Monitoring Corneal Hydration With a Mid-infrared (IR) Laser

Abstract A mid-infrared (IR) source at ∼ 3 μ m radiation is used as a probe to measure hydration in porcine cornea. Since the Er 3+ :YAG emission targets vibrational modes (around 3300 cm −1 ) in the H 2 O molecule, it is highly sensitive to changes in water content in the first ∼10 μ m of the corneal tissue.