June 2023
Volume 64, Issue 8
Open Access
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2023
Optical Coherence Elastography detects corneal biomechanical changes caused by alkali burn
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • Taye Mekonnen
    Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Xiao Lin
    College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Christian Zevallos-Delgado
    Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Manmohan Singh
    Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Salavat Aglyamov
    Mechanical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Vivien Jane Coulson-Thomas
    College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Kirill Larin
    Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships   Taye Mekonnen None; Xiao Lin None; Christian Zevallos-Delgado None; Manmohan Singh None; Salavat Aglyamov None; Vivien Coulson-Thomas None; Kirill Larin None
  • Footnotes
    Support  National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R01EY029289 to V.J.C.-T.; R01EY022362 to K.V.L. and S.R.A.; P30 EY07551 for the University of Houston College of Optometry, and a grant from the Lions Foundation
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science June 2023, Vol.64, 5340. doi:
  • Views
  • Share
  • Tools
    • Alerts
      ×
      This feature is available to authenticated users only.
      Sign In or Create an Account ×
    • Get Citation

      Taye Mekonnen, Xiao Lin, Christian Zevallos-Delgado, Manmohan Singh, Salavat Aglyamov, Vivien Jane Coulson-Thomas, Kirill Larin; Optical Coherence Elastography detects corneal biomechanical changes caused by alkali burn. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2023;64(8):5340.

      Download citation file:


      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

      ×
  • Supplements
Abstract

Purpose : The cornea is susceptible to various environmental insults, including chemical burns caused by alkaline or acidic agents. Exposure to alkaline agents can lead to severe injury owing to their ability to cause cellular membrane lysis and penetrate the highly collagenous internal structure of the cornea. Healing ensues immediately; however, the corneal biochemical and physical properties could be further modified due to lipid deposition and scarring. We hypothesize that this modification of collagen fibers could influence corneal biomechanical properties.

Methods : A 2µL of 1N NaOH solution was instilled onto the ocular surface of the right eyes of wild-type mice(N=5) in vivo to induce an alkali burn; and the left eyes(control) remained uninjured. Experiments were conducted on day 7 and day 14 after the alkali burn to assess changes in the corneal biomechanical properties using noninvasive optical coherence elastography(OCE). The OCE system mainly consisted of an air-coupled ultrasound transducer to produce mechanical excitation at the apex of the corneas and a phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography system to track the propagation of the mechanically induced elastic waves. Corneal thickness and elastic wave speed were quantified along the temporal-nasal and inferior-superior directions. Then, the viscoelastic properties of the corneas(Young’s modulus and shear viscosity coefficient) were estimated using a modified Rayleigh–Lamb frequency equation.

Results : The mean elastic wave speeds in injured corneas(Vday7=4.6±0.3m/s; Vday14=5.1±0.6m/s) were significantly higher than that in the controls(Vday7=3.8±0.26m/s; Vday14=4.3±0.21m/s) at both day 7(p=0.002) and day 14(p=0.03) post burn(Fig.1). A similar trend was observed in the estimated Young’s modulus at day 7(p=0.029) and day 14(p=0.026). Furthermore, the shear viscosity coefficient of the injured corneas was significantly greater than that of the controls at day 7(p=0.015), but the difference wasn’t statistically significant at day 14.

Conclusions : Corneal mechanical properties are significantly modulated in response to alkali insult, indicating that OCE can provide potentially useful clinical information for early diagnosis and treatment of such eye injuries.

This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.

 

Fig.1. (a) Speed maps overlayed on structural images of control and alkali-burned corneas at day 7 after alkali treatment. (b) Elastic wave speeds of control and alkali-burned corneas(N=5 mice).

Fig.1. (a) Speed maps overlayed on structural images of control and alkali-burned corneas at day 7 after alkali treatment. (b) Elastic wave speeds of control and alkali-burned corneas(N=5 mice).

×
×

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

Sign in or purchase a subscription to access this content. ×

You must be signed into an individual account to use this feature.

×