Advances in the application of optical coherence elastography in ophthalmology

The biomechanical properties of ocular tissues are pivotal in diagnosing ophthalmic diseases and evaluating therapeutic outcomes. As a functional extension of optical coherence tomography, optical coherence elastography (OCE) enables noninvasive and quantitative assessment of ocular biomechanics with micrometer-scale spatial resolution and sub-nanometer displacement sensitivity. This review systematically summarizes the fundamental principles of OCE, clarifies the distinction between compression OCE and wave-based OCE in ophthalmic applications, and compares the characteristics and suitability of commonly used excitation approaches. In light of recent advances in cornea and other ocular tissues studies, we further elucidate the potential of OCE for early diagnosis of ophthalmic diseases. Finally, we discuss key challenges related to the selection of OCE parameters and safety considerations, and provide perspectives on future directions, including multimodal integration and the incorporation of artificial intelligence, to accelerate the translation of OCE from laboratory research to clinical practice.