Effects of Corneal Hydration on Brillouin Microscopy In Vivo

Abstract

The ex vivo and in vivo data agree with our theoretical model and support that the effect of corneal hydration on Brillouin frequency comes predominantly from the dependence of the tissue compressibility on the water. Corneal hydration correlates negatively with the Brillouin frequency. During daytime activities, the influence of physiological hydration changes in human corneas is < ± 10 MHz. The sensitivity to hydration may potentially be useful in detecting abnormal hydration change in patients with endothelial disorders.