The early ultrastructural changes of basement membrane thickening and degeneration of the pericyte were noted in retinal capillaries in diabetic patients. However no early ultrastructural changes were reported in diabetic iris capillary. The authors studied the ultrastructural features of basement membrane of iris capillaries which were obtained during cataract surgery in five diabetic patients and compared with those obtained in five nondiabetic patients. The endothelium basal lamina, pericyte basal lamina and membrane-like pericyte matrix in didabetic iris capillaries were thicker than those in nondiabetic Iris capillaries. The thickening of pericyte basal lamina is more prominant than the endothelium basal lamina in diabetes. The duration of diabetes had no relationship to endothelium basal lamina but, showed statistically significant relationship to thickness of pericyte bascal lamina and pericyte matrix.
Basement Membrane* ; Capillaries* ; Cataract ; Endothelium ; Humans ; Iris* ; Pericytes ; Retinaldehyde

PURPOSE: Phacoemulsification is now a well-established technique for the surgical treatment of soft cataractous lens, hard lenses being considered less suitable. We have been examined noraml and mature cataractous lenses by transmission electron microscopy. METHODS: A soft cataractous lens and a normal lens were extracted from cadavers. In addition, four hard cataractous and a soft cataractous lenses were extracted from five patients who underwent extracapsular cataract extraction. RESULTS: In transmission electron microscopic investigation of normal lens and soft and hard cataractous lenses, the normal lenses showed classical ball-and-socket inter- digitations and relatively regular arrangement of fiber cell. In soft mature cataracts, disruptions of fiber cell morphology including numerous ball-and-socket interdigitations, abrupt continuities in fiber cell membranes and high amplitude of undulating membranes were present. In the hard cataractous lenses, the fiber cell morphology was severely damaged. The interfibrous spaces were more compact and irregular than soft mature cataracts. CONCLUSIONS: The large amount of irregular undulating membranes and flattening of fiber cells increases the condenssness of hard cataracts, and makes phacoemulsification less suitable.
Cadaver ; Cataract Extraction ; Cataract* ; Cell Membrane ; Humans ; Membranes ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Phacoemulsification

Enlargement of the extraocular muscles may cause diplopia and exophthalmos. The most common cause of the exophthalmos is thyroid associated ophthalmopathy(TAO), followed by inflammatory diseases and orbital tumors. TAO has the classical features of proptosis and lid retraction. However, the diagnosis is frequently confused with other eye diseases due to various symptoms and signs. Therefore, measurement of the size of extraocular muscles in both normal and TAO patients will make diagnosis and treatment plan easier in TAO and other muscular diseases of the orbit. For the clinical application, we measured the size of muscle with and without magnification and the results were compared. Normal mean values of cross sectional length and thickness of the extraocular muscles measured by CT scan showed 8.83x 3.60 in the inferior rectus, 9.20x3.20 in the superior muscle group, 9.45x 3.48 in the medial rectus and 9.65x3.23 mm in the lateral rectus muscle with no sex differences. All four muscles showed statistically significant enlargement in TAO and the thickness showed greater increase than the length. Superior muscle group(superior rectus and levator muscle)was the most frequently involved in TAO in both sexes. There was no significant statistical difference in the methods of measurement.
Diagnosis ; Diplopia ; Exophthalmos ; Eye Diseases ; Graves Ophthalmopathy* ; Humans* ; Korea* ; Muscles* ; Muscular Diseases ; Orbit ; Sex Characteristics ; Thyroid Gland* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Troleandomycin

In the present study, we attempted to reveal the response of lens on induced traumatic cataract which were removed the anterior capsule with 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm, 4.0 mm size in six rabbits. We examined histopathological change of the wounded lenses by means of the slit-lamp and electronmicroscope. We found opacities in wounded area increased regardless of wound diame-ter. Electronmicroscopic findings were similar to normal single-layer cuboidal anterior epithelial cells at 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm, 4.0 mm one day after injury. There were, however, elongated epithelial cells with abun-dant fine filaments and slightly edematous lens fiber cells in 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm groups at 1 week after injury. These were observed as a small superficial scars at the wound site. We considered these changes as an effort of lens to delay the progression to the total cataract . We noted the widening of intercellular spaces, loss of cell membrane, decrease of intracel-lular organelles and severe change of the lens fiber rows in 4.0 mm group at 3 weeks after injury. We observed these changes as the total cataract in gross. Taken together, we revealed that lens epithelial cells in 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm in wound diameter stop the progression toward to the total cataract. However, lens epithelial cells at 4.0 mm in wound diameter could not obstruct the progression toward to the total cataract. We documented different stages of cataract formation and microstructure of the wounded lens, which have different wound sizes.
Cataract* ; Cell Membrane ; Cicatrix ; Epithelial Cells ; Extracellular Space ; Organelles ; Rabbits ; Wounds and Injuries

PURPOSE: To compare intraocular straylight in normal and cataractous eyes as the morphology and to compare straylight as the result of subjective symptoms in early cataract cases using the C-quant straylight meter, the only tool to measure light scattering in media. METHODS: Straylight values were measured in 217 normal eyes and 138 cataractous eyes. Cataractous eyes were classified into posterior subcapsular opacity, anterior subcapsular opacity and nucleosclerosis. Straylight values of each group were measured. The 56 early cataractous eyes were categorized into two groups, depending on the presence of subjective symptoms, and each straylight value was measured. The preoperative and postoperative straylight values of early cataracts were also compared. RESULTS: The mean straylight values of normal and cataractous eyes were 1.34 and 2.46, respectively. The value of posterior subcapsular opacity (2.81) was significantly higher than that of anterior subcapsular opacity (2.33) and nucleosclerosis (1.99). The straylight values of early cataracts were significantly higher in the group with subjective symptoms (2.02) than in the group without subjective symptoms (1.56). The postoperative straylight value decreased to 1.42. CONCLUSIONS: The posterior subcapsular cataract showed significantly high intraocular straylight, indicating that light scattering occurred to a greater extent in this group. Light scattering occurred more in early cataractous eyes with subjective symptoms than in eyes without symptoms, and light scattering was reduced after surgery. The C-quant straylight meter, which measures the light scattering in media, can be a useful tool to determine the time of cataract surgery and to evaluate the quality of vision.
Cataract ; Eye ; Light ; Vision, Ocular

There has been need of carbonic anhydrase inhibitor eyedrops which has no systemic side effects, but it has problem in transcorneal coefficiency. Recently developed MK 507 has modified the lipid permeability. We researched on the efficiencies of MK 507 and Timolol by measuring the returning time to baseline intraocular pressure using Honan balloon. Forty-five healthy volunteers were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 was administered placebo. Group 2 was administered 0.25% timolol, and group 3 was administered 2% MK 507. The IOP was measured with Goldmann applanation tonometer at 2 hours before Honan balloon pressure (30mmHg, 30 minutes) and every 5 minutes after the pressure was released until IOP returned to baseline IOP. The returing time to baseline IOP was 19.17 +/- 2.31 minutes in group 1, 37.17 +/- 5.03 minutes in group 2, 31.67 +/- 2.40 minutes in group 3 (P- value: 0.0001) (AVOVA). The result of this study suggests that measuring the returing time to baseline IOP using Honan balloon may be useful in determining the effects of MK 507 and Timolol, adrenergic beta-blocker.
Aqueous Humor* ; Carbonic Anhydrases ; Healthy Volunteers ; Intraocular Pressure ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Permeability ; Timolol*

We assessed the combined effects of dapiprazole, an alpha-adrenergic receptor blocker, with pilocarpine. direct-acting parasympathomimetics, on reversing mydriasis and cycloplegia in 40 eyes (20 subjects) who received 1% tropicamide or 2.5% phenylephrine for pupillary dilation and cycloplegic refraction. These results were compared to 40 eyes (20 subjects) that received dapiprazole alone. The study was divided into four groups, each of which consisted of 20 eyes that received either 1% tropicamide or 0.5% phenylephrine followed by instillation of 0.5% dapiprazole alone or in combination with 2% pilocarpine. A significant difference in the reduction of pupil size and the increase in accommodative amplitude has been observed between the groups that received dapiprazole alone and those received both dapiprazole and pilocarpine(p<0.001). These results suggest that dapiprazole and pilocarpine eyedrops have additive effects on reversing both mydriasis and cycloplegia after instillation of 1% tropicamide or 2.5% phenylephrine for pupillary dilation and cycloplegic refraction.
Mydriasis* ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Parasympathomimetics ; Phenylephrine ; Pilocarpine* ; Pupil ; Tropicamide

The aqueous bumor makes an important role to maintain intraocular pressure. The production and outflow of aqueous humor controls the intraocular pressure. The accurate understanding of the pathway of aqueous outflow and the rate of outflow is essential to the study of glaucoma. The purpose of this study is to investigate the pathway of aqueous outflow after injection of dye into the anterior chamber, the duration of staining and the degree of delay of aqueous outflow after the use of viscoelastics. Three dyes. Gentian Violet, Methylene Blue and Viscoelastics mixed with Gentian Violer were injected into the anterior chambers of 20 eyes of 10 rabbits. The eyes were enucleated at 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour, 4 hour after injection of Gentian Violer and Methylene Blue. After injiection of viscoelastics mixed with Gentian violet, the eyes were enucleated at 2 hour, 4 hour, 6 hour, 8 hour, and 9 hour. The enucleated eyes were performed for frozen section and the fragments were observed by light microscopee. Gentian violet and Merhylene Blue were stained in the pathway of the pectinate ligaments, trabecular meshwork, intrascleral plexus and the pathway of the capillary network of iris and suprachoroidal space. The disappearance of injected dye was ended between 3 hour and 4 hour. And the viscoelastics mixed with dye was removed between 8 hour and 9 hour. This means that viscoelastics make the outflow of aqueous delay.
Anterior Chamber* ; Aqueous Humor* ; Capillaries ; Coloring Agents ; Frozen Sections ; Gentian Violet ; Gentiana ; Glaucoma ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iris ; Ligaments ; Methylene Blue ; Rabbits ; Trabecular Meshwork

The 1,783 patients with eye injuries, including the 234 in-patients, who visited the Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul Adventist Hospital from Jan. 1, 1987 to Dec. 31, 1988 were clinically analyzed. The results were as follows: 1. The incidence of ocular injuries was 4.7% of all eye patients, and 25.5% of all patients admitted to this ophthalmologic department. 2. The incidence was more common in male(76,8%)and in the age of 3rd to 4th decades(47.0%). 3. The ocular injuries were more common in the spring(27.3%), and in March. 4. The most common cause of ocular injuries was sand or dust or iron piece(29.8%), followed by fist or finger(12.2%) and traffic accident(12.5%), but the injuries by iron products(20.1%) were the most common in the admitted patients. 5. The most common ocular injury was conjunctival foreign body(23.7%), followed by subconjunctival hemorrhage (20.6%) and (9.5%). In the cases of in-patients, hyphema(24.2%) was the most coommon, followed by corneal lacera tion(12.2%) and eyelid laceration(11.2%). 6. Surgical procedure included corneal suture(18.3%), primary closure of eyelid and face(22.2%). 7. Visual acuity was improved in most cases by treatment, but the corrected vision after treatment was less than 0.1 in 20.5%, which was mainly due to the perforating eye injuries. 8. The most common complication of ocular injuries after treatment was corneal opacity(34.1%), followed by vitreous opacity(9.4%).
Dust ; Eye Injuries ; Eyelids ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hyphema ; Incidence ; Iron ; Ophthalmology ; Seoul ; Silicon Dioxide ; Visual Acuity

Recently ankylosing spondylitis have been found to be the most common one among the joint diseases which is associated with anterior uveitis. About 10 to 60% of patients with Marie-Strumpells' ankylosing spondylitis have anterior uveitis. Ankylosing spondylitis is mostly found in young male and characterized by makedly elevated sedimentation and radiological changes; earliest finding in sacro-iliac joints are subchondral sclerosis or demineralization of the bone near the sacro-iliac joints. The joint margins gradually become less distinct until ankylosis develope. The vertebral bodies show "squaring" and the longitudinal ligaments show calcification and ossification on x-ray film (Bamboo spine). The uveitis associated with ankylosing spondylitis is a mild to severe non-granulomatous type (sometimes granulomatous) involving the anterior segment exclusively. Usually it affects one eye at a time. Recurrent attacks may lead to permanent damage depending on the severity and frequency of the attacks and the adequacy of treatment. The main treatment is the administration of steroids. A 35 year old man was seen in our clinic and found to have recurrent anterior uveitis with: hypopyon in his right eye and ankylosing spondylitis while was confirmed by char;acteristic radiological findings. Pathients with acute recurrent non-granulomatous iridocyclitis without apparent cause should have an x-ray of the lumbosacral spine and sacro-iliac joints.
Adult ; Ankylosis ; Humans ; Iridocyclitis ; Joint Diseases ; Joints ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Male ; Sclerosis ; Spine ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing* ; Steroids ; Uveitis ; Uveitis, Anterior* ; X-Ray Film