UC Irvine

Introduction: Acidic corneal injuries pose a serious clinical challenge, often resulting in significant ocular damage and vision impairment. This study evaluates the efficacy of potential-driven electrochemical clearing (P-ECC) for treating acute acidic corneal injuries in ex vivo porcine eye models. Objective: To assess P-ECC effectiveness in clearing acidic corneal injuries, its impact on tissue structure, injury progression, and potential clinical applications. Methods: Ex vivo porcine eyes were subjected to 5M HCl to simulate acidic injuries, followed by irrigation with phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Mobile P-ECC treatment was applied using platinum electrodes (30 seconds per site). Efficacy was assessed through optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging (∼35 frames per second) and second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging to analyze corneal clarity, thickness, and collagen organization before acid damage, after damage, and after P-ECC treatment. Irrigation with PBS served as a control. Results: P-ECC successfully restored local optical clarity after HCl exposure. OCT imaging displayed the progression of HCl injury and post-ECC recovery of corneal clarity. SHG z-stack images indicated minimal collagen fibril rearrangement, reflecting improved clarity in post-treatment corneas. HCl-injured corneas immersed in PBS alone showed no restoration of clarity. Conclusion: P-ECC demonstrates potential as a treatment for acidic corneal injuries, effectively restoring clarity while modestly altering collagen fibril orientation without suggestion of irreversible matrix-level fiber damage. Further research is necessary to elucidate the underlying clearing mechanism and optimize electrical dosimetry and electrode design.