Schematic sectioning approaches for corneal and retinal surfaces used in ophthalmology and vision-related clinical practice and research.

Schematically, the corneal surface area and other similar surfaces such as the retinal surface and the visual field area have been represented by a circle. While there are different types of schematic sectioning patterns in use, not all patterns are recognized or referred to with their respective appropriate terminology. In scientific communications, as well as in clinical practice, when dealing with corneal or retinal surfaces, it is imperative to have the ability to refer to specific areas with an as high degree of accuracy as possible. The necessity arises in many situations, either when performing tests such as corneal surface staining, corneal sensitivity test, scanning the corneal surface, reporting of the findings related to any specific corneal surface area, or using a sectioning pattern for parts of the retinal surface when locating retinal lesions, or when referring to loci with changes in the visual field. Applying the appropriate geometric terms when any pattern is used for sectioning of surfaces such as cornea or retina, for precise localization and description of the findings or changes with a high degree of accuracy using the correct terminology is a sine qua non. Hence, the idea for this work is to gain an overview of the sectioning methods that are available and in use as methodological guidance in different sectioning patterns related to the corneal, retinal, and visual field.