Corneal hydration monitored by laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.

Background: Corneal hydration is an important factor in laser corneal ablation. In photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), corneal ablation rate and final ablation surface quality are strongly dependent on corneal hydration. We used a spectroscopic technique for monitoring corneal hydration during PRK.

Methods: Hydroxyethlymethacrylate (HEMA) was employed for corneal hydration modeling. Hydrated HEMA samples were irradiated with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (1064 nm, 10 mJ/pulse, pulse duration 15 nsec). Successive emission spectra corresponding to different degrees of hydration were recorded on a gated optical multichannel analyzer. The weight of the sample and hence its water content was monitored during the entire procedure with a sensitive balance. One rabbit and one human cornea were used to demonstrate the spectral analogy between the model and corneal tissue.

Results: The most noticeable dependence on water content of the substrate was that of atomic emission lines of Ca at 393 nm and 396 nm.

Conclusion: Plasma emission spectra exhibited significant dependence on sample hydration. This dependence can be used for estimation of water content of irradiated model material and real cornea.