The most difficult part in ocular surface reconstruction for total limbal stem cell deficiency is restoring a healthy and stable corneal epithelium. Recently, there has been a shift toward a cellular-based transplantation that eliminates the need for harvesting large amounts of limbal tissues from a living donor. The autologous oral epithelium can be used as a source for ocular surface reconstr...

PURPOSE To correlate the presence of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies and rheumatoid factor (RF) with ocular symptoms typical of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS The records of 451 patients who had been examined by an ophthalmologist and tested for anti-CCP antibodies over a 3-year period at the Mayo Clinic were reviewed. Records of 255 patients with titers of anti-CC...

The ocular surface is the first line of defence in the eye against environmental microbes. The ocular innate immune system consists of a combination of anatomical, mechanical and immunological defence mechanisms. TLRs (Toll-like receptors), widely expressed by the ocular surface, are able to recognize microbial pathogens and to trigger the earliest immune response leading to inflammation. Incre...

Many diseases can cause ocular surface disorders. The poster on pages 50–51 provides an overview of the most common diseases, and other articles in this issue focus on the management of individual diseases. In this article, the authors offer a systematic strategy for the overall management of ocular surface diseases. When managing patients with an ocular surface condition, identifying the under...

The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical and immunological responses to Demodex on the ocular surface. Thirteen eyes in 10 patients with Demodex blepharitis and chronic ocular surface disorders were included in this study and treated by lid scrubbing with tea tree oil for the eradication of Demodex. We evaluated ocular surface manifestations and Demodex counts, and analyzed IL-1β, ...

PURPOSE To evaluate the importance and practicality of testing for matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in dry eye and ocular surface disease. This enzyme, which can cause tissue damage, seems also to be the most reliable diagnostic indicator of ocular surface disease. METHODS Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, polymerase chain reaction, diffusion, and InflammaDry, a new rapid immunoassay by RP...

PURPOSE A glycocalyx plays important roles in the ocular surface epithelium, but there is no direct simple method to evaluate ocular surface glycocalyx. We tested a wheat germ agglutinin conjugate of fluorescein (F-WGA) as a marker to demonstrate ocular surface glycocalyx in vivo. METHODS After a 5% F-WGA solution was applied to the eyes of eight healthy volunteers, fluorescent intensities of...