Epithelial Measurement and Healing

Introduction The corneal epithelium is a highly active, self-renewing layer; a complete turnover occurs in approximately 5 to 7 days. 1 Despite this high turnover rate, the epithelium must maintain the same thickness profile over time to maintain corneal power and, hence, ocular refraction. As described by Alfred Vogt in 1921, 2 it is known that the corneal epithelium has the ability to alter its thickness profile to compensate for changes in stromal surface curvature in order to try and re-establish a smooth, symmetrical optical surface. Understanding this epithelial compensatory mechanism is crucial to fully understand how the cornea will respond to different conditions and surgical procedures. As the refractive index of epithelium and stroma are sufficiently different (1.401 vs. 1.377), 3