PURPOSE To evaluate the feasibility of autologous transplantation in a rabbit model of conjunctival epithelial cells cultured on amniotic membrane for ocular surface reconstruction. METHODS Limbal stem cell deficiency was induced in the right eyes of 30 rabbits. This was done by performing a lamellar keratectomy of the entire cornea and a complete removal of the limbus and conjunctiva, extend...

OBJECTIVE Among the surgical procedures used to correct the positions of the eyelids or improve their cosmetic appearance, procedures for treating eyelid retraction are some of the most challenging. Lower eyelid retraction can occur iatrogenically after various surgical procedures. We performed a successful corrective procedure for lower eyelid retraction, which had occurred at some point in th...

Stem cells emerged as a concept during the second half of 19(th) century, first as a theoretical entity, but then became one of the most promising research fields in cell biology. This work describes the most important characteristics of adult stem cells, including the experimental criteria used to identify them, and discusses current knowledge that led to the proposal that stem cells existed i...

To report the clinical presentation and the role of intrastromal and intracameral voriconazole injection in the management of rare cases of fungal keratitis caused by Lasiodiplodia theobromae.Two eyes of 2 patients with Lasiodiplodia keratitis unresponsive to topical and oral antifungal medications were included in this study. Diagnosis of Lasiodiplodia keratitis was confirmed by microbiologica...

PURPOSE To examine the possibility that ocular surface epithelial cells might be grown in culture for use as grafts. METHODS The proliferative capacity of epithelial cells cultured from the conjunctiva, limbus, and central cornea of normal human eyes was compared. Single cells disaggregated from approximately 1 mm2 biopsy specimens were serially cocultured with lethally irradiated mouse 3T3 f...

Histological Study. The sections examined were variably pigmented. The anterior layers of the cornea were involved with destruction of the epithelium and of Bowman's membrane (Fig. 3, opposite). The cells, which were predominantly epithelioid in type with vesicular nuclei and a fair amount of cytoplasm, were arranged in alveolar and naevus patterns with thin intervening fibrous strands. Squamou...

The corneal micropocket angiogenesis assay is an experimental protocol for studying vessel network formation, or neovascularization, in vivo. The assay is attractive due to the ease with which the developing vessel network can be observed in the same animal over time. Measurements from the assay have been used in combination with mathematical modeling to gain insights into the mechanisms of ang...

Accumulating evidence supports the dogma that the corneal epithelium is regenerated by stem cells located exclusively in the limbal niche, at the corneal periphery. Accordingly, limbal stem cells (LSCs) give rise to progenitors that proliferate and migrate centripetally to repopulate the corneal epithelium, which has a short turnover. Moreover, LSC loss leads to corneal opacity and blindness, w...

The cornea is a transparent tissue microscopically constituted by 5 well differentiated layers. The corneal epithelium is essential for corneal transparency and is found in a state of constant renovation throughout life on the basis of the population of limbocorneal stem cells. The localisation of these limbocorneal stem cells seems to be in the basal layers of the limbocorneal epithelium, of v...

Examination.-The visual acuity in the right eye was 6/4 and that in the left 6/6. The right eye was moderately injected and examination revealed a very fine perforating wound of the cornea at 3 o'clock about 4 mm. in from the limbus. The slit lamp showed but few cells in the anterior chamber. The pupil dilated freely, the lens and vitreous were both clear, and no intra-ocular foreign body was v...