Scanning Electron Microscopy of Corneal and Vascular Wound Healing: A Comprehensive Morphological Study

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) permits three-dimensional assessment of tissue surfaces. We compared corneal epithelial repair with atherosclerotic arterial remodelling and evaluated a shared semi-quantitative framework. Rabbit corneal excision wounds were assessed at five healing intervals, and human atherosclerotic arterial specimens were processed by a common SEM protocol. Twenty-two representative vascular/thrombotic micrographs were selected for illustration and grading; corneal epithelial migration was measured directly. Two blinded observers independently graded applicable components of a five-parameter ordinal instrument. Agreement was assessed using quadratically weighted Cohen’s kappa. Overall agreement across graded vascular parameters was substantial to near-perfect (κ v 0.74–0.88); parameter-specific estimates were unavailable. Corneal epithelial migration progressed from no measurable advance at 1 h to complete closure by 2 years. The vascular series extended from intact endothelial corrugations through platelet adhesion, foam-cell erosion, calcific plaque disruption, and fibrin–erythrocyte thrombus. Component grades increased with morphological severity. Composite totals were not reported because the specimen-level component records needed for verification were incomplete. Both tissues were consistent with an initial provisional fibrin scaffold followed by divergent remodelling. In this selected image set, SEM with semi-quantitative scoring was feasible and internally reproducible, while the corneal arm was supported by direct measurements. Larger independent cohorts, predefined sampling, and external validation are required before broader use.