Cornea biomechanical analysis with Brillouin microscopy

母项目摘要：基于布里渊显微镜的角膜生物力学分析 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首要问题和角膜的主要适应症 在美国进行移植。已知这些情况是由机械系统的破坏引起的 角膜强度和眼内向外压之间的平衡，这可能在扩张症中自然发生 疾病或可由屈光手术程序触发。虽然识别虚弱(兴奋)很关键 在最早的时间点，目前的成像技术无法做到这一点，因为它们只能评估 角膜形态(形状)，而不是角膜生物力学。这给医生和患者留下了有限的 在诊断圆锥角膜时或在计划手术时提供信息。克服目前的角膜筛查 针对局限性，我们开发了一种光学技术--布里渊显微镜，它可以测量角膜 在不接触或干扰眼睛的情况下，在高3维分辨率下的僵硬。这个项目的总体目标是 研究计划是改善角膜扩张性疾病的诊断和管理，并改善 通过引入新的生物力学轮廓来进行屈光手术的安全性和结果 眼角膜。我们的中心假设是，角膜机械性能的空间局部性变化是 临床观察到的形态行为的关键驱动因素。这一假设是由斯特朗推动的 初步数据显示，在活体内扩张的角膜具有显著的区域依赖性变化。建议数 研究将追求三个具体目标： 1)验证用于角膜机械评估的布里渊测量； 2)研究亚临床圆锥角膜的局灶性布里渊模数变化； 3)确定屈光手术和交联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使早期识别角膜扩张症成为可能 在治疗最有益的情况下，对有后遗症风险的患者进行适当的筛查 手术扩张术，否则可能会接受LASIK手术，并客观评估机械 与屈光手术有关的退化。最终，从这项研究中获得的知识可能会 引导个性化屈光手术的发展和基于 患者潜在的生物力学状态。

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.