Ultrastructure of the cornea epithelium in keratoconus.

In this study, 20 keratoconus corneal tissue were examined. In TEM examination of the cornea, the epithelium was irregular in thickness. In these epithelial cells, the number of microvilli were decreased and they showed an irregular arrangement. Vesicular degeneration and swelling of the mitochondria were observed in the cytoplasm of these cells. Interepithelial relation was normal and the desmosomes did not show any pathology. In the electron microscopic examination of the stroma, focal degeneration was observed in the collagen fibers. In SEM examination of the cornea, depressions and elevations were found on the epithelial surface. Additionally, degenerated epithelial cells were observed on focal areas. To our knowledge, the decreased number of microvilli and their irregular arrangement which we observed in TEM examination of the cornea epithelium were not reported in the literature.