Corneal thickness in interstitial keratitis.

THE importance of the role played by changes in the thickness of the cornea in the induction of corneal vascularization has recently become increasingly recognized (Cogan, 1948; Ashton, Cook, and Langham, 1951; Langham, 1952, 1953; Ashton and Cook, 1953). However the relationship between the swelling and increase in opacity of the cornea to the rate and progress of vascularization of the cornea in humans has not hitherto been investigated. In the present study, an attempt has been made to bridge this gap in our knowledge by correlating alterations in corneal thickness with the clinical progress of a series of ten cases of specific and non-specific keratitis receiving cortisone therapy. Changes in the general macrosopical and slit-lamp appearances and in the degree of corneal opacity were noted in addition to the measurements of corneal thickness.