 The mechanical properties of biological tissues play an essential role in maintaining the structural stability and adequate function of organs in the human body. A considerable amount of recent research effort has been focused on the development of measurement techniques for the quantification of biomechanics in ocular tissues, particularly in the cornea. Corneal biomechanics contribute significantly to the maintaining of adequate corneal shape and function, therefore, abnormal biomechanical properties can be an indicator of corneal pathologies or structural deterioration such as keratoconus.
In this research, conducted by University of Galway and the Institute of Optics CSIC, we present a co-axial acoustic-based optical coherence vibrometry probe (CoA-OCV) for vibro-acoustic resonance quantification in biological tissues. Sample vibrations were stimulated via a loudspeaker, and pre-compensation was used to calibrate the acoustic spectrum. Sample vibrations were measured via swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT). Resonance frequencies of corneal phantoms were measured at varying intraocular pressures (IOP), and dependencies on Young´s Modulus (E), phantom thickness and IOP were observed. The results of the current study demonstrate the feasibility of CoA-OCV for use in future OCT-V studies. Full reference: R. McAuley, A. Nolan, A. Curatolo et al. Co-axial acoustic-based optical coherence vibrometry probe for the quantification of resonance frequency modes in ocular tissue. Scientific Reports 12, 18834 (2022). Link to the article here |
RSS Feed