Abstract
Corneal degenerative conditions such as keratoconus (KC) cause progressive damage to the anterior corneal tissue and eventually severely compromise visual acuity. The ability to visualize corneal tissue damage in-vivo at cellular or sub-cellular level at different stages of development of KC and other corneal diseases, can aid the early diagnostics as well as the development of more effective treatment approaches for various corneal pathologies, including keratoconus. Here, we present the optical design of an optical coherence tomography system that can achieve 0.95 µm axial resolution in biological tissue and provide test results for the system's spatial resolution and sensitivity. Corneal images acquired in-vivo with this system from healthy and keratoconic human subjects reveal the cellular and sub-cellular structure of the corneal epithelium, as well as the normal and abnormal structure of the Bowman's membrane and the anterior corneal stroma.
Highlights
IntroductionKeratoconus (KC) is a degenerative eye disorder that causes structural changes in the cornea resulting in opaqueness (scarring), thinning, appearance of stress lines due to stretching of the corneal tissue and shape alterations in the cornea (changes of the inner and outer curvatures of the cornea) [1]
Keratoconus (KC) is a degenerative eye disorder that causes structural changes in the cornea resulting in opaqueness, thinning, appearance of stress lines due to stretching of the corneal tissue and shape alterations in the cornea [1]
This advantage of the high resolution Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was already demonstrated by other research groups that used OCT technology with ~1.2 μm axial OCT resolution in the cornea to measure the thickness of the corneal epithelium and basement membrane (BM) [19], and the tear film [23]
Summary
Keratoconus (KC) is a degenerative eye disorder that causes structural changes in the cornea resulting in opaqueness (scarring), thinning, appearance of stress lines due to stretching of the corneal tissue and shape alterations in the cornea (changes of the inner and outer curvatures of the cornea) [1] These morphological changes cause significant visual distortions, such as formation of multiple images (monocular polyopia), streaking, sensitivity to light and loss of night vision [2]. Keratoconus, a bilateral ectasia of the cornea, affects approximately 0.1% of the general population, ranging in age from early teens to mid-thirties, with vision deterioration reducing significantly the patient's ability to drive a car or read a normal print [3] It is most commonly an isolated condition, it can occur alongside other conditions among which are atopic disease and eye rubbing [4]. A better understanding of the corneal response to treatment can be achieved, which in turn can lead to optimization of existing or development of novel therapeutic approaches
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