In vivo ocular imaging of the cornea of the normal female laboratory beagle using confocal microscopy.
OBJECTIVE
To obtain normative data for the normal laboratory beagle cornea using high-resolution in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM).


METHODS
Sixteen eyes of eight healthy young female intact beagles.


METHODS
The central cornea was imaged using IVCM. Mixed effects linear regression was used for statistical analysis.


RESULTS
in vivo confocal microscopy allowed detailed visualization and quantification of epithelial cells (superficial epithelial cell diameter: 43.25 ± 6.64 μm, basal cell diameter: 4.43 ± 0.67 μm), and nerve fibers (subepithelial nerve fiber diameter: 2.38 ± 0.69 μm, anterior stromal nerve fiber diameter: 16.93 ± 4.55 μm). Keratocyte density (anterior stroma 993.38 ± 134.24 cells/mm(2) , posterior stroma 789.38 ± 87.13 cells/mm(2) ) and endothelial cell density (2815.18 ± 212.59 cells/mm(2) ) were also measured.


CONCLUSIONS
High-resolution IVCM provides detailed noninvasive evaluation of the cornea in the normal laboratory beagle.
Department of Veterinary Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Ann R
AR
Strom
Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, UC Davis Eye Center, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.|Department of Ophthalmology, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Dennis E
DE
Cortés
Department of Veterinary Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Sara M
SM
Thomasy
Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Philip H
PH
Kass
Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, UC Davis Eye Center, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Mark J
MJ
Mannis
Department of Veterinary Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.|Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Science, UC Davis Eye Center, School of Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
Christopher J
CJ
Murphy
D000818:Animals; D003315:Cornea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000294:innervation; D003941:Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological / Q000662:veterinary*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000662:veterinary*
canine; confocal microscopy; cornea; corneal nerves; endothelial cell density; laboratory beagle