ArticleInvestigative ophthalmology & visual science2011
Inflammation and the nervous system: the connection in the cornea in patients with infectious keratitis.
Article in Investigative ophthalmology & visual science, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 133 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
133 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 233 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- In vivo CRISPR gene editing in patients with herpetic stromal keratitis.Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy · 2023Trial
- Oral vitamin DInternational ophthalmology · 2022Trial
- Early corneal nerve fibre damage and increased Langerhans cell density in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.Scientific reports · 2019Trial
- Effects of corneal nerve density on the response to treatment in dry eye disease.Ophthalmology · 2015Trial
- Stage-dependent alterations in corneal epithelium, stromal keratocyte density, and subbasal nerve plexus in keratoconus: an in vivo confocal microscopy study.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2026Article
- Corneal Innervation Research at a Crossroads: A Tool-Driven Roadmap for the Future.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Review
- DKK1 Targeting in Corneal Schwann Cells Rescues Axonal Regeneration and Mechanosensory Function After Corneal Injury.Journal of neuroscience research · 2026Article
- Corneal Stromal Microdots in Dry Eye Disease: Clinical Characterization and Associations With Corneal Nerve Parameters.Translational vision science & technology · 2026Article
- Reparative Outcomes in Corneal Infection: Linking Adjunctive Tβ4 Treatment to Nerve Regeneration and Visual Function.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2026Article
- In vivo confocal microscopic evaluation of patients with epidermolysis bullosa demonstrates severe loss of corneal nerves.American journal of ophthalmology case reports · 2026Article
- Observation of Changes in Dendritic Cells in Patients with Herpes Simplex Stromal Keratitis Using In Vivo Confocal Microscopy.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Relationship between lacrimal gland changes and corneal parameters in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome and non-Sjögren's syndrome-related dry eye.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Vitamin abnormalities in neuropathic corneal pain.Eye and vision (London, England) · 2025Review
- Tear Film and Keratitis in Space: Fluid Dynamics and Nanomedicine Strategies for Ocular Protection in Microgravity.Pharmaceutics · 2025Review
- Successful Treatment of Acanthamoeba Keratitis According to New Protocol with Polihexanide 0.08% Therapy: Case Report.Reports (MDPI) · 2025Article
- Subclinical corneal inflammation and subbasal nerve alterations in keratoconus detected by in vivo confocal microscopy: a cross-sectional study.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2025Article
- Alterations in Corneal Nerve Structure and Function in Prediabetes.Journal of diabetes research · 2025Article
- Structural and functional changes of binocular corneal innervation and ocular surface function after unilateral SMILE and tPRK.The British journal of ophthalmology · 2024Article
- Segmentation and multiparametric evaluation of corneal whorl-like nerves for in vivo confocal microscopy images in dry eye disease.BMJ open ophthalmology · 2024Article
73 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeTo study the density and morphologic characteristics of epithelial dendritic cells, as correlated to subbasal corneal nerve alterations in acute infectious keratitis (IK) by in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM).
methodsIVCM of the central cornea was performed prospectively in 53 eyes with acute bacterial (n = 23), fungal (n = 13), and Acanthamoeba (n = 17) keratitis, and in 20 normal eyes, by using laser in vivo confocal microscopy. Density and morphology of dendritic-shaped cells (DCs) of the central cornea, corneal nerve density, nerve numbers, branching, and tortuosity were assessed and correlated. It should be noted that due to the "in vivo" nature of the study, the exact identity of these DCs cannot be specified, as they could be monocytes or tissue macrophages, but most likely dendritic cells.
resultsIVCM revealed the presence of central corneal DCs in all patients and controls. The mean DC density was significantly higher in patients with bacterial (441.1 ± 320.5 cells/mm(2); P < 0.0001), fungal (608.9 ± 812.5 cells/mm(2); P < 0.0001), and Acanthamoeba keratitis (1000.2 ± 1090.3 cells/mm(2); P < 0.0001) compared with controls (49.3 ± 39.6 cells/mm(2)). DCs had an increased size and dendrites in patients with IK. Corneal nerves were significantly reduced in eyes with IK compared with controls across all subgroups, including nerve density (674.2 ± 976.1 vs. 3913.9 ± 507.4 μm/frame), total nerve numbers (2.7 ± 3.9 vs. 20.2 ± 3.3), main trunks (1.5 ± 2.2 vs. 6.9 ± 1.1), and branching (1.2 ± 2.0 vs. 13.5 ± 3.1; P < 0.0001). A strong association between the diminishment of corneal nerves and the increase of DC density was observed (r = -0.44; P < 0.0005).
conclusionsIVCM reveals an increased density and morphologic changes of central epithelial DCs in infectious keratitis. There is a strong and significant correlation between the increase in DC numbers and the decreased subbasal corneal nerves, suggesting a potential interaction between the immune and nervous system in the cornea.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.