In nephropathic cystinosis, corneal cystine crystals cause severe photophobia and corneal erosions. Topical cysteamine dissolves these crystals, but cannot be marketed because it rapidly oxidizes to the disulfide form, cystamine, at room temperature. Since cystamine itself could be used commercially, we compared the efficacy of cystamine and cysteamine with respect to cystine crystal dissolutio...

PURPOSE To report the molecular genetic analysis of a Japanese pedigree with Meesmann's corneal dystrophy (MCD). METHODS Sequencing of the keratin 3 and keratin 12 genes was performed in 2 patients who were siblings and in an unaffected individual in the same family. The patients had the typical corneal microcysts and recurrent erosions with mild photophobia. RESULTS A novel mutation result...

We report four consecutive cases of photokeratitis that presented to the emergency department, interestingly after having watched the same theatre performance in the same school. The patients' ages (3 male, 1 female) ranged from 9 to 13 years. All patients presented with similar complaints consisting of pain, tearing, foreign body sensation, photophobia and blurred vision in both eyes. Patients...

Map-dot-fingerprint basement-membrane abnormalities of the cornea are common in the general population, affecting as many as 76% of persons over age 50 and 42% of persons of all ages. The prevalence of this condition in the general population is not significantly different from that found in families of patients with recurrent corneal erosions and map-dot-fingerprint corneal changes. Despite th...

PURPOSE To analyze PASP in terms of its gene distribution and expression, its corneal pathologic effects, its enzymatic properties, and the protectiveness of the immune response to this protease. METHODS Twenty-five strains of P. aeruginosa were analyzed for the PASP gene and secreted protein by PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively. Active recombinant (r)PASP (10 microg/20 microL) or h...

The results of a randomised double-blind clinical trial of 3% acyclovir and 0.5% idoxuridine (IDU) ophthalmic ointments in 60 patients with corneal dendritic ulceration are presented. Ulcers in all 30 patients treated with acyclovir healed compared with 22 (76%) of 29 patients treated with IDU (P < 0.01). Patients treated with acyclovir healed more rapidly (average 4.4 days) than those who rece...

Acute toxic effects of methyl isocyanate in the rat were determined for two hour exposures to concentrations in the range 11 ppm (very slight effect) to 65 ppm (lethality: pulmonary oedema). Changes in the eye, lungs, and behaviour were noted. Eye changes were confined to erosions of the corneal epithelium and were most severe at intermediate levels of exposure. A comparison was made of the eff...

Corneal epithelial biopsies from two patients affected with asymptomatic bleb dystrophy were examined by light and electron microscopy. The basis of this disorder appears to be the deposition of a neutral mucopolysaccharide-protein complex as a continuous layer between the basement membrane and Bowman's layer. This material, although homogeneous in light microscopy, has a fine granular ultrastr...

PURPOSE To validate a new objective digital image analysis technique to evaluate corneal staining. METHODS One hundred photographs of corneal staining from various ocular surface diseases in 100 patients were quantified by a new strategy: a combination of the difference of Gaussians (DoG) edge detection for morphologic properties of corneal erosions and the red-green-blue (RGB) systems and hu...