Specular photomicrography images which corneal layer?

• A. Descemet's Membrane
• B. Endothelium
• C. Epithelium
• D. Stroma

Answer: (B)

Specular photomicrography is designed to image the corneal endothelium. This technique relies on observing the light that reflects off a smooth, single-cell layer on the posterior surface of the cornea, facing the aqueous humor. The endothelial cell borders produce bright, mirror-like reflections that form a clear mosaic, allowing assessment of cell density, size, and shape. The other layers don’t yield the same crisp, hexagonal-cell pattern: the stroma is highly scattering and multi-layered, the epithelium and tear-film interface disrupt consistent reflections, and Descemet’s membrane is a thin basement membrane beneath the endothelium. Hence, the endothelium is the layer best visualized with specular photomicrography.