For the first time in vivo retinal imaging has been performed with a new compact, low noise Yb-based ASE source operating in the 1 microm range (NP Photonics, lambdac = 1040 nm, Deltalambda = 50 nm, Pout = 30 mW) at the dispersion minimum of water with ~7 microm axial resolution. OCT tomograms acquired at 800 nm are compared to those achieved at 1040 nm showing about 200 microm deeper penetrati...

Retinal degenerative diseases constitute a major cause of irreversible blindness in the world. Stem cell-based therapies offer hope for these patients at risk of or suffering from blindness due to the deterioration of the neural retina. Various sources of stem cells are currently being investigated, ranging from human embryonic stem cells to adult-derived induced pluripotent stem cells as well ...

Nonsyndromic recessive retinal dystrophies cause severe visual impairment due to the death of photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium cells. These diseases until recently have been considered to be incurable. Molecular genetic studies in the last two decades have revealed the underlying molecular causes in approximately two-thirds of patients. The mammalian eye has been at the forefront of...

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) shows cell heterogeneity in morphology and enzymatic activity. Routine isolation procedures for RPE cells may reduce enzymatic activity and prevent the quantification of regional enzymatic differences in vivo. We developed a new technique for the isolation of RPE cells based on adhesion of the cells to agarose. The morphology of the isolated cells resembled ...

Grouped pigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium was found in a father and his son. They had a normal resting potential on the electro-oculogram, but the son had a lower normal light rise. We believe this is the first description of familial grouped pigmentation.

Organ culture of human choroid and retinal pigment epithelium was maintained in medium RPMI 1640 with Millipore filter as support for various periods up to six weeks. The tissues were obtained from autopsy and surgical materials. The cultures were studied by light and electron microscopy. The tissues maintained by this culture method appeared to be in a relatively normal active state, without o...

Phototoxic retinopathy in rats is characterized by a progressive loss of the outer retinal layers. During the neural degenerative phases, a sequence of vascular change occurs. Whole mounts of ink-injected retinal vessels and flat mounts of trypsin-digested retinal vessels show areas of capillary nonperfusion and acellularity and enlargement of retinal capillaries in the deep bed. When the photo...

Cathespin D from the retinal pigment epithelium of bovine eyes was purified about 25-fold from a crude extract of retinal pigment epithelium by acid treatment, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and Sephadex G-200 column chromatography. The purified enzyme hydrolyzed bovine serum albumin optimally at pH values close to 4.0. Exposure of the enzyme to 60 degrees C. for 2 minutes resulted in 50 per c...

The overlying retinal blood vessels were abnormal in five cases of congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium. This illustrated the well-recognized association between outer retinal degeneration and obliteration of the overlying retinal vasculature. The proposed pathophysiological mechanisms, however, seem inadequate to explain completely the morphological changes of the retinal b...