The Sheep Cornea: Structural and Clinical Characteristics.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to perform qualitative and quantitative analyses to characterize the corneas of young, healthy sheep.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eight healthy male sheep, 10 months to 1 year of age, were included as experimental subjects. Central corneal thickness was measured using a handheld pachymeter, and an Easygraph corneal topographer provided topographic maps. Microstructural imaging of corneal layers was achieved by using the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph III Rostock Corneal Module in vivo corneal microscope (IVCM). An Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) provided quantitative measurements of intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal hysteresis (CH), and corneal resistance factor. Tissue histology and immunohistochemistry were carried out to obtain detail on the corneal layers.

RESULTS: Light microscopy and immunohistochemical labeling revealed a stratified epithelium, a limbus with numerous limbal crypts, a thick basement membrane, a thin Bowman's layer, a thick corneal stroma with a dense population of keratocytes, and a thick, hyper-reflective Descemet's membrane. Using IVCM, the cell density of the basal layer was noted to be significantly higher than that of other epithelial cell types. The density of keratocytes was significantly higher (P value = 0.0223) in the anterior compared to the posterior stroma. The endothelial cells were organized in a characteristic honeycomb pattern. The mean and standard deviation values for central corneal pachymetry were 623.14 ± 19.5 μm and 616.37 ± 34.87 μm for the left and right eyes, respectively. ORA-derived mean values for IOPcc and CH for the left and right eyes were 14.93 ± 1.73 mm Hg and 15.16 ± 2.02 mm Hg and 3.56 ± 0.72 mm Hg and 3.73 ± 0.49 mm Hg, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: The anatomical and clinical characteristics of the sheep cornea, as outlined in this study, make the sheep a suitable and relevant model for corneal research. This study provides researchers with important data on the suitability of sheep as a model for ophthalmic experiments.