Cornea biomechanical analysis with Brillouin microscopy

应用布里渊显微镜进行角膜生物力学分析 项目概述：圆锥角膜和相关的角膜扩张是年轻人视力丧失的主要原因， 屈光手术筛查治疗近视的主要关注点，以及角膜屈光不正的主要适应症 移植在美国。已知这些条件是由机械系统的中断触发的。 角膜强度和眼内向外压之间的平衡，这可能在扩张性角膜炎中自然发生。 屈光不正或屈光手术引起的疾病。虽然识别弱化（扩张） 角膜在他们最早的时间点，目前的成像技术无法做到这一点，因为他们只评估 角膜形态学（形状）而不是角膜生物力学。这使得医生和病人 诊断圆锥角膜或计划手术时的信息。为了克服目前的角膜筛查 局限性，我们开发了一种光学技术，布里渊显微镜，可以测量角膜 在高三维分辨率下的硬度，而不接触或干扰眼睛。这个项目的总体目标是 该研究计划旨在改善角膜扩张性疾病的诊断和管理， 屈光手术的安全性和结果，通过引入新的生物力学分析， 角膜我们的中心假设是，角膜机械特性的空间局部化变化是由角膜的机械特性引起的。 临床观察到的形态学行为的关键驱动因素。这一假设是由强大的 初步数据显示了体内扩张角膜的显著区域依赖性变化。拟议 研究工作将追求三个具体目标： 1)用于角膜力学评估的布里渊测量 2)表征亚临床圆锥角膜的局灶布里渊模量变化; 3)确定屈光手术和交联手术对角膜的机械影响。 这项研究意义重大，因为基于弹性的指标将能够早期识别角膜扩张 当治疗是最有益的患者，适当的筛查个人的风险发展后， 手术扩张，否则可能接受LASIK，和客观评估的机械 与屈光手术相关的退化。最终，从这项研究中获得的知识可能会 导致个体化屈光手术的发展，并基于 患者的基础生物力学状态。

ABSTRACT OF PARENT PROJECT: Cornea biomechanical analysis with Brillouin microscopy Project Summary: Keratoconus and related corneal ectasia are a major cause of vision loss in young adults, the primary concern during refractive surgery screening to treat myopia, and the leading indication for corneal transplantation in the US. These conditions are known to be triggered by the disruption of the mechanical balance between corneal strength and intraocular outward pressure, which can occur naturally in ectatic disorders or can be triggered by refractive surgery procedures. While it is critical to identify weakened (ectatic) corneas at their earliest time point, current imaging techniques are unable to do that, as they only assess corneal morphology (shape) and not corneal biomechanics. This leaves doctors and patients with limited information when diagnosing keratoconus, or when planning surgeries. To overcome current corneal screening limitations, we have developed an optical technology, Brillouin microscopy, which can measure corneal stiffness at high 3-dimensional resolution without contacting or perturbing the eye. The overall goal of this research program is to improve diagnosis and management of corneal ectatic disorders and to improve the safety and outcome of refractive surgery procedures by introducing novel biomechanical profiling of the cornea. Our central hypothesis is that spatially localized changes in mechanical properties of the cornea are critical drivers of the morphological behavior observed in the clinic. This hypothesis is driven by strong preliminary data showing remarkable region dependent changes in ectatic corneas in vivo. The proposed research will pursue three specific aims: 1) Validate Brillouin measurements for mechanical evaluation of the cornea; 2) Characterize focal Brillouin modulus changes in subclinical keratoconus; 3) Determine the mechanical impact of refractive surgery and cross-linking procedures on the cornea. The research is significant because elasticity-based metrics will enable early identification of corneal ectasia patients when treatments are maximally beneficial, proper screening of individuals at risk of developing post- operative ectasia that might otherwise undergo LASIK, and objective assessment of the mechanical degradation involved with refractive procedures. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from this research is likely to lead to the development of individualized refractive surgery and cross-linking treatment plans based on the patient's underlying biomechanical status.