The organization of the corneal stoma is modified due to different factors, including pathology, surgery or external damage. Here the changes in the organization of the corneal collagen fibers during natural healing after chemical burn are investigated using second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging. Moreover, the structure tensor (ST) was used as an objective tool for morphological analyses at different time points after burn (up to 6 months). Unlike control corneas that showed a regular distribution, the collagen pattern at 1 month of burn presented a non-organized arrangement. SHG signal levels noticeably decreased and individual fibers were hardly visible. Over time, the healing process led to a progressive re-organization of the fibers that could be quantified through the ST. At 6 months, the stroma distribution reached values similar to those of control eyes and a dominant direction of the fibers re-appeared. The present results show that SHG microscopy imaging combined with the ST method is able to objectively monitor the temporal regeneration of the corneal organization after chemical burn. Future implementations of this approach into clinically adapted devices would help to diagnose and quantify corneal changes, not only due to chemical damages, but also as a result of disease or surgical procedures.

中文翻译：

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使用二次谐波显微镜评估化学灼伤后的角膜胶原组织

由于不同的因素，包括病理，手术或外部损伤，会改变角膜造口的组织。在这里，使用二次谐波生成（SHG）成像技术研究了化学灼伤后自然愈合过程中角膜胶原纤维组织的变化。此外，结构张量（ST）被用作烧伤后不同时间点（长达6个月）的形态分析的客观工具。与显示规则分布的对照角膜不同，烧伤1个月时的胶原蛋白模式呈现出无组织的排列。SHG信号水平显着下降，几乎看不到单个光纤。随着时间的流逝，愈合过程导致纤维的逐步重组，可以通过ST对其进行定量。在六个月后 基质分布达到了与对照眼相似的值，并且纤维的主导方向重新出现。目前的结果表明SHG显微镜成像与ST方法相结合能够客观地监测化学烧伤后角膜组织的时间再生。这种方法在临床适应设备中的未来实现将不仅有助于诊断和量化角膜变化，不仅是由于化学损伤，而且是由于疾病或外科手术造成的。