Novel Multivariable Evolutionary Algorithm-Based Method for Modal Reconstruction of the Corneal Surface from Sparse and Incomplete Point Clouds

Impact of the corneal epithelium on the corneal power using 3D raytracing with OCT data

PURPOSE

To study the effects of corneal imaging and focusing using a raytracing simulation with 2 and 3 surface corneal models based on customized surface representations of corneal tomography data .

METHODS

Raytracing simulation using surface data for the epithelium (S1), stroma (S2) and endothelium (S3) extracted from MS-39 anterior segment tomographer CSV export files. Customized surface representations were derived using Gaussian Process Predictors, and rays traced through the cornea and a 3.5 mm aperture stop located 3.66 mm behind the corneal apex. 4 clinical examples were evaluated: A) after hyperopic LASIK, B) after myopic LASIK, C) keratoconus, and D) after PRK with postoperatively developed Salzmann nodules.

RESULTS

The raytracing based bundle focus and wavefront focus distances of the 2 surface (S1 and S3) and 3 surface cornea models (S1, S2 and S3) were comparable, whereas the paraxial focus derived from a 1 surface cornea (S1), 2 (S1 and S3) or 3 surface cornea (S1, S2 and S3) using floating best fit sphere representations for S1, S1 and S3 showed systematically lower / higher focal distance with B) / C) indicating an overestimation / underestimation of corneal power with paraxial calculations.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical examples in this study exhibited only minor differences between the mono- and dual layer cornea models. We recommend verification in a larger clinical study. Three surface corneal raytracing models could be of clinical relevance in intraocular lens calculations and LASIK ablation nomograms, offering potential improvements over paraxial calculations especially in cases with surface irregularities.

Influence of different parameters on the corneal asphericity (Q value) assessed with progress in biomedical optics and imaging - A review

The corneal eye diseases such as Keratoconus cause weakening of the cornea, with this disease the cornea can change in shape. This condition affects between 1 in 3,000 to 1 in 10,000 people. The main reason for the development of such conditions is unknown and can have significant impacts. Over the last decade, with advancements in computerized corneal topography assessments, researchers have increasingly expressed interest in corneal topography for research as well as clinical activities. Up till now, several aspheric numerical models have been developed as well as proposed to define the complex shape of the cornea. A commonly used term for characterizing the asphericity in an eye is the Q value, a common indicator of the aspherical degree of the cornea. It is one of the critical parameters in the mathematical description model of the cornea as it represents the cornea's shape and the eye's characteristics. Due to the utmost importance of this Q value of the cornea, a couple of studies have attempted to explore this parameter and its distribution, merely in terms of its influence on the human eye's optical properties. The corneal Q value is an important factor that needs to be determined to treat for any refractive errors as corneal degeneration are disease that can lead to potential problems with the structure of the cornea. This study aims to highlight the need to understand Q value of the cornea as this can essentially assist with personalising corneal refractive surgeries and implantation of intraocular lenses. Therefore, the relevance of corneal Q value must be studied in association with different patients, especially ones who have been diagnosed with cataracts, brain tumours, or even COVID-19. To address this issue, this paper first carries out a literature review on the optics of the cornea, the relevance of corneal Q value in ophthalmic practice and studies corneal degenerations and its causes. Thereafter, a detailed review of several noteworthy relevant research studies examining the Q value of the cornea is performed. To do so, an elaborate database is created, which presents a list of different research works examined in this study and provides key evidence derived from these studies. This includes listing details on the age, gender, ethnicity of the eyes assessed, the control variables, the technology used in the study, and even more. The database also delivers important findings and conclusions noted in each study assessed. Next, this paper analyses and discusses the magnitude of corneal Q value in various scenarios and the influence of different parameters on corneal Q value. To design visual optical products as well as to enhance the understanding of the optical properties of an eye, future studies could consider the database and work presented in this study as useful references. In addition, the work can be used to make informed decisions in clinical practice for designing visual optical products as well as to enhance the understanding of the optical properties of an Eye.