Posterior scleral birefringence measured by triple-input polarization-sensitive imaging as a biomarker of myopia progression.

Abstract

In myopic eyes, pathological remodelling of collagen in the posterior sclera has mostly been observed ex vivo. Here we report the development of triple-input polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (OCT) for measuring posterior scleral birefringence. In guinea pigs and humans, the technique offers superior imaging sensitivities and accuracies than dual-input polarization-sensitive OCT. In 8-week-long studies with young guinea pigs, scleral birefringence was positively correlated with spherical equivalent refractive errors and predicted the onset of myopia. In a cross-sectional study involving adult individuals, scleral birefringence was associated with myopia status and negatively correlated with refractive errors. Triple-input polarization-sensitive OCT may help establish posterior scleral birefringence as a non-invasive biomarker for assessing the progression of myopia.

• Authors: Xinyu Liu, Liqin Jiang, Mengyuan Ke, Ian A Sigal, Jacqueline Chua, Quan V Hoang, Audrey Wi Chia, Raymond P Najjar, Bingyao Tan, Jocelyn Cheong, Valentina Bellemo, Rachel S Chong, Michaël J A Girard, Marcus Ang, Mengyang Liu, Gerhard Garhöfer, Veluchamy A Barathi, Seang-Mei Saw, Martin Villiger, Leopold Schmetterer
• Journal: Nature biomedical engineering (Nat Biomed Eng) Vol. 7 Issue 8 Pg. 986-1000 (08 2023) ISSN: 2157-846X [Electronic] England
• PMID: 37365268 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: © 2023. The Author(s).

Chemical References

• Biomarkers

Topics

• Adult
• Humans
• Animals
• Guinea Pigs
• Sclera (diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Birefringence
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Myopia (diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Biomarkers