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Wound Healing

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology

  • 28 Accesses

Definition

Biological response of the cornea to (surgical) trauma.

Function

Surgical epithelial defects (induced by alcohol in LASEK, mechanical scrape in PRK, microkeratome or femtosecond laser application in LASIK and Epi-LASIK) lead to a release of cytokines from the injured epithelium. These cytokines and cytokines from the tear film induce apoptosis and necrosis of keratocytes in the anterior corneal stroma. Proinflammatory cytokines attract macrophages, T cells, and polymorphonuclear cells arriving via the limbal vessels and from the tear film. These cells clear cell debris. Remaining keratocytes from the deeper stroma are subsequently activated, proliferate, migrate, and repopulate the depleted stroma. Myofibroblasts derived form keratocytes responding to TGF ß play a role in stromal remodeling due to collagen and extracellular matrix formation. Myofibroblasts have a lower transparency than normal keratocytes due to a lower concentration of corneal crystallines in their cell...

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Further Reading

  • Dausch DG, Klein RJ, Schroder E, Niemczyk S (1996) Photorefractive keratectomy for hyperopic and mixed astigmatism. J Refract Surg 12:684–692

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Erie JC, McLaren JW, Hodge DO, Bourne WM (2005) Long-term corneal keratoctye deficits after photorefractive keratectomy and laser in situ keratomileusis. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 103:56–66

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Netto MV, Mohan RR, Sinha S, Sharma A, Dupps W, Wilson SE (2006) Stromal haze, myofibroblasts, and surface irregularity after PRK. Exp Eye Res 82(5):788–797

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Salomao MQ, Wilson SE (2009) Corneal molecular and cellular biology update for the refractive surgeon. J Refract Surg 25(5):459–466

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Regensburg Medical Center, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Wolfgang Herrmann

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt/Main, 60590, Frankfurt/Main, Germany

    Thomas Kohnen

Authors
  1. Wolfgang Herrmann
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  2. Thomas Kohnen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wolfgang Herrmann .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Medical University of Wien Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Wien, Austria

    Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main Department of Ophthalmology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Thomas Kohnen

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© 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Herrmann, W., Kohnen, T. (2012). Wound Healing. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_403-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_403-2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35951-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference MedicineReference Module Medicine

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