Perspectives on corneal topography: a review of videokeratoscopy

Determination of Optic Axes by Corneal Topography among Italian, Brazilian, and Chinese Populations

This study aims to describe a new universal method to identify the relative three-dimensional directions of visual, pupillary, and optical axes of the eye and the angles between them using topography elevation data. The method was validated in a large clinical cohort, and ethnical differences were recorded. Topography elevation data were collected from 1992 normal eyes of 966 healthy participants in Italy, Brazil, and China. The three main axes were defined as follows: optical axis (OA) was defined as the optimal path of light that passes through the ocular system without refraction. The pupillary axis (PA) line was defined using X and Y coordinates of the pupil centre with the chamber depth, in addition to the centre of a sphere fitted to the central 3 mm diameter of the cornea. The visual axis (VA) was taken by its best approximation, the coaxially sighted corneal light reflex. The alpha angle was measured between the VA and OA, and the kappa angle between the VA and PA. The average values of kappa and alpha angles were 3.41 ± 2.84 and 6.04 ± 2.43 in the Italian population, 2.6 ± 1.53 and 5.87 ± 2.3 in the Brazilian population, and 2.09 ± 1.22 and 3.85 ± 1.48 in the Chinese population.

Artefact-free topography based scleral-asymmetry

PURPOSE

To present a three-dimensional non-parametric method for detecting scleral asymmetry using corneoscleral topography data that are free of edge-effect artefacts.

METHODS

The study included 88 participants aged 23 to 65 years (37.7±9.7), 47 women and 41 men. The eye topography data were exported from the Eye Surface Profiler software in MATLAB binary data container format then processed by custom built MATLAB codes entirely independent from the profiler software. Scleral asymmetry was determined initially from the unprocessed topography before being determined again after removing the edge-effect noise. Topography data were levelled around the limbus, then edge-effect was eliminated using a robust statistical moving median technique. In addition to comparing raw elevation data, scleral elevation was also compared through fitting a sphere to every single scleral surface and determining the relative elevation from the best-fit sphere reference surface.

RESULTS

When considering the averaged raw topography elevation data in the scleral section of the eye at radius 8 mm, the average raw elevations of the right eyes' sclera were -1.5±1.77, -1.87±2.12, -1.36±1.82 and -1.57±1.87 mm. In the left eyes at the same radius the average raw elevations were -1.62±1.78, -1.82±2.07, -1.28±1.76 and -1.68±1.93 mm. While, when considering the average raw elevation of the sclera after removing the edge effect, the average raw elevations of the right eyes were -3.71±0.25, -4.06±0.23, -3.95±0.19 and -3.95±0.23 mm. In the left eyes at the same radius the average raw elevations were -3.71±0.19, -3.97±0.22, -3.96±0.19 and -3.96±0.18 mm in the nasal, temporal, superior and inferior sides respectively. Maximum raw elevation asymmetry in the averaged scleral raw elevation was 1.6647±0.9015 mm in right eyes and 1.0358±0.6842 mm in left eyes, both detected at -38° to the nasal side. Best-fit sphere-based relative elevation showed that sclera is more elevated in three main meridians at angles -40°, 76°, and 170° in right eyes and -40°, 76°, and 170° in left eyes, all measured from the nasal meridian. Maximum recorded relative elevation asymmetries were 0.0844±0.0355 mm and 0.068±0.0607 mm at angular positions 76° and 63.5° for right and left eyes in turn.

CONCLUSIONS

It is not possible to use corneoscleral topography data to predict the scleral shape without considering a method of removing the edge-effect from the topography data. The nasal side of the sclera is higher than the temporal side, therefore, rotationally symmetric scleral contact lenses are more likely to be translated towards the temporal side. The scleral shape is best described by levelled raw elevation rather than relative elevation.

Circinate corneal scarring

A 56-year-old man presented with symptoms of monocular diplopia and reduced vision in his left eye. Visual acuities were R6/6, L6/12. At his previous visit left visual acuity was 6/6. An irregular area of anterior corneal stromal scarring was evident, encroaching on the visual axis of the left eye. Rigid lens fitting improved left visual acuity to 6/6, however, lens wear caused a corneal abrasion over the lesion after one to two hours of wear. Several other contact lens and surgical strategies were employed to successfully address the visual requirements of the patient.

The accuracy and precision performance of four videokeratoscopes in measuring test surfaces

In this study we evaluated the accuracy and precision of three placido-disk videokeratoscopes (the Keratron, Medmont and TMS) and one videokeratoscope that uses the raster-stereogrammetry technique (PAR-CTS) in elevation topography with six test surfaces. The test surfaces were a sphere, an asphere, a multicurve, and three bicurve surfaces. Each instrument performed well on certain test surfaces, but none of the instruments excelled on all of the surfaces. The results showed high accuracy of the Keratron and Medmont instruments in measuring the sphere, asphere, and multicurve surfaces, but not the bicurve surfaces. The precision of the Keratron and Medmont instruments were high. The TMS and PAR-CTS instruments showed poorer accuracy than the Keratron and Medmont instruments for the multicurve test surface but showed better performance for the bicurve surfaces. The PAR-CTS had the poorest performance in precision of the four instruments. The use of the Noryl spherical test surface instead of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) resulted in small differences in the accuracy performance of the placido-disk videokeratoscopes only.