Optical coherence elastography by ambient pressure modulation for high-resolution strain mapping applied to patterned cross-linking

The purpose of this study was to develop a novel non-contact optical coherence elastography (OCE) approach to measure laterally and axially highly resolved corneal strain distribution at different stages of patterned corneal cross-linking (CXL). Freshly enucleated rat eyes were obtained and prepared for accelerated patterned CXL treatment with distinct ultraviolet (UV) patterns (central, peripheral, bow-tie irradiation). Each cornea was measured repeatedly, in three different conditions: (i) virgin, (ii) after epithelial debridement and 0.5% hypo-osmolar riboflavin instillation for 30 min, and (iii) after patterned CXL at 9 mW cm −2 for 10 min. For biomechanical assessment, the corneal deformation response to an ambient pressure variation of −2 mmHg was recorded by OCE. Strain maps were obtained from phase and magnitude changes in the complex optical coherence tomography signal. Virgin corneas presented negative strain (−2.7 ± 1.1‰) in the anterior cornea and positive strain (1.9 ± 1.3‰) in the posterior cornea. A pronounced shift towards positive strains in the anterior cornea (particularly in UV-irradiated regions) was observed after CXL. Patterned UV irradiation induced localized strain alterations closely matching the geometry of the irradiation pattern. This study demonstrates the possibility of non-contact OCE by ambient pressure modulation, which could substantially improve the early diagnosis of corneal degeneration, advance research in small-animal eyes and refine in vitro mechanical investigation.