Studies on sequential postmortem changes of chicken eyes

Abstract

The present investigation was undertaken to study the sequential postmortem changes of different components of chicken eye. Eight eyes were collected and each were fixed at zero, half, one, one and a half, two, four and twelve hours in ten per cent neutral buffered formalin and gluteraldehyde fixative. The postmortem changes were mostly appreciated in the cornea, which included condensation of the nucleus of the epithelium of cornea, interepithelial detachment and exfoliation of epithelium. The cytoplasm revealed vacuolar degenerative changes and separation of collagen fibres of corneal stroma. The corneal endothelium showed swelling, lysis and detachment. The presence of lysed erythrocytes was prominent after two hours in the choroid. The swelling of the cytoplasm of the ciliary body was more evident in the nonpigmented epithelial layer. The epithelium of the iris showed detachment and fragmentation. Retinal detachment was noticed from zero hour of fixation in GF fixative and ten per cent NBF fixative. Postmortem changes of pecten were appreciated by the lysed erythrocytes in the capillaries along with the vacuolar degeneration and lytic changes affecting melanocytes. Periodic Acid Schiff's staining (PAS) positive areas were detected in the Descemet's membrane and Bowman's membrane of cornea, lens capsule, pecten and layer of rods and cones of retina, the intensity of which showed reduction as the pre fixation time was prolonged.