Noninvasive Imaging for Diseases of the Eye

WASHINGTON, November 23, 2020 (Newswire.com) - An article published in Experimental Biology and Medicine (Volume 245, Issue 18, December 2020) describes improvements for noninvasive imaging of the eye.  The study, led by Dr. Cuixia Dai in the College of Sciences at the Shanghai Institute of Technology in Shanghai (China), reports that optical clearing agents are safe and improve optical coherence tomography imaging of the eye in an animal model.     

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging technique used for high-resolution imaging of biomedical tissues. In recent years, it has become a clinical standard for diagnosing and monitoring the treatment of eye diseases. However, biological tissues scatter and absorb light which restricts light penetration and imaging depth. Optical clearing agents have been used to enhance light penetration in numerous tissues but information regarding their effectiveness and safety in the eye is limited. Increased imaging depth would expand the use of OCT in ophthalmology to include intra-orbital tumors, orbital cellulitis, ocular fasciitis, inflammatory pseudotumor, and angiocavernoma.

In this study, Dr. Dai and colleagues evaluated the effects of the optical clearing agent glycerol on imaging depth for optical coherence tomography (OCT) in ex vivo and in vivo rabbit eyes. Topical application and intra-oribital injection of glycerol optically cleared both the anterior and posterior segments of the eye, allowing visualization of the sclera, iris, ciliary body and suspensory ligament. The posterior sclera and intra-orbital tissues were also successfully visualized. The ex vivo eyes recovered to their original state after saline-wash treatment, and in vivo eyes exhibited normal OCT images and vision after self-recovery.  These findings indicate that optical clearing agents may safely expand the use OTC in ophthalmology. 

Dr. Steven R. Goodman, Editor-in-Chief of Experimental Biology & Medicine, said, “Dr. Dai and colleagues have extended the imaging depth of optical coherence tomography (OCT) of the anterior and posterior segments of the eye by using a glycerol containing optical clearing solution. This will be helpful for future utilization of OCT for diagnosis of eye diseases and monitoring the efficacy of treatments.”

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Source: Experimental Biology and Medicine