REAL-TIME SCANNING SLIT CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY OF THE IN-VIVO HUMAN CORNEA

We describe a new, nonapplanating, real-time scanning slit confocal mi croscope that produces unique real-time video images of the in vivo hu man cornea. This new real-time slit scanning confocal microscope produ ces en face, single-video-frame images (2-mum sections) with high cont rast through the full thickness (500 mum) of the normal cornea. No fra me averaging or digital image enhancement is required. The images of s uperficial epithelial cells, wing cells, basal epithelial cells, corne al innervation, nuclei of stromal keratocytes, and the cell bodies of the stromal keratocytes in the posterior stromal region demonstrate th e unique real-time imaging characteristics. The microscope is equipped with water-immersion microscope objectives of high numerical aperture . The microscope objective does not flatten or distort the cornea; a p olymer gel is used to couple the microscope objective optically to the cornea.