Corneal thickness (CT) maps of the central (2-mm diameter), para-central (2 to 5-mm diameter), peripheral (5 to 6-mm diameter), and minimum (5-mm diameter) cornea were measured in normal Chinese school children aged 7 to 15 years old using Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography. Multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the effect of associated factors [age, gender, refraction...

A number of factors have been implicated in the regulation of tissue-specific collagen fibril diameter. Previous data suggest that assembly of heterotypic fibrils composed of two different fibrillar collagens represents a general mechanism regulating fibril diameter. Specifically, we hypothesize that type V collagen is required for the assembly of the small diameter fibrils observed in the corn...

Purpose To determine whether the adaption of neophytes to rigid gas permeable lenses (GPs) could be accelerated by changing their diameter or surface lubricity. Methods This was a 2 part prospective double-masked randomised wear study. An GP lens (Roflufocon D material, 9.6 mm diameter) with and without Hydrapeg plasma coating worn 119 (21.1 ± 3.5 years; 77% female) on separate occasions. A fur...

PURPOSE Study to investigate the effects of collagen cross-linking on the ultrastructural organization of the corneal stroma in the human keratoconus cornea (KC). METHODS Three normal, three keratoconus (KC1, KC2, KC3), and three cross-linked keratoconus (CXL1, CXL2, CXL3) corneas were analyzed. The KC corneas were treated with a riboflavin-ultraviolet A (UVA) treatment (CXL) method described...

Chemical and biochemical modification of hydrogels is one strategy to create physiological constructs that maintain cell function. The aim of this study was to apply oxidised alginate hydrogels as a basis for development of a biomimetic niche for limbal epithelial stem cells that may be applied to treating corneal dysfunction. The stem phenotype of bovine limbal epithelial cells (LEC) and the v...

BACKGROUND To compare the changes in anterior and posterior corneal elevations after combined transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) and after PRK. METHODS Medical records of 82 eyes of 44 patients undergoing either combined transepithelial PRK and CXL (PRK-CXL group) or transepithelial PRK (PRK group) were examined retrospective...

The porcine eye is often used as an ex vivo animal model in ophthalmological research. It is well suited for investigations concerning refractive surgery; however, corneal topography data are scarce. This study investigated the corneal topography and pachymetry of the porcine eye to provide further reproducible data. We evaluated freshly enucleated porcine eyes (n = 16) by performing computeriz...

To understand the mechanism of corneal stromal wound contraction, we investigated the effect of corneal epithelial cells on the collagen gel contraction by keratocytes. Subcultured rabbit keratocytes embedded in type I collagen gel were cultured. Rabbit corneal epithelial cells were also cultured and the cultured medium was collected and used as an epithelial cell conditioned medium (ECCM). The...

PURPOSE The mouse has become an important wound healing model with which to study corneal fibrosis, a frequent complication of refractive surgery. The aim of the current study was to quantify changes in stromal ultrastructure and light scatter that characterize fibrosis in mouse corneal debridement wounds. METHODS Epithelial debridement wounds, with and without removal of basement membrane, w...