Atomic force microscopy in ophthalmic surgery

Abstract

Refractive errors are some o f the most common ophthalmic abnormalities. The introduction o f excimer laser technology in refractive corneal surgery aims to eliminate a l l o r the major p a r t of the first corneal surface optical aberrations through the modelling o f the corneal surface. Among the main causes o f post-operative aberrations are the new corneal profile created by laser and the roughness o f the treated surface. I t is mandatory for a n optimal surgical outcome that the treated surface be as similar as possible to the natural architecture o f the cornea. The a i m of this study is to evaluate the corneal topography before and after the laser treatment by means o f A t o m i c Force Microscopy.Index Terms -Atomic force microscopy, biomedical materials, excimer lasers, laser biomedical applications, Surgery.

Atomic force microscopy for the evaluation of corneal surface roughness after femtosecond laser flap creation and excimer ablation

“…Following its validation for ophthalmic purposes, AFM has become a method of choice for studying the roughness of various surfaces 10 . In fact, AFM is considered a more attractive option than SEM because it allows the acquisition of three-dimensional images of the surface of samples and offers the possibility of quantitative and objective analysis.…”

“…An additional advantage of AFM over SEM is that the preparation of specimens for the former is simpler than for the latter. For these reasons, AFM is currently considered the gold standard for the study of stromal surface roughness [5][6][7][8][9][10][11] .…”

“…Few investigators have used AFM to examine the effect of FS lasers on corneal surface roughness. Serrao et al studied the effect of different parameters on corneal surface roughness using the IntraLase platform for LASIK [9][10][11] , as well as the surface roughness and morphology of the posterior aspect of stromal lenticules created with a femtosecond laser (ReLEx) 15 . Ziebarth et al studied the quality of corneal lamellar cuts with the Visumax platform for FS-LASIK 5 .…”

Corneal stromal roughness after VisuMax and Intralase femtosecond laser photodisruption: An atomic force microscopy study

“…Atomic force microscopy (AFM) can be used to assess the roughness of a certain surface with precision that cannot be offered by currently available clinical imaging technologies, and in more physiological conditions than transmission electron microscopy [ 6 ].…”