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"Having identified this new and distinct layer deep in the tissue of the cornea, we can now exploit its presence to make operations much safer and simpler for patients," she said in a press release.
"From a clinical perspective, there are many diseases that affect the back of the cornea which clinicians across the world are already beginning to relate to the presence, absence or tear in this layer."
The new layer, called the Dua's Layer in honor of the professor, is described in the journal Ophthalmology. It's too thin to be seen; at 15 microns, it's smaller than beach sand and mist, and makes up a small fraction of the cornea, which is 550 microns thick. It's located toward the back of the cornea. The scientists detected it through electron microscopy after injecting tiny bubbles of air into donated corneas to separate the layers.
Already, scientists say they have a better understanding of certain diseases of the cornea. Corneal hydrops, for example, occurs when fluid builds up in patients with a deformity of the cornea and produces a bulge. Now researchers think the bulging is caused by a tear in the Dua's layer.
It could also help in eye surgeries: A surgeon could inject a bubble next to the Dua's layer to test how strong it is, for example.
Reader Comments
Right over their eyes and they could not see it all these years. Evidence that human senses are limited and prone to errors. To err is human after all.
Being told by a Ophthalmologist who was ranked 5th in the world, that there were five layers to the cornea, when I was a surgical technician in eye surgery. Interesting.