Histological and Confocal Microscopy Changes in Chronic Corneal Edema: Implications for Endothelial Transplantation

This is the first study in which IVCM features of corneal edema have been compared in detail with histopathologic findings. Subepithelial fibroblasts, reduced subbasal corneal nerves, and stromal keratocyte morphology were well documented in this study. With increasing popularity of DSEK this work supports the role of IVCM in quantitative evaluation of corneal edema in early preoperative stages, as well as after surgery, when the cornea appear clinically, but not histologically, normal.