Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access
ISSN: 2155-9570
ISSN: 2155-9570
Ildiko Suveges
Semmelweis University, Hungary
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Wound healing in the cornea is different from that of other tissues for these three reasons: 1) the cornea does not have blood vessels/ has no blood supply/ it is avascular; 2) it has immune privilege/ it is an immune privileged tissue/immunologic privilege makes it a very special tissue; 3) it has a very slow metabolism. Corneal wound healing can be examined when the injury is vertical to the surface; horizontal cuts will not elicit reactions provoked by vertical incisions (see superficial horizontal wound in different types of refractive surgery or lamellar keratoplasty). Wound healing in the various layers of the cornea induces various processes, the most important of which being epithelial injuries/abrasions that release cytokines. They trigger such processes such as the degradation of extracellular matrix, apoptosis of keratocytes or chemotaxis of different inflammatory cells. The restoration of the epithelium is performed through the process of re-epithelialization in which the limbal stem cells play an active role. During the reparation the keratocytes become fibroblast, later on myofibroblasts. These cells can produce new collagen fibers and glycosaminoglycan/ glycoproteins. These are different from that of normal, transparent corneas. The characteristics of the newly generated scar tissue are not transparent, its strength being 50% less. In cases of pathologic wound healing retrocorneal membrane and pannus-like tissue may develop. Corneal scarring can impair vision. It can only be managed by surgery.