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Confocal Microscopy

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

  • 205 Accesses

Synonyms

Subtypes: Confocal fluorescence microscopy; Confocal in vivo microscopy

Definition

Method for imaging tissue (e.g., the cornea) on a cellular level with high resolution and magnification (ca. 200-fold). In contrast to optical coherence tomography, confocal microscopy produces optical sections in the frontal plane. In ophthalmology, confocal microscopy is used for both imaging tissue in vivo and ex vivo.

Purpose

Confocal microscopy is used to image the living cornea, conjunctiva, and sclera on a cellular level. Ex vivo virtually every type of tissue can be imaged with confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Principle

The principle of confocal imaging was described and patented by Marvin Minsky and aims to overcome the limitations of conventional wide-field microscopes. In a conventional microscope (e.g., light microscope or slit lamp), the entire tissue sample is flooded evenly in light. All parts of the specimen in the optical path reflect the light at the same time, and stray light...

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References

  • Guthoff RF, Stave J, Baudouin C (2006) Atlas of confocal laser scanning in-vivo microscopy in ophthalmology. Springer, Heidelberg

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  • Messmer EM, Mackert MJ, Zapp DM, Kampik A (2006a) In vivo confocal microscopy of pigmented conjunctival tumors. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 244:1437–1445

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Messmer EM, Zapp DM, Mackert MJ, Thiel M, Kampik A (2006b) In vivo confocal microscopy of filtering blebs after trabeculectomy. Arch Ophthalmol 124:1095–1103

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  • Winchester K, Mathers WD, Sutphin JE, Daley TE (1995) Diagnosis of acanthamoeba keratitis in vivo with confocal microscopy. Cornea 14:10–17

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Augenpraxisklinik Triangulum, Kurt-Blaum-Platz 8, D-63450, Hanau, Germany

    Jens Bühren

Authors
  1. Jens Bühren
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jens Bühren .

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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© 2016 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Bühren, J. (2016). Confocal Microscopy. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_429-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_429-4

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35951-4

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