Non-contact confocal calcium imaging of murine corneal nerves.

Abnormal corneal nerve function and associated disease is a significant public health concern. It is associated with prevalent ocular surface diseases, including dry eye disease. Corneal nerve dysfunction is also a common side effect of refractive surgeries, as well as a symptom of diseases that cause peripheral neuropathies.

Misclassification of Eyes With Progressive Keratoconus Using the KISA% Index.

Purpose: To determine the misclassification rate of the keratoconus percentage (KISA%) index efficacy in eyes with progressive keratoconus.

Methods: This was a retrospective case-control study of consecutive patients with confirmed progressive keratoconus and a contemporaneous normal control group with 1.00 diopters or greater regular astigmatism.

Salzmann's Nodular Degeneration in Refractive Surgery: The Earlier Hit Hypothesis of EBM Injury-Related Fibrosis of the Subepithelial Space and Deeper Corneal Extension.

Purpose: To review the atypical development of Salzmann's nodular degeneration (SND) after two cases of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and one case of photorefractive keratomileusis (PRK), and to highlight the pathophysiology of SND and its treatment.

Methods: Three cases of SND (two following LASIK performed with microkeratomes and one following PRK) were reviewed and Pubmed.gov and internet searches were performed.

Subclinical Keratoconus Detection and Characterization Using Motion-Tracking Brillouin Microscopy.

Purpose: To characterize focal biomechanical alterations in subclinical keratoconus (SKC) using motion-tracking (MT) Brillouin microscopy and evaluate the ability of MT Brillouin metrics to differentiate eyes with SKC from normal control eyes.

Design: Prospective cross-sectional study.

Participants: Thirty eyes from 30 patients were evaluated, including 15 eyes from 15 bilaterally normal patients and 15 eyes with SKC from 15 patients.

Phase-Decorrelation Optical Coherence Tomography Measurement of Cold-Induced Nuclear Cataract.

Purpose: The purpose of this work is to determine the sensitivity of phase-decorrelation optical coherence tomography (OCT) to protein aggregation associated with cataracts in the ocular lens, as compared to OCT signal intensity.

Methods: Six fresh porcine globes were held at 4°C until cold cataracts developed. As the globes were re-warmed to ambient temperature, reversing the cold cataract, each lens was imaged repeatedly using a conventional OCT system.

Motion-Tracking Brillouin Microscopy Evaluation of Normal, Keratoconic, and Post-Laser Vision Correction Corneas.

Purpose: To characterize focal biomechanical differences between normal, keratoconic, and post-laser vision correction (LVC) corneas using motion-tracking Brillouin microscopy.

Design: Prospective cross-sectional study.

Methods: Thirty eyes from 30 patients (10 normal controls [Controls], 10 post-LVC, and 10 stage I or II keratoconus [KC]) had Scheimpflug and motion-tracking Brillouin microscopy imaging using a custom-built device.

Optimized Artificial Intelligence for Enhanced Ectasia Detection Using Scheimpflug-Based Corneal Tomography and Biomechanical Data.

Purpose: To optimize artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to integrate Scheimpflug-based corneal tomography and biomechanics to enhance ectasia detection.

Design: Multicenter cross-sectional case-control retrospective study.

Methods: A total of 3886 unoperated eyes from 3412 patients had Pentacam and Corvis ST (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH) examinations.

Case for Epithelium-Off Corneal Cross-linking.

The question of whether the epithelium should be removed in corneal cross-linking (CXL) in the treatment of keratoconus and other corneal ectatic disorders remains controversial. The motivation for epithelium-on CXL methods, which are not yet FDA approved and vary greatly in methodology, is to reduce the risk of vision-threatening complications related to debridement. However, as discussed in this counterpoint piece, most high-level evidence suggests that removal of the epithelium facilitates greater crosslinking effectiveness as measured by primary clinical outcome metrics such as topographic flattening and stabilization of disease.

Determining the Utility of Epithelial Thickness Mapping in Refractive Surgery Evaluations.

Purpose: To determine the impact of corneal epithelial thickness maps on screening for refractive surgery candidacy in a single refractive surgical practice.

Design: Comparison of screening methods.

Methods: A total of 100 consecutive patients who presented for refractive surgery screening were evaluated.

Biomechanics of Ophthalmic Crosslinking.

Crosslinking involves the formation of bonds between polymer chains, such as proteins. In biological tissues, these bonds tend to stiffen the tissue, making it more resistant to mechanical degradation and deformation. In ophthalmology, the crosslinking phenomenon is being increasingly harnessed and explored as a treatment strategy for treating corneal ectasias, keratitis, degenerative myopia, and glaucoma.

Depth-resolved Corneal Biomechanical Changes Measured Via Optical Coherence Elastography Following Corneal Crosslinking.

Purpose: To evaluate depth-resolved changes of corneal biomechanical properties in eyes with corneal ectasia after corneal crosslinking (CXL) using optical coherence elastography.

Methods: In a prospective pilot series of eyes with corneal ectasia, a custom high-speed swept source optical coherence tomography system was used to image the cornea before and 3 months after CXL during a low-speed applanating deformation while monitoring applanation force. Cross-correlation was applied to track frame-by-frame two-dimensional optical coherence tomography speckle displacements, and the slope of force versus local axial displacement behavior during the deformation was used to produce a two-dimensional array of axial stiffness (k).

Corneal biomechanics: Measurement and structural correlations.

The characterization of corneal biomechanical properties has important implications for the management of ocular disease and prediction of surgical responses. Corneal refractive surgery outcomes, progression or stabilization of ectatic disease, and intraocular pressure determination are just examples of the many key clinical problems that depend highly upon corneal biomechanical characteristics. However, to date there is no gold standard measurement technique.

Results of intrastromal corneal ring segment implanted alone or combined with same-day corneal crosslinking and their correlation with preoperative corneal biomechanical strain from finite element analysis.

Purpose: To compare the results of intrastromal corneal ring segment (ICRS) alone or combined with same-day corneal crosslinking (CXL) and investigate the relationship of preoperative corneal biomechanics data on the outcomes.

Setting: Department of Ophthalmology of Federal University of Parana.

Design: Prospective nonrandomized interventional comparative study.