PURPOSE: To report the surgical technique to remove a chestnut thorn through a corneal incision. CASE SUMMARY: A 54-year-old female visited our clinic complaining of a sudden foreign body sensation and conjunctival injection in her left eye after picking chestnuts 4 days prior to her visit. Visual acuity of both eyes was 1.0 and the intraocular pressures were within normal limits. Slit lamp examination revealed that a chestnut thorn had deeply penetrated the left corneal stroma and a small number of inflammatory cells were observed in the anterior chamber. There was no corneal defect stained with fluorescein and the Seidel test was negative. A corneal foreign body comprised of a chestnut thorn and its remnants was diagnosed and emergency surgery was performed. A partial corneal incision was made along the foreign body and the exposed foreign body was easily and completely removed. The patient was treated with topical antibiotics after surgery and no complication was observed during a follow-up period of 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: In the case of a corneal foreign body comprised of a chestnut thorn, the foreign body with its remnants were easily removed by performing a partial corneal incision.
Anterior Chamber ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Corneal Injuries ; Corneal Stroma ; Emergencies ; Eye Foreign Bodies ; Female ; Fluorescein ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Middle Aged ; Sensation ; Slit Lamp ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To report a case of corneal edema caused by an iatrogenic lidocaine injection into the corneal stroma created while performing a local anesthetic (lidocaine) injection into the eyelid for a blepharoplasty procedure. CASE SUMMARY: A 15-year-old female visited our clinic after the onset of severe pain and decreased visual acuity while receiving a local anesthetic injection in the upper blepharon for a blepharoplasty procedure. At the first clinical visit, visual acuity was hand motion and an accurate anterior chamber examination was difficult because of corneal edema. The Seidel test was negative. On corneal optical coherence tomography, the corneal thickness was 1,580 µm without any sign of Descemet's membrane detachment. We prescribed 5% NaCl four times a day and prednisolone acetate eight times a day. On the next day after injury, the corneal edema was significantly improved (central corneal thickness: 660 µm), and Descemet's membrane detachment was still not observed. One week after injury, the naïve visual acuity was 20/20, the central corneal thickness was 560 µm, and the endothelial cell count was 3,260 cells/cm². Three weeks after injury, the corneal edema was fully resolved and only slight temporal corneal haziness remained. After 2 months, the cornea was clear without any subjective discomfort. CONCLUSIONS: Corneal edema without Descemet's membrane detachment can be resolved spontaneously without aggressive treatment such as gas or air injection. However, endothelial cell count and corneal opacity need to be monitored on follow up exam. This clinical experience suggests that severe corneal edema in anterior stromal layer could be spontaneously resolved without severe complication.
Adolescent ; Anesthesia, Local ; Anterior Chamber ; Blepharoplasty ; Cornea ; Corneal Edema ; Corneal Opacity ; Corneal Stroma ; Descemet Membrane ; Edema ; Endothelial Cells ; Eyelids ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Humans ; Lidocaine ; Prednisolone ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To report a case of infectious crystalline keratopathy caused by Alternaria in the corneal center. CASE SUMMARY: A 66-year-old male visited our clinic with right ocular pain and visual loss after corneal trauma caused by a foreign body hitting his right eye while performing farm work 1 month prior to his visit. The patient had no history of corneal surgery and long-term use of topical corticosteroid. A corneal epithelial defect and whitish snowflake margin infiltration around the corneal stroma were observed in the corneal center, but there was an absence of conjunctival injection and anterior segment inflammation. Cultures and a biopsy of the corneal scrapings revealed Alternaria species fungus. The patient was treated with 1% topical voriconazole and 0.5% moxifloxacin, together with oral voriconazole (400 mg/day). After 2 months of treatment, the disease was completely cured, with a minute corneal opacity. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully treated a rare case of infectious crystalline keratopathy caused by Alternaria, which has not been previously reported in the Republic of Korea.
Aged ; Agriculture ; Alternaria ; Biopsy ; Corneal Injuries ; Corneal Opacity ; Corneal Stroma ; Crystallins ; Foreign Bodies ; Fungi ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Republic of Korea ; Voriconazole

Traumatic injury to the eye can occur due to various causes, most of which are avoidable. Here we report three cases of intrastromal corneal foreign bodies (FB) which required surgical removal. Most corneal FBs are removed easily at the slit lamp, however, these cases required surgical intervention due to the mechanism of which the FB penetrated into the stroma. Although the mechanism of injury was similar, with all three cases occurring at high velocity, we observed that the entry and level of penetration differed in each case. In the first case, the corneal FB penetrated the cornea and was embedded in the anterior stroma, whereas in the second case, the FB was embedded in the posterior stroma, but with an intact endothelium. In the third case, the FB caused a full thickness, self-sealed laceration wound but remained embedded in the stroma. Through further evaluation, we noted that several factors contribute towards the severity of the injury, namely, anatomy of the cornea, area affected, shape, size, mass and velocity of the object. We speak in depth about the mechanism of injury and physics associated with these injuries and why the penetration differed in each case.
corneal stroma ; foreign bodies ; injury ; mechanics ; physics

PURPOSE: To compare preoperative and postoperative thickness and to investigate the difference in the thickness change of corneal epithelium and stroma after cataract surgery through scleral tunnel incision. METHODS: Forty eyes of forty patients who were 40 years old or older and underwent small-incision superior scleral tunnel cataract surgery with phacoemulsification were included. Using the RTVue instrument (Optovue Inc., Fremont, CA, USA), corneal epithelial (ET) and stromal thicknesses (ST) of all subjects were measured preoperatively and at 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively. Thicknesses were classified into 3 zones according to the distance from the vertex: central zone (within 2 mm), paracentral zone (2-5 mm diameter) and midperipheral zone (5-6 mm diameter). RESULTS: Mean central ST was 486.68 ± 25.15 µm, 535.16 ± 48.13 µm, 515.98 ± 44.07 µm, and 502.28 ± 34.87 µm preoperatively, and at 3 days, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively, respectively (p < 0.001 for all). ST showed significant thickening in all three zones from 3 days to 1 month postoperatively (p < 0.001 for all). Mean central, paracentral, and midperipheral ET was 52.13 ± 3.41 µm, 50.42 ± 2.97 µm, 49.12 ± 3.05 µm at preoperatively and 51.03 ± 3.63 µm, 48.96 ± 3.62 µm, 47.67 ± 3.81 µm at 1 month postoperatively, respectively (p = 0.061, 0.006, 0.001, respectively), while there were no signficant changes in all three zones at 3 and 7 days postoperatively. Changes in ET and ST were prominent at the superotemporal incision site. CONCLUSIONS: After scleral tunnel cataract surgery, corneal edema was observed in the stroma immediately after surgery. There was no significant change at early times after surgery in the epithelium, and there was a decrease in the peripheral cornea at 1 month postoperatively. The change in ET was considered a compensatory change due to stromal edema and appeared between 1 week to 1 month postoperatively.
Cataract* ; Cornea ; Corneal Edema ; Corneal Stroma ; Edema ; Epithelium ; Epithelium, Corneal ; Humans ; Phacoemulsification

PURPOSE: We report a case of a horizontally penetrating injury of corneal stroma via an ejected irrigating needle during stromal hydration in cataract surgery. CASE SUMMARY: A 79-year-old woman presented with decreased visual acuity in her right eye. Her best corrected visual acuity in the right eye was 0.3. The cataract score of her right eye was nuclear opacity 3, cortical opacity 1−2, and posterior subcapsular opacity 1. She underwent phacoemulsification using a clear corneal approach while under topical anesthesia, and an intraocular lens was successfully implanted in the bag. A plastic syringe with an irrigating needle was used to hydrate the corneal stroma at the clear cornea site. As a result of the increased pressure applied to the connection between the syringe and irrigating needle, the loosened irrigating needle was forcefully ejected toward the corneal endothelium, horizontally penetrating the stroma without injuring the corneal epithelium. On the 1st postoperative day, her right eye exhibited a visual acuity of 0.5, astigmatism of −1.25 diopter (D) cyl., corneal edema with Descemet's folds, and insignificant scarring of the corneal endothelium. Three weeks after surgery, the visual acuity was 0.9, the astigmatism was −0.50 D, and any other abnormalities such as corneal opacity were no longer present. CONCLUSIONS: Despite a penetrating needle injury through the corneal endothelium and stroma, the corneal wound healing process did not result in corneal opacity or worsened astigmatism. To prevent sequela due to an ejected irrigating needle, operators and assistants should be actively aware of tight locking between the needle and syringe.
Aged ; Anesthesia ; Astigmatism ; Cataract ; Cicatrix ; Cornea ; Corneal Edema ; Corneal Opacity ; Corneal Stroma ; Endothelium, Corneal ; Epithelium, Corneal ; Female ; Humans ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Needles* ; Phacoemulsification ; Plastics ; Syringes ; Visual Acuity ; Wound Healing

PURPOSE: To report a case of recurrent myxomatous corneal degeneration after pterygectomy. CASE SUMMARY: A 65-year-old man with a history of abdominal keloid was referred to our hospital for assessment of a well-circumscribed, gelatinous, whitish corneal mass on the nasal corneal area of the left eye that appeared one month prior. The patient had undergone pterygectomy on his left eye 2 years ago. The patient experienced mild foreign body sensation. The other anterior segment and fundus examination of the left eye were both normal. We diagnosed the case as keloid and we performed excisional biopsy of the corneal mass. Histologic findings revealed proliferation of myxoid-appearing material in the anterior corneal stroma. On immunohistochemical examination, sections were stained positive for actin and calretinin, and negative for S-100. We diagnosed the tumor as myxomatous corneal degeneration. After six months, a recurrent mass was found on the previously excised site. Re-excisional biopsy and topical interferon α-2b treatment were then performed in response. After re-excision, there was no recurrence or complications during one year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Myxomatous corneal degeneration should be considered during differential diagnosis of an elevated, whitish, gelatinous lesion of the cornea with previous history of trauma or operation, such as pterygectomy. An interferon α-2b topical treatment is useful for recurrent corneal myomatous degeneration.
Actins ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Calbindin 2 ; Cornea ; Corneal Stroma ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foreign Bodies ; Gelatin ; Humans ; Interferons* ; Keloid ; Recurrence ; Sensation

This study was conducted to evaluate three different mixed formulations of sodium hyaluronate (SH) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) using a low-humidity air flow-induced rat dry eye model and determine the most suitable mixture. The total thickness of the cornea, corneal epithelial thickness, corneal stroma thickness, damaged corneal epithelium percentage region, thickness of the bulbar conjunctiva epithelium, number of goblet cells, goblet cell occupation percentage region, and damaged bulbar conjunctiva epithelium percentage region were measured by histomorphological evaluation. After 5 h exposure to drying airflow, the thickness of the cornea and conjunctiva was decreased with desquamation of the corneal and conjunctiva epithelium. However, these dry eye symptoms were markedly inhibited by treatment with the reference and test formulations. More favorable effects on decreased thickness were detected in response to the CMC than the SH. However, SH had a greater protective effect against corneal and conjunctiva epithelial damage. The application of a mixture of 0.1% SH and 0.2% CMC showed more favorable effects on the corneal and conjunctival damage and the stabilization of the ocular surface than SH or CMC alone.
Animals ; Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium* ; Conjunctiva ; Cornea ; Corneal Stroma ; Epithelium ; Epithelium, Corneal ; Goblet Cells ; Hyaluronic Acid* ; Occupations ; Rats* ; Sodium*

No abstract available.
Adult ; Cataract Extraction/*adverse effects ; Corneal Edema/diagnosis/*etiology ; Corneal Stroma/*pathology ; Epithelium, Corneal/*pathology ; Female ; Hallermann's Syndrome/*complications/diagnosis ; Humans ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular

PURPOSE: To report the clinical outcomes of deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) when sterile gamma-irradiated acellular corneal tissues (VisionGraft) are used in combination with amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) for intractable ocular surface diseases. METHODS: The medical records of fifteen patients who had DALK with AMT were retrospectively reviewed. Indications for surgery included ocular burn, bacterial keratitis, herpes simplex virus keratitis, corneal opacity with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, Mooren's ulcer, idiopathic myxoid degeneration of corneal stroma, and recurrent band keratopathy. DALK was performed using partial-thickness acellular corneal tissue and a temporary amniotic membrane patch was added at the end of the operation. RESULTS: All cases that underwent DALK with AMT became epithelialized within 2 postoperative weeks. Twelve patients showed favorable outcomes without graft rejection, corneal opacification, or neovascularization. The other three grafts developed corneal opacification and neovascularization, and required additional penetrating keratoplasty (PK). Unlike the results of previous PKs, there were no graft rejections and the graft clarity was well-maintained in these three cases for at least 8 months after PK. CONCLUSIONS: DALK using sterile acellular corneal tissues in combination with AMT may be a good therapeutic strategy for treating intractable ocular surface diseases because of lowered immune rejection, fibroblast activation, and facilitation of epithelialization. Furthermore, DALK can help stabilize the ocular surface, prolong graft survival, and may allow better outcomes when combined with subsequent PK.
Adult ; Aged ; Amnion/*transplantation ; Corneal Diseases/pathology/*surgery ; Corneal Stroma/radiation effects/*transplantation ; Female ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Young Adult