Viscoelastic properties of a corneal stromal model measured by surface acoustic wave optical coherence elastography (SAW-OCE)

viscoelastic properties of the cornea are mainly provided by the stromal layer, acting as the important parameters to diagnose corneal diseases and access the effectiveness of surgery and treatment. In this study, collagen-based hydrogels incorporated with keratocytes were reconstructed to mimic the human cornea stroma. An air-pulse-based surface acoustic wave optical coherence elastography (SAW-OCE) was used to examine the changes in the viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels with different initial collagen concentrations of 3, 5, 7 mg/ml over 7 days. The results showed that the hydrogels with a lower initial collagen concentration had a greater increase in the elastic modulus and the viscosity with the culturing time. Moreover, the SAW-OCE estimated viscoelasticity of the no cell hydrogels on day 1 was validated with the outcomes from plate compression, ramp-hold relaxation test.