title: Corneal nerve architecture in a donor with unilateral epithelial basement membrane dystrophy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD) is by far the most common corneal dystrophy. In this study, we used a newly developed method of immunofluorescence staining and imaging to study the entire corneal nerve architecture of a donor with unilateral EBMD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two fresh eyes from a 56-year-old male donor were obtained; the right eye of the donor was diagnosed with EBMD and the left was normal. After slit lamp examination, the corneas were immunostained with anti-β-tubulin III antibody. Images were recorded by a fluorescent microscope equipped with a Photometrics digital camera using MetaVue imaging software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The left cornea appeared normal as observed by slit lamp and stereomicroscope, but the right eye had numerous irregular geographic patches in the basement membrane. Immunofluorescence showed no difference in the stromal nerve distribution between the 2 eyes, but there were areas without innervations in the EBMD cornea. Subbasal nerve fibers also showed tortuous courses and fewer divisions. There was a significant decrease in the density of subbasal nerve fibers and the number of terminals in the right eye.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We show for the first time detailed nerve architecture in an EBMD cornea. Our results suggest that EBMD-induced abnormalities of basement membrane altered epithelial nerve architecture and decreased nerve density, contributing to the pathology of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience Center of Excellence, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, School of Medicine, New Orleans, La. 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Jiucheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Haydee E P
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Bazan
mesh_terms: D055952:Cogan Syndrome / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D003315:Cornea / Q000294:innervation*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009882:Ophthalmic Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D014019:Tissue Donors; D020433:Trigeminal Nerve Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D014404:Tubulin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014404:Tubulin