VORTEX OR WHORL FORMATION OF CULTURED HUMAN CORNEAL EPITHELIAL-CELLS INDUCED BY MAGNETIC-FIELDS

The terms 'vortex keratopathy' and 'hurricane keratopathy' describe tw o similar conditions affecting the corneal surface, In the former, a v ortex or whorl pattern is seen on the corneal surface and is due to th e deposition of substances such as pigment, iron or drugs in the epith elial cells. In the latter, a similar pattern is presented by migratin g epithelial cells but, unlike the former, the pattern is rendered mor e visible by fluorescein staining, Both represent the migratory patter n of normal epithelial cells which is otherwise not visible due to the slow rate of epithelial turnover and migration, The whorl pattern has a clockwise predisposition in the majority of cases and is hypothesis ed to be due to the influence of ocular electromagnetic fields on the migrating epithelial cells. In this study we tested in vitro the effec t of static magnetic fields on corneal epithelial cells, We were able to reproduce dramatic vortex or whorl patterns in response to magnetic fields, but without preferential migration towards the North or South Pole.