title: White-light and laser confocal microscopic findings of rabbit conjunctiva.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report laser and white-light confocal microscopic findings of ex vivo rabbit conjunctiva to investigate the potential application of these confocal microscopes as diagnostic devices for normal and pathologic conjunctiva.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three male albino rabbits were killed and six eyeballs were removed with as much bulbar conjunctiva as possible. The bulbar conjunctiva approximately 5 mm away from the limbus was then subjected to an ex vivo laser and white-light confocal microscopic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using laser confocal microscopy, conjunctival epithelial cells, subepithelial conjunctival vessels, and sclera were clearly observed. By contrast, white-light confocal microscopy yielded images of conjunctival epithelium, subepithelial layers, and sclera that were not clearly defined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicates that laser confocal microscopy has a superior ability to visualize ex vivo, non-fixed conjunctiva when compared with white-light confocal microscopy. It also suggests that the laser confocal microscope might be a useful, non-invasive, in vivo, "quasi-cytological" device for observing and diagnosing the conjunctival condition in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa, Ishikawa-prefecture, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoshita
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000098:blood supply / Q000166:cytology*; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D007834:Lasers; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D011817:Rabbits; D012590:Sclera / Q000166:cytology