Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Correspondence
  • Published:

Descemet’s membrane or confirmation of a novel corneal structure: the layer of Dua

Eye (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Dear Editor,

The brief communication by Athanasiadis et al. [1] highlights the issue of interpretation and clinico-histological correlation of images obtained by modern imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography (OCT). This is reflected in the title of the communication, which questions whether the OCT image of a ‘double-contour-line’ in the posterior cornea represents the Descemet’s membrane (DM) or the DM and the pre-Descemet’s layer (Dua’s layer, [PDL/DL]). They however claim that to the best of their knowledge “the existence of the PDL/DL has never been described in non-operated or non-cadaveric cornea” and suggest that the posterior hyper-reflective line of the ‘double-contour-line’ represents the DM and that the anterior hyper-reflective line could represent the PDL/DL.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Athanasiadis Y, Tsatsos M, Ntonti P, Panagiotopoulou EK, Labiris G. Descemet’s membrane or confirmation of a novel corneal structure: the layer of Dua. Eye. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-023-02851-y

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Popescu DP, Choo-Smith L, Flueraru C, Mao Y, Chang S, Disano J, et al. Optical coherence tomography: fundamental principles, instrumental designs and biomedical applications. Biophys Rev. 2011;3:155. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12551-011-0054-7

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  3. Bizheva K, Haines L, Mason E, MacLellan B, Tan B, Hileeto D, et al. In vivo imaging and morphometry of the human pre-Descemet’s layer and endothelium with ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016;57:2782–7. https://doi.org/10.1167/iovs.15-18936

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Sorbara L, Alobthani M, Chew H, Hosseinaee Z, Han L, Maxwell C, et al. Ex-vivo imaging of the posterior human corneal layers after Big Bubble DALK and DMEK procedures with sub-micrometer axial resolution OCT. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59:294.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Dua HS, Sinha R, D’Souza S, Potgieter F, Ross A, Kenawy M, et al. “Descemet Membrane Detachment”: a novel concept in diagnosis and classification. Am J Ophthalmol. 2020;218:84–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajo.2020.05.038

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Dua HS, Freitas R, Mohammed I, Ting DSJ, Said DG. The pre-Descemet’s layer (Dua’s layer, also known as the Dua-Fine layer and the pre-posterior limiting lamina layer): Discovery, characterisation, clinical and surgical applications, and the controversy. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2023;97:101161.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

    Harminder S. Dua

Authors
  1. Harminder S. Dua
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Harminder S. Dua.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Dua, H.S. Descemet’s membrane or confirmation of a novel corneal structure: the layer of Dua. Eye (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-024-03016-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-024-03016-1

Search

Advanced search

Quick links