Lay summary
Corneal in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) is a unique non-invasive tool that allows assessment of small sensory fibers by direct observation of corneal nerve microstructure. The technique has been clinically used in assessment of corneal dystrophies, herpetic infections, following corneal surgery and other ocular surface diseases. Systemic chemotherapy is known to cause drug-induced toxicities, specifically including painful peripheral neuropathy and ocular abnormalities. We believe these two non-invasive techniques, IVCM and non-contact corneal sensitivity assessment, have potential to detect subtle changes in corneal nerve microstructure during and after chemotherapy treatment, especially in those with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. The current study aims to employ a series of standard ocular assessments, in addition to IVCM and CST, to determine if detected corneal changes may provide a more refined, objective, surrogate for detection of oxaliplatin-related peripheral neuropathy compared to current techniques.