Dua's layer: New cornea layer in human eye discovered

The discovery was made by researchers from the University of Nottingham Scientists led by an Indian researcher, Harminder Dua. The new layer is named after its discoverer.

The 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 front of the human eye that helps to focus incoming light, researchers said.

The five previously known layers of the cornea: the corneal epithelium at the front, followed by Bowman's layer, the corneal stroma, Descemet's membrane and the corneal endothelium at the back.

Dua and colleagues found the new layer between the corneal stroma and Descemet's membrane through corneal transplants and grafts on eyes donated for research.

The discovery 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.

The research is published in the journal Ophthalmology.