Cornea and Sclera Flashcards
if the cornea is steeper in the vertical meridian, it is:
WTR
if the cornea is steeper in the horizontal meridian, it is:
ATR
what is the average corneal thickness in the center and the periphery?
center: 550 microns
periphery: 670 microns up to 710 microns
what is the refractive index of the cornea
1.376
what is the central radius of curvature of the cornea, anterior and posterior surfaces?
anterior surface: 7.8mm curvature
posterior surface: 6.5mm curavture
prolate
steeper in center and flatter in periphery, normal cornea
oblate
flatter in center and steeper in periphery, ex. post-LASIK, ortho-K corneas
average anterior horizontal and vertical diameters of the cornea
anterior horizontal diameter: 11.7mm
anterior vertical diameter: 10.6mm
average posterior horizontal and vertical diameter of the cornea
posterior both horizontal and vertical are 11.7mm (spherical from behind)
what are the corneal layers?
epithelium (surface, wing, basal cells), basement membrane, Bowman’s layer, stroma, Descemet’s membrane, endothelium
what is the corneal epithelium thickness?
52 microns, 5 to 6 cell layers
what is Bowman’s layer thickness?
8-14 microns, acellular, random type 1 and type 5 collagen fibrils
what is the thickness of corneal stroma?
450 microns
Descemet’s membrane
5-15 microns, the basement membrane of the endothelium, composed of type 4 collagen, very resistant to trauma and damage, becomes Schwalbe’s line at the limbus
what is the thickness of the corneal endothelium?
5 microns
the 3 factors behind RCEs
- poor hemidesmosome attachments
- epithelial basement membrane dystrophy
- age-related thickening of the basement membrane
Reis-Buckler’s dystrophy
rare corneal epithelial dystrophy that appears early in life and is secondary to damage to Bowmans
corneal stroma is made up of
dense, regular connective tissue composed of keratocytes (fibroblasts), collagen fibrils, ground substance, and water (75-80% of the stroma)
keratocytes
fibroblasts of the cornea that produce collagen fibrils and the extracellular matrix
hydrops
occurs in keratoconus when Descemet’s membrane ruptures
Haab’s striae
folds in Descemet’s membrane that occur in congenital glaucoma
Hassall-Henle bodies
small areas of thickened Descemet’s membrane in the corneal periphery that protrude towards the AC, increase with age and have no visual significance
pleomorphism
corneal endothelial cells no longer being hexagonal, change shape
(HEX marker, 70-80% is normal)
polymegathism
when endothelial cells die, neighbouring cells enlarge to cover the empty space, to compensate for the decrease in cell density
stromal edema
- loss of endothelial cells results in a decrease of Na+/K+ ATP pumps and leads to edema in the stroma
- hypoxia of cornea leads to increase of lactate and acidity
deturgescence
the physiological process in which the stroma is kept relatively dehydrated to maintain normal corneal clarity and transparency, depends on GAGs, cell barriers, and ion transport
78%
how does the avascular cornea obtain nutrients?
diffusion from the aqueous humor, limbal conjunctival and episcleral capillary networks, palpebral conjunctival networks
O2 under open-eye conditions - comes from tear film, O2 under closed-eye conditions - comes from palpebral conjunctival blood vessels
corneal neovascularization
defense response to oxygen deprivation, the new vessels arise from endothelial cells of the limbal capillary network in response to cytokines and growth factors (including VEGF)
how does the cornea get sensory innervation
sensory innervation comes from V1, the LPCNs and SPCNs enter the mid-stroma of the cornea. inside the stroma the nerves lose their myelin sheaths and become highly sensitive with nocireceptors (pain)
neurotrophic keratitis
characterized by poor corneal sensitivity and poor wound healing, secondary to damage of V1 (ex. HSV, HZO, CVA, DM)