OBJECTIVE To determine whether molecular manipulation of the opioid growth factor receptor (OGFr) alters corneal reepithelialization following central corneal abrasion in rats. METHODS The plasmid pcDNA3.1 + OGFr, carrying the rat OGFr complementary DNA in both the sense and antisense orientations, and empty vector (EV), were delivered by gene gun to the rat cornea. After 24 hours, corneas we...

A subset of victims of ocular sulfur mustard (SM) exposure develops an irreversible, idiotypic keratitis with associated secondary pathologies, collectively referred to as mustard gas keratopathy (MGK). MGK involves a progressive corneal degeneration resulting in chronic ocular discomfort and impaired vision for which clinical interventions have typically had poor outcomes. Using a rabbit corne...

AIM To determine the efficacy of using albumin tear supplements in the treatment of ocular surface disorders as a substitute for serum eye drops. METHODS The effects of albumin on the viability of serum deprived conjunctival cell were observed in vitro. The ability for albumin to compensate for serum was demonstrated by measuring the activity of the apoptosis related enzyme, caspase-3. In an ...

PURPOSE To assay for the presence of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in human corneal epithelium affected by recurrent erosion compared with that in normal corneal epithelium. METHODS Corneal epithelial debridement samples were obtained from 13 patients with recurrent epithelial erosion. For control specimens, epithelia were obtained from healthy patients undergoing photorefractive keratecto...

BACKGROUND Avellino corneal dystrophy (ACD) is an autosomal dominant disorder, characterized by the presence of deposits in the anterior stroma, and results from a specific mutation (R124H) in the transforming growth factor beta-induced gene (TGFBI). This report presents corneal dystrophy of the Bowman layer as a rare phenotypic appearance of ACD and a high intra-familial variability of phenoty...

BACKGROUND/AIMS During the healing of corneal epithelial wounds with limbal involvement, conjunctival epithelium often migrates across the denuded limbus to cover the corneal surface. It is believed that, over a period of time, conjunctival epithelium covering the cornea assumes characteristics of corneal epithelium by a process referred to as conjunctival transdifferentiation. The purpose of t...

PURPOSE To evaluate the corneal characteristics of patients with epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD) using an in vivo laser confocal microscope, Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II, Rostock Cornea Module (HRT II RCM). METHODS Sixteen women and 13 men who were diagnosed with or suspected to have EBMD were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 56.4+/-17.2 years within a r...

AIMS This study was designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of excimer laser for recurrent painful erosions in patients not suited to treatment with penetrating keratoplasty. METHODS Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) with the excimer laser was performed prospectively on a series of 13 eyes of 12 patients with recurrent corneal erosions in connection with bullous keratopathy of vari...

PURPOSE To determine the anatomic cleavage plane of the corneal epithelial adhesion complex in eyes with traumatic recurrent corneal erosion (RCE). METHODS A loosened sheet of corneal epithelium was obtained from corneal epithelial wounds in eight patients with traumatic RCE, before each patient underwent phototherapeutic keratectomy. Three control groups were employed in the study, including...

PURPOSE COMPARE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PHOTOTHERAPEUTIC KERATECTOMY (PTK) IN TREATMENT CORNEAL DYSTROPHIES VERSUS SUPERFICIAL CORNEAL SCARS: visual outcomes, recurrence rate and safety profile. METHODS PTK was performed in 51 eyes of 51 patients. Data regarding the indications for PTK, ablation depth, symptomatic relief, pre-and postoperative best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), sphe...