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

Antimetabolites that inhibit postoperative fibroblast proliferation increases the success of glaucoma filtration surgery. However, the use of mitomycin C in young patients has not been extensively studied. The effectiveness of initialtrabeculectomy with mitomycin C or uncomplicated glaucoma in patients age 40 years or younger was evaluated in a consecutive series of 15 eyes of 10 patients. Thirteen eyes had juvenile primary open-angle glaucoma and 2 eyes had steroid induced glaucoma. Mitomycin C (0.002%) was applied for 2 to 4 minutes during the surgery. The success rate was evaluated with Kaplan-Meier analysis, and it was 78% at postoperative 9 months. Complications included postoperative hyphema(7 eyes), hypotony (2 eyes), and bleb-related endophthalmitis.
Antimetabolites ; Endophthalmitis ; Fibroblasts ; Filtering Surgery ; Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Mitomycin* ; Trabeculectomy*

Laser assisted in situ keratomileusis(LASIK) is a widely used technique for correcting high myopia. Its technical methods and excellent clinical results are well known, but its potential risk on the corneal endothelium are poorly known. We used specular microscope to underwent LASIK for the correction of myopia. The mean preoperative refraction was ?4.5 diopters (range, -10.00 to -23.50 diopters.). The average endothelial cell densities were 2,817+/-205 cells/mm2 (mean +/-SD) preoperatively and 2,789+/-211 cells/mm2 3 months postoperatvely, corresponding to fall of 28 cells/mm2. This fall in endothelial cell density was not statistically significant (P>0.05). But significant correlation between the change in cell density and the residual corneal thickness was found(P>0.05). These results suggest that LASIK is a predictable and safe method for correcting high myopia, but care is recommended when doing deep corneal ablation. Long term follow-up may be needed to confirm its safety.
Cell Count ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium, Corneal ; Follow-Up Studies ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ ; Myopia

Apraclonidine(Iopidine, p-aminoclonidine hydrochloride, ALO 2145) is a peripheral alpha 2 agonist. We evaluated the effect of apraclonidine on IOP and its systemic or ocular side effects in normal subjects. We measured IOP, BP(systolic and diastolic), pulse rate, pupillary size, palpebral fissure width and checked the ocular side effects, such as conjunctival blanching, irritation, and headache, etc. Mean IOP of eyes instilled with 1% apraclonidine fell by 20 +/- 8.5%, from 15.5 +/- 3.9mmHg to 12.4 +/- 2.6 mmHg, 3 hours after instillation. The effect remained up to 7 hours after instillation(p<0.01). Mean IOP of the fellow eyes did not show statistically significant difference, compared with the baseline; but when compared with the placebo group, there was a slight but statistically significant difference(p<0.01) from 3 hours to 7 hours after instillation. There was no significant difference between the eyes instilled with 1% apraclonidine and the placebo in terms of the mean systolic and diastolic BP, pulse rate, pupillary size and palpebral fissure width. Conjunctival blanching was noted in 51.6% of the eyes instilled with 1% apraclonidine. Other side effects noted were headache(25.8%), lid elevation sense(16.1%), lid drooping sense of the fellow eye(6.4%), nausea(9.7%), and irritation(3.2%).
Glaucoma ; Headache ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure*

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

Patient noncompliance with the physician's prescribed therapeutic regimen is a serious problem in glaucoma because of the possibility of blindness. In this report the compliance with medical treatment of 67 patients with chronic glaucoma was studied for 2 years and 45% of the patient was identified as noncomplier. The authors' observations relative to noncompliance were lack of the knowledge of disease and its prognosis, little concern about disease, side effects of medication, improper timing and increased number of medication dosage, long-term use of medication, improperties of the physician-patient interaction, and other serious medical disorder, etc. The noncompliance does not correlate with the patient's age, sex, education, marital status, previous surgery for glaucoma,concerh of family, and increased waiting time to see the doctor.
Blindness ; Compliance* ; Education ; Glaucoma* ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Patient Compliance ; Prognosis

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