# In vivo optical coherence elastography of the cornea: mapping shear and tensile moduli

> **NIH NIH R01** · MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL · 2022 · $369,235

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The mechanical stability of the cornea supports visual acuity by maintaining corneal curvature, with
important implications for refractive surgery and the management of cornea ectasia. However, clinical
options for mechanical characterization are limited, particularly when compared to well-established tools
for morphological characterization of the cornea. Several commercial and investigational instruments have
highlighted the potential value of corneal biomechanical analysis, but these devices have limited accuracy
and cannot fully characterize the anisotropic, nonlinear, and spatially varying elastic stiffness of the cornea.
The overarching goal of this project is to develop advanced optical coherence elastography (OCE) for
comprehensive characterization of corneal biomechanics. The proposed technology harnesses both
extensional and flexural elastic waves guided along the cornea to measure in-plane tensile (Young’s) and
shear moduli at mm-scale resolution. The first specific aim is to develop an OCE system using non-contact
ultrasound transducers optimized to excite both elastic waves efficiently at high frequencies spanning 4-
10 kHz. The second specific aim is to test this OCE system with healthy subjects and investigate the
dependence of tensile and shear moduli on age and intraocular pressure in vivo. The third specific aim is
to measure tensile and shear moduli in patients diagnosed with keratoconus and to monitor mechanical
changes after corneal crosslinking treatment. The fourth specific aim is to analyze changes in the moduli
as a result of different corneal refractive surgeries. Various ex vivo measurements and finite-element
modeling studies will also be undertaken in order to interpret the clinical data and relate the measured
moduli to the microstructure of the cornea. This project will advance our understanding of corneal
biomechanics in relation to various natural, pathological, and interventional processes and may lead to a
new clinical tool that can improve the diagnosis and treatment of keratoconus, the safety and visual
outcome of refractive surgery, and the accuracy of tonometry.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10344917
- **Project number:** 1R01EY033356-01
- **Recipient organization:** MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** Seok-Hyun Andy Yun
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $369,235
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-30 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10344917

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10344917, In vivo optical coherence elastography of the cornea: mapping shear and tensile moduli (1R01EY033356-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10344917. Licensed CC0.

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