Evaluation of transparency and barrier function of the cornea by Scheimpflug images.

Two new methods of corneal analysis with Scheimpflug images will be introduced in this paper. The first study was to document the light scattering of the cornea itself using a newly modified Scheimpflug camera with higher magnification. Details of the slit images of the cornea could be evaluated more precisely than those of images taken with an existing camera. The second study was to evaluate the corneal epithelial barrier function by measuring the intensity of the light scattering originating from instilled fluorescein excited through filters. Fluorescein accumulation in the damaged epithelium and diffusion with time into the stromal tissue could be observed in two-dimensional images and the changes could also be documented by measuring the intensity and extent of light scattering. These newly developed methods will be useful for studies of the cornea.