Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Oct;89(10):1351-5.
doi: 10.1136/bjo.2004.063743.

Contribution to comprehension of image formation in confocal microscopy of cornea with Rostock cornea module

R Bochert  1 , A Zhivov, R Kraak, J Stave, R F Guthoff
Affiliations

Contribution to comprehension of image formation in confocal microscopy of cornea with Rostock cornea module

R Bochert et al. Br J Ophthalmol. 2005 Oct.

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the influence of refractive index of aqueous humour on imaging of corneal endothelium in confocal microscopy. To clarify the phenomenon of dark endothelial and bright epithelial cell membranes in confocal images of corneas.

Methods: Use of a novel digital confocal laser scanning microscope, a combination of the Heidelberg retina tomograph (HRT II) and the Rostock cornea module. Exchange of aqueous humour solution from domestic pigs against glycerol/water solutions (refractive indices eta = 1.337-1.47). Transelectron microscopy of endothelial and epithelial cell morphology.

Results: Under the terms of variable refractive indices no differences were observed for general imaging of endothelium. Bright cells were bordered by dark cell membranes in all experiments. Electron microscopy of endothelium and epithelium revealed differences in intracellular and cell membrane structure of both cell types.

Conclusion: Source of specific confocal optical behaviour of endothelium does not come from interface conditions to aqueous humour, but may result from intracellular variations and ultrastructure of cell membranes.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Confocal images of endothelium of domestic pig eyes. The anterior chamber was filled with glycerol/water solution of (A) 5% (ηD = 1.337), (B) 20% (ηD = 1.355), (C) 60% (ηD = 1.411), and (D) 100% (ηD = 1.47). Magnification ×240.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Confocal images of two stacker domestic pig corneas. (A) Endothelium of specimen 1 lying above specimen 2. (B) Superficial cells of specimen 2. (C) Wing cells of specimen 2. Magnification ×240
Figure 3
Figure 3
Ultrathin sections of epithelial cells of domestic pig eyes. Magnification ×1500.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Ultrathin section of endothelial cells of domestic pig showing smooth cell membrane, numberous mitochondria, and homogeneous nuclei. Magnification ×12 000.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Calvillo MP, McLaren JW, Hodge DO, et al. Corneal reinnervation after LASIK: prospective 3-year longitudinal study. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2004;45:3991–6. - PubMed
    1. Nakano E, Oliveira M, Portellinha W, et al. Confocal microscopy in early diagnosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis. J Refract Surg 2004;20 (Suppl) :737–40. - PubMed
    1. Patel S, McLaren J, Hodge D, et al. Normal human keratocyte density and corneal thickness measurement by using confocal microscopy in vivo. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2001;42:333–9. - PubMed
    1. Guell JL, Velasco F, Guerrero E, et al. Confocal microscopy of corneas with an intracorneal lens for hyperopia. J Refract Surg 2004;20:778–82. - PubMed
    1. Mastropasqua L, Nubile M. Confocal microscopy of the cornea. Thorofare, NJ: Slack, 2002.