Down syndrome and the eye: Ocular characteristics and ocular assessment.

The trisomy of chromosome 21, the smallest autosome, is associated with significant systemic manifestations in addition to intellectual disability. The triplication of this chromosome, known as Down syndrome (DS) is also associated with several manifestations in the eye, and ocular adnexae. People with DS have a variety of ophthalmic conditions, some of which require intervention.

Iris reconstruction: A perspective on the modern surgical armamentarium.

The surgical reconstruction of eyes with iris defects is almost invariably complex and challenging. A number of prosthetic iris devices are available including large-incision, rigid diaphragm, aniridic intraocular lens style devices, small-incision devices incorporating a capsular ring, and flexible, customized, small-incision iris prostheses. The surgical techniques for rehabilitation are dictated by the configuration of the iris defect, the presence of concurrent ocular pathology, and the functional complaint of the patient.

The Sheep Cornea: Structural and Clinical Characteristics.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to perform qualitative and quantitative analyses to characterize the corneas of young, healthy sheep.

Materials And Methods: Eight healthy male sheep, 10 months to 1 year of age, were included as experimental subjects. Central corneal thickness was measured using a handheld pachymeter, and an Easygraph corneal topographer provided topographic maps.

Evolution of Keratoconus: From Diagnosis to Therapeutics.

This review describes the evolution of the diagnosis and treatment of keratoconus from the earliest written description to present day. The first description was provided in 1736 by Benedict Duddell who described the prominent corneas of a fourteen-year-old boy. Throughout the 19th century, a variety of surgical procedures were proposed to manage the disease, such as surgically repositioning the pupil away from the cone, iris incarceration to produce a slit-like pupil, cauterization of the cone to produce a scar, and full thickness elliptical excision of the cone.

Sphere-forming cells from peripheral cornea demonstrate the ability to repopulate the ocular surface.

Background: The limbus forms the outer rim of the cornea at the corneoscleral junction and harbours a population of stem cells for corneal maintenance. Injuries to the limbus, through disease or accidents such as chemical injuries or burns, may lead to significant visual impairment due to depletion of the native stem cells of the tissue.

Methods: Sphere-forming cells were isolated from peripheral cornea for potential use as transplantable elements for limbal stem cell repopulation and limbal reconstruction.