Combined staining of corneal endothelium by alizarine red and trypane blue

Abstract

Combined staining by alizarine red and trypane blue is an easy and reliable method for in vitro visualization of corneal endothelial nuclei, cellular borders and uncovered parts of the membrane of Descemet. A stained full thickness wet mount can be prepared in less than five min. The staining method and preliminary findings concerning endothelial morphology in the centre and in the periphery of normal corneas are presented.