Reliability Of Lenticular Biomechanics Assessment Using In Vivo Brillouin Microscopy In Eyes With Nuclear Cataract

To evaluate the repeatability of Brillouin-derived biomechanical measurements in cataractous lenses using the Brillouin Optical Scanning System (BOSS; Intelon Optics) and to investigate whether measurement precision is influenced by objective cataract density assessed with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).

Hanusch Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, Vienna, Austria

Fifty eyes from 50 patients with nuclear cataract scheduled for cataract surgery were included in this prospective, single-center preliminary pilot study. Lenticular biomechanics were assessed preoperatively using the BOSS device. Each eye underwent three consecutive measurements. Extracted parameters included mean Brillouin frequency shift across the crystalline lens. Objective cataract density was quantified using swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography. Repeatability was assessed using within-subject standard deviation (Sw), test–retest repeatability (2.77 × Sw), and coefficient of variation (CoV). Associations between Brillouin-derived stiffness metrics and SS-OCT lens density parameters were analyzed.

Brillouin measurements demonstrated high repeatability in cataractous lenses, with a test–retest repeatability (2.77 × Sw) of 0.08 GHz and a coefficient of variation of 0.08 (<1%). Measurement precision of Brillouin-derived stiffness metrics did not deteriorate with increasing SS-OCT–derived objective cataract density parameters (all P > .05).

Preliminary results indicate that Brillouin microscopy-derived lenticular stiffness assessment appears feasible despite cataract-related light scattering  and provides repeatable in vivo measurements of lens biomechanics.