Abstract
A new non-invasive method, based on the interferometric analysis of diff ractive and polarizing effects related to the birefringent properties of corneal collagen fibrils, has been developed to objectively evaluate the optical properties of the stroma. The new method shows a relevant impact on corneal surgeries specifically for lamellar transplantation where, due to the polarizing properties of the stroma, the alignment between collagen fibrils of donor corneas with patient collagen fibril orientation has shown an improvement of visual acuity postoperatively. Further studies on the regularity of the corneal isogyre pattern are showing this new method has a strong impact in early-stage diagnosis of corneal disease.
Highlights
The cornea has a dual function, optical and mechanical
The regular arrangement of the fibrils within each layer is considered to be responsible for the transparency of the tissue.[2,10,11]. It is an important factor for determining the mechanical properties of the cornea[12,13] as well as maintaining its shape.[14,15]. Such an organization contributes to characteristic patterns that are linked to highly ordered structures, such as crystals, which possess the property of birefringence
Comparison between polarimetric interferometry image obtained by the interference between polarized light and stromal structure of human corneas using a new patented[29] medical device called Lumaxis® (Phronema SRL; Bari, Italy) with data published in the literature and obtained by x-ray, and second and third harmonic generation technique (SGH eTGH )
Summary
The cornea has a dual function, optical and mechanical. The human cornea provides two-thirds of the refractive power of the eye and the requisite durability to maintain its shape, notwithstanding the action of the extraocular muscles and the internal force of the ciliary muscle. The stroma is composed of approximately two successively stacked lamellae of type I collagen fibrils with a diameter of around 25-30 μm.[2] Within each lamella, the collagen fibrils run parallel to each other and show a regular interfibrillar spacing.[2,3,4,5] The orientation of the fibrils is constant within each lamella, but varies throughout successive layers.[6,7,8,9] The regular arrangement of the fibrils within each layer is considered to be responsible for the transparency of the tissue.[2,10,11] It is an important factor for determining the mechanical properties of the cornea[12,13] as well as maintaining its shape.[14,15] Such an organization contributes to characteristic patterns that are linked to highly ordered structures, such as crystals, which possess the property of birefringence. Development of a new non-invasive method to objectively evaluate the optical properties of the stroma, based on the interferometric analysis of diffractive and polarizing effects related to the birefringent properties of the stroma
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