%0 Journal Article
%T In vivo assessment of human corneal epithelial cells in orthokeratology lens wearers: A pilot study.
%A Pattan HF
%A Liu X
%A Tankam P
%J Optom Vis Sci
%V 101
%N 5
%D 2024 May 1
%M 38683973
%F 2.106
%R 10.1097/OPX.0000000000002130
%X <B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>Central corneal epithelial thinning associated with midperipheral epithelial thickening has been reported as the main factor contributing to the effectiveness of orthokeratology (ortho-k) in myopia control. Yet, the cellular mechanism governing the regional change in refractive power remains elusive.<BR><B>OBJECTIVE: </B>This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between the regional change in corneal epithelial thickness and cell density in ortho-k wearers.<BR><B>METHODS: </B>A new human prototype of a polarization-dependent optical coherence microscope was developed to enable noncontact and noninvasive in vivo imaging of corneal epithelial cells in ortho-k wearers with and without their ortho-k lens. The epithelial thickness and cell density were evaluated at the central and midperipheral corneal locations in four ortho-k wearers and four spectacle wearers serving as controls.<BR><B>RESULTS: </B>Polarization-dependent optical coherence microscope achieved in vivo volumetric imaging of all epithelial cell types in ortho-k wearers with and without their lens over a field of view of 0.5 × 0.5 mm 2 with an isotropic resolution of ~2.2 mm. The central epithelial thinning and midperipheral epithelial thickening were consistent across all ortho-k wearers. However, the inconsistency in their regional epithelial cell density highlighted a great variability in individual response to ortho-k treatment. There was no strong correlation between epithelial thickness and cell density, especially at the midperipheral cornea, in ortho-k participants.<BR><B>CONCLUSIONS: </B>This study constitutes our first step toward uncovering the cellular mechanism underlying the effectiveness of ortho-k in myopia control. Future studies will focus on the longitudinal evaluation of epithelial cells before and during ortho-k treatment to identify factors governing individual response to ortho-k treatment and ultimately inform the dynamics of epithelial cells taking place during the ortho-k treatment.