The morphology of the iridocorneal angle in the eye of buffaloes (Bos bubalis): a light and scanning electron microscopic study.

Abstract

The morphology of the iridocorneal angle in the eye of the buffalo (Bos bubalis) was studied in eighteen eyes using light and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The buffalo iridocorneal angle included the pectinate ligament, the ciliary cleft, the trabecular meshwork (uveal and corneoscleral) and the angular aqueous plexus. The pectinate ligament was prominent anteriorly and appeared as strong, thick compact structure. The strands of the pectinate ligament were short and had narrow spaces between them as observed by SEM. The ciliary cleft appeared quadrilateral and contained large amount of trabecular tissue that could be divided into two parts, the uveal part and the corneoscleral part. The uveal meshwork was the internal part of the trabecular meshwork. It occupied wide area in the anterior region and narrow area in the posterior one. It composed of thick-pigmented trabeculae in the anterior part, which became thin and loose in the posterior part. Their intertrabecular spaces were large and wide anteriorly. The corneoscleral meshwork was the external part of the trabecular meshwork. It was narrow anteriorly and widened posteriorly. Their trabeculae were non-pigmented and closely arranged and the intertrabecular spaces were small. The angular aqueous plexus consisted of four to five veins. They were located between the outer border of the corneoscleral meshwork and the inner border of the sclera. These results of the iridocorneal angle suggest important implications for understanding the glaucoma disease in buffaloes.