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
. 2025 Nov 1.
doi: 10.1007/s12024-025-01116-2. Online ahead of print.

Monitoring changes in the eyes - the significance of the post-mortem interval in asphyxia

Emina Dervišević  1 , Edina Lazović-Salčin  2 , Layan Mattar  3 , Amina Zorlak-Čavčić  1 , Hana Bašić  3 , Muhamed Katica  4 , Emina Kujundžić-Begović  5 , Nadža Kapo-Dolan  6 , Francesco Sessa  7
Affiliations

Monitoring changes in the eyes - the significance of the post-mortem interval in asphyxia

Emina Dervišević et al. Forensic Sci Med Pathol. .

Abstract

The aim of our research was to determine the progression of postmortem ocular changes, focusing on the retina and sclera, over a specified time period and to assess whether these changes are influenced by environmental or physiological factors. Twelve Wistar rats were divided into four experimental groups based on postmortem interval (PMI): immediate autopsy (control), 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h. The mechanism of death was asphyxia by hanging. Each eye sample was macroscopically and microscopically monitored for retinal and scleral changes depending on the PMI and eye exposure (open vs. closed). The most pronounced ocular changes were observed at the longest PMI, including complete loss of retinal stratification, degeneration of ganglion cells, and infiltration by mononuclear inflammatory cells. Similar degenerative changes were observed in the scleral epithelium, particularly in open eyes. This experimental model provides a foundational framework for studying postmortem ocular changes, particularly in the retina and sclera, and may enhance the accuracy of PMI estimation in forensic investigations.

Keywords: Asphyxia; Death; Eye; Postmortem; Temperature.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Sarajevo-Veterinary Faculty under registration number 07-03-63-3/25, Bosnia and Herzegovina. All procedures were conducted in accordance with institutional guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. Informed consent statement: Not applicable. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Franceschetti L, Amadasi A, Bugelli V, Bolsi G, Tsokos M. Estimation of late postmortem interval: where do we stand? A literature review. Biology. 2023;12(6):783. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12060783 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Zissler A, Stoiber W, Steinbacher P, Geissenberger J, Monticelli FC, Pittner S. Postmortem protein degradation as a tool to estimate the PMI: a systematic review. Diagnostics. 2020;10(12):1014. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics10121014 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Salerno M, Cocimano G, Roccuzzo S, et al. New trends in immunohistochemical methods to estimate the time since death: a review. Diagnostics. 2022;12(9):2114. https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics12092114 . - DOI - PubMed - PMC
    1. Ang JL, Collis S, Dhillon B, Cackett P. The eye in forensic medicine: a narrative review. Asia Pac J Ophthalmol. 2021;10(5):486–94. https://doi.org/10.1097/APO.0000000000000426 . - DOI
    1. Vianney Ramírez Ojeda S, Hernandez Mier C. Postmortem Interval Ocular Indicators. In: Clark P, Dogan KH, editors. Contemporary Issues in Clinical Bioethics - Medical, Ethical and Legal Perspectives. IntechOpen; 2024. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.107965

LinkOut - more resources