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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Using a Laminating Technique to Perform Confocal Microscopy of the Human Sclera

Using a Laminating Technique to Perform Confocal Microscopy of the Human Sclera

Published on: May 6, 2016

Scleral thickness in human eyes.

Sujiv Vurgese¹, Songhomitra Panda-Jonas, Jost B Jonas

¹Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.

|January 13, 2012

Summary

Scleral thickness varies across the eye, being thickest at the posterior pole in non-elongated eyes. Axial elongation leads to scleral thinning, particularly near the posterior pole.

Area of Science:

Ophthalmology
Anatomy
Histology

Background:

The sclera, the eye's protective outer layer, plays a crucial role in maintaining ocular shape and integrity.
Understanding scleral thickness distribution is vital for comprehending ocular biomechanics and disease pathogenesis.
Variations in scleral thickness may influence susceptibility to conditions like glaucoma and myopia.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate scleral thickness variations across different ocular regions in human globes.
To explore associations between scleral thickness and ocular parameters like axial length and lamina cribrosa thickness.
To determine the correlation of scleral thickness with age, gender, and glaucoma presence.

Main Methods:

A histomorphometric study was conducted on 238 human globes.

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Light microscopy was employed to measure scleral thickness in anterior-posterior pupil-optic nerve sections.

Globes were enucleated due to choroidal melanomas or secondary angle-closure glaucoma.

Main Results:

In non-axially elongated eyes (axial length ≤26 mm), scleral thickness peaked at the posterior pole (0.94±0.18 mm) and was thinnest at the peripapillary scleral flange (0.39±0.09 mm).
Axially elongated eyes (axial length >26 mm) exhibited significantly reduced scleral thickness posterior to the equator compared to non-elongated eyes.
Posterior scleral thickness correlated with lamina cribrosa thickness, but scleral thickness was independent of corneal thickness, age, gender, and glaucoma.

Conclusions:

Scleral thickness distribution is region-specific, with the posterior pole being the thickest in non-elongated eyes.
Axial elongation is associated with significant scleral thinning, particularly in the posterior segment.
Scleral thickness is linked to lamina cribrosa thickness but not to corneal thickness, age, gender, or glaucoma status.