due to cataract.