Get ready to put your hands together and give a warm welcome to the newest addition to the human anatomy. Introducing: Dua’s layer.
The new ocular part, which sits at the back of the cornea, was discovered by Harminder Dua, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Nottingham. It's only 15 microns thick, but the discovery, per Dua, has big implications.
Before, researchers were aware of five corneal layers. But, thanks to the help of an electron microscope, Dua and his colleagues were able to discover this additional one by injecting air bubbles into the cornea to separate its layers.
This process of injecting bubbles is also used on patients undergoing surgery. It's a delicate procedure, since popping one of the bubbles can cause damage.
“From a clinical perspective, there are many diseases that affect the back of the cornea which clinicians across the world are already beginning to relate to the presence, absence or tear in this layer," explains Dua in the journal of Ophthalmology.
Dua says that if the air bubble is injected under Dua's layer, instead of above it, "the layer's strength reduces the risk of tearing."
Check out the video above to learn more, and let us know what you think about the eye-opening discovery in the comments below.
FOR mOrE cLiCk FUN & FUN ONLY
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