Xinyu Chai

Laser induced collagen remodeling: a comparative study in vivo on mouse model.

Many lasers have claimed the clinical efficacy on skin rejuvenation. In this study, the mechanisms of laser induced collagen remodeling were explored systematically on a Kunming (KM) mouse model in vivo by comparing the different non‐ablative laser effects using four different laser treatment modalities.

C-Sight Visual Prostheses for the Blind

Visual prostheses based on a stimulating microelectrode array to restore vision offer a promising approach for the blind and has become a rapidly growing scientific field in neurorehabilitation engineering. A number of research groups from major developed countries lead the research activities in this field. The goal of the C-Sight Project is to develop an implantable microelectronic medical device that will restore useful vision to blind patients. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age-related macular degeneration are the two leading causes for blindness, for which there have been no effective treatments, both surgically and biologically, until now.The ultimate goal of our project is to develop a completely implantable visual prosthesis based on a penetrating microelectrode array at the optical nerve; to implement this, it requires many technical advances. However, in our study, an implantable microcamera, the wearable information processor, and the multichannel neurostimulator are investigated. Electrophysiological experiments were also performed to provide evidence for the feasibility of our approach. Some related psychophysical studies including simulated phosphene positioning and recognition of pixelized images are also reported in this article.

Optical coherence tomography for whole eye segment imaging

We proposed a dual focus dual channel spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) for simultaneous imaging of the whole eye segments from cornea to the retina. By using dual channels the system solved the problem of limited imaging depth of SD-OCT. By using dual focus the system solved the problem of simultaneous light focusing on the anterior segment of the eye and the retina. Dual focusing was achieved by adjusting the collimating lenses so the divergence of the two probing beams was tuned to make them focused at different depth in the eye. We further achieved full range complex (FRC) SD-OCT in one channel to increase the depth range for anterior segment imaging. The system was successfully tested by imaging a human eye in vivo.

Corneal Higher-Order Aberrations After Customized Aspheric Ablation and Conventional Ablation for Myopic Correction

Purpose: To investigate and compare the corneal wavefront aberrations and corneal asphericity after customized aspheric and conventional myopic ablation. Methods: Fifty-eight myopic patients from two laser centers were enrolled in this study. The patients were treated with laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) randomly with customized aspheric algorithm (32 patients, group A) and conventional algorithm (26 patients, group B). There was no significant difference in preoperative mean equivalent sphere (p = 0.954). The manifest refraction, corneal asphericity, and corneal wavefront data were taken into account to generate the customized aspheric ablation profile. Corneal wavefront aberrations, and corneal asphericity were analyzed and compared before and 6 months after the treatment. Results: Preoperatively, no significant difference was found in corneal asphericity and higher-order aberrations (HOAs) between two groups (p = 0.833 and p = 0.459, respectively). Root mean square (RMS) value of corneal HOAs, spherical aberration, and corneal asphericity increased postoperatively in both groups (p < 0.05), but the smaller increase was shown in group A (p < 0.05). The Zernike third-order aberration increased by 10% (p = 0.088) but without significance in group A compared with significant increase by 27% (p < 0.01) in group B. Conclusions: The customized aspheric ablation induced smaller increase in corneal higher-order aberrations and corneal asphericity. It provides a good option for the customized myopic correction.

Spatiotemporal Properties of Multipeaked Electrically Evoked Potentials Elicited by Penetrative Optic Nerve Stimulation in Rabbits

PURPOSE To investigate the spatiotemporal properties of the cortical responses elicited by intraorbital optic nerve (ON) stimulation with penetrating electrodes as means of designing optimal stimulation strategies for an ON visual prosthesis. METHODS The ON of rabbits was exposed by orbital surgery for electrical stimulation. Craniotomy was performed to expose the visual cortex contralateral to the operated eye. Electrically evoked potentials (EEPs) were recorded by an electrode array positioned on the visual cortex. RESULTS There were primarily four components (N1, P1, P2, P3) in EEPs with implicit times of 8.0 ± 0.6, 11.3 ± 1.3, 20.5 ± 1.4, and 26.9 ± 1.5 ms, respectively, when the ON was stimulated by penetrating electrodes. The thresholds to elicit these components were different, and the higher thresholds were seen with slower cortical components. The corresponding thresholds were 13.8 ± 3.1 μA for N1, 21.8 ± 4.7 μA for P1, 36.4 ± 11.4 μA for P2, and 68.4 ± 17.2 μA for P3. The time courses of the EEP components were also distinct. The locations of EEPs with the maximum P1 amplitude showed a spatial correspondence to the ON stimulation sites. Different profiles of cortical responses could be discriminated when the ON stimulation sites were separated by 150 μm. CONCLUSIONS Multiple components with different properties were elicited in EEPs when the ON was stimulated by penetrating electrodes. Retinotopic and localized stimulation could be achieved with this stimulating approach.

Corneal nerve morphology and sensitivity changes after ultraviolet A/riboflavin treatment

Collagen crosslinking induced by riboflavin and ultraviolet A irradiation (UVAR) has recently been introduced as a clinical treatment to halt or reverse the progression of keratoconus. We investigated changes in corneal sensitivity and nerve morphology as part of a comprehensive safety evaluation of this treatment. Fifty-four New Zealand white rabbits were divided into three experimental groups: UVAR with deepithelialization, UVAR without deepithelialization, and deepithelialization alone. Corneal sensitivity was measured with a Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer before treatment and 3, 7, 14, 30, 90, and 180 days after treatment. Corneal nerve morphology was evaluated using acetylcholinesterase histochemistry staining. We found that corneal sensitivity in the center of the treated area was significantly reduced 3 days after UVAR with deepithelialization treatment compared with the corneal sensitivity of the control eye but gradually recovered to normal levels at 90 days. Corneal sensitivity after deepithelialization treatment was significantly lower than control corneal sensitivity at 3 days but was significantly higher after 30 days of recovery compared with the corneal sensitivity after UVAR with deepithelialization. Corneal sensitivity after UVAR without deepithelialization treatment had significantly decreased at 7 days compared with control corneal sensitivity but was not significantly different from control values at other measurement times. In parallel with these functional alterations, corneal nerve degeneration was visible in the treatment area by 3 days; by 7 days there was a significant decrease in nerve density. Corneal nerve sprouts were identified from neighboring non-injured nerve fibers 7 days after treatment; by 90 days, excessively regenerating nerves were observed throughout the anterior stroma. The density of corneal nerve fibers appeared normal by 180 days. Ultraviolet A/riboflavin with deepithelialization treatment resulted in corneal nerve fiber damage and subsequent regeneration in the treatment area, simultaneously accompanied by the reduction and recovery of corneal sensitivity.

Measurement and comparison of the optical performance of an ophthalmic lens based on a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor in real viewing conditions

The spatially resolved wavefront aberrations of four types of ophthalmic lens are measured with a custom-built apparatus based on a Hartmann-Shack wavefront sensor and specially designed positioning stage. The wavefront aberrations of the progressive addition lenses (PALs) are compared. The results show that the distribution depends much on the design philosophy, although the average values of root mean square in the entire measurement areas have no significant difference. It is feasible to evaluate the optical performance through the wavefront analysis of PALs, but how to meet the customized visual needs of patients and how to minimize the unwanted aberrations in some special zones are important points that should be taken into account.

Electrical stimulation with a penetrating optic nerve electrode array elicits visuotopic cortical responses in cats

OBJECTIVE A visual prosthesis based on penetrating electrode stimulation within the optic nerve (ON) is a potential way to restore partial functional vision for blind patients. We investigated the retinotopic organization of ON stimulation and its spatial resolution. APPROACH A five-electrode array was inserted perpendicularly into the ON or a single electrode was advanced to different depths within the ON (~1-2 mm behind the eyeball, 13 cats). A sparse noise method was used to map ON electrode position and the visual cortex. Cortical responses were recorded by a 5 × 6 array. The visuotopic correspondence between the retinotopic position of the ON electrode was compared with the visual evoked cortical map and the electrical evoked potentials elicited in response to ON stimulation. MAIN RESULTS Electrical stimulation with penetrating ON electrodes elicited cortical responses in visuotopographically corresponding areas of the cortex. Stimulation of the temporal side of the ON elicited cortical responses corresponding to the central visual field. The visual field position shifted from the lower to central visual field as the electrode penetrated through the depth of the ON. A spatial resolution of ~ 2° to 3° within a limited cortical visuotopic representation could be obtained by this approach. SIGNIFICANCE Visuotopic electrical stimulation with a relatively fine spatial resolution can be accomplished using penetrating electrodes implanted at multiple sites and at different depths within the ON just behind the globe. This study also provides useful experimental data for the design of electrode density and the distribution of penetrating ON electrodes for a visual prosthesis.

Moving object recognition under simulated prosthetic vision using background-subtraction-based image processing strategies

Abstract A visual prosthesis that applies electrical stimulation to different parts of the visual pathway has been proposed as a viable approach to restore functional vision. However, the created percept is currently limited due to the low-resolution images elicited from a limited number of stimulating electrodes. Thus, methods to optimize the visual percepts providing useful visual information are being considered. We used two image-processing strategies based on a novel background subtraction technique to optimize the content of dynamic scenes of daily life. Psychophysical results showed that background reduction, or background reduction with foreground enhancement, increased response accuracy compared with methods that directly merged pixels to lower resolution. By adding more gray scale information, a background reduction/foreground enhancement strategy resulted in the best performance and highest recognition accuracy. Further development of image-processing modules for a visual prosthesis based on these results will assist implant recipients to avoid dangerous situations and attain independent mobility in daily life.

Chinese Character Recognition Using Simulated Phosphene Maps

PURPOSE A visual prosthetic device may produce phosphene maps in which individual phosphene characteristics can be altered. This study was an investigation of the ability of normally sighted subjects to recognize Chinese characters (CCs) after altering simulated phosphene maps. METHODS Thirty volunteers with normal or corrected visual acuity of 20/20 were recruited. CC recognition accuracy and response time were investigated while one parameter was changed (distortion, pixel dropout percentage, pixel size variability, or pixel gray level) or different combinations of three parameters were used. Five hundred CCs consisting of 1 to 16 strokes were used for the character sets. RESULTS CC recognition accuracy and response times respectively decreased and increased when distortion, dropout, and pixel size variability increased. Gray levels did not significantly affect the results, except when eight levels were used. To maintain an 80% accuracy rate, there should be a distortion index (k) of no more than 0.2 (irregularity), a pixel dropout of 20%, and a pixel size range of 1 to 16 mm (7-112 min arc). Only a combination of a k=0.1 distortion index, a dropout of 10%, and a pixel size range of 1.33 to 12 mm (9.3-84 min arc) achieved a goal of ≥80% accuracy. CONCLUSIONS Distortion, dropout percentage, and pixel size variability have a significant impact on pixelated CC recognition. Although at present the visual ability of prosthesis users is limited, it should be possible to extend this to CC recognition and reading in the future. The results will help visual prosthesis researchers determine the effects of altering phosphene maps and improve outcomes for patients.