Entire contact lens imaged in vivo and in vitro with spectral domain optical coherence tomography

To demonstrate the capability of directly visualizing the entire ocular surface and the entire contact lens on the eye using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

A custom-built, high-speed, and high-resolution SD-OCT was developed with extended scan depth and width. The eye was imaged before and after wearing a toric soft contact lens (PureVision; Bausch & Lomb). A lubricant eye drop (Soothe; Bausch & Lomb) was instilled in the eye to enhance the image contrast on the lens. The same toric soft contact lens immersed in the contact lens solution was also imaged with a contrast enhancement medium (0.5% Intralipid).

Cross-sectional OCT images of the entire ocular surface were acquired with high-resolution 2,048 x 2,048 pixels. Quantitative surface height map of the ocular surface was obtained from a radial scan data set containing 32 B-scans. With the contrast enhancement agent, the entire toric soft contact lens was clearly visualized, both in vitro and on the eye. The surfaces of the lens were detected and used to generate the thickness maps of the soft contact lens.

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography with extended scan depth and width is a promising tool for imaging the entire ocular surface shape and soft contact lenses. This successful demonstration suggests that the extended depth SD-OCT is effective in studying ocular surface shape and its interaction with a soft contact lens. The novel method is helpful for the evaluation of contact lens fitting and lens design.