The authors observed 4 cases of retinitis punctata albescens presented in a family, namely, a sister and 3 brothers of 6 siblings. Typical fundus findings were found in all four patients. Under ordinary illumination, the perripheral visual field was within the limit of normal, but concentrically contracted in 5 to 30 degrees under the reduced illumination.
Humans ; Lighting ; Retinitis* ; Siblings ; Visual Fields

The use of succinylcholine chloride(Anectin(R)) prior to intubation, can cause increased contracture of ocular muscles. Therefore the authors studied the change of the squint angle under general anesthesia using pancronium bromide (Myoblock(R)) in 81 horizontal strabismus patients who had no neurologic disease and mechanical restrictions of eye movement. We used the alternative cover test and Krimsky method to measure the eye position under general anesthesia.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General* ; Contracture ; Eye Movements ; Humans ; Intubation ; Muscles ; Strabismus* ; Succinylcholine

Glaucoma screening is an important means of detecting early cases of glaucoma. It is particularly valuable if targeted either at groups who otherwise do not have access to the health care system or at groups who have the risk factors for glaucoma such as aging, being male and having a medical history of diabetes or vascular diseases. We conducted glaucoma screenings by tonometry and direct ophthalmoscopy in the outpatient department of ophthalmology at Korea University Haewha Hospital and in the homes for the aged that are located in Seoul between Sep. 1987 and Sep. 1989. A total of 282 subjects were screened in the outpatient department and 198 subjects were screened in the homes for the aged. Referral rate was 6.7% and 3.0%, respectively. Groups who have the risk factors showed greater referral rates than groups who have not, but they are not statistically significant(p>0.05).
Aged ; Aging ; Delivery of Health Care ; Glaucoma* ; Homes for the Aged ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Manometry ; Mass Screening* ; Ophthalmology ; Ophthalmoscopy ; Outpatients* ; Referral and Consultation ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Vascular Diseases

Glaucoma screening is an important means of detecting early cases of glaucoma. It is particularly valuable if targeted either at groups who otherwise do not have access to the health care system or at groups who have the risk factors for glaucoma such as aging, being male and having a medical history of diabetes or vascular diseases. We conducted glaucoma screenings by tonometry and direct ophthalmoscopy in the outpatient department of ophthalmology at Korea University Haewha Hospital and in the homes for the aged that are located in Seoul between Sep. 1987 and Sep. 1989. A total of 282 subjects were screened in the outpatient department and 198 subjects were screened in the homes for the aged. Referral rate was 6.7% and 3.0%, respectively. Groups who have the risk factors showed greater referral rates than groups who have not, but they are not statistically significant(p>0.05).
Aged ; Aging ; Delivery of Health Care ; Glaucoma* ; Homes for the Aged ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Manometry ; Mass Screening* ; Ophthalmology ; Ophthalmoscopy ; Outpatients* ; Referral and Consultation ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Vascular Diseases

Choristoma is a congenital abnormal growth of tissue with components which are not characteristic of the location. Most choristomas often affect tissues of one germinal layer, mainly ectodermal layer, but complex choristoma contains two or more choristomatous tissues(ectodermal, mesodermal and rarely entodermal tissue) except lacking pilosebaceous apparatus. We experienced a case of large bilateral saccular complex choristomas including scleral and episcleral cartilage in the upper part of cornea, limbus and sclera, which was confirmed histopathologically.
Cartilage* ; Choristoma* ; Cornea ; Ectoderm ; Mesoderm ; Sclera

This study analyzed various aspects of what glaucoma patients think about their quality of life(QOL), knowledge of glaucoma, and compliance to treatment. For the study, survey and multifactorial analysis were performed in 165 patients in 10 subject with 60 questions. After the diagnosis of glaucoma, 25.5% of patients were not satisfied with their life compared with 7.3% of them before the diagnosis. Life satisfaction could be decreased from 3.76 point in Likert scale before the diagnosis to 3.07 point after the diagnosis. Life satisfaction decreased significantly in the highly educated group, in the upper or lower income group, and in those who thought as though they were generally healthy. Beside these results, 87.3% of patients were afraid of losing their vision, 78.2% of the patients who had not been operated preferred medical treatment to surgery.
Compliance ; Diagnosis ; Glaucoma* ; Humans ; Quality of Life*

We evaluate the psychosocial characteristics and primary reason for electing operation in myopic patients who were candidates for photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). The questionnaire data were collected on PRK patients and compared them with similar group of myopia. Most of the PHK patients were unmarried female in their twenties. The most striking demographic chracteristic of PRK sample was that the high proportion of them was highly educated office worker with high socioeconomic status. They were in possession of extroversive character rather than introversive one. They thought that their visual acuity was very serious, and preferred wearing contact lens for visual correction. The most important reason for undergoing PRK was avoiding inconveniences of contact lens or glasses. The other reasons were improving vision, improving appearance, and hoping to change life style with better vision. They were afraid of unpredictability of visual recovery and occurrence of complications, after operation, The results of this study may help analyze the factors that influence the success of PRK and patient's satisfaction.
Eyeglasses ; Female ; Glass ; Hope ; Humans ; Life Style ; Myopia ; Photorefractive Keratectomy* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Single Person ; Social Class ; Strikes, Employee ; Visual Acuity

Hyperosmotic agents such as mannitol are widely used in ophthalmology to lower intraocular pressure as a short-term or emergency method. The mechanism of action of these agents is not fully understood, but probably relates primarily to a reduction in vitreous volume. There are other theories of hypotensive meechanism such as hypothalamic-neural theory and altered epithelium theory. The author performed this animal experiment for the eletronmicroscopic study of ciliary epithelium after the intravenous mannitol injection. Five healthy adult male albino rabbits weighing 2.5 kg were used in this experiment. Four rabbits were administered 25 ml(2 gm/kg) of 20% mannitol and the other one was given 25 ml of normal saline as a control through ear vein within 5 minutes each. The mannitol group was enucleated 10, 20, 40 and 80 minutes after injection and the control one was enucleated 20 minutes after injection. The enucleated eyes were opened and fixed in mixed solution of 2% paraformaldehyde, 3% glutaraldehyde and 0.2M Milonig's buffer. Small pieces consisting of ciliary body were excised, postfixed in 1% osmium tetroxide, dehydrated in ethylalcohol and embedded in Epon 812. Thin section were stained with toluidine blue for general histologic study and ultrathin sections stained with 4% uranyl acetate and 0.4% lead citrate were examined with a Hitachi H-600 transmission electronmicroscopy. The results were as follow: 1. The ciliary epithelium showed normal appearence 20 minutes after injection of normal saline and was composed of double layered epithelial cells. The tight juctions(zonulae occludens) were present between nonpigmented epithelial cells. The active Golgi apparatus, numerous mitochondria, rough endoplasmic reticulum and smooth endoplasmic reticulum were visible in the nonpigmented epithelial cells. The intercellular spaces were not dilated. 2. In mannitol group, no cellular necrosis was observed and cells were invariably present and apparently unaltered. 3. The intercellular spaces of ciliary epithelium began to dilate 10 minutes after intravenous mannitol injection, maximally dilated after 40 minutes and recovered after 80 minutes. 4. In view of the morphological changes of cytoplasmic organelles such as Goigi apparatus, the secretory function of nonpigmented epithelial cells after intravenous mannitol seemed to be inhibited maximally at 20 minutes and then recovered after 80 minutes. 5. In conclusion, the hypotensive mechanism of the mannitol on the ciliary epithelium was considered of secretory inhibition of nonpigmented epithelial cells besides diffusion by the osmotic gradient.
Adult ; Animal Experimentation ; Ciliary Body ; Citric Acid ; Cytoplasm ; Diffusion ; Ear ; Emergencies ; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough ; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Smooth ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium* ; Extracellular Space ; Glutaral ; Golgi Apparatus ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Male ; Mannitol* ; Mitochondria ; Necrosis ; Ophthalmology ; Organelles ; Osmium Tetroxide ; Rabbits ; Tolonium Chloride ; Veins

Reducing inflammation after photo refractive keratectomy may decrease postoperative pain and reduce corneal haze intensity. We evaluated the effect of the therapeutic lens(T-lens) and collagen shield on stromal inflammation. Adult New Zealand white rabbits were subjected to excimer laser PRK. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes(PMNs) of ablated corneal stroma were counted 10 hours after surgery with a microscope. The number of PMNs in the central cornea was lower in the T-lens group (29.77 +/- 11.6) and collagen shield group(36.77 +/- 5.9) than in the tarsorrhaphy group (75.33 +/- 14.6). Of all the groups, the eyes which were left unpatched showed the most marked infiltration of PMNs into the wound(226.83 +/- 18.2). The T-lens and collagen shield may reduce postoperative corneal haze intensity better than a pressure patch by suppression of stromal inflammation.
Adult ; Collagen* ; Cornea ; Corneal Stroma ; Humans ; Inflammation* ; Lasers, Excimer ; Pain, Postoperative ; Photorefractive Keratectomy* ; Rabbits

The purpose of glaucoma filtering surgery is to maintain low intraocular pressure byoontinuous filtration of aqueous humor. Filtration failure commonly results from scarring at the surgical site. Fibroblast plays an important role in the scarring process. Mitomycin C and 5-fluorouracil are the antimetabolites capable of inhibiting fibroblast proliferation. In this animal experiment, the authors studied electron microscopically the effect of Mitomycin C and 5-fluorouracil on the fibroblast proliferation at the surgical site. Posterior sclerectomy was performed to 9 eyes of 9 normal rabbits. Postoperatively, 3 eyes recieved subconjunctival injection of Mitomycin C, 3 eyes 5-fluorouracil and 3 eyes normal saline as a control. Additional one eye of a rabbit was used for observation of normol fibroblast. Animals were killed two days, four days, six days following surgery at the time of 12 hours after the last injection. Globes were immediately removed and processed for transmission electron microscopic examination. The results were as follows; 1. Normal fibroblasts in episclera showed dilated cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER). 2. Two days after operation, the fibroblasts were slightly activated. 3. Four days after operation, cytoplasmic organelles in fibroblasts were more activated. 4. Six days after operation, secreting forms of fibroblast were visible. The fibrillar materials of moderate electron density pooled in cisternae of RER, and the filamentous elements were in the periphery of the cytoplasm. 5. In Mitomycin C treated group, there was no remarkable change in the cytoplasmic organelles, but some dilation of RER was noted four days after operation. 6. In 5-fluorouracil treated group, there was the same feature as in Mitomycin C group, but milder. 7. Conclusively, Mitomycin C and 5-fluorouracil are considered effective on the inhibition of fibrogenesis with lowering of fibroblastic activity.
Animal Experimentation ; Animals ; Antimetabolites ; Aqueous Humor ; Cicatrix ; Cytoplasm ; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough ; Fibroblasts ; Filtering Surgery* ; Filtration ; Fluorouracil ; Glaucoma* ; Intraocular Pressure ; Mitomycin* ; Organelles ; Rabbits