# High-definition, wide field of view corneal imaging

> **NIH NIH R44** · LIGHTOPTECH CORPORATION · 2020 · $178,785

## Abstract

The cornea is the primary focusing structure of our visual system. Infections and diseases in the tissue can
impair vision and lead to blindness, even in eyes with intact neurosensory function. Corneal disease is one of
the leading causes of visual deficiency and blindness in the world. Tissue evaluation is an important step for
assessing the health of the donor cornea and its appropriateness for different types of placement, yet this
process suffers from high subjectivity. High-definition corneal imaging is needed to assist in selection of the
most appropriate tissue for transplant. Progress on this front would greatly serve public need, as the cornea is
the most commonly transplanted tissue worldwide, with nearly 185,000 transplants annually. Thus, a more
sensitive and quantitative method for objective evaluation of tissue at eye banks is needed.
We have developed a 3D high-definition imaging instrument based on Gabor-Domain Optical Coherence
Microscopy (GDOCM). Our SBIR Phase I research successfully accomplished all Aims and demonstrated the
feasibility of quantitative assessment of corneal tissue over a large field of view with GDOCM. Our Phase I results
demonstrated that GDOCM has the following key advantages over existing corneal imaging techniques, which
include specular and confocal microscopy: 1) improved accuracy of tissue qualification with 4-10x increase in
field of view that reduces sampling error – this will provides a truer assessment of the overall tissue
characteristics; 2) ability to simultaneously measure corneal thickness, quantify endothelial cell density, and
identify morphological variations due to corneal disease – this will lead to complete corneal evaluation in a single
instrument; 3) leveraging machine learning innovations to minimize variability induced by users – this will result
in a more objective evaluation; 4) enhanced 3D cellular-level imaging of thin translucent endothelial cells – this
will enable a detailed understanding of cell viability.
The results of the proposed Phase studies II will demonstrate that GDOCM can provide high-definition, 3D
visualization of corneal structures with immediate commercial application for qualification of donor tissue in eye
banks, and with a path to in vivo clinical imaging of patients with corneal disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10239347
- **Project number:** 3R44EY028827-02A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** LIGHTOPTECH CORPORATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Cristina Canavesi
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $178,785
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-09-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10239347

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10239347, High-definition, wide field of view corneal imaging (3R44EY028827-02A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10239347. Licensed CC0.

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