PURPOSE To determine the long-term outcomes of living-related stem cell transplantation in patients with delayed or chronic mustard gas keratopathy (MGK). MATERIALS AND METHODS In this noncomparative interventional case series, 21 consecutive patients with advanced delayed or chronic MGK received living-related conjunctival-limbal allograft and were followed up for at least 1 year. All subjec...

OBJECTIVE To determine the long-term outcomes of keratolimbal allograft (KLAL). METHODS Scores of such risks as infrequent blinking, blink-related microtrauma, conjunctival inflammation, elevated intraocular pressure, dry eye, symblepharon, lagophthalmos, and previous KLAL or penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) failure were calculated and recorded before, during, and after KLAL. Prolonged oral myc...

purpose: to report the outcomes of conjunctival-limbal autograft (clau) in patients with unilateral total limbal stem cell deficiency (lscd) emphasizing surgical problems, complications, and their management. methods: in this prospective interventional case series, clau combined with amniotic membrane transplantation as a graft was performed on 26 patients with unilateral total lscd due to chem...

PURPOSE To evaluate the usefulness of epithelial corneal sheets mounted on platelet poor plasma (PPP) for allograft transplantation of rabbits with total limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) and to prove its efficacy at 1 year after surgery. METHODS LSCD was induced in 21 female rabbits by mechanical keratectomy. To configure the grafts, limbal biopsies were taken from male rabbits and cells we...

PURPOSE To report corneal stem cell allografts in a patient with a persistent epithelial defect as well as corneal melting and perforation due to severe ultraviolet light burn and thermokeratoplasty treatment for keratoconus. METHODS A 21-year-old female patient with corneal melting, perforation and a persistent epithelial defect in her left eye secondary to iatrogenic treatment for keratocon...

PURPOSE Limbal fibroblasts are known to regulate the maintenance and differentiation of the corneal epithelium including the limbal epithelial stem cells. This study examined the effect of limbal fibroblast conditioned media in a mouse model of limbal stem cell deficiency. METHODS Limbal stem cell deficiency was created in C57/Bl6 mice by performing a limbus to limbus epithelial debridement. ...

PURPOSE To report our experience managing a limbal mass associated with limbal vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) by surgical excision. METHODS A 16-year-old girl was referred to our hospital with the chief complaints of itching and photophobia in both eyes. She had a 2-year history of gradually enlarging limbal gelatinous masses on the temporal limbus in both eyes, which were diagnosed as lim...

The cornea is the outermost tissue of the eye and it must be transparent for the maintenance of good visual function. The superficial epithelium of the cornea, which is renewed continuously by corneal stem cells, plays a critical role in the permanence of this transparency. These stem cells are localized at the cornea-conjunctival transition zone, referred to as the limbus. When this zone is af...

Limbal rings are dark annuli encircling the iris that fluctuate in visibility based on health and age. Research also indicates their presence augments facial attractiveness. Given individuals' prioritization of health cues in short-term mates, those with limbal rings may be implicated as ideal short-term mates. Three studies tested whether limbal rings serve as veridical health cues, specifical...