Demographic and clinical variations of keratoconus in Saudi population.

Purpose: The aim of this prospective study was to identify the demographic and clinical variations of keratoconus (KC) in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A self-administered survey was completed by patients in Saudi hospitals. The survey included questions on demographics, educational level, treatment options, dry eye, eye rubbing because of allergy, residence, family history, and consanguineous marriage.

A microscopy study of the structural features of post-LASIK human corneas.

Purpose: To study the structural features of human post-LASIK corneas.

Methods: A pair of post-mortem donor corneas, from a 55-year old patient who underwent uncomplicated LASIK surgery five years previously, were bisected and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. The right cornea and one half of the left cornea were processed for light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.

3D collagen orientation study of the human cornea using X-ray diffraction and femtosecond laser technology.

Purpose: To study the distribution and predominant orientations of fibrillar collagen at different depths throughout the entire thickness of the human cornea. This information will form the basis of a full three-dimensional reconstruction of the preferred orientations of corneal lamellae.

Methods: Femtosecond laser technology was used to delaminate the central zones of five human corneas into three separate layers (anterior, mid, and posterior stroma), each with predetermined thicknesses.

Comparative study of fibrillar collagen arrangement in the corneas of primates and other mammals.

This study is a comparative study of the relationship between corneal structure, morphology, and function in a range of mammalian species. X-ray scattering patterns were gathered at regular spatial intervals over the excised cornea (and in most cases also the scleral rim) of humans, marmosets, horses, cows, pigs, rabbits, and mice. All patterns were analyzed to produce quantitative information regarding the predominant orientation of fibrillar collagen throughout the tissue.

Mapping collagen organization in the human cornea: left and right eyes are structurally distinct.

Purpose: Aspects of the biomechanics and surface topography of fellow human corneas are known to exhibit midline symmetry, but the structural basis of these observations is poorly understood. The mechanical performance of the cornea is strongly influenced by the organization of stromal collagen fibrils. The present study was designed to examine and compare the organization of collagen fibrils in the corneal stroma of left and right eyes.