On the use of optical clearing in strengthening the sclera by collagen photocrosslinking

In the paper, the first evaluation results on the effect of optical clearing on the efficiency of the technique of eye sclera strengthening through the formation of riboflavin / ultraviolet collagen photocrosslinks are presented. In a series of preliminary experiments the effectiveness of different optical clearing agents in clearing sclera in ultraviolet region (370 nm) was studied, and it was also shown that the optical clearing of sclera sample with pure glycerol with subsequent rehydration did not change its mechanical properties. In the experiment on riboflavin / UV collagen photocrosslinking it was shown that the optical clearing of the porcine sclera sample with glycerol, the conditions of treatment with riboflavin and subsequent UV irradiation being identical to the control, leads to a greater increase in the effective stiffness of sclera at small strains.