PURPOSE To isolate and characterize goblet cells from normal human conjunctival tissue to determine whether epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors are present and whether EGF can influence goblet cell proliferation. METHODS Goblet cells were isolated from explant cultures established from normal conjunctival tissue harvested from patients during periocular surgery. The cells were grown in RP...

Heliotropium indicum is used traditionally as a remedy for conjunctivitis in Ghana. This study therefore evaluated the antiallergic potential of an aqueous whole plant extract of Heliotropium indicum (HIE) in ovalbumin-induced allergic conjunctivitis and attempted to predict its mode of action. Clinical scores for allergic conjunctivitis induced by intraperitoneal ovalbumin sensitization (100 :...

OBJECTIVES To develop and validate a novel ex vivo model of conjunctival contraction. METHODS Ex vivo segments of conjunctiva were maintained in culture for 4 weeks in permeable support plates. Digital images were obtained twice a week to monitor contraction using tissue area changes and weekly weight measurements. Investigated were the effects of known contraction stimulators (fetal bovine s...

AIMS To establish a simple model of conjunctival wound healing in the mouse eye. METHODS 4 week old BABL/c mouse eyes were studied over a 14 day period. Surgical procedure under general anaesthesia involved a blunt dissection of the conjunctiva performed by injection of 25 microliters of PBS via a 27 gauge needle into one eye, while the contralateral eye was used as control. Mice were assesse...

A specialized lymphoid tissue in rabbit conjunctiva was studied by various histologic and immunologic techniques and compared with similar structures along other mucosal surfaces. The flattened conjunctival lymphoepithelium overlying the lymphoid follicles was devoid of goblet cells. This lack of goblet cells is characteristic of epithelium overlying similar lymphoid collections in gut and bron...

AIM To find the risk factors related to the reproliferation of the pterygial tissue after excision and graft surgery. METHODS Charts of 130 eyes of 130 patients who had pterygial excision from March 2006 to April 2011 were reviewed. Preoperative pterygium morphology, surgical methods, and adjunctive treatments were statistically analyzed for their relationship with recurrence. RESULTS Durin...

Experiments were performed to determine whether visna/maedi virus (VMV), a small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV), could infect sheep via ocular tissues. The EV1 strain of VMV was administered into the conjunctival space of uninfected sheep, and the animals monitored for the presence of provirus DNA and anti-VMV antibodies in blood. The results showed that provirus DNA appeared in peripheral blood mo...