BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE The limbus is enriched with the stem cells of corneal epithelium. Auto- and allograft limbal transplantations are effective in restoring the corneal epithelium and inhibiting inflammation and neovascularization. Preserved human amniotic membrane (AM) is now widely used as a substrate for ocular surface reconstruction. The combination of limbal and AM transplantation has b...

A severe keratitis can be produced after the direct injection of bacterial endotoxin, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in rabbits. Corneal inflammation can progress to scarring and vascularization within a 2 to 3 week period. Pretreatment with systemic adrenal corticosteroids (triamcinolone) prevents this response. Limbal cellular and vascular events were studied during the first 20 hr after inject...

Various approaches have been taken to improve our knowledge of the microenvironmental regulation of limbal epithelial stem cells. Researchers have extensively investigated the roles of growth factors, survival factors, cytokines, enzymes, and permeable molecules secreted by the limbal cells. However, recent evidence suggests that stem cell fate (i.e., self-renewal or differentiation) can also b...

A 60-year-old man with bilateral corneal opacity underwent cataract extraction surgery involving the use of a limbal relaxing incision in his left eye. He had lower lid ectropion and lagophthalmos in both eyes. Eleven days after the surgery, a slit-lamp examination revealed a neurotrophic corneal ulcer with a punch-out epithelial defect and rolled edges at the center of the pre-existing corneal...

The ocular surface consists of two distinct types of epithelial cells; conjunctival and corneal. Although anatomically continuous, these epithelia comprise two distinct cell populations. Corneal stem cells are located at the limbus. The microenvironment of the limbus is important in maintaining "stemness" of the stem cells and also acts as a barrier to conjunctival epithelial cells preventing t...

OBJECTIVE To describe the use of a single donor corneal tissue in 3 patients with corneal pathologic conditions. METHODS A donor corneal tissue was divided into 3 parts using a microkeratome and a trephine. The anterior lamellar disc was transplanted into a patient with macular corneal dystrophy using the automated lamellar therapeutic keratoplasty technique. The posterior lamellar disc was t...

PURPOSE To determine if the use of combined HLA matched limbal stem cells allograft with amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) is a safe and effective prophylactic surgical procedure to prevent corneal graft after penetrating keratoplasty (PK). METHODS We report the case of a 17 years old patient with a history of congenital glaucoma, trabeculectomy and multiple corneal graft rejections, pr...

PURPOSE To discuss the importance of ocular surface management in corneal transplantation, especially in limbal transplantation. METHODS Since the corneal epithelium is not completely recovered after corneal transplantation, meticulous attention should be paid to the ocular surface to prevent infection and rejection, which are the major causes of corneal transplantation failure. Preoperative ...

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare recurrence rates upon using mitomycin C (MMC) with limbal-conjunctival autograft for treating recurrent pterygia. METHODOLOGY An interventional, prospective, comparative clinical study was performed in 30 eyes (26 patients) with recurrent pterygia, allocated into two groups: Group A (19 eyes) operated by pterygium excision and limba...