The dioptric power of the cornea (spherical equivalent) was studied in 60 eyes operated on for penetrating keratoplasty. In order to determine the possible influence of (1) the underlying pathology, (2) the presence of neovascularisation, or (3) the size of the graft the sample was divided into four groups, with the following results: group A (keratoconus, same-sized graft) = 42.25 D; group B (...

The principal low molecular weight phosphatic metabolites of the intact cornea were identified and quantitated nondestructively by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (P-31 NMR) spectroscopy. As part of this analytical procedure, the intracorneal pH was approximated from the resonance shift position of inorganic orthophosphate. In addition the metabolic and pH stability of incubated cornea...

Human donor corneas were used for penetrating keratoplasty in one eye of each of 12 rhesus monkeys. In six animals, a 9.5-mm cornea was sutured into a 9.0-mm recipient bed by means of interrupted 10-0 nylon sutures. Six other animals received a 6.5-mm cornea in a 6.0-mm bed. Biomicroscopy, pachymetry, and specular microscopy revealed two distinct healing patterns. Of the six eyes receiving the ...

The purpose of this work was to study the effectiveness of heparin plus cortisone, and of cortisone alone in control of corneal vascularization in rabbit eyes. Corneal vascularization was induced by de-epithelialization of the cornea and limbus and part of the bulbar conjunctiva with concurrent trephination and excision of a central 2-mm diameter corneal button. Inhibition of vascularization by...

The cornea is the outermost tissue of the eye and it must be transparent for the maintenance of good visual function. The superficial epithelium of the cornea, which is renewed continuously by corneal stem cells, plays a critical role in the permanence of this transparency. These stem cells are localized at the cornea-conjunctival transition zone, referred to as the limbus. When this zone is af...

The principal low molecular weight phosphatic metabolites of the intact cornea were identified and quantitated nondestructively by phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance (P-31 NMR) spectroscopy. As part of this analytical procedure, the intracorneal pH was approximated from the resonance shift position of inorganic orthophosphate. In addition the metabolic and pH stability of incubated cornea...

PURPOSE To describe the preparation and thickness profiles of endothelial keratoplasty lenticules harvested from eyes with previous photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS Donor whole eyes that underwent PRK were subjected to microkeratome-assisted dissection for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty. Specular microscopy and Visante optical coherence tomography were perform...

Corneal blindness is a significant problem treated primarily by corneal transplants. Donor tissue supply is low, creating a growing need for an alternative. A tissue-engineered cornea made from patient-derived cells and biopolymer scaffold materials would be widely accessible to all patients and would alleviate the need for donor sources. Previous work in this lab led to a method for electrospi...

PURPOSE Macrophages have been shown to play a critical role in the wound healing process. In the present study, the role of macrophages in wound healing after autologous corneal transplantation was investigated by depleting local infiltrated macrophages. METHODS Autologous corneal transplantation model was used to induce wound repair in Balb/c mice. Macrophages were depleted by sub-conjunctiv...

PURPOSE Although cryotherapy has long been used to eradicate corneal lesions, there have been no reports of adverse effects of cryotherapy on human corneas. We performed this study to evaluate and characterize ultrastructural damage to the human cornea following the transcorneal freezing-and-thawing procedure. METHODS Seven human donor corneas were randomly divided into three groups. 1, 2, an...