Corneal vascularisation and its relation to the physical properties of the tissue: a fractal analysis

Abstract

Various pathological conditions may cause vascularisation of the normally avascular and transparent cornea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the fractal geometry of corneal vascularisation and relate it to different growth models which may have implications for the understanding of fundamental processes involved in vasculogenesis. Photographs of 12 cases of severe superficial corneal vascularisation were obtained from accidentally alkali burned eyes long after the acute inflammatory reaction was over. The fractal dimension of these vessel patterns was calculated by means of the density-density-correlation function method to be D = 1.893 ± 0.044 (m ± sd) (n = 12). It is in excellent agreement with percolation models. The results suggest the importance of the surface characteristics of the invading cells as well as that of the extracellular matrix and the related interaction between them.

Key Words:

• corneal vascularisation
• fractals
• alkali burns
• human