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In vivo confocal microscopy, an inner vision of the cornea – a major review
Author(s) -
Guthoff Rudolf F,
Zhivov Andrey,
Stachs Oliver
Publication year - 2009
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 - 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2009.02016.x
Subject(s) - cornea , confocal microscopy , medicine , confocal , confocal laser scanning microscopy , in vivo , refractive surgery , contact lens , optometry , ophthalmology , optics , biomedical engineering , biology , physics , microbiology and biotechnology
A bstract The demands of modern ophthalmology have evolved from descriptive findings from the slit lamp to in vivo assessment of cellular level changes. Nowadays, the latter can be provided by in vivo confocal microscopy. This article gives an overview of confocal principles using tandem scanning, scanning slit and laser scanning techniques used in ophthalmology. The main part of the paper describes the clinical applications emphasizing the anatomy of the normal and pathological cornea, and illustrates side‐effects of topical medication, contact lens wear, cross‐linking and refractive surgery. Finally, a summary about experimental applications, including animal studies, surface characterization and volume rendering as well as future developments, is given.