RESEARCH ARTICLE Recovery of Corneal Endothelial Cells from Periphery after Injury

Background Wound healing of the endothelium occurs through cell enlargement and migration. How-ever, the peripheral corneal endothelium may act as a cell resource for the recovery of cor-neal endothelium in endothelial injury. Aim To investigate the recovery process of corneal endothelial cells (CECs) from corneal endo-thelial injury. Methods Three patients with unilateral chemical eye injuries, and 15 rabbit eyes with corneal endo-thelial chemical injuries were studied. Slit lamp examination, specular microscopy, and ultrasound pachymetry were performed immediately after chemical injury and 1, 3, 6, and 9 months later. The anterior chambers of eyes from New Zealand white rabbits were injected with 0.1 mL of 0.05 N NaOH for 10 min (NaOH group). Corneal edema was evalu-ated at day 1, 7, and 14. Vital staining was performed using alizarin red and trypan blue