Portable light transmission measuring system for preserved corneas

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Physics

Background:

• Corneal transplantation requires objective evaluation of donor cornea transparency.
• Current subjective methods lack standardization and can be prone to error.
• A portable device for objective measurement of corneal transparency in preservative medium has been developed for eye banks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a portable device for objective measurement of corneal transparency.
• To standardize the evaluation of preserved corneas prior to transplantation.

Main Methods:

• An optical system using white light, lenses, pinholes, and a 400-700 nm filter illuminates the cornea in preservative medium.
• A sensor detects transmitted light, and an electronic circuit establishes a baseline for the medium.
• The device measures corneal transparency through a three-step calibration and measurement process.

Main Results:

• Fifty corneas were evaluated using the portable device, a slit lamp (subjective), and a corneal spectrophotometer.
• The portable device demonstrated high correlation with a previously developed corneal spectrophotometer (correlation factor 0.99813).
• A table for quantifying corneal transparency using the new device was developed based on expert evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The portable device provides a standardized and objective method for measuring corneal transparency.
• This system can replace subjective assessments, enhancing the reliability of pre-transplantation evaluations.
• The device offers a valuable tool for eye banks to improve donor cornea selection.