Experimental asteroid hyalopathy.

The presence of asteroid bodies in the vitreous, designated asteroid hyalopathy by Rodman, Johnson, and Zimmerman (i 96 I), is an interesting but rare condition of obscure aetiology. In spite of the presence of these vitreous opacities, there is hardly any deterioration in the acuity of vision, hence the paucity of available pathological material for study and analysis. Many diseases have been observed to be associated with asteroid bodies from time to time, but no causal relationship has been demonstrated. A possible association with diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolaemia has been suggested (Smith, I 958, I 965; Hatfield, Gastineau, and Rucker, I962; Agarwal, Mohan, Khosla, and Gupta, I963; Bard, I964). In our series of cases, the occurrence of asteroid bodies in association with hypercholesterolaemia appeared equivocal, but the presence of vascular changes due to associated diabetes and hypertension has been recorded in many patients (Lamba and Shukla, I970). The aim of the present investigation was the experimental stimulation of the production of asteroid bodies in the vitreous humour by induced hypercholesterolaemia, and by local alterations in the state of the vitreous.