We report our experience with corneal epithelium, grown in vivo, transplantation in three patients with persistent epithelial defect (PED). The three patients had ocular surface disease unresponsive to standard treatments and were therefore chosen for transplantation. They underwent transplantation of epithelial sheets, grown in vivo, to the most affected eye. In vivo cultivation was carried out in the cornea of a living related donor. After epithelialization was completed, the epithelium grown on an amniotic membrane was harvested gently; it was then transplanted into the patient's eye after debridement of fibrovascular tissue. The cultivated epithelium was completely epithelialized by 2 weeks; it was well-differentiated with well-formed hemidesmosome. On immunohistochemical staining, p63, connexin 43, and Integrin beta4 were expressed in the cells on the epithelial sheet. The PED was covered completely and maintained for 4 weeks in all cases. However, corneal erosion recurred after 5 weeks in two cases. This novel technique demonstrates the corneal epithelial cells can be expanded in vivo successfully on denuded amniotic membrane of a healthy cornea and harvested safely. A corneal epithelial sheet, grown in vivo, can be transplanted to treat eye with a severe ocular surface disease, such as total limbal deficiency.
Adult ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cells, Cultured ; Corneal Diseases/etiology/pathology/*surgery ; Corneal Transplantation/*methods ; Epithelial Cells/cytology/*transplantation ; Epithelium, Corneal/cytology/*transplantation ; Eye Burns/complications ; Humans ; Limbus Corneae/*pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stem Cells/*pathology ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/complications

PURPOSE: To report of photic retinopathy induced by plasma arc welding, and the OCT (optical coherence tomography) results of damaged retinal lesions. METHODS: We describe a case report of a 37-year-old male, working in the steel industry, who presented with central scotoma in both eyes. RESULTS: On his first visit, one day after performing plasma arc welding with protective gear at work, his best corrected vision was 0.7 for both eyes. Ophthalmic examination of the fundus showed a round yellow lesion with an approximate size of 300 micrometers superonasal to the fovea of both eyes. On his next visit, one month later, his vision had recovered to 1.0, his symptoms had improved, and the ophthalmoscopic examination of the fundus revealed that the round yellow spots had disappeared from both eyes. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first report of photic retinopathy induced by plasma arc welding, and the OCT (optical coherence tomography) results of damaged retinal lesions have not previously been reported. For these reasons, we report this case.
*Welding ; Trauma Severity Indices ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Retinal Diseases/*etiology/pathology ; Retina/*injuries/pathology/radiation effects ; Male ; Light/*adverse effects ; Humans ; Fundus Oculi ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Eye Burns/*complications/pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Adult ; *Accidents, Occupational

The purpose of this article is to compare spectral-domain (SD) and time-domain (TD) optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings in patients with solar retinopathy. Complete ocular examinations and OCT were performed in two patients presenting with acute solar retinopathy soon after observation of an eclipse. Both patients were evaluated with SD-OCT and TD-OCT at the same time. SD-OCT demonstrated characteristic defects at the level of the inner and outer segment junction of the photoreceptors in all the affected eyes and decreased reflectiveness of the retinal pigment epithelium layer. TD-OCT images showed unremarkable findings in two eyes with deteriorated visual acuity. SD-OCT improves diagnosis and assessment of the degree and nature of foveal damage in patients with solar retinopathy and may be an important tool for use in identifying foveal damage not detected by TD-OCT. SD-OCT may be preferable to TD-OCT for confirmation or assessment of the degree of foveal damage in patients with solar retinopathy.
Child ; Eye Burns/complications/*diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Retina/pathology/*radiation effects ; Retinal Diseases/*diagnosis/etiology ; Sunburn/complications/*diagnosis ; Time Factors ; Tomography, Optical Coherence/*methods ; Trauma Severity Indices ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Fields ; Young Adult