Lecture 4: Cornea Flashcards
(corneal dimensions) Anterior horizontal diameter:
12 mm
(corneal dimensions) Anterior vertical diameter:
11 mm
(corneal dimensions) Posterior view:
cornea appears circular
H and V diameter: 11.7 mm
is the cornea flatter or steeper in the center?
steeper
is the cornea flatter or steeper near the periphery?
flatter
(Radius of curvature) Anterior central cornea:
7.8 mm
(Radius of curvature) Posterior central cornea:
6.5 mm
Central corneal thickness (CCT):
0.53 mm or 530 micron
Peripheral corneal thickness :
0.71 mm or 710 micron
why are corneal dimensions clinically relevant?
Astigmatism: Variation in corneal curvature in various meridians
contributes to astigmatism
Regular astigmatism:
steepest and flattest meridians lie
90 degree apart
Irregular astigmatism:
steepest and flattest meridian are
not 90 degrees apart (uncommon)
With the rule astigmatism:
the steepest curvature lies in V- meridian and the flattest curvature lies in H-meridian
Against the rule astigmatism:
the steepest curvature is in H- meridian (not common, ‘WTR to ATR’ in old age due to lens change)
what structure is the principal refracting surface of the eye?
cornea
why is the cornea transparent?
- Due to smooth and regular epithelium
- Regular arrangement of stromal fibrils and small
fibril diameter - Destructive interference of light minimizes light
scattering (cornea scatter less than 1% of light)
is the cornea avascular or vascular?
avascular
the peripheral cornea is continuous with what?
The peripheral cornea is continuous with conjunctiva and sclera
Corneal haze:
the spacing of stromal fibrils is altered due to edema or due to activated fibroblast, myofibroblast cells (especially after PRK)
how many layers does the cornea have? what are they?
- Epithelium
- Bowman’s layer
- Stroma
- Descemet’s membrane
- Endothelium
how many cell layers thick is the epithelium layer of the cornea? microns?
5-7 cell layers thick, approx. 50 micron
the apical surface of the epithelium layer is the superficial layer. How many layers compose this layer and what is the tissue type?
2-3 layers of flattened,
squamous
In the epithelium layer of the cornea what layer comes after the apical layer? And how many layers compose that layer?
2-3 layers of “wing” cells
how are wing cells attached to each other?
Attach to each other by desmosomes and gap junctions.
what layer of cells in the epithelium are the only cells to undergo mitotic division?
basal layer cells
The basal surfaces of these cells hold to the underlying Bowman’s layer by what?
hemidesmosome*
what 3 layers are in the first corneal layer: epithelium?
apical, wing, and basal
how thick is bowman’s layer?
8-14 micron thick
is bowman’s layer a true membrane?
- no it is transition layer to stroma – not a true membrane (passive)
- It’s an acellular membrane