Experimental investigation of the safety of terahertz radiation in corneal hydration assessment

Safonova T.N.

Krasnov Research Institute of Eye Diseases

ORCID: 0000-0002-4601-0904

Fedorov A.A.

Moscow Regional Scientific Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology

ORCID: 0000-0003-2590-5087

Surnina Z.V.

Krasnov Research Institute of Eye Diseases

ORCID: 0000-0001-5692-1800

Sikach E.I.

Research Institute of Eye Diseases

Ozheredov I.A.

Lomonosov Moscow State University

Experimental investigation of the safety of terahertz radiation in corneal hydration assessment

Authors:

Safonova T.N., Fedorov A.A., Surnina Z.V., Sikach E.I., Ozheredov I.A.

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Journal: Russian Annals of Ophthalmology. 2021;137(3): 58‑67

DOI: 10.17116/oftalma202113703158

Downloaded: 39

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To cite this article:

Safonova TN, Fedorov AA, Surnina ZV, Sikach EI, Ozheredov IA. Experimental investigation of the safety of terahertz radiation in corneal hydration assessment. Russian Annals of Ophthalmology. 2021;137(3):58‑67. (In Russ.)
https://doi.org/10.17116/oftalma202113703158

Подписка 2025 (Russian Annals of Ophthalmology)

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Application of terahertz (THz) radiation in novel non-invasive biomedical technologies has recently received considerable attention. However, experimental data about the safety of exposure to THz radiation for biological objects (including eye structures in vivo) are limited. To our knowledge, the safety of THz reflectometry (frequency range of 0.30—0.40 THz) has not been closely examined in an animal model with subsequent morphological assessment of corneal tissues.

PURPOSE

To assess the safety of pulsed THz radiation with various parameters (time, power, and frequency) for the cornea in a rabbit model.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The sample for the current study consisted of 18 Chinchilla rabbits (18 eyes). Corneal imaging and epithelial cell density before and after the exposure were evaluated using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The histological study for objective assessment of the cornea state (day 1 and day 14) was performed after experiment termination.

RESULTS

Single and multiple exposures of laser radiation at a frequency below 0.1 THz and power density below 30 nW/cm² do not cause visible structural changes in any layers of the rabbit cornea. The results obtained in the long-term period showed insignificant reversible morphological changes only within the epithelium.

CONCLUSION

The described parameters of terahertz and subterahertz radiation can be considered safe for assessing changes in corneal epithelium hydration level using non-invasive methods based on THz reflectometry.

Keywords:

terahertz radiation

terahertz reflectometer

corneal hydration

safety of terahertz radiation

Authors:

Safonova T.N.

Krasnov Research Institute of Eye Diseases

ORCID: 0000-0002-4601-0904

Fedorov A.A.

Moscow Regional Scientific Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology

ORCID: 0000-0003-2590-5087

Surnina Z.V.

Krasnov Research Institute of Eye Diseases

ORCID: 0000-0001-5692-1800

Sikach E.I.

Research Institute of Eye Diseases

Ozheredov I.A.

Lomonosov Moscow State University

Received:

01.03.2021

Accepted:

20.04.2021

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