A previously unknown human body part
hidden in the eye has been discovered by Harminder
Dua a professor of ophthalmologist and visual sciences, at the
University of Nottingham. The new body part is named after the discoverer and
is called Dua’s Layer.
Dua's layer is just 15
microns thick and sits at the back of the cornea, which previously had only
five known layers. Dua and his colleagues discovered the new body part by
injecting air into the corneas of eyes that had been donated for research and
using an electron microscope to scan each separated layer.
As regards its function, it
is believed that the Dua’s layer helps keep fluid from building up in the cornea.
A tear in Dua's layer is the cause of corneal hydrops, a disorder that leads to
fluid buildup in the cornea.
According to Popular Science, knowledge
of the new layer "could dramatically improve outcomes for patients
undergoing corneal grafts and transplants." Because when you're gently
knifing into the eyeball with a scalpel, it's probably a good idea
to know exactly what you're cutting into.
Dua himself noted it is a major discovery that will mean ophthalmology
textbooks will literally need to be re-written
Details of the discovery appeared in
the journal Ophthalmology
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