purpose: to compare keratocyte density between normal and keratoconic corneas in non-contact lens wearers. methods: confocal scanning was performed on 39 corneas of 26 patients with keratoconus and 28 corneas of 14 normal control subjects. none of the cases were contact lens wearer. all individuals underwent ophthalmic examination and computed topography in addition to confocal microscopy. main...

PURPOSE To compare keratocyte density determined by using confocal microscopy with keratocyte density determined in the same corneas by histology. METHODS Digital en face images of central corneas were recorded three times by using confocal microscopy in vivo in six New Zealand White rabbits. Bright objects (keratocyte nuclei) in the images were automatically identified by using a custom algo...

PURPOSE Gamma-interferon has been shown to be an effective immunoregulatory polypeptide that can modulate fibroblastic response. We investigated the effects of gamma-interferon on keratocyte proliferation and keratocyte-induced collagen gel contraction. METHODS Gamma-interferon in concentrations of 0.01, 1, 100, and 1000 U/ml of media was added to keratocytes embedded in polymerized type I co...

PURPOSE To investigate the role of acute inflammation in keratocyte death, which may influence corneal haze after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS Transepithelial PRK was performed on both eyes of 30 rabbits. Twenty-six rabbits were divided into 4 groups receiving autologous blood, suturing alone, suturing with amniotic membrane graft, or no treatment as the control. Twenty-four hou...

PURPOSE Programmed cell death (apoptosis) is the controlled death of cells that occurs with minimal collateral damage to surrounding cells or tissue during development, homeostasis, and wound healing. The authors hypothesize the keratocyte apoptosis is an initiating factor in the wound-healing response after refractive surgical procedures. To evaluate the effects of different corneal manipulati...

Corneal abrasion not only damages the epithelium but also induces stromal keratocyte death at the site of injury. While a coordinated cascade of inflammatory cell recruitment facilitates epithelial restoration, it is unclear if this cascade is necessary for keratocyte recovery. Since platelet and neutrophil (PMN) recruitment after corneal abrasion is beneficial to epithelial wound healing, we w...

PURPOSE To measure changes in keratocyte density up to 5 years after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). METHODS This was a prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial. Eighteen eyes of 12 patients received PRK to correct a mean refractive error of -3.73 +/- 1.30 D, and 17 eyes of 11 patients received LASIK to correct a mean refractive error of -6.56 +/- ...

PURPOSE To quantify keratocyte density according to stromal region and subject age and to measure the thickness of the normal human cornea and its layers in vivo. METHODS Seventy normal corneas of 70 subjects were examined by confocal microscopy (contact lens wearers were excluded). Ages of subjects ranged from 12 to 80 years, with 10 subjects per decade. Images were recorded by continuously ...

PURPOSE Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC) are an abundant population of adult stem cells with the potential to differentiate into several specialized tissue types, including neural and neural crest-derived cells. This study sought to determine if ADSC express keratocyte-specific phenotypic markers when cultured under conditions inducing differentiation of corneal stromal stem cells to keratocyt...

OBJECTIVE To perform a quantitative analysis of keratocyte density in human corneas after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS In a prospective comparative trial, 24 eyes of 14 patients received PRK to correct refractive errors of between -1.25 diopters (D) and -5.75 D. Corneas were examined by using confocal microscopy before and 1 day, 5 days, and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after ...