, title «What can we learn from animal models in glaucoma?» EDITORIAL Studies made with animal models have assisted in understanding the mechanisms of formation and evacuation of the aqueous humor as well as home-ostasis maintenance of intra-ocular pressure. Frequently , this type of study leads to a knowledge about the etiology of glaucoma and the development of therapies. Through the diversit...

The vascular hypothesis of glaucoma proposes that retinal ganglion cell axons traversing the optic nerve head (ONH) undergo oxygen and nutrient insufficiency as a result of compromised local blood flow, ultimately leading to their degeneration. To date, evidence for the hypothesis is largely circumstantial. Herein, we made use of an induced rat model of glaucoma that features reproducible and w...

Primary open angle glaucoma (OAG) is a multifactorial optic neuropathy characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell death and associated visual field loss. OAG is an emerging disease with increasing costs and negative outcomes, yet its fundamental pathophysiology remains largely undetermined. A major treatable risk factor for glaucoma is elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Despite the me...

PURPOSE To evaluate the effects of anti-glaucoma treatments containing benzalconium chloride (BAC) on the human cornea. METHODS A prospective single masked cohort study was conducted on the 50 eyes of 50 patients. The inclusion criteria were: recently diagnosed glaucoma or ocular hypertension with previous treatment, or ophthalmologist-prescribed anti-glaucoma therapy, and oral consent to par...

PURPOSE To study the clinical involvement of the ocular surface and the in vivo morphology of corneal cells and nerves, in patients affected by active and inactive Graves' orbitopathy (GO). METHODS The study included 26 consecutive GO patients and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects. GO was diagnosed on the basis of the criteria of the European Group on Graves' Orbitopathy, and d...

AIM The aim of this review was to summarize the ocular action of the most common phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and the subsequent visual disorders. METHOD This is a literature review of several important articles focusing on the pathophysiology of visual disorders induced by PDE inhibitors. RESULTS PDE inhibitors have been associated with ...

PURPOSE Alterations in FOXC1 dosage lead to a spectrum of highly penetrant, ocular anterior segment dysgenesis phenotypes. The most serious outcome is the development of glaucoma, which occurs in 50% to 75% of patients. Therefore, the need to identify specific pathways and genes that interact with FOXC1 to promote glaucoma is great. In this study, the authors investigated the loss of foxC1 in t...

We evaluated the clinical presentation and determined the ocular and neurologic sequelae in children with congenital toxoplasmosis in Brazil, taking into consideration the shortage of national publications on this disease. Follow-up evaluations were made of 43 children with congenital toxoplasmosis referred to Santa Casa de São Paulo, during a period of at least five years. Selection of the cas...

BACKGROUND To investigate the levels of nitric oxide (NO) markers in plasma and aqueous humour of patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) and their relation to ocular perfusion pressure. METHODS Cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) and nitrite (NO(2)(-)) were determined in plasma and aqueous humour of 38 patients with POAG and 46 controls. Blood pressure and IOP were measured to cal...

PURPOSE Alterations in immune system function associated with aging may contribute to increased morbidity in this population of individuals. The current studies were performed to determine aging-related changes in polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMN) function after corneal infection with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. METHODS Total PMN number, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2 mRNA and protein e...