Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose:To evaluate central corneal thickness (CCT) with the Pachymeter (Haag–Streit), a non–contact, high speed Optical Low Coherence Reflectometer (OLCR), in the cornea of living chicks. Methods:20 eyes of ten 1–day–old anaesthetized chicks were examined using slit lamp and were measured using OLCR. The animals were placed in an adapted tea cup placed onto the chin holder of a regular slit–lamp connected with the OLCR measuring system. Each eye was measured three times and the average result of the CCT was calculated. Every single measurement done by the OLCR consists of 20 scans taken within seconds Results:The overall mean central corneal thickness measured with the OLCR was: 189.7µm ± 13.3µm. Mean central corneal thickness in the right eye was: 194.1µm ± 14.6µm; and in the left eye: 185.3µm ± 10.9µm. Paired t–test showed no significant difference between the right and left eye. All measurements in each animal were taken within 5 minutes. Conclusions:Exact CCT measurements have not been performed earlier in the very small eye of newborn living chicks. The knowledge of the exact thickness of the chick cornea may be of interest for research and development of myopic eye disease in the chick model.
Keywords: cornea: basic science • cornea: clinical science