The ultrastructure of Descemet's membrane. I. Changes with age in normal corneas
D. H. Johnson, W. M. Bourne and R. J. Campbell
The ultrastructure of Descemet's membrane was studied in 24 eyes, at least
two eyes from patients in each of the first nine decades of life. Both the
anterior banded layer and the posterior nonbanded layer were regular,
predictable structures, with no extra layers or significant substructures
present. The anterior banded layer was present in the eye of a fetus of
five months' gestation. The thickness of the anterior layer was
approximately 2 micrometers and similar in specimens from patients of all
ages. The thickness of the posterior nonbanded layer of Descemet's membrane
increased significantly with age, averaging approximately 2 micrometers at
age 10 years and 10 micrometers at age 80 years.
