Abstract
With the aid of the electron microscope, the ultrastructural changes associated with bullous keratopathy were studied in corneal specimens from a patient with congenital hereditary corneal dystrophy and from one with congenital glaucoma. Within the subepithelial bullae of both specimens, infoldings of the basal plasma membrane of the basal epithelial cells could be observed to contain basement-membrane--29like material accompanied by hemidesmosomes. Morphologically identical membranous infoldings and short segments of basement membrane were found along the basal epithelial surface of rabbit corneas in which basement membrane regeneration had been induced by superficial keratectomy. On the basis of these ultrastructural similarities, it is therefore suggested that the formation of subepithelial bullae with the concomitant interruption of the basement membrane induces the corneal epithelium to attempt restoration of the integrity of this layer by the synthesis and deposition of new basement membrane material.