Human corneal thickness and its impact on intraocular pressure measures: a review and meta-analysis approach.

Specular microscopy can provide a noninvasive morphologic analysis of the corneal endothelial cell layer from subjects enrolled in clinical trials The analysis provides a measure of the endothelial cell physiologic reserve from aging, ocular surgical procedures, pharmaceutical exposure, and general health of the corneal endothelium The purpose of this review is to discuss normal and stressed endothelial cell morphology, the techniques for determining the morphology parameters, and clinical trial applications

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Review of corneal endothelial specular microscopy for FDA clinical trials of refractive procedures, surgical devices, and new intraocular drugs and solutions.

The endothelium is a monolayer of cells on the posterior corneal surface that transports water from the stroma into the anterior chamber. This movement of water counters a natural tendency for the stroma to swell and is necessary to maintain a transparent cornea. Embryologic studies, in particular the demonstration of the derivation of the endothelium from the neural crest, have provided insight into the factors that govern the response of this tissue to disease. In some species the endothelium can regenerate after injury, but in man cellular enlargement is the main mechanism of repair after cell loss. A clinical estimate of endothelial cell density and function is provided by specular microscopy, fluorophotometry and pachymetry. In this paper we review the development, structure and function of the corneal endothelium, and then consider the pathological processes that can affect this tissue.

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William Vogelpohl

Papers

Specular microscopy of hard contact lens wearers II.