Corneal Function Flashcards
Primary function of the cornea
Refract light
Factors affecting refraction in the cornea
- curvature of anterior surface
- change in RI from air to cornea (tear film)
- corneal thickness
- curvature of posterior surface
- change in RI from cornea to aqueous
What is the 1st refractive surface
Actually the tear film
Total power of the eye
60D
Power of the cornea
40-48D
How much power of the eye does the cornea have
2/3-3/4
What kind of focusing ability does the cornea have
Fixed focus. Squinting can actually change the corneal focus though
What is the second primary function of the cornea
Transmit light
How does the cornea transmit light
Minimal scattering
Minimal distortion
Maximal transmission
Keys to maximize light transmission
- smooth optical surface (tear film)
- regularity of surface epithelial cells
- absence of blood vessels
- arrangement of correct spatial arrangement of collage fibrils in stroma
- less than 1% light scatter (majority at epithelium and endothelium)
How much light scatter int he cornea
1%
How to protect your cornea for long term vision
Minimize risk of infection
Prevent damage to the retina
Avoid penetrating injury
Swift healing mechanism
What is one of the most sensitive tissues in the human body
Cornea
Innervation of cornea
- 200-600x greater than skin
- 20-40x greater than roots in teeth
- ophthalmic division of trigeminal nerve (60-80 long ciliary nerves)
- unmyleinaed nerve endings
What is the cornea sensitive to
Touch
Temp (cold)
Chmicals
What does touching thecornea cause
Involuntary lid closure
What is the CV of the cornea
Endothelial integrity can be evaluated by determining the coefficient of variation (CV) of cell size
What is a normal CV for cornea
0.25
25% variation in shape and size of endothelial cells
What is a normal hexagonality of endothelial cells
69%
What is a normal endothelial cell count
2000 cells/mm2
What happens to endothelial cells as some of them die
Others will enlarge and try to take up some of the space
Why do we need to know endothelial cell count before surgeries
To make sure we are not causing damage to endothelium. It does not regenerate
Stroma makes up ______ of the cornea
90%
This is important in maintains corneal transparency int he stroma
Regularity of size of collagen fibrils (300A) and the spacing (550A) between collagen fibrils
What maintains the precise arrrangment of collagen fibrils in the cornea
The negatively charged molecules located around each collagen fibrils by their bonds with water molecules
Blood vessels and corneal transparency
Lack of blood and lymph vessels
What else is lacking in the cornea that helps with transparency
Lack of myelin sheaths