Corneal scarring is due to aberrant activity of the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) signaling pathway following traumatic, mechanical, infectious, or surgical injury. Altered TGFβ signaling cascade leads to downstream Smad (Suppressor of mothers against decapentaplegic) protein-mediated signaling events that regulate expression of extracellular matrix and myogenic proteins. These events lea...

PURPOSE The host inflammatory response to ocular infection with herpes simplex virus (HSV) can be either protective, with disease-free survival, or it can promote diseases such as HSV corneal disease (or herpes stromal keratitis [HSK] in humans) and encephalitis (HSE), depending on mouse strain. The role of CXCR3 chemokine signaling in HSV-induced central nervous system (CNS) inflammation and c...

PURPOSE Keratoconus (KC) is a common progressive corneal disease characterized by excessive stromal thinning, central or paracentral conical protrusion, and disruptions in Bowman's layer. The etiology of KC is largely unknown, and a combination of genetic and environmental factors is believed to play a role in the origin of the disease. Recently, the absence of transcripts of the water channel,...

PURPOSE To compare the histopathology of three PMMA collar button type keratoprosthesis (KPro)/corneal specimens, explanted due to various complications, with that from one KPro/corneal specimen taken postmortem from an otherwise "healthy" enucleated eye. METHODS Patient 1 (chemical injury) had no problems for 3 years after KPro placement; the entire eye was obtained postmortem. Patient 2 (re...

Acute corneal hydrops is a rare complication of advanced corneal ectasia. This case report describes the clinical course of a child with severe atopy and no previous ocular examination who developed bilateral, acute corneal hydrops, secondary to keratoconus, by 8 years of age. The report demonstrates the rapidity of progression in the pediatric phenotype of the disease. This case also provides ...

Corneal oedema and stromal disease, induced in rabbits by intrastromal injection of herpes simplex virus, type 1, strain RE (HSV-1, RE), reached a peak of 12-15 days after infection. Corneal oedema as measured by ultrasonic pachymetry, and stromal disease as measured by a subjective scoring system, were closely related for 30 days after infection. Morphometric analysis of wide field specular mi...

purpose : the aim of this study was to determine indications of keratoplasty during 7 years (1999–2006) in emam-rreza and vali-asr teaching hospitals of birjand university of medical sciences. methods : medical records of all patients who underwent penetrating keratoplasty (pk) in teaching hospitals of birjand university of medical sciences from 1999 to 2006 were investigated retrospectively. t...

Recently, in vivo confocal microscopy is used to examine the human corneal nerve fibers morphology. Corneal nerve fiber architecture and its role are studied in healthy and pathological conditions. Corneal nerves of rats were studied by nonspecific acetylcholinesterase (NsAchE) staining. NsAchE-positive subepithelial (stromal) nerve fiber has been found to be insensitive to capsaicin. Besides, ...