Key Concepts The term cornea ulcer can refer to a wide variety of infectious and noninfectious entities. The evaluation of a corneal ulcer requires a stepwise approach including history, examination, laboratory testing, and careful analysis of this data to guide…
Key Concepts The peripheral cornea’s proximity to the limbus and conjunctival lymphoid tissue predisposes it to unique pathologies that are distinct from the avascular central cornea. The peripheral cornea is particularly susceptible to inflammation related to systemic autoimmune diseases, including…
Key Concepts In order to properly evaluate congenital corneal clouding, a thorough history and examination must be performed with a low threshold to obtain an examination under anesthesia. Ancillary testing with A-scan ultrasound biometry, B-scan ultrasonography, ultrasound biomicroscopy, and anterior…
Key Concepts Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can provide micron-level high-resolution images of the cornea and anterior segment without touching the eye. Anterior segment OCT can map the corneal and epithelial thicknesses; both are useful for keratoconus screening and classification of…
Key Concepts Ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) has proven a valuable tool for ophthalmologists when the cornea has lost its transparency or other media opacities obstruct the view of the anterior segment. In UBM, perpendicularity indicated by reflective echoes from the corneal…
Key Concepts In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) is a high-resolution imaging technique that enables microscopic examination of the ocular surface with good histopathologic correlation. IVCM is useful for the early diagnosis and monitoring of infectious keratitis from fungi and Acanthamoeba with…
Key Concepts Confocal microscopy provides high-resolution images of all corneal cell layers in vivo. Confocal microscopy through focusing can be used for three-dimensional assessment of temporal changes in epithelial, stromal, and corneal thickness, nerve regeneration, cell density, and haze estimation after…
Key Concepts Specular microscopy displays light that is reflected in a “mirror-like” fashion off the tissue from the incident light. Specular microscopy’s primary use is in the imaging of corneal endothelial cells, whereas confocal microscopy has replaced it for epithelial…
Key Concepts Advances in corneal imaging were boosted by the demands of refractive surgery, such as the diagnosis and characterization of ectasia susceptibility. Enhanced refractive surgery screening and planning must go beyond corneal topography and single point ultrasound pachymetry. The…
Key Concepts The growth of keratorefractive surgery has stimulated development in corneal topography. The present-day videokeratoscope, or corneal topographer, evolved from the keratometer. Modern corneal topographers use several different approaches, including Placido disk and grid-style reflections, slit scanning tomography, Scheimpflug…