Non-Invasive and Non-Destructive Determination of Corneal and Scleral Biomechanics Using Vibrational Optical Coherence Tomography: Preliminary Observations

Abstract

Experimental measurements made in this study on human and porcine eyes suggest that the resonant frequency for both cornea and sclera varies from 130 to 150 Hz and increases slightly with increasing intraocular pressure. The values of the moduli calculated using the experimental values of the thickness are close to 2 MPa. Similar values of the modulus for cornea and sclera suggest that there is very little stress concentration at the cornea-scleral junction and that any stress concentration that occurs probably resides at the scleral attachment laterally and posteriorly. These moduli are close to those measured in vivo on human skin suggesting that the mechanism of tensile deformation of skin, cornea and sclera are similar. Our results suggest that the modulus of cornea and sclera can be measured non-invasively and non-destructively using vibrational OCT. Results of these studies will assist clinicians to better understand the influence of biomechanics on the outcome of corneal refractive surgery as well as the pathogenesis of eye disorders such as glaucoma, myopia and keratoconus.