Examining the Aqueous outflow in c57BL6 mouse eyes using Scanning Electron Microscopy.

In the human eye, the aqueous fluid, which is a complex mixture of electrolytes, growth factors,

and other proteins that nourish the non-vascularized tissue of the anterior chamber, is secreted by

the ciliary body into the posterior chamber of the eye and then flows into the anterior chamber.

The aqueous fluid outflow is from the anterior chamber, through a sieve-like trabecular

meshwork into the Schlemms canal (a canal that is at the junction of the iris and cornea), and

then into the venous system of the eye. If the aqueous outflow is obstructed, there is a pressure

increase in the anterior chamber, which then exerts pressure in the posterior chamber on the

retina and the optic nerve. The resultant damage to the retina and optic nerve tissue from

elevated intraocular pressure is called glaucoma. In this study, we look at the aqueous outflow

pathway in mice under Scanning Electron Microscope. This allows the examination of the

anatomy of the structures like Schlemms canal, collector channel orifices and aqueous veins in

the mouse eye. We use C57BL6 mice of either sex, weighing around 30g. Mice will be killed by

CO2 inhalation. Both eyes from each mouse will be removed, fixed and stored by immersion in

3% glutaraldehyde. The eye tissue will be dehydrated in graded ethanol, dried with

Hexamethyldisilazane, and examined by SEM. We expect the mouse aqueous outflow pathway

to be similar to that described in humans. Schlemms canal, collector channel orifices, the

collector channels and the aqueous veins in the mouse eye will be much smaller in scale in

comparison to the human eye. Examining the anatomy of the Schlemms canal and the outflow

pathway allows us to understand the process better in order to understand Glaucoma.