title: Assessing microstructures of the cornea with Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy: pathway for corneal physiology and diseases.
abstract: Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy (GD-OCM) was applied ex vivo in the investigation of corneal cells and their surrounding microstructures with particular attention to the corneal endothelium. Experiments using fresh pig eyeballs, excised human corneal buttons from patients with Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy (FED), and healthy donor corneas were conducted. Results show in a large field of view (1  mm×1  mm) high definition images of the different cell types and their surrounding microstructures through the full corneal thickness at both the central and peripheral locations of porcine corneas. Particularly, an image of the endothelial cells lining the bottom of the cornea is highlighted. As compared to healthy human corneas, the corneas of individuals with FED show characteristic microstructural alterations of the Descemet's membrane and increased size and number of keratocytes. The GD-OCM-based imaging system developed may constitute a novel tool for corneal imaging and disease diagnosis. Also, importantly, it may provide insights into the mechanism of corneal physiology and pathology, particularly in diseases of the corneal endothelium.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tankam
authors.forename: Zhiguo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Ying-Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Jungeun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Canavesi
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lepine
authors.forename: Holly B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Hindman
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Topham
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gain
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thuret
authors.forename: Jannick P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rolland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003315:Cornea / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005642:Fuchs' Endothelial Dystrophy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D013552:Swine; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000379:methods*