Keratocyte cell culture.

Keratocytes, or cornea1 fibroblasts, are the primary cell type of the cornea1 stroma. They lie between and are oriented parallel to the orthogonally arranged collagen lamellae, forming a continuous interconnecting cellular network that has been hypothesized to transmit information throughout the cornea concerning the status of the tissue (1). Under normal conditions, the keratocyte in the adult cornea is a relatively quiescent cell. However, in the event of a cornea1 injury or trauma, the keratocytes near the injured area differentiate into active, synthesizing cells and rapidly replace damaged stromal matrix (3, 3).