Subjective vs. objective analysis of the corneal endothelial cells in the rabbit cornea by scanning electron microscopy – a comparison of two different methods of corneal fixation

Abstract

Cell density values in SEM can be very different according to the fixation method used. A distinct regional difference in CD was evident, which was more pronounced if the cornea was fixed prior to being dissected from the eye.

Rabbits’ eye globe sonographic biometry

“…22,23 The obtainment of reference values for intraocular measurements of healthy rabbits is necessary as these animals have been used as experimental models in human or veterinary ophthalmology. [15][16][17][18]…”

“…5,11,12 Recent studies on ophthalmic ultrasound are mostly related to diseases that cause opacification of the transparent media such as cataracts and their complications. 10,13,14 Given the importance of the rabbit as a model species in ophthalmology 15,16 and in veterinary medicine, 17,18 the aim of this study was to measure intraocular structures in rabbits using A-mode and B-mode ultrasound with a 20 MHz transducer.…”

Specular microscopy to determine corneal endothelial cell morphology and morphometry in chinchillas (Chinchilla lanigera) in vivo

“…In most vertebrates, the normal corneal endothelium consists of a continuous monolayer of cells that are mainly hexagonal . Studies in other species have shown that the endothelium may change with advancing age . The critical limit of the endothelial cell count for corneal decompensation is thought to be 700 cells/mm 2 in animals and human beings …”

Averaged Spacing and 2-D Organization of Collagen Fibrils in the Posterior Cornea of the Rabbit Eye Assessed by Transmission Electron Microscopy

“…This special fixation is considered to be important since the spatial distribution of fibrils within the corneal stroma has been reported to be substantially different when comparing corneas fixed under these different conditions. 39 For corneal samples that are simply dissected from the eye and then placed in fixative solution, these are not only likely to show pronounced differences in the spatial distribution of the corneal endothelial cells, 40 but also contain few regions where the collagen lamellae are uniformly organized (Doughty -unpublished data). Corneas fixed in situ essentially show a normal curved profile, 20 and scanning electron microscopy can also be used to illustrate the retention of a curved surface from central cornea out to the corneo-scleral boundary.…”