Experienced eye care doctors use specular microscopy to study a patient’s corneal endothelium.The non-invasive technique is used to evaluate the health of the corneal endothelium or inspect any damage that may have been caused to it by disease, surgery or injury.
The corneal endothelium consists of a single layer of flat mitochondria cells that rest between the corneal stroma and the anterior chamber. The function of the endothelium is the dehydration of the corneal stroma. It essentially pumps fluid out of the cornea enabling good vision.
The health of the corneal endothelium is compromised with diseases such as keratoconus, Fuch’s dystrophy, posterior polymorphous dystrophy, congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy and iridocorneal endothelial syndrome.
Each of these conditions can have severe results if not addressed by an experienced eye care specialist. The doctors at Global Complex Eye Care are familiar with every corneal endothelium disease and know when specular miscroscopy is appropriate for their patients. Diagnosing irregularities with the corneal endothelium, in a timely manner, is essential to taking the appropriate steps for treatment.
Specular microscopy is a quick and painless procedure. The reflected-light microscope shines onto the cornea and captures images that are reflected from the optical interface between the endothelium and the aqueous humor. Experienced eye doctors, like Irwin Azman, use the highly magnified images to analyze the endothelial cell density and morphology.
Surprisingly, specular microscopy is not conducted at all eye care facilities. Only experienced eye care doctors are able to make an accurate distinction between normal and abnormal endothelial structures.
At Global Complex Eye Care, we have found that the clinical benefits of specular microscopy are endless.We have top-of-the-line instruments at our facility including a specular microscope to achieve the best results for our patients. While we have a variety of instruments used for diagnostic purposes, our specular microscope is the fastest method to obtain accurate, consistent information that we are not able to gather with our other effective methods like corneal topography and biomicroscopy.
There are ranges of treatments for corneal endothelium disease and we have successful experience with them all.
Corneal failure may be a worst-case scenario for patients with endothelium deficiencies. In these situations, patients are often informed that the only option for treatment is corneal transplantation.
At Global Complex Eye Care, we thoroughly explore every treatment option for our patients before corneal transplantation is recommended. We are known nationwide as the doctors who welcome the most challenging cases and are able to prescribe healing treatments for those patients. We have a strong record of success working with patients with corneal endothelium conditions.