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Sikh-Briton Ophthalmologist Discovers a New Body Part!
Layer in the Human Eye:
Harminder Singh Dua
LIVE SCIENCE
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown layer lurking in the human eye.
The newfound body part, dubbed Dua's layer, is a skinny but tough structure measuring just 15 microns thick, where one micron is one-millionth of a meter and more than 25,000 microns equal an inch. It sits at the back of the cornea, the sensitive, transparent tissue at the very front of the human eye that helps to focus incoming light, researchers say.
The feature is named for its discoverer, Dr Harminder Singh Dua, a Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Dr Harminder Singh said in a statement that the finding will not only change what ophthalmologists know about human eye anatomy, but it will also make operations safer and simpler for patients with an injury in this layer.
"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," Dr Harminder Singh said in a statement.
He and colleagues, for example, believe that a tear in the Dua layer is what causes corneal hydrops, which occurs when water from inside the eye rushes in and leads to a fluid buildup in the cornea. This phenomenon is seen in patients with keratoconus, a degenerative eye disorder that causes the cornea to take on a cone shape.
Dua's layer adds to the five previously known layers of the cornea: the corneal epithelium at the very front, followed by Bowman's layer, the corneal stroma, Descemet's membrane and the corneal endothelium at the very back.
Dr Harminder Singh and colleagues found the new layer between the corneal stroma and Descemet's membrane through corneal transplants and grafts on eyes donated for research. They injected tiny air bubbles to separate the different layers of the cornea and scanned each using an electron microscope.
The research was detailed in the journal Ophthalmology.
[Courtesy: The Huffington Post.]
June 13, 2013
Conversation about this article
1: Harinder Singh 1469 (New Delhi, India), June 13, 2013, 12:37 PM.
Looking at the image of the eye on this page -- I have never seen an eye so closely. Makes me realize the marvel of it. It's like outer space! Thanks, sikhchic.com team for sharing this eye-opening news. Our very best wishes to Dr Harminder Singh and his family.
2: Dr Pargat Singh (Nottingham, United Kingdom), June 13, 2013, 6:52 PM.
What a wonderful achievement! Having worked in the department as part of my training, I would like to congratulate Professor Harminder Singh and his team. Their work in the field of corneal grafts and implants is renowned.
3: Harinder (Uttar Pradesh, India), June 14, 2013, 12:27 PM.
Beautiful mind, Sir. My heartiest congratulations to you.
4: Harpal Singh (Sydney, Australia), June 15, 2013, 12:14 AM.
Sant Singh ji Maskeen, once said in a katha: "Our complete existence is a total sum of the world within (the unseen/spiritual) and the world with-out (the seen/wordly)". Both of these I see as two major streams of God's creation. Blessed individuals who manage to reach the depths of the unseen and enlighten the world, and are/were called saints. And those who reach heights of the seen world and use their knowledge towards advancing science/technology, and are/were called scientists/inventors. Congratulations to Dr Harminder Singh, who I reckon has touched both worlds and is blessed to have discovered elements of the unseen, which in turn will enable us to see the world around us.
5: Sukhman Singh (New Delhi, India), June 17, 2013, 2:43 PM.
This is an amazing discovery by Dr. Harminder Singh. Though a common man won't be able to understand much of the scientific things in it, but it is crystal clear by this article that this new layer discovered is surely going to change a lot of things in the coming optic world. It's just like a family changes with the welcoming of a new baby as a member.
6: Parsuram Tripathy (India), October 07, 2013, 3:18 AM.
Kudos for the invention.
7: Mangala Bhargava (Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India), March 01, 2016, 3:11 AM.
Thank you, Doctor. we hope that this will help many in getting their vision back.