000151598 001__ 151598 000151598 005__ 20251017144608.0 000151598 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1111/opo.13483 000151598 0248_ $$2sideral$$a143331 000151598 037__ $$aART-2025-143331 000151598 041__ $$aeng 000151598 100__ $$aRamos Arizcuren, Ana R.$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151598 245__ $$aInfluence of brightness artefacts on corneal densitometry 000151598 260__ $$c2025 000151598 5203_ $$aPurpose To quantify objectively the influence of brightness artefacts inherent in Scheimpflug tomography on corneal densitometry (CD) estimates. Methods Fifty-seven healthy participants aged 30.9 ± 13.7 years (range 17–60 years) were examined with a Ziemer Galilei G2 Scheimpflug tomographer. Images were automatically segmented to isolate the cornea, iris, crystalline lens and corneoscleral lateral brightness regions. CD was calculated as the corneal mean pixel intensity (MPI). Statistical analysis explored the relationship between brightness artefacts and CD across different corneal layers, while also considering age and biometric parameters such as anterior chamber depth and pupil size. Results Brightness artefacts accounted for 6.56 ± 1.93% of the pixels in the images, with lateral brightness being the largest source of noise (4.19 ± 0.97%). A strong positive correlation was found between CD and overall brightness artefacts (r = 0.57, p < 0.001). Age was also significantly correlated with both CD (r = 0.65, p < 0.001) and brightness (r = 0.29, p = 0.01). Mediation analysis revealed that age accounts for 60.0% of CD variability, while brightness artefacts contributed 40.0%. Brightness artefacts had the strongest effect on the corneal periphery beyond 7.5 mm as well as the stromal layer. Conclusion Brightness artefacts significantly influence CD estimates, particularly in the peripheral cornea. Accurate quantification of these artefacts is essential for proper clinical assessment of corneal transparency, especially in older populations. Future research should focus on identifying the specific sources of artefacts to refine CD measurement techniques. 000151598 536__ $$9info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EUR/MICINN/TED2021-130723A-I00 000151598 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccess$$aAll rights reserved$$uhttp://www.europeana.eu/rights/rr-f/ 000151598 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 000151598 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-3979-4528$$aRemón, Laura$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151598 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0001-5186-1837$$aConsejo, Alejandra$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000151598 7102_ $$12002$$2385$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Física Aplicada$$cÁrea Física Aplicada 000151598 7102_ $$12002$$2647$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Física Aplicada$$cÁrea Óptica 000151598 773__ $$g45, 3 (2025), 637-643$$pOphthalmic physiol. opt.$$tOPHTHALMIC AND PHYSIOLOGICAL OPTICS$$x0275-5408 000151598 8564_ $$s1598742$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/151598/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yVersión publicada 000151598 8564_ $$s2594203$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/151598/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yVersión publicada 000151598 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:151598$$particulos$$pdriver 000151598 951__ $$a2025-10-17-14:16:00 000151598 980__ $$aARTICLE