Epithelial ingrowth of anterior chamber and anterior surface of vitreous. (1/159)

This study is a case report of the histopathologic findings of the anterior chamber epithelial ingrowth in a patient who had penetrating injury in the right eye from an arrow approximately 20 years ago. The patient underwent the enucleation in the right eye due to pthisis bulbi and was fitted with a prosthetic eye. Specimens were prepared from the enucleated right eye for histopathologic observation using hematoxyllin-eosin to be observed under light microscopy. Epithelial ingrowth in the anterior chamber was noted in one layer or multi-layered epithelial cell growth. The ingrowth had spread to the posterior surface of the cornea to the anterior chamber angle, to the iris surface, and to the anterior surface of the vitreous. The finding suggests that epithelial ingrowth could invade even through a perforation site and spread wherever the cells could reach.  (+info)

Eye injuries in children: the current picture. (2/159)

AIMS: To investigate the current causes and outcomes of paediatric ocular trauma. METHODS: A prospective observational study of all children admitted to hospital with ocular trauma in Scotland over a 1 year period. RESULTS: The commonest mechanism of injury was blunt trauma, accounting for 65% of the total. 60% of the patients were admitted with a hyphaema. Injuries necessitating admission occurred most frequently at home (51%). Sporting activities were the commonest cause of injury in the 5-14 age group. There were no injuries caused by road traffic accidents or fireworks. Patients were admitted to hospital for a mean of 4.2 days (range 1-25 days). One (1%) child had an acuity in the "visually impaired" range (6/18-6/60) and one (1%) was "blind" (6/60) in the affected eye. No child was bilaterally blinded by injury and none required blind or partial sight registration. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that the incidence of eye injuries affecting children has fallen. The outcome of ocular trauma has improved significantly, and for the first time paediatric injuries appear to have a better prognosis than injuries affecting adults.  (+info)

Simulation model of an eyeball based on finite element analysis on a supercomputer. (3/159)

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A simulation model of the human eye was developed. It was applied to the determination of the physical and mechanical conditions of impacting foreign bodies causing intraocular foreign body (IOFB) injuries. METHODS: Modules of the Hypermesh (Altair Engineering, Tokyo, Japan) were used for solid modelling, geometric construction, and finite element mesh creation based on information obtained from cadaver eyes. The simulations were solved by a supercomputer using the finite element analysis (FEA) program PAM-CRASH (Nihon ESI, Tokyo, Japan). It was assumed that rupture occurs at a strain of 18.0% in the cornea and 6.8% in the sclera and at a stress of 9.4 MPa for both cornea and sclera. Blunt-shaped missiles were shot and set to impact on the surface of the cornea or sclera at velocities of 30 and 60 m/s, respectively. RESULTS: According to the simulation, the sizes of missile above which corneal rupture occurred at velocities of 30 and 60 m/s were 1.95 and 0.82 mm. The missile sizes causing scleral rupture were 0.95 and 0.75 mm at velocities of 30 and 60 m/s. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that this FEA model has potential usefulness as a simulation tool for ocular injury and it may provide useful information for developing protective measures against industrial and traffic ocular injuries.  (+info)

A review of childhood admission with perforating ocular injuries in a hospital in north-west India. (4/159)

A retrospective study of perforating ocular injuries in children below the age of fifteen years was conducted. Eighty patients (eighty-nine eyes) were included in this study. Male children were more susceptible to ocular injury as compared to females (p = < 0.01). Children of the school-going age were the most affected (73.8%). Majority of the injuries occurred in the sports field (p = < 0.01). Playing with bow and arrow, and gillidanda* accounted for majority of the sport injuries (47.2%). Sixty-eight percent of the perforated eyes had no light perception at the end of treatment. Health education on the preventive aspects of ocular injuries in schools as well as through mass media should reduce the incidence of visual loss due to ocular injuries.  (+info)

Rapid upregulation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (flg) by rat photoreceptor cells after injury. (5/159)

PURPOSE: To determine the mechanism by which basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) exerts its neuroprotective effects on degenerating or injured photoreceptors. METHODS: Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy was used to identify sites of bFGF and FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) expression after focal injury or experimental retinal detachment in adult rats. FGFR1 expression was analyzed immunohistochemically and at the transcription level in single photoreceptor cells, after reverse transcription (RT), using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Real time quantitative RT-PCR was used to measure changes in FGFR1 mRNA levels in the retina in response to injury or detachment. RESULTS: Confocal immunofluorescence observations showed that FGFR1 immunoreactivity in the rat retina is concentrated primarily in the perinuclear cytoplasm of photoreceptor cell bodies. Reverse transcription of total RNA derived from dissociated rat photoreceptor cells, followed by amplification of FGFR1 cDNA using the PCR, verified the presence of FGFR1 transcripts in normal rat photoreceptor cells; in contrast, no evidence of bFGF transcription was detected. Collectively, these results provide compelling evidence for FGFR1 gene expression by rat photoreceptors in situ. Within hours after experimental retinal detachment or focal injury, there is a twofold increase in FGFR1 immunoreactivity in the outer nuclear layer that persists for at least 7 days; a similar increase in bFGF immunoreactivity in the interphotoreceptor matrix is also apparent. This increase in FGFR1 protein levels after detachment and injury also was confirmed by western blot analysis. Real time quantitative RT-PCR analyses revealed that a rapid upregulation of FGFR1 mRNA occurred within 12 hours after retinal injury/detachment, but then declined to near baseline levels by 24 hours. CONCLUSIONS: This body of evidence strongly suggests that the photoreceptor rescue effect elicited by retinal injury as well as by injection of exogenous bFGF is mediated, at least in part, by upregulation of the FGFR1 by the photoreceptor cells.  (+info)

Air bags and ocular injuries. (6/159)

PURPOSE: This investigation retrospectively examined ocular injuries associated with air bag deployment to gain a better appreciation of potential risk factors in motor vehicle accidents. National statistics regarding the efficacy of air bags were reviewed. METHODS: Review of the literature from 1991 to 1998 identified 44 articles describing 97 patients with air-bag-induced ocular injuries. Variables extracted from each case were age, sex, height, position in the car, eye wear, vehicle impact speed, visual acuity, and specific ocular injuries. RESULTS: Corneal abrasions occurred in 49% of occupants, hyphemas in 43%, vitreous or retinal hemorrhages in 25%, and retinal tears or detachments in 15%. The globe was ruptured in 10 patients. Patients involved in higher-speed accidents (over 30 mph) sustained a greater percentage of vitreous or retinal hemorrhages and traumatic cataracts, while those at slower speeds were more prone to retinal tears or detachments. In a subset of 14 patients with serious ocular injuries, the impact speed of 11 patients was recorded at 30 mph or less. Slower speed may be a risk factor for some ocular injuries. Occupant height was not a significant factor. National statistics confirm that air bags reduce fatalities in motor vehicle accidents. However, children sitting in the front seat without a seat belt and infants in passenger-side rear-facing car seats are at risk for fatal injury. CONCLUSION: Air bags combined with seat belts are an effective means of reducing injury and death in adults during motor vehicle accidents. However, this study has documented a wide variety of ocular injuries associated with air bag deployment. It is hoped that researchers can develop modifications that continue to save lives while minimizing additional harm.  (+info)

Orbitocranial injury caused by wood. (7/159)

A rare case of a patient with orbitocranial injury by a wooden foreign body is reported. Penetrating periorbital wound by a wooden stick with entry site at the right upper eyelid was related to the invasion into the temporal lobe. Fortunately, the anterior and posterior segments of eye were unharmed, but right ocular motility was markedly restricted mechanically in all directions. Forced duction test was strong positive, especially the dextroversion of the right eye. Computed tomography scan showed a well-delineated low density from the orbital wall into the temporal lobe. The wooden foreign body was subsequently removed from the orbit and the temporal lobe, through the neurosurgical frontotemporal approach. After the wooden foreign body was removed, the ocular movement of the right eye fully recovered without any intracranial or ocular complications.  (+info)

Mine blast injuries: ocular and social aspects. (8/159)

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Landmines have long been used in conventional warfare. These are antipersonnel mines which continue to injure people long after a ceasefire without differentiating between friend or foe, soldier or civilian, women or children. This study focuses on Afghan non-combatants engaged in mine clearing operations in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Russo-Afghan war. The patterns and types of injuries seen are described and experiences in their management, ways, and means to prevent them, and recommendations for the rehabilitation of the affected individuals are given. METHODS: It is a retrospective and analytical study of 84 patients aged 19-56 years who sustained mine blast injuries during mine clearing operations in Afghanistan from November 1992 to January 1996. The study was carried out at a military hospital with tertiary care facilities. The patients were divided into three groups on the basis of their injuries. Group 1 required only general surgical attention, group 2 sustained only ocular injuries, while group 3 had combined ocular and general injuries. Patients in groups 2 and 3 were treated in two phases. The first phase aimed at immediate restoration of the anatomy, while restoration of function wherever possible was done in subsequent surgical procedures in the second phase. RESULTS: It was observed that 51 out of 84 patients (60.7%) had sustained ocular trauma of a variable degree as a result of the blasts. The mean age of the victims was 29 years and they were all male. A total of 91 eyes of 51 patients (89.2%) had been damaged. Bilaterality of damage was seen in 40 (78.4%) patients. Most, 34 (37.3%), eyes became totally blind (NPL). Only a few escaped with injury mild enough not to impair vision. Foreign bodies, small and multiple, were found in the majority of eyes; most, however, were found in the anterior segment, and posterior segment injuries were proportionally less. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of blindness caused by mine blast injuries is quite high. The resulting psychosocial trauma to the patients and their families is tremendous and has not been adequately highlighted. These injuries are a great drain on the country's resources. Enforcement of preventive measures and the use of protective gear and sophisticated equipment by the mine clearing personnel would prove to be far more economical in terms of human life as well as medical and economic resources. There is also need for greater attention towards the establishment of support groups and rehabilitation programmes for these individuals.  (+info)