Three-dimensional confocal microscopy of the human cornea in vivo

This paper reviews the literature from 1990 to 2000 and evaluates the semin al investigations performed with the confocal microscope on the in vivo hum an cornea. Our pedagogical technique is to illustrate both the advantages a nd the problems associated with occular confocal microscopy by way of annot ated examples. Confocal microscopy offers improved resolution and has resul ted in new discoveries of corneal pathology at the cellular level. The abil ity to provide high-resolution, real-time images of the full thickness of t he cornea gives the clinician and the researcher an important new tool for the investigation of the cornea. Copyright (C) 2001 S. Karger AG Basel.