Figure 3.

The stacks of SHG images were used to form cross-sectional images of the whole corneal stroma. The three corneal samples ([1], [2], and [3]) were scanned with a 2-μm step size in the z-axis, extending from the surface of Bowman's layer to the endothelium. The epithelium was removed before imaging. Scale bars: 100 μm. In all samples, the stroma appears to be divided morphologically into an anterior third and posterior two-thirds. Distinct interweaving in the anterior third may be discerned by the through-thickness trajectory of several fibril bundles. Collagen lamellae become thicker toward the posterior of the stroma and run parallel to the stromal surface.