Variation of corneal refractive index with hydration

We report the effect of changes in the corneal hydration on the refractive index of the cornea. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), the geometrical thickness and the group refractive index of the bovine cornea were derived simultaneously as the corneal hydration was varied. The corneal hydrati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physics in medicine & biology 2004-03, Vol.49 (5), p.859-868
Main Authors: Kim, Young L, WalshJr, Joseph T, Goldstick, Thomas K, Glucksberg, Matthew R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Cattle
Collagen - metabolism
Cornea - metabolism
Cornea - pathology
Corneal Diseases - diagnosis
Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological
Epithelium, Corneal - pathology
Models, Theoretical
Refractometry
Time Factors
Tomography - methods
Water - metabolism
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Summary:We report the effect of changes in the corneal hydration on the refractive index of the cornea. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), the geometrical thickness and the group refractive index of the bovine cornea were derived simultaneously as the corneal hydration was varied. The corneal hydration was then calculated from the corneal thickness. The group refractive index of the cornea increased non-linearly as the cornea dehydrated. In addition, a simple mathematical model was developed, based on the assumption that changes in corneal hydration occur only in the interfibrilar space with constant water content within the collagen fibrils. Good agreement between the experimental results and the mathematical model supports the assumption. The results also demonstrate that the measurement of refractive index is a quantitative indicator of corneal hydration.
ISSN:0031-9155
1361-6560
DOI:10.1088/0031-9155/49/5/015