The effects of topical sodium-hyaluronan on the stromal and endothelial healing were examined in the repair process of experimental corneal alkali wounds. Corneal alkali wounds were produced in one eye of each rabbit by applying a 5.5 mm round filter paper soaked in 1N NaOH onto the central cornea for 60 seconds. Then the eyes were treated topically with either 1% Na-HA(the treatment group)or a phosphate buffered saline(PBS)(the con-trol group)4 times per day for 3 weeks. Endothelial wound morphometry was performed after alizarin red and trypan blue staining. The stromal healing was assessed by counting polymorphonuclear leukocytes(PMNs)and keratocytes in the central and marginal wounds areas. The stroma treated with Na-HA had less PMNs than that of the control group during the early healing period. The defect area of the endothelium was significantly smaller in the Na-HA treated group than in the control corneas. The present findings indicate that topically applied 1%Na-HA affects stromal and endothelial healing during the early repair process after corneal alkali wounds.
Alkalies* ; Cornea ; Endothelium ; Trypan Blue ; Wounds and Injuries*

This study was performed to observe the sequential charge of the morpholcgic characteristics in experimentally induced herpes simplex keratitis. Duration and morphology of corneal lesion following infection of rabbit cornea with the Kos strain of HSV-I were followed by a daily slit-lamp examination. Three types of virus inoculation methods were used such as scratching, deepithelialization, and intrastromal injection. Herpetic corneal lesions appeared 24 hours after inoculation with punctate and dendritic figures. They persisted up to 14 or 15 days. The characteristic finding in punctate herpetic keratitis was grouped, round-shaped, punctate lesion. When scratching method was emplyed, the most remarkable finding was the discontinuity of the lesion occurred along the scratching wound at relatively regular intervals. There was no difference in lesional morphology and duration between three inoculation methods.
Cornea ; Keratitis* ; Keratitis, Herpetic ; Wounds and Injuries

The results of 8 cases of herpes simplex keratitis and one case of corneo-lenticular adhesion caused by explosion wound treated by cryogenic instrument (Amoils cryo unit) are presented. The cryoapplicator (2mm in diameter) were applied on the lesions 7-15 seconds. (Temperature: -50 degrees C ~ -70 degrees C). One of herpes simplex keratitis patients was suffered from redness of the lids following cryotherapy for 3 days.
Cornea* ; Cryotherapy ; Explosions ; Freezing* ; Humans ; Keratitis, Herpetic ; Wounds and Injuries

We report a clinical ananlysis of children's perforating eye injuries which happened in middle western of Korea from Jan., 1988 to Apr., 1993. Total number of patients with perforating eye injuries was 40(40 eyes). The peak age group was 5-6 year of age. The cornea was the most common site of perforation. The most frequent cause of perforating eye injuries was knife and scissors(17.5%) and sharp pointed iron material(17.5%) and followed by glass(17.5%), wood(17.5%), pencil 7.5%), toy(5%), traffic accident(5%). According to this result obtained, the visual prognosis of perforating eye injuries in children is still poor. Special care should be taken to prevent such a severe eye trauma in children by every means.
Child ; Cornea ; Eye Injuries* ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea* ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: This study analyzed the efficacy of Scion Image(R)program, the measurement of area of cornea lesion in the process of corneal diseases. METHODS: Photographs were processed digitally from three corneal wound lesions, and the Adobe Photoshop(R) and Scion Image(R) were used to calculate the area. These measured automatically the area of the damaged corneal lesion in numerical values, allowing precise calculation of the ratio of the wounded area to the entire cornea. RESULTS: In the first case of corneal abrasion by contact lenses, we were able to measure the ratio of the lesion, improving from 45% to 9% after two days of treatment. In the second case of the typical corneal ulcer, the infected area was 23.6% of the cornea before treatment, and decreased to 14.5% after treatment. In the third case of the ring shaped corneal ulcer, we were able to measure the lesion accurately using the Scion Image(R) CONCLUSIONS: The Scion Image(R)program may be used for the measurement of corneal surface lesion. It seemed to allow objective and accurate measurement.
Contact Lenses ; Cornea ; Corneal Diseases ; Corneal Ulcer ; Wounds and Injuries

The effects of topical sodium-hyaluronan (Na-HA)on the epithelial healing and aqueous compositions were examined in the repair process of experimen-tal corneal alkali wounds.Corneal alkali wounds were produced in one eye of each rabbit by applying a 5.5 mmround filter paper soaked in 1N NaOH onto the central cornea for 60 seconds.Then the eyes were treated topically with either 1%Na-HA (the treatment group)or a phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (the control group)4 times per day.The epithelial healing was assessed using a quantitative method and the changes of the concentration of ascorbic acid and glucose in aqueous were evaluated.The initial epithelial healing rate was similar between 1%Na-HA treated and control groups and the later healing was enhanced in the treated group but statistically insignificant.The concentrations of ascorbic acid and glucose in aqueous humor are not statistically different in the early phase, but ascorbic acid concentration in later healing phase was higher in the treated group when compared with the control group.The present findings in dicate that topical-ly applied 1%Na-HA affects late epithelial healing and ascorbic acid concentration in aqueous humor during the repair process after corneal alkali wounds.
Alkalies* ; Aqueous Humor ; Ascorbic Acid ; Cornea ; Epithelium ; Glucose ; Wounds and Injuries*

We studied the healing course and histologic change of ablated rabbit cornea following excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy using three different corneal wound healing methods; pressure patch, T-lens, collagen shield. Nine rabbits(18 eyes) were divided into three different groups according to its treatment method. Corneal status including the corneal haze, conjunctival injection, discharge amount at postoperative 1st day, 2nd day and 3rd day were the same, irrespective to the treatment method and corneal wound healing rate show no significant differentces in all the groups. The histologic feature revealed irregular epithelial hyperplasia and keratacyte infiltration in the superficial stromal layer on postoperative 3rd day and 7th day. These reactions lessened at postoperative 1 month. The cornea treated with pressure patch group revealed more severe tissue reaction when compared with the other groups, T-lens and collagen shield. These results suggest that the corneal wounds produced by excimer laser can be managed by T-lens as an another alternative method of wound treatment.
Collagen* ; Cornea* ; Hyperplasia ; Lasers, Excimer* ; Photorefractive Keratectomy* ; Wound Healing* ; Wounds and Injuries*

In this study, in- and out-patients, who were treated at Korea University Woo-Sok Hospital (downtown hospital) and a private eye clinic (industrial zone clinic) during the period from January 1, 1969 to December 31, 1973, were statistically analyzed. Regional characteristics in incidence between all and industrial eye injuries were compared with each other. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Among a total of 77,021 patients, eye injures accounted for 18, 100 cases of which 10,699 were due to industrial injury. i) In downtown, eye injuries were 3.2% of all patients and industrial eye injuries 0.2%. ii) In industrial zone, incidence of eye injuries formed 28.3% and industrial injuries 17.1%. iii) Incidence of eye injuries in industrial zone were nine times as high as in that of downtown; industrial eye injuries were 86 times. iv) Industrial eye injuries accounted for 6.5% of eye injuries in downtown and 60.5% in industrial zone; incidence in industrial zone were 9 times as high as in downtown. v) Industrial eye injuries in 1973 increased to twice as high as in 1969. 2. Male accounted for 97.4%; the third decade 49.9%. 3. Monocular injuries accounted for 92.4% of eye injuries. No marked difference in incidence was noted between both eyes. 4. No significant difference in incidence was noted between different seasons or months. 5. The cases received first care between 24 and 48 hours following injury accounted for 43.3%. 6. The first injury accounted for 95.3% of all injuries and repeated injuries 4.7%. 7. Corneal foreign bodies accounted for 59.64% and cornea was the most common site to the injury responsible for 78.76%. Retained foreign bodies formed 66.42% of all eye iujuries. The most common objects to the injury were iron pieces which were responsible for 66.42%. 8. Visual acuity was improved in most cases by prompt and adequate treatment, but corrected vision after treatment was less than 20/200 in 15.4%, which was due mainly to the perforating or thermal injury.
Cornea ; Eye Injuries* ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Iron ; Korea ; Male ; Outpatients ; Seasons ; Statistics as Topic* ; Visual Acuity

The effect of 1% Na-Hyaluronan(Na-HA) on the morphogenesis of microvilli in superficial epithelial cells and of hemidesmosomes in basal epithelial cells together with the organization of superficial stromal collagen were evaluated in n-heptanol induced corneal epithelial wounds. Epithelial wounds were produced by applying a 5.5mm round filter paper, soaked in n-heptanol, on the central cornea for 60 seconds. 1% Na-HA in phosphate buffered saline(PBS) or PBS alone were instilled 4 times a day for 3 days. Epithelial healing rates determined during the first two days were not altered by Na-HA. The number of microvilli in superficial epithelial cells and of collagens fibers in superficial stroma were approximately the same between two groups. However, the number of hemidesmosome in the central cornea, which was counted in 2micrometer length of the basement membrane, significantly increased by the treatment with 1% Na-HA, being 10.0+/-1.1 in the 1% Na-HA treated group and 6.5+/-2.5 in the control group. The results suggest that topically applied 1% Na-HA may enhance the formation of hemidesmosome in n-heptanol wounded cornea.
Basement Membrane ; Collagen ; Cornea ; Epithelial Cells* ; Hemidesmosomes ; Heptanol ; Microvilli ; Morphogenesis* ; Wounds and Injuries*

Case of traumatic wound dehiscence after penetrating keratoplsty were evaluated. Six eyes of six patients which had sustained traumatic wound dehiscence after penetrating keratoplasty done between 1994 and 1997 were included in the study. Among the six patients, four were men,two were women and age ranged from 13 to 62 years (average, 36 years). Penetrating keratoplasty was performed due to visual loss from keratoconus (n=3), herpes keratitis (n=2), leukoma cornea (n=1). The mean duration between penetrating keratoplasty and traumatic wound dehiscence was 10.83 months. Direct hit in the eyes by fist, elbow, bumping against iron post and door handle were the cause leading to wound dehiscence. Corneal donor-recipient junction is known to be vulnerable to trauma and all the wound dehiscence in the six eyes developed at donor-recipient junction, especially at inferior portion. Vision recovered after primary closure of the wound but was worse than before the traum due to the development of corneal opacity and astigmatism.
Astigmatism ; Cornea ; Corneal Opacity ; Elbow ; Female ; Humans ; Iron ; Keratitis ; Keratoconus ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating* ; Wounds and Injuries*