PURPOSE Autoimmune retinopathies and optic neuropathies are complex disorders of the retina and the optic nerve, in which patients develop autoantibodies (AAbs) against retinal and optic nerve proteins. Autoimmunity might significantly influence the outcome of retinal and optic nerve degenerative process but the pathogenic process is not fully elucidated. To better understand the role of AAbs i...

Development of the Xenopus laevis optic nerve was studied by light and electron microscopy from embryonic stage 26, before the retina has formed, to juveniles, 8 months postmetamorphic. Low-power EM photographs of sections through the retinal optic nerve (RON), middle optic nerve (MON) and chiasmatic optic nerve (CON) were prepared at different stages and the areas containing large axons (0-5 ^...

AIM To determine whether compression of the optic nerve by the intracranial carotid artery (ICA) can be a causative factor of normal tension glaucoma (NTG). METHODS The medical records of 103 eyes of 54 Japanese patients with NTG and 104 eyes of 52 age matched control patients were reviewed. The neuroradiological findings of magnetic resonance images (MRI) were evaluated to determine the rela...

BACKGROUND For diagnosis and follow-up of glaucoma an exact evaluation of the optic nerve disc and the nerve fiber layer is necessary. METHODS The slit-lamp evaluation of the optic nerve disc and nerve fiber layer is presented as well as the evaluation with the Nerve Fiber Analyzer and the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph. RESULTS Signs of a glaucomatous optic disc include a difference of more t...

BACKGROUND Degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) is a common occurrence in several eye diseases. This study examined the functional improvement and protection of host RGCs in addition to the survival, integration and neuronal differentiation capabilities of anterior specified neural progenitors (NPs) following intravitreal transplantation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS NPs were produ...

RATIONALE Blunt cerebrovascular injury (BCVI) is a rare complication that may occur after craniocervical trauma. The current literature is limited to extracranial carotid artery injuries; however, no reports have been published on blunt intracranial carotid injury (BICI), especially those associated with optic nerve injury. PATIENT CONCERNS Here we report on 3 BICI cases that demonstrated opt...

PURPOSE To identify the structure and composition of the tree shrew optic nerve to determine its potential as a model for glaucoma. METHODS Tree shrew optic nerves, aged 4 weeks to 5 years, were wax or cryoembedded for analysis of overall morphology and cellular (glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP]) and extracellular matrix (collagen types I, III, IV, V, VI; fibronectin; and elastin) immun...

PURPOSE To determine if astrocyte processes label for actin and to quantify the orientation of astrocytic processes within the optic nerve head (ONH) in a rat glaucoma model. METHODS Chronic intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation was produced by episcleral hypertonic saline injection and tissues were collected after 5 weeks. For comparison, eyes with optic nerve transection were collected at 2 ...

The ability of NGF (2.5S subunit) to support the survival of adult rat retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and optic nerve fibers after intracranial section of the optic nerve was investigated. NGF was injected intraocularly at a dose of 3 micrograms/injection every 2.3 d from the day of axotomy to analysis. Control animals received cytochrome c injections. The survival of RGCs was analyzed in whole-...