Lin Leng

Repeatability and Reproducibility of Eight Macular Intra-Retinal Layer Thicknesses Determined by an Automated Segmentation Algorithm Using Two SD-OCT Instruments

Purpose To evaluate the repeatability, reproducibility, and agreement of thickness profile measurements of eight intra-retinal layers determined by an automated algorithm applied to optical coherence tomography (OCT) images from two different instruments. Methods Twenty normal subjects (12 males, 8 females; 24 to 32 years old) were enrolled. Imaging was performed with a custom built ultra-high resolution OCT instrument (UHR-OCT, ∼3 µm resolution) and a commercial RTVue100 OCT (∼5 µm resolution) instrument. An automated algorithm was developed to segment the macular retina into eight layers and quantitate the thickness of each layer. The right eye of each subject was imaged two times by the first examiner using each instrument to assess intra-observer repeatability and once by the second examiner to assess inter-observer reproducibility. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficients of repeatability and reproducibility (COR) were analyzed to evaluate the reliability. Results The ICCs for the intra-observer repeatability and inter-observer reproducibility of both SD-OCT instruments were greater than 0.945 for the total retina and all intra-retinal layers, except the photoreceptor inner segments, which ranged from 0.051 to 0.643, and the outer segments, which ranged from 0.709 to 0.959. The CORs were less than 6.73% for the total retina and all intra-retinal layers. The total retinal thickness measured by the UHR-OCT was significantly thinner than that measured by the RTVue100. However, the ICC for agreement of the thickness profiles between UHR-OCT and RTVue OCT were greater than 0.80 except for the inner segment and outer segment layers. Conclusions Thickness measurements of the intra-retinal layers determined by the automated algorithm are reliable when applied to images acquired by the UHR-OCT and RTVue100 instruments.

Biometry of anterior segment of human eye on both horizontal and vertical meridians during accommodation imaged with extended scan depth optical coherence tomography.

Purpose To determine the biometry of anterior segment dimensions of the human eye on both horizontal and vertical meridians with extended scan depth optical coherence tomography (OCT) during accommodation. Methods Twenty pre-presbyopic volunteers, aged between 24 and 30, were recruited. The ocular anterior segment of each subject was imaged using an extended scan depth OCT under non- and 3.0 diopters (D) of accommodative demands on both horizontal and vertical meridians. All the images were analyzed to yield the following parameters: pupil diameter (PD), anterior chamber depth (ACD), anterior and posterior surface curvatures of the crystalline lens (ASC and PSC) and the lens thickness (LT). Two consecutive measurements were performed to assess the repeatability and reproducibility of this OCT. They were evaluated by calculating the within-subject standard deviation (SD), a paired t-test, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and the coefficient of repeatability/reproducibility (CoR). Results There were no significant differences between two consecutive measurements on either horizontal or vertical meridians under both two different accommodative statuses (P>0.05). The ICC for all parameters ranged from 0.775 to 0.998, except for the PSC (0.550) on the horizontal meridian under the non-accommodative status. In addition, the CoR for most of the parameters were excellent (0.004% to 4.89%). In all the parameters, only PD and PSC were found different between the horizontal and vertical meridians under both accommodative statuses (P<0.05). PD, ACD, ASC and PSC under accommodative status were significantly smaller than those under the non-accommodative status, except that the PSC at the vertical meridian did not change. In addition, LT was significantly increased when accommodation. Conclusion The extended scan depth OCT successfully measured the dimensions of the anterior eye during accommodation with good repeatability and reproducibility on both horizontal and vertical meridians. The asymmetry of lens posterior surface and oval-shaped pupil were found during accommodation.

Fully automated biometry of in situ intraocular lenses using long scan depth spectral-domain optical coherence tomography

Purpose: Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was used to automatically measure accommodative biometric changes in the anterior segment of eyes implanted with an intraocular lens (IOL). The repeatability and reliability of the automated measurements were also evaluated. Methods: Long scan depth SD-OCT was used to image the anterior segment of eyes implanted with IOLs. A fully automated algorithm was used to detect the boundaries of the cornea and IOL and yielded the measurements. The results included anterior segment dimensions in IOL eyes and the deflection of the IOLs. Automated measurements were validated in vitro and compared with the manual results in vivo on 15 cross-sectional images from patients with IOLs. Five eyes with five different types of IOLs, respectively, were enrolled to test the repeatability of the automated measurements during accommodation. Results: Intraocular lens central thickness and anterior and posterior curvature radii measured by long scan depth SD-OCT in vitro and in a model eye matched well with those determined by a micrometer caliper and interferometer. In vivo, there was good correlation of the biometric data determined by automated and manual segmentations (P<0.05, r-value range: 0.635–0.997). There were no significant differences for any variable between the two measurements at each accommodative state (P>0.05). Anterior chamber depth and pupil diameter showed significant changes between the nonaccommodative and 2.5-D accommodative states (P<0.05), whereas the shape of the IOLs did not change significantly (P>0.05). Conclusions: The long scan depth SD-OCT with the automated algorithm was verified to have a great potential in studying accommodative biometric changes of the anterior segment in eyes with IOLs and IOL deflections.

Agreement of corneal epithelial profiles produced by automated segmentation of SD-OCT images having different optical resolutions.

Objective: Using a custom-developed segmentation algorithm, agreement of corneal epithelial thickness profile measurements between two spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) systems was assessed. Methods: Eighteen left eyes (18 subjects; mean±standard deviation; age, 23.2±0.9 years) were imaged twice on nonconsecutive days by a custom-built ultra-high resolution OCT (UHR-OCT) system and a commercial RTVue OCT system. A segmentation algorithm based on axial gradient information and a shortest path search was developed to measure corneal epithelial thickness profiles from the SD-OCT images. Results: There was good correlation between the automated and manual segmentation positions of the epithelium. The epithelial thickness differences between automated and manual segmentations by the UHR-OCT and RTVue OCT systems were 0.4±0.3 &mgr;m and 1.1±0.5 &mgr;m, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and coefficients of repeatability for repeated UHR-OCT measurements of epithelial thickness were 0.90±0.05 &mgr;m and 1.44±0.01 &mgr;m, respectively. For RTVue OCT, the ICCs and coefficients of repeatability were 0.88±0.04 &mgr;m and 2.16±0.01 &mgr;m, respectively. The epithelial thickness measured by RTVue OCT was 1.1±0.2 &mgr;m greater than that by UHR-OCT (P<0.05, paired t test), and ICC for the agreement between the 2 systems was 0.85±0.06. The average 95% limit of agreement was −1.67 to 3.79 &mgr;m. Conclusions: For images of different qualities from both SD-OCT systems, the custom-developed automated segmentation of the corneal epithelium had good repeatability for thickness profile measurements. The accurate and precise algorithm also demonstrated good agreement of epithelial thickness profile measurements between the two SD-OCT systems.

Anterior Segment Biometry of the Accommodating Intraocular Lens and its Relationship With the Amplitude of Accommodation

Objectives: To evaluate the anterior segment biometry of the Tetraflex accommodating intraocular lens (AIOL) and the contribution of forward movement to the amplitude of accommodation (AMP). Methods: Patients who underwent phacoemulsification with implantation of Tetraflex AIOLs and control nonaccommodating intraocular lenses were imaged by custom-built, long scan depth spectral-domain optical coherence tomography at relaxed and maximal accommodative states. Anterior segment biometry was performed and correlated with the clinical manifestation including AMP. Results: Patients in the Tetraflex group showed better distance-corrected near visual acuity (logMAR 0.43±0.10 vs. logMAR 0.51±0.10, P<0.05) and greater AMP (1.99±0.58 diopters [D] vs. 1.59±0.45 D, P<0.05) compared with the control group. The measurement of the postoperative anterior chamber depth (ACD) during accommodation showed a forward movement of the AIOLs in 16 eyes (69.6%). Compared with the control group, a greater proportion of cases in the Tetraflex group experienced forward movement (&khgr;2 test, P<0.001). The AMP in the AIOL group negatively correlated with changes in postoperative ACD during accommodation (r=−0.47, P<0.05), whereas AMP in the control group negatively correlated with postoperative pupil diameter (r=−0.57, P<0.05). Conclusions: The Tetraflex AIOLs seemed to have a tendency for forward movement; however, the slight forward axial shifts of the Tetraflex AIOL during natural accommodation may not produce a clinically relevant change in optical power.

Automatic biometry of the anterior segment during accommodation imaged by optical coherence tomography.

Objective: To test accuracy and repeatability of a software algorithm that performs automatic biometry of the anterior segment of the human eye imaged with long scan depth optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: The ocular anterior segment imaging was performed with custom-built long scan depth OCT. An automatic software algorithm including boundary segmentation, image registration, and optical correction was developed for fast and reliable biometric measurements based on the OCT images. The boundary segmentation algorithm mainly used the gradient information of images and applied the shortest path search based on the dynamic programming to optimize the edge finding. The automatic algorithm was validated by comparison of the biometric dimensions between automatic and manual measurements and repeatability study. Results: Biometric dimensions of the anterior segment, including central corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth, pupil diameter, crystalline lens thickness, and radii of curvature of the anterior and posterior surfaces of lens, were obtained by the automatic algorithm successfully. There were no significant differences between the automatic and manual measurements for all biometric dimensions. The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) of agreement between automatic and manual measurements ranged from 0.85 to 0.98. The coefficients of repeatability and ICC for all automatic dimensions were satisfactory (1.1%–6.1% and 0.663–0.990, respectively). Conclusions: The high accuracy, good repeatability, and fast execution speed for automatic measurement of the anterior segment dimensions on the OCT images were demonstrated. The application of this automatic biometry is promising for investigating dynamic changes of human anterior segment during accommodation in real time.

Axial elongation measured by long scan depth optical coherence tomography during pilocarpine-induced accommodation in intraocular lens-implanted eyes

We used an ultra-long scan depth optical coherence tomography (UL-OCT) system to investigate changes in axial biometry of pseudophakic eyes during pilocarpine- induced accommodation. The right eyes from 25 healthy subjects (age range 49 to 84 years) with an intraocular lens (IOL) were imaged twice in the non-accommodative and the accommodative states. A custom-built UL-OCT instrument imaged the whole eye. Then accommodation was induced by two drops of 0.5% pilocarpine hydrochloride separated by a 5-minute interval. Following the same protocol, images were acquired again 30 minutes after the first drop. The central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD), IOL thickness (IOLT), and vitreous length (VL) were obtained using custom automated software. The axial length (AL) was calculated by summing the CCT, ACD, IOLT, and VL. With accommodation, ACD increased by +0.08 ± 0.09 mm, while the VL decreased by −0.04 ± 0.09 mm (paired t-test each, P<0.05). CCT and IOLT remained constant during accommodation (P > 0.05). The non-accommodative AL was 23.47 ± 0.93 mm, and it increased by +0.04 ± 0.04 mm after accommodation (P<0.01). The AL increased and the IOL moved backward during pilocarpine-induced accommodation in pseudophakic eyes.

The Predictability of Preoperative Pilocarpine-Induced Lens Shift on the Outcomes of Accommodating Intraocular Lenses Implanted in Senile Cataract Patients

Purpose. To evaluate the predictability of lens shift induced by pilocarpine (LSPilo) on the outcomes of accommodating intraocular lens (Acc-IOL) implantation. Methods. Twenty-four eyes of 24 senile cataract patients who underwent phacoemulsification and Acc-IOL implantation were enrolled. LSPilo was evaluated with anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). At 3 months postoperatively, the best corrected distance visual acuities (BCDVA), distance-corrected near visual acuities (DCNVA), and subjective and objective accommodations were measured. IOL shifts under accommodation stimulus (IOLSAcc) were evaluated with AS-OCT. Results. The mean LSPilo was 112.29 ± 30.72 µm. LSPilo was not associated with any preoperative parameters. The mean IOLSAcc was 130.46 ± 42.71 µm. The mean subjective and objective accommodation were 1.54 ± 0.39 D and 1.27 ± 0.41 D, respectively. The mean postoperative BCDVA and DCNVA (log MAR value) were 0.22 ± 0.11 and 0.24 ± 0.12, respectively. LSPilo positively correlated with IOLSAcc (r = 0.541; P = 0.006), subjective accommodation (r = 0.412; P = 0.022), and objective accommodation (r = 0.466; P = 0.045), respectively. Conclusion. LSPilo is an independent preoperative parameter associated with the postoperative Acc-IOL mobility and pseudophakic accommodation. It may offer valuable information for ophthalmologists in determining the suitable candidates for Acc-IOL implantation.

Ultra-long scan depth optical coherence tomography for imaging the anterior segment of human eye

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was developed in order to image the anterior segment of human eye. The optical path at reference arm was switched to compensate the sensitivity drop in OCT images. An scan depth of 12.28 mm and an axial resolution of 12.8 μm in air were achieved. The anterior segment from cornea to posterior surface of crystalline lens was clearly imaged and measured using this system. A custom designed Badal optometer was coupled into the sample arm to induce the accommodation, and the movement of crystalline lens was traced after the image registration. Our research demonstrates that SD-OCT with ultra-long scan depth can be used to image the human eye for accommodation research.