The corneal limbus is the border of the cornea

Cornea

The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Together with the lens, the cornea refracts light, with the cornea accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power. In humans, the refractive power of the cornea is...

 and the sclera

Sclera

The sclera , also known as the white or white of the eye, is the opaque , fibrous, protective, outer layer of the eye containing collagen and elastic fiber. In the development of the embryo, the sclera is derived from the neural crest...

 (the white of the eye). The limbus is a common site for the occurrence of corneal epithelial

Corneal epithelium

The corneal epithelium is made up of epithelial tissue and covers the front of the cornea. It acts as a barrier to protect the cornea, resisting the free flow of fluids from the tears, and prevents bacteria from entering the epithelium and corneal stroma.The corneal epithelium consists of several...

 neoplasm.
The Limbus contains radially oriented fibrovascular ridges known as the palisades of Vogt that may harbour a stem cell

Stem cell

This article is about the cell type. For the medical therapy, see Stem Cell TreatmentsStem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells...

 population. The palisades of Vogt are more common in the superior and inferior quadrants around the eye. Aniridia

Aniridia

Aniridia is the absence of the iris. Aniridia usually involves both eyes. It can be congenital or caused by a penetrant injury. Isolated aniridia is a congenital disorder which is not limited to a defect in iris development, but is a panocular condition with macular and optic nerve hypoplasia,...

, a developmental anomaly of the iris

Iris (anatomy)

The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye, responsible for controlling the diameter and size of the pupils and thus the amount of light reaching the retina. "Eye color" is the color of the iris, which can be green, blue, or brown. In some cases it can be hazel , grey, violet, or even pink...

, disrupts the normal barrier of the cornea to the conjunctival epithelial cells at the limbus.

External links

- "Sagittal Section Through the Eyeball"

• http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/courses/vet_eyes/images/s_4021_2.jpg