Figure 12.

Schematic of the proposed arrangement of collagen lamella in a cross-section of the corneal stroma. In the central cornea, anterior lamellae make relatively large angles with Bowman's membrane. These angles decrease in the deeper stroma then increase slightly in the posterior-most lamellae. In the peripheral cornea between 8 and 10 mm, lamellar interweaving extends throughout the whole thickness of the tissue. In the peripheral stroma and limbus, anchoring lamellae (probably of scleral origin) reinforce the tissue in the mid-posterior layers (dark lines) without entering the central stroma. Solid black circles are used to represent lamellae cut in cross-section at the postulated position of the limbal pseudo-annulus.