Abstract
Purpose :
The health of the eye's tissues can be severely impacted by various diseases, including keratoconus in the cornea, presbyopia in the lens, and glaucoma in the retina. Having the capability to measure the tissue's biomechanical properties is crucial for detecting and monitoring these diseases and understanding their causes.
Methods :
In this presentation, I will present recent advances in non-invasive optical coherence elastography (OCE) and Brillouin techniques for assessing the biomechanical properties of various ocular tissues.
Results :
For example, the change in the shape of the crystalline lens is achieved through the interaction between the lens and its surrounding capsule. Understanding the impact of the lens capsule on the entire lens' mechanical properties is crucial for understanding how the lens works and for detecting and treating lens-related diseases. In a recent study, we evaluated the viscoelasticity of the lens using OCE. We found that the intact lens had higher elasticity and viscosity compared to the decapsulated lens. These results demonstrate the lens capsule's significance in determining the crystalline lens's mechanical properties. In another study, the biomechanical properties of mouse retinas were examined non-invasively using Brillouin microscopy and the potential to distinguish between different types and layers of retinas based on stiffness was demonstrated. Results showed that layers with higher cell body density had higher Brillouin modulus compared to less densely populated layers. The stiffness of fixed samples was higher compared to fresh samples. NMDA-induced neurotoxicity, leading to retinal ganglion cell death and gliosis, resulted in increased stiffness of the retinal ganglion cell layer.
Conclusions :
These results demonstrate the capability of OCE and Brillouin techniques for assessing the biomechanical properties of various ocular tissues completely non-invasively.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Imaging in the Eye Conference, held in New Orleans, LA, April 21-22, 2023.