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A comparative study of Bowman's layer in some mammals: Relationships with other constituent corneal structures.

2002; Volume: 6; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

2340-311X

María Dolores Merindano Encina, Josep María Potau, D. Ruano, J. Costa, M. Canals,

Glaucoma and retinal disorders

Existing morphological and morphometric studies of mammalian cornea offer little inform a t i o n about the morphology and morphometry of Bowman's layer. Furtherm o re, no data re g a r ding the relationship between Bowman's layer and other corneal structures are currently available. It is for this reason that we have decided to carry out a comparative study of the main f e a t u res of Bowman's layer in 40 species of mammals (carn i v o res, primates and herbivore s ) and to determine its relationship with other c o rneal layers. The results pointed out the existence of Bowman's layer in nearly all the primates studied. The only exception was the lemur (Lepilemur mustelinus). Bowman's layer was absent in all the carnivores in the study but was present in some herbivores (deer, sambar deer, giraffe, ox, zebu and eland). In addition, there appears to be a certain relationship between the presence of Bowman's layer and the thickness of the epithelium and Descemet's membrane.