Purpose: To present the applicability of spectral optical coherence tomography (SOCT) for video-rate and three-dimensional imaging of a contact lens on the eye surface.
Methods: The SOCT prototype instrument constructed at Nicolaus Copernicus University (Torun, Poland) is based on Fourier domain detection, which enables high sensitivity (96 dB) and increases the speed of imaging 60 times compared with conventional optical coherence tomography techniques. Consequently, video-rate imaging and three-dimensional reconstructions can be achieved, preserving the high quality of the image. The instrument operates under clinical conditions in the Ophthalmology Department (Collegium Medicum Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland). A total of three eyes fitted with different contact lenses were examined with the aid of the instrument. Before SOCT measurements, slit lamp examinations were performed.
Results: Data, which are representative for each imaging mode, are presented. The instrument provided high-resolution (4 microm axial x 10 microm transverse) tomograms with an acquisition time of 40 micros per A-scan. Video-rate imaging allowed the simultaneous quantitative evaluation of the movement of the contact lens and assessment of the fitting relationship between the lens and the ocular surface. Three-dimensional scanning protocols further improved lens visualization and fit evaluation.
Conclusions: SOCT allows video-rate and three-dimensional cross-sectional imaging of the eye fitted with a contact lens. The analysis of both imaging modes suggests the future applicability of this technology to the contact lens field.