Detection of fine modifications in bulk corneal grafts based on backscattered light quantification

Abstract

A very sensitive technique for quantifying corneal backscattered light which measures the angleresolved light scattering throughout the reflected space is proposed. Its efficiency to detect different scattering states is compared to that of a technique currently used in hospitals: the Pentacam®. This technique, based on analyzing the backscattered light close to the specular beam, is less sensitive and it is demonstrate first on agaragar samples, for which the level of scattering is controlled. In a second time, both techniques are applied on corneal grafts and the first result is confirmed: the Pentacam® detects an edema after the corneal graft has swollen by hundreds of micrometers; the proposed technique detects the change in scattering before the cornea start to swells. Since the scattering measurements are performed in the reflected space, this highly sensitive method could be applied to in-vivo analysis.