Accurate in vivo measurements of the corneal light backscattering in-depth distribution with Optical Coherence Tomography for different hydration states

摘要

Recently we reported measurements of the corneal in-depth light backscattering distribution (CDLBD) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a possible tool for investigation of the corneal hydration and estimation of water gradients inside the cornea. In this paper, we present additional results demonstrating a strong correlation (R = 0.99) between the amplitude of light backscattering as measured by OCT and the corneal thickness. In contrary to the well-known effect of the immediate increase observed in corneal opacity during corneal swelling, we observed an initial decrease of the amplitude of light backscattering as measured by OCT in the anterior part of the stroma during the swelling process. The possible explanation for this observation is discussed. Also methodological improvements for accurate measurements of the CDLBD in vivo are outlined.