Meibomian Glands or Not? Identification of In Vivo and Ex Vivo Confocal Microscopy Features and Histological Correlates in the Eyelid Margin
Table 2
List of in vivo and ex vivo CLSM features of healthy palpebral conjunctiva part of the eyelid margin and their histological correlates in H&E staining.
Anatomical
In vivo CLSM
Ex vivo CLSM
H&E staining
Superficial epithelium ↓ 0–70 μm
Tightly packed, low-reflective cell junctions and high-reflective cells with invisible nuclear (15 μm), filled with small amounts of highly reflective round large cells and dendritic cells
2–5 layers, polygon, high-reflective nucleus and low-reflective cytoplasmic cells
Multiple layers of pink cytoplasm with dark granules and dark blue or purple nuclei
Basal layer of the epithelium ↓ 60 μm–70 μm
High-reflective cell junctions and low-reflective cells with invisible nuclear (10–15 μm)
Monolayer, cube-shaped, highly reflective nuclei and medium-reflective cytoplasmic cells
Monolayer, purple nuclei in the center of the pink cytoplasm, darker than stratum spinosum
Lamina propria
Low reflection background and high reflection net-like collagen fibers
Crispy medium reflective collagen fibers
Crispy pink collagen fibers
Meibomian gland
Unable to observe
Round, sharply demarcated structures filled with low-reflective cytoplasm and highly reflective nuclei
Large cells packed with lipids and centrally located nuclei
