Open AccessSub-micrometer axial resolution OCT for in-vivo imaging of the cellular structure of healthy and keratoconic human corneas
Author(s) -
Kostadinka Bizheva,
Bingyao Tan,
Benjamin MacLelan,
Olivera Kralj,
Mojtaba Hajialamdari,
Denise Hileeto,
Luigina Sorbara
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
biomedical optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.362
H-Index - 86
ISSN - 2156-7085
DOI - 10.1364/boe.8.000800
Subject(s) - keratoconus , optical coherence tomography , cornea , in vivo , corneal diseases , corneal topography , stroma , ophthalmology , corneal epithelium , preclinical imaging , medicine , biomedical engineering , pathology , biology , immunohistochemistry , microbiology and biotechnology
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.