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Assessing the sub‐basal nerve plexus of the living healthy human cornea by in vivo confocal microscopy
Author(s) -
Grupcheva Christi,
Wong Tracey,
Riley Andrew F,
McGhee CharlesNJ
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
clinical and experimental ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.3
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1442-9071
pISSN - 1442-6404
DOI - 10.1046/j.1442-9071.2002.00507.x
Subject(s) - nerve plexus , cornea , medicine , plexus , confocal microscopy , in vivo , basal (medicine) , confocal , anatomy , ophthalmology , pathology , biology , geometry , microbiology and biotechnology , mathematics , insulin
The purpose of the study was to perform quantitative analysis of the sub‐basal epithelial nerve plexus of healthy, living human cornea, using real time in vivo confocal microscopy and the analySISsoftware system. The study was based on in vivo confocalmicrostructural analysis of 50 eyes of 50 subjects, divided intotwo age groups: group 1 ( n = 25)25 ± 5 years of age, and group2 ( n = 25) 70 ± 5 yearsof age. All subjects exhibited clinically healthy corneas. The overallnerve density was 632.35 ± 287.57 µm/mm 2 forgroup 1 and 582.39 ± 327.13 µm/mm 2 for group 2. The mean fibre diameter was measured at 0.52 ± 0.23 µm for group 1 and at 0.56 ± 0.27 µm for group 2. Beadings of the nerve fibres were recorded at a density of 213 ± 123/mm for group 1 and 201 ± 192/mm for group 2. Establishing standards for normal nerve density and morphology of the living human cornea at different ages may be beneficial, both in early detection and follow up of various corneal diseases and in post‐surgical management following corneal surgery.