Spontaneously occurring anterior corneal opacities were present in related, juvenile American Dutch belted rabbits. Slit lamp biomicroscopy revealed focal opacities of epithelium, basement membrane, and subepithelial corneal stroma. Lesions were characterized histologically by thin and disorganized surface epithelium, thickened and intensely staining epithelial basement membrane, fimbriated and...

Since the introduction by Jones and Zimmerman (I 959, I 96 I) of a reliable histological scheme for the separate recognition of each of the three major categories of corneal stromal dystrophy, the way has been open for precise characterization of the nature of the lesions in each of these conditions. This has been largely accomplished for the macular and lattice dystrophies, the former having b...

Lattice corneal dystrophy type I (LCDI) is a relatively common corneal dystrophy which can cause severe visual impairment. Recent studies have suggested a genetic localisation for the disease to chromosome 5q. Independent genetic linkage analysis in a six generation LCDI pedigree confirmed linkage to the 5q region bounded by marker loci IL9 and D5S436 suggesting genetic homogeneity. A maximum t...

PURPOSE Boston Terriers (BTs) have a greater prevalence of corneal endothelial dystrophy (CED), in comparison to other canine breeds. Similar to Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD), this condition is characterized by endothelial cell degeneration with secondary corneal edema. This study assessed corneal morphology using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) and Fourier-domain optical coher...

PURPOSE To determine the phenotype-genotype correlations in patients with corneal dystrophies associated with human transforming growth factor-β-induced (TGFBI) mutations at the National Taiwan University Hospital. METHODS Twenty-five affected patients from 15 families with corneal dystrophies were recruited. They underwent slit-lamp biomicroscopy and visual acuity examinations. Genomic DNA w...

purpose: to study the effect of phototherapeutic keratectomy (ptk) in the treatment of various superficial corneal pathologies. methods: we performed a nonrandomized, prospective study on patients who presented with superficial corneal disease and/or poor vision. fifty eyes were included recurrent corneal erosion (rce): 25 eyes, salzmann’s nodular degeneration: 9 eyes, spheroidal degeneration: ...

BACKGROUND Indications for corneal transplantation in developed and developing nations differ according to the different spectrum of corneal disease in each country. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to analyze the changing indications and surgical techniques for corneal transplantation over the past 20 years at a tertiary referral center in Turkey. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed ...

This case report describes the pathological changes found in the markedly clouded and thickened corneal button from a child with bilateral congenital hereditary corneal dystrophy. When surveyed by light and electron microscopy, three types of abnormalities were evident: (1) superficial changes including small subepithelial bullae, interruptions of the thickened epithelial basement membrane, anc...

PURPOSE To determine if a mutation within the coding region of the keratin 12 gene (KRT12) is responsible for a severe form of Meesmann's corneal dystrophy. METHODS A family with clinically identified Meesmann's corneal dystrophy was recruited and studied. Electron microscopy was performed on scrapings of corneal epithelial cells from the proband. Mutations in the KRT12 gene were sought using...