An explanation for the central to peripheral thickness variation in the mouse cornea

Background: The mouse corneal stroma varies in thickness across its diameter. The purpose of the present study was to explain this variation and to advance our understanding of stromal lamellar architecture in the mammalian cornea. Methods: Eight C57BL/6 mice were killed, eyes enucleated, immersed in 2% glutaraldehyde fixative, processed and sectioned transversely for light and transmission electron microscopy. Transmission electron micrographs were assembled into montages and printed at 5000× magnification and used for lamellar counts and thickness assessments. Results: The mouse cornea had an average of 49.8 ± 2.4 lamellae centrally averaging 2.1 µm in thickness versus 35.5 ± 3.0 lamellae, averaging 1.9 µm in thickness peripherally. The central to peripheral decrease in number lamellae and lamellar thickness measured utilizing the transmission electron microscope was statistically significant (P