Jongebloed W L, Dijk F, Worst J F
Centre for Medical Electronmicroscopy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Doc Ophthalmol. 1987 Sep-Oct;67(1-2):209-20. doi: 10.1007/BF00142714.
Two corneas from elderly patients (87 & 95 years) were studied by SEM and the results compared with in-vitro aged corneas and a keratoconus. The detachment of epithelial cells as part of a cell renewal process leads to loss of epithelium and exposure of Bowman's membrane. The degenerative process in the endothelium leads to porosity and loss of the endothelial cell membrane and finally to (partial) loss of the endothelial cell layer. The start of such a degenerative process is marked by the formation of liquid-filled blebs. The balance of degeneration versus regeneration is clearly biased in favour of the degenerative process, because the cells are not able to produce sufficient collagenous material to cover the denuded areas.
对两位老年患者（87岁和95岁）的角膜进行了扫描电子显微镜（SEM）研究，并将结果与体外老化角膜和圆锥角膜进行了比较。作为细胞更新过程一部分的上皮细胞脱离导致上皮层缺失和Bowman膜暴露。内皮细胞的退行性变过程导致孔隙形成和内皮细胞膜缺失，最终导致内皮细胞层（部分）丧失。这种退行性变过程的开始以充满液体的小泡形成为标志。退变与再生之间的平衡明显偏向于退变过程，因为细胞无法产生足够的胶原物质来覆盖裸露区域。
