Quantifying the effect of Milli-Molar glucose concentration on thickness of rabbit cornea with Optical Coherence Tomography

The cornea contributes about 65% of the eye's ability to refract light. Thus, any fluctuation in corneal thickness can cause noticeable changes in vision. The presence of glucose molecules induces a driving force for water to leave the collagen fibrils in the cornea due to the concentration gradient created, thus changing its thickness. In this study, the effect of various milli-molar glucose concentrations on corneal thickness was explored using Optical Coherence Tomography. Whole rabbit eyes were placed in a specially designed dish while immersed in saline to ensure proper hydration of the eye. The cornea was imaged for 10 minutes. In 30 minute increments, a higher concentration of glucose was added, bringing the overall glucose concentration to 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 mM. The thickness of the cornea was measured every 2 minutes. Ultimately, an inverse relationship was observed, indicating that the increase in glucose concentration yielded a decrease in the corneal thickness. From three separate experiments, the cornea experienced 8 ± 1, 27 ± 1, 44 ± 3, 58 ± 3, and 64 ± 3 μmu; m decrease in thickness from its starting value while exposed to 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 mM solutions of glucose, respectively. This relationship provides insight on the physiological changes of the cornea as a result of different glucose concentrations. This could potentially be useful in monitoring blood-glucose levels through the eye.