Question:
Which layer of the cornea helps in the hydration (deturgescence) of the corneal stroma?
Which layer of the cornea helps in the hydration (deturgescence) of the corneal stroma?
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The innermost single cell layer runs an active pump that keeps the cornea clear.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Endothelium
- Epithelium
- Descemet membrane
- Stroma
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Answer: Endothelium.
Step 1: The cornea must stay relatively dehydrated (deturgescent) to remain transparent. The stroma naturally tends to imbibe water and swell.
Step 2: The corneal endothelium, the innermost single cell layer, controls this hydration through a pump-leak mechanism.
Step 3: Active ion transport by the endothelium (the pump) drives water out of the stroma, balancing the stromal swelling pressure that pulls water in (the leak).
Why not the others: The epithelium gives a surface barrier but does not run the active pump. Descemet membrane is a basement membrane support. The stroma is the tissue being kept dehydrated, not the regulator.
Ref: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Corneal Endothelial Pump.
Step 1: The cornea must stay relatively dehydrated (deturgescent) to remain transparent. The stroma naturally tends to imbibe water and swell.
Step 2: The corneal endothelium, the innermost single cell layer, controls this hydration through a pump-leak mechanism.
Step 3: Active ion transport by the endothelium (the pump) drives water out of the stroma, balancing the stromal swelling pressure that pulls water in (the leak).
Why not the others: The epithelium gives a surface barrier but does not run the active pump. Descemet membrane is a basement membrane support. The stroma is the tissue being kept dehydrated, not the regulator.
Ref: Molecular Mechanisms Underlying the Corneal Endothelial Pump.
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