PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether messenger RNA coding for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), HGF receptor (MET), keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), KGF receptor, and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor-2 were produced in primary cultures of human corneal epithelial, stromal fibroblast, and endothelial cells, as well as ex vivo corneal epithelium, endothelial cells tran...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to develop a modified ex vivo corneal cross-linking method that increases stromal resistance to enzymatic degradation for use as a carrier for the Boston keratoprosthesis. METHODS Ex vivo cross-linking of human corneas was performed using Barron artificial anterior chambers. The corneas were deepithelialized, pretreated with riboflavin solution (0.1% riboflav...

Introduction . Glaucoma is a socially significant disease. With the advent of new technologies it has become possible to diagnose this disease at an earlier stage. The aim investigation was reveal relationships between biomechanical parameters optic nerve disc (OND) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) against background achieving "target" intraocular pressure (IOP). Material and...

PURPOSE To evaluate the clinical outcomes after implantation of the MyoRing (DIOPTEX GmBH, Linz, Austria) by means of femtosecond laser technology in eyes with corneal ectasia. DESIGN Retrospective, consecutive, nonrandomized, case series. PARTICIPANTS A total of 12 eyes of 11 patients with ages ranging from 17 to 50 years were included. All cases were diagnosed with corneal ectasia accordi...

Nerve growth factor (NGF), a member of the neurotrophin family, has been identified as an essential growth factor supporting stem cell self-renewal outside the nervous system and was previously shown to stimulate corneal epithelial proliferation both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we evaluated the expression of NGF and its corresponding receptors in the human corneal and limbal tissues, a...

In this study, we explore the effect of photochemical activation induced corneal cross-linking, utilizing Rose Bengal (RB) and 532 nm green light irradiation (RB-PCL), on porcine corneal biomechanical rigidity and the biochemical resistance against collagenase digestion. A protocol with a wavelength of 532 nm and illumination intensity of 0.4W/cm(2) for 250 s to deliver a dose of 100 J/cm(2) wa...

PURPOSE To determine age-related changes in corneal viscoelastic properties in healthy individuals. METHODS This observational cross-sectional study was performed at the Department of Ophthalmology, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Ahvaz, Iran and included 302 healthy individuals in 6 age decades (range: 10-69 years). After complete ocular examination, corneal viscoelastic properties were measured by ...

The anterior segment of the vertebrate eye is constructed by proper spatial development of cells derived from the surface ectoderm, which become corneal epithelium and lens, neuroectoderm (posterior iris and ciliary body) and cranial neural crest (corneal stroma, corneal endothelium and anterior iris). Although coordinated interactions between these different cell types are presumed to be essen...

AIM To monitor the influence of glaucoma on the changes caused by diabetes in the anterior ocular segment. MATERIAL AND METHODS Prospective, comparative clinical study, which included the patients with glaucoma and diabetes assessed at the Iaşi "Sf. Spiridon" Hospital, "Euro Medi Center" Clinic and "Oftaprof" Clinic. The study included a number of 142 patients, divided into two groups: 67 pat...