Anterior corneal mosaic.

THE corneal anatomy has received intensive study in recent years, but an aspect of its structure which is readily observed clinically has received little attention in the literature. In all normal corneae, after the instillation of fluorescein into the conjunctival sac, a striking mosaic pattern may be observed on the surface of the corneal epithelium after massage of the cornea through the lids. This pattern will be referred to as the anterior corneal mosaic. It was first observed by the author in patients whose eyes had been padded for corneal disease. It was noted in some that a mosaic pattern appeared after the instillation of fluorescein. This pattern disappeared in a short period of time, but could readily be re-induced by pressure on the cornea through the lids. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the characteristics of the anterior corneal mosaic and to discuss its significance. This pattern was studied by Fischer (1928), and has since been re-studied by Schweitzer (1967).