Lack of interleukin-6 (IL-6) during Pseudomonas aeruginosa corneal infection leads to more severe disease with changes in neutrophil recruitment. Exogenous IL-6 leads to increased efficiency of neutrophil recruitment and reduced bacterial loads in corneal infection in both IL-6 gene knockout and wild-type mice. This may be mediated by IL-6 increasing the production of corneal macrophage inflamm...

The effect of corneal edema and the effect of penetrating keratoplasty upon the accuracy of electronic applanation tonometry were studied in rabbits. Pressure readings made directly from cannulas in the anterior chamber correlated well with those made by electronic applanation tonometry both in severe corneal edema and 24 hours after penetrating keratoplasty. The advantages of electronic applan...

We report a case of CMV corneal endotheliitis that was treated with intravitreal ganciclovir injection. A 56-year-old man who has suffered from uveitis was referred to our clinic due to corneal endothelial abnormality. Slit lamp examination showed a localized sectoral corneal edema and linear keratic precipitates along the boundary of edema. In spite of treatment with oral steroid and acyclovir...

In order to develop a new experimental animal model of infection with Mycobacterium chelonae in keratomileusis, we conducted a double-blind prospective study on 24 adult male New Zealand rabbits. One eye of each rabbit was submitted to automatic lamellar keratotomy with the automatic corneal shaper under general anesthesia. Eyes were immunosuppressed by a single local injection of methyl predni...

The hereditary Thiel-Behnke corneal dystrophy, first described in 1967, is frequently confused with Reis-Bucklers dystrophy. Both conditions affect Bowman’s layer and can be difficult to differentiate both clinically and histopathologically. Previously, electron microscopic studies of corneal dystrophies affecting Bowman’s layer identified characteristic ‘‘curly fibres,’’ but it was unclear whe...

Keratoconus is a noninflammatory, usually, bilateral progressive disease. It is a pathology characterized by a progressive thinning and ectasia of the stroma that results in cone-shaped cornea. In advanced keratoconus with corneal opacities, keratoplasty, can be the only surgical alternative for a long time. Recently, new treatment alternatives were developed in keratoconus treatment, such as i...

A clinical trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of hypertonic solution (5% NaCl) in patients who have bullous keratopathy (BK). The aim of the study was to define the stage of the disease and the thickness of cornea in micrometers, which would be the threshold for therapeutic approach. This was a prospective study on 70 eyes of 55 patients. Patients were divided in two groups at the be...

Keratan sulfate (KS) is an important glycosaminoglycan that is found in cartilage, reproductive tissues, and neural tissues. Corneal KS glycosaminoglycan is found N-linked to lumican, keratocan and mimecan proteoglycans, and has been widely studied by investigators interested in corneal development and diseases. Recently, the availability of corneal KS has become severely limited, owing to rest...

The cornea is one of the most densely innervated and sensitive tissues in the body. In addition to their important sensory functions, corneal nerves induce reflex tear production, blinking, and the release of trophic factors - all of which combined help to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the surface of the eye. Consequently, damage to corneal nerves as a result of disease, s...

INTRODUCTION Corneal dystrophy is defined as bilateral and symmetric primary corneal disease, without previous associated ocular inflammation. Corneal dystrophies are classified according to the involved corneal layer in superficial, stromal, and posterior dystrophy. Incidence of each dystrophy varies according to the geographic region studied. PURPOSE To evaluate the prevalence of stromal co...