Polarization-Sensitive OCT Targets Subclinical Keratoconus

AI-enhanced PS-optical coherence tomography may sharpen subclinical keratoconus detection

June 10, 2026
3 min

The Ophthalmologist

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) combined with artificial intelligence (AI) in diagnosing subclinical keratoconus and aiding refractive surgery decisions.

Approach:

Key Findings:

Overall accuracy for PS-OCT was 82%, while Pentacam and MS-39 achieved 86%.
PS-OCT classified 43 of 109 subclinical keratoconus eyes as healthy, compared to 30 for Pentacam and 33 for MS-39.
In highly asymmetric keratoconus cases, PS-OCT classified 21 of 33 fellow eyes as healthy, versus 12 for Pentacam and 16 for MS-39.
PS-OCT identified subtle keratoconus cases that were classified as subclinical or uncertain by tomography-based models.