Evaluation of human corneal ulcer healing process using optical coherence tomography: an in vitro study

Corneal injury is potentially leading to ulceration which remains a major health concern in ocular surface diseases. In vitro studies of new ophthalmic drugs selection are usually performed using excised cornea from slaughtered animals or laboratory animals. However, the outcomes from animal models do not completely reflect the human corneal repair and regeneration process. In vitro human corneal models suit better for the rapid testing of the drug uptake in response to drug's administration and posology. Therefore, this study aims at establishing an in-vitro 3D corneal model to characterise the corneal wound healing process. Moreover, a functional assessment of corneal morphology and strength change during the healing process is of urgent need. A phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (OCT) system with a spectral-domain configuration was utilised to probe the structure and mechanical strength of the wounded corneal tissues. In this preliminary study, a human corneal 3D model was successfully established using tissue-engineering techniques and corneal injuries were mimicked with adjustable lesion size and depth. During the healing process, OCT provided an accurate indication of the tissue repair and regeneration. These results will be of great clinical impact to understand the biomechanics of the cornea healing process and the therapeutic effectiveness of regenerative medicine.