Gas tamponade is sometimes necessary after vitrectomy. Accurate measurement of intraocular pressure(IOP) in gas-filled eye is important, but is hard to get in operating table, because of lack of a good measuring device. Schiotz tonometry is the only possible method, but it usually gives a lower value than real, because gas-filled eye has a greater compressibility. But if the Schiotz tonometry can give a consistant value in relation to the real value, one can assume a true IOP by simply converting the value, and it will help the vitrectomy surgeon. Vitrectomy with or without lensectomy were done in 7 pigmented rabbits, and fluidair exchange were done at the end of the surgery. Intraocular pressure was monitored by an air infusion system, and true IOP was measured by a transducer from the anterior chamber. Schiotz tonometry was done ar each 5mmHg IOP level, and the values were compared. Schiotz tonometry always gave a lower pressure, and the discrepancy seemed to be greater in aphakic eye, and when the heavier plunger weight were used. Conversion equation was suggested, and their reliability was discussed.
Anterior Chamber ; Intraocular Pressure* ; Manometry ; Operating Tables ; Rabbits ; Transducers ; Vitrectomy*

No abstract available.
Behcet Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Behcet Syndrome*

The patient was a 7 months old Korean girl, who was admitted to Department of Ophthalmology of the Seoul National University Hospital, with 6 months history of the left eyelid swelling and exophthalmos. Visual acuity and ocular movement were unaffected. Orbit CT revealed 1.5x.5 cm sized well circumscribed intraconal mass in the left retrobulbar space with pressure erosion of adjacent bone. At surgery, the mass was pinkish gray and firm, and was adherent to adjacent tissue. The whole mass could not be removed, and a local excision was done.

Advanced glycation end-product(AGE)is known as a factor causing diabetic retinopathy, but little is known about its effect on the function of outer blood-retinal barrier. To test whether AGE can increase the permeability of outer blood-retinal barrier, we injected glycated albumin into white rabbit eyes and observed the change of the fundus and of the outer blood-retinal barrier permeability. The rabbit retina in medullary ray was thickened in AGE-injected eyes. Intravenously injected microperoxidase, tracer molecule, was found in outer sensory retinal layer and outside of the retinal pigment epithelium in AGE-injected eyes. These results suggest that intraocularly injected AGE can increase the outer blood-retinal barrier permeability.
Blood-Retinal Barrier* ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Permeability ; Retina ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinaldehyde

Experimental melanin-induced uveitis[EMIU]was induced in Lewis rats to investigate the mechanisms of the tissue destruction and spontaneous turning off of the endogenous uveitis. The eyes were enucleated serially, and immunohistochemistry, TUNEL stains, and flow cytometry were performed. The major infiltrating inflammatory cells were CD4 T cells in the uveal tissue of EMIU. Apoptosis of these cells has occurred and progressed throughout the inflammatory period in EMIU eyes. Most TUNEL positive cells revealed CD4 positive. These results suggest that apoptotic cell death occurred primarily in the infiltrating inflammatory cells not in the tissue cells of the eye and the apoptosis of CD4 T cells may play a key role in the spontaneous turning off mechanism of intraocular inflammation in EMIU.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Death ; Coloring Agents ; Flow Cytometry ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Inflammation ; Rats ; T-Lymphocytes ; Uveitis*

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical features of Korean patients with sarcoid uveitis. METHODS: The medical records of patients with endogenous uveitis who were recruited from the uveitis clinic at Seoul National University Hospital were reviewed. Sex, age at presentation, ocular symptoms and signs, treatment, complications, and the rate of recurrence were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 440 patients with endogenous uveitis, 31 (7.1%) with sarcoidosis were included. The mean age at onset was 54.5 years. Sarcoidosis patients with uveitis tended to be older than those without uveitis (44.1 years). Uveitis was the primary manifestation of sarcoidosis in 16 of 31 patients (51.6%). Anterior uveitis was the most common in terms of the anatomic location of inflammation (54.8%), and posterior involvement (38.7%) was not rare. Systemic corticosteroid therapy was administered to 28 patients (90.3%). Five patients (16.1%) received corticosteroids combined with immunosuppressive agents. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcoid uveitis is not a rare etiology of endogenous uveitis. Topical or systemic corticosteroids could control inflammation in most cases, but immunosuppressive agents are needed in a small percentage of patients. Steroids combined with immunosuppressive agents can prevent severe visual losses in such patients.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Inflammation ; Medical Records ; Recurrence ; Sarcoidosis ; Steroids ; Uveitis ; Uveitis, Anterior

PURPOSE: To evaluate the expression of chemokine and chemokine receptors in the aqueous humor (AH) of patients with recurrent anterior uveitis (AU) in terms of HLA-B-27-association. METHODS: Patients with endogenous uveitis were recruited from the uveitis clinic at Seoul National University Hospital. AH and peripheral blood (PB) were obtained from each patient. The expression of chemokine receptors in T-cells from AH and PB was measured using flow cytometric analysis. Interleukin (IL)-8, interferon-gammainducible protein (IP)-10, and regulated-on-expression, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) levels of PB and AH were measured. The expression of chemokine receptor and chemokine levels in PB and AH were compared between HLA-B27-associated AU and idiopathic AU patients. RESULTS: Seventeen patients with HLA-B27-associated AU, 14 patients with idiopathic AU and 5 healthy controls were included in this study. IL-8 and IP-10 levels of AH were shown to be increased more than in PB, and intraocular concentrations of IL-8 and IP-10 were higher in patients with HLA-B27-associated AU than in idiopathic AU patients. RANTES levels in AH were significantly lower than in PB for all groups. In all groups, the expression of chemokine receptor in AH increased more than in PB. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study show chemokine may play an important role in inflammation in patients with AU. This implies that the chemokine environment may be different in terms of HLA-B-27-association.
Aqueous Humor ; Chemokine CCL5 ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-8 ; Interleukins ; Receptors, Chemokine ; T-Lymphocytes ; Uveitis ; Uveitis, Anterior

This study is to find out changes in medical practice at a university hospital before and after covering intraocular lens (IOL) from the health insurance benefit. The coverage started on March 1, 1993 and a total of 596 cases who were discharged from July 1 to December 31, 1992 and 580 cases who were discharged from July 1 to December 31, 1993 were analyzed. Since the standard reimbursement scheme was changed from March 1, 1993, the charges for 1992 were transformed into 1993 scheme. Major findings are as follows: Average length of stay was statistically significantly decreased from 8.24 days in 1992 to 6 86 days in 1993. Charges except IOL has been statistically significantly decreased from 501,000 won in 1992 to 444,000 won in 1993. Charges for drugs and injection have been reduced. However, charge per day for them was not much different. This is due to decrease in length of stay. Charges for laboratory tests and radiologic examination were quite the same. charges which are not covered by the insurance remained the same. The revenue of the hospital was reduced as expected. However, the hospital reduced the length of stay and increase the turnover rate in order to compensate the potential loss of revenue due to the difference of reimbursement between the out-of-pocket expense and the insurance coverage. By introducing the IOL benefit in the insurance, the insured pays less, hospital generates more revenue through shortening the hospital stay, and the total medical care cost becomes less nationwidely.
Health Care Costs ; Insurance ; Insurance Coverage ; Insurance, Health* ; Length of Stay ; Lenses, Intraocular*

We investigated the development of programmed cell death of apoptosis as a mechanism of cell death in experimental retinal vein occlusion of rats. We induced hemicentral retinal veinocclusion by photocoagulation 3 or 4 out of 6 retinal veins after infecting rose bengal intravenously.The eyes were enucleated sequentially between day one to day fourteen, and the retinas were examined after H&E and TUNEL staining. Exudative retinal detachment developed one day after vein occlusion and was reabsorbed completely by day 4. The number of ganglion cells in vein-occluded retina began to decrease one day after vein occlusion and continue to decrease until day fourteen. Many cells in ganglion cell layer and inner nuclear layer were stained positively by TUNEL staining. These results suggest that apoptosis is an important mechanism of cell death in early stage of experimental retinal vein occlusion.
Animals* ; Apoptosis ; Cell Death ; Ganglion Cysts ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Ischemia ; Light Coagulation ; Models, Animal* ; Rats ; Retina ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Rose Bengal ; Veins