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
Review
. 2018 Feb;66(2):195-201.
doi: 10.4103/ijo.IJO_649_17.

Cornea and anterior eye assessment with slit lamp biomicroscopy, specular microscopy, confocal microscopy, and ultrasound biomicroscopy

Raul Martin  1
Affiliations
Review

Cornea and anterior eye assessment with slit lamp biomicroscopy, specular microscopy, confocal microscopy, and ultrasound biomicroscopy

Raul Martin. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2018 Feb.

Abstract

Current corneal assessment technologies make the process of corneal evaluation extremely fast and simple, and several devices and technologies show signs that help in identification of different diseases thereby, helping in diagnosis, management, and follow-up of patients. The purpose of this review is to present and update readers on the evaluation of cornea and ocular surface. This first part reviews a description of slit lamp biomicroscopy (SLB), endothelial specular microscopy, confocal microscopy, and ultrasound biomicroscopy examination techniques and the second part describes the corneal topography and tomography, providing up-to-date information on the clinical recommendations of these techniques in eye care practice. Although the SLB is a traditional technique, it is of paramount importance in clinical diagnosis and compulsory when an eye test is conducted in primary or specialist eye care practice. Different techniques allow the early diagnosis of many diseases, especially when clinical signs have not yet become apparent and visible with SLB. These techniques also allow for patient follow-up in several clinical conditions or diseases, facilitating clinical decisions and improving knowledge regarding the corneal anatomy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Slit section in normal cornea showing the tear film/epithelium, anterior and posterior stroma, endothelium, anterior chamber with aqueous humor, iris, pupil, tear meniscus, eyelid, and eyelashes
Figure 2
Figure 2
Specular microscopy in healthy eye (45 years old) showing central corneal thickness, endothelial cells density, polymegethism or coefficient of variation, pleomorphism (HEX), and others outcomes
Figure 3
Figure 3
Image of epithelium (a) and endothelium (b) in healthy eye. Epithelium image was captured with Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (Heidelberg, Germany) and endothelium image with Confoscan4 (Nidek Technologies, Japan)
Figure 4
Figure 4
Example of ultrasound biometry (a) in healthy eye showing anterior and posterior surfaces of the cornea and lens and (b) in a pseudophakic 61-year-old male patient
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Rio-Cristobal A, Martin R. Corneal assessment technologies: Current status. Surv Ophthalmol. 2014;59:599–614. - PubMed
    1. Brody J, Waller S, Wagoner M. Corneal topography: History, technique, and clinical uses. Int Ophthalmol Clin. 1994;34:197–207. - PubMed
    1. Fleming JB, Semes LP. Benjamin WJ. Borish's Clinical Refraction. 2nd ed. St Louis, Missouri (USA): Butterworth-Heinemann-Elsevier; 2006. Anterior segment evaluation.
    1. Efron N. Contact Lens Complications. 3rd ed. New York (USA): Elsevier Saunders; 2012.
    1. Efron N. Contact lens-induced changes in the anterior eye as observed in vivo with the confocal microscope. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2007;26:398–436. - PubMed

MeSH terms