UNLABELLEDTo investigate the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and complications of acute severe burn injury of the eyes.

METHODSOne hundred and thirty-five patients (155 eyes) with acute severe burn injury of the eyes admitted to our hospital from 1977 to 2002 were analyzed retrospectively. The recovery rate and time, causes and incidence of blindness, and complications of burn injury of different depth and causes of burns were analyzed statistically.

RESULTS(1) The recovery time of patients with full-thickness burn of the eye ball was obviously shorter than that with IV degree eye burn, and the recovery rate of those with III degree burn was also evidently higher than that with IV degree burns (P < 0.01). Among the patients with non-repaired IV degree eye burn, the incidence of corneal perforation (6 eyes) in patients injured by acid was markedly higher than that by alkali (1 eye, P < 0.05). There were 38 III degree injured eyes with the visual acuity more than 0.05 and 51 with that less than 0.05. While there was no eye with the visual acuity more than 0.05 but 66 with that less than 0.05. Fifty-two out of 78 eyes injured by acid and alkali went blind with occoecatio ratio of 66.7%. But 65 out of 77 eyes injured by heat went blind with occoecatio ratio of 84.4%. The complication in patients with III degree eye burn was lower than that with IV degree burns. The incidence of corneal perforation and symblepharon in patients with III degree eye burn was 1.1% and 36.0%, which was obviously lower than that with IV degree eye burn (27.3% and 59.1%, P < 0.01). The highest incidence of corneal perforation and symblepharon was in those with eye burn injured by acid (29.2%, 37.5%). While the highest incidence of the symblepharon in those with thermal eye burn was 53.2%.

CONCLUSIONAmong the patients with IV degree burns, those with acid, alkali and heat burns have bad prognosis, with high blindness rate. Current therapies cant improve eye function and prognosis of the patients thoroughly, which need further study in the future.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Blindness ; etiology ; Burns, Chemical ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Eye Burns ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prognosis ; Recovery of Function ; Retrospective Studies

Authors performed 25 corneal grafts in 24 patients since the inauguration of The Central Eye Bank, attached to the Department of Ophthalmology, St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Medical College, in April 19, 1967. Method and results of these cases are as follows; METHOD: In technique of surgery, the grafts in most of the cases were 7 mm in diameter(Table 3), in two types of penetrating and lamellar corneal grafts(Table 4). The donor material came from patient age group of 51-60 years old in most and was used within 24 hours after death (Table 5). In most cases we placed 12 interrupted sutures except of two cases for continuous suture by 8-0 virgin silks. Preoperative and postoperative cares were routine with systemic dexamethasone, 7.0mg a day was given routinely on the 5 th postoperative day for 30-50 days because of prevention of graft rejection. RESULTS AND SUMMARY: Table 7 summbrizes the results of our observation. Nineteen of the 25 grafts remained clear. And there was improved vision above 20/200 in ten eyes out of nineteen clear grafts. Table 10 lists the reasons why nine clear grafts did not improve vision. Postoperative complications occurred in fourteen grafts (Table 11). Penetrating corneal grafts for adherent leucoma courneae, staphyloma corneae and corneal scars from alkaline burn were failed to maintaining the clear graft. The donor material, the recipient cornea, graft rejection as a complication and its prevantion were discussed. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: We wish to express our sincere gratitude to an those who have guided in carrying out the present investigation. In particular, We are jndebted to Dr. Bon Sool Koo, Former Chief and Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Catholic Medical College. Dr. Sang Wook Rhee. Chief and Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Catholic Medical College.
Burns ; Cicatrix ; Cornea ; Corneal Transplantation* ; Dexamethasone ; Eye Banks ; Graft Rejection ; Humans ; Ophthalmology ; Postoperative Complications ; Silk ; Sutures ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants*

OBJECTIVETo evaluate a new technique for treatment of the symblepharon caused by physical and chemical burn.

METHODSThirty-eight patients with 40 eyes were undergoing the treatment. It was carried out to reconstruct the conjunctival fornix by pulling the remained conjunctive backward from the corneal limbus in serious stages.

RESULTSThirty-eight patients (40 eyes) were treated with this technique, with the successful results of 13 patients (13 eyes) in 2 times, 19 patients (21 eyes) in 3 and 6 patients (6 eyes) in 1. Only one case was failure.

CONCLUSIONThe above mentioned technique could be a safe and effective way for treatment of symblepharen.

Amnion ; Conjunctival Diseases ; etiology ; therapy ; Eye Burns ; complications ; Eyelid Diseases ; etiology ; therapy ; Humans ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Tissue Adhesions ; etiology ; therapy

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

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