In vivo confocal microscopic features of normal limbus.
OBJECTIVE
To describe in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) features of the limbus in normal eyes as related to the palisades of Vogt's.


METHODS
46 eyes of 29 consecutive volunteers were recruited in this observational study. A detailed examination by IVCM was performed in addition to a routine slit-lamp biomicroscopy. Size and density of corneal and limbal epithelial cells were measured and statistically analysed using SPSS version 8.0 software.


RESULTS
Anatomical and morphological features were noted between corneal and limbal cells. Size and density differences reached to significant levels (p<0.05). Different shapes of palisades of Vogt have been described clearly by confocal microscope. Cell-like structures were observed in the peripheral end of the palisades which might represent limbal stem cell crypts.


CONCLUSIONS
Laser IVCM can be used to establish the features of the normal limbus. The identified features demonstrate quantitative changes in the basal epithelium between the limbus and the central cornea and morphological differences between pigmented or non-pigmented studied subjects. Further studies should be performed to correlate with histology the possible crypts which were observed in this study.
Division of Ophthalmology and visual sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, UK.
Ammar
A
Miri
Muhamed
M
Al-Aqaba
Ahmad Muneer
AM
Otri
Usama
U
Fares
Dalia G
DG
Said
Lana Akram
LA
Faraj
Harminder S
HS
Dua
D000328:Adult; D002452:Cell Count; D048429:Cell Size; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010858:Pigmentation; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult