Near-IR Fourier transform Raman spectroscopy in surgery and medicine: ophthalmic applications

This report describes the application of a recently developed spectroscopic technique, near- infrared-excited Fourier transform Raman scattering (abbreviated as near-IR FT-Raman) in the molecular-level characterization of normal and pathological human ocular tissues. The near-IR FT-Raman technique was shown to be particularly well-suited for the noninvasive analysis of intact ophthalmic samples because it exhibits such attractive features as complete fluorescence elimination, great sampling flexibility, high data acquisition speed, and measurement accuracy. For both intact human lenses and corneas, systematic FT-Raman studies were carried out in order to probe detailed molecular changes involved in cataract formation and cornea diseases. FT-Raman measurement was also made for synthetic biomaterials that can be attached to the corneal surface for laser refractive surgery. The technique of near-IR FT- Raman spectroscopy is potentially a nondestructive, non-invasive fingerprinting modality for monitoring lens aging, cataract formation, and corneal disease development.