In Vivo Imaging of Retinal and Choroidal Morphology and Vascular Plexuses of Vertebrates Using Swept-Source Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: To perform in vivo evaluation of the structural morphology and vascular plexuses of the neurosensory retina and choroid across vertebrate species using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and SS-OCT angiography (SS-OCTA) imaging.

Methods: A custom-built SS-OCT system with an incorporated flexible imaging arm was used to acquire the three-dimensional (3D) retinal OCT and vascular OCTA data of five different vertebrates: a mouse (C57BL/6J), a rat (Long Evans), a gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica), a white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), and a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus).

Results: In vivo structural morphology of the retina and choroid, as well as en face OCTA images of retinal and choroidal vasculature of all species were generated.

Evaluation of the AlgerBrush II rotating burr as a tool for inducing ocular surface failure in the New Zealand White rabbit.

The New Zealand White rabbit has been widely used as a model of limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). Current techniques for experimental induction of LSCD utilize caustic chemicals, or organic solvents applied in conjunction with a surgical limbectomy. While generally successful in depleting epithelial progenitors, the depth and severity of injury is difficult to control using chemical-based methods.

Interfacial phenomena and the ocular surface.

Ocular surface disorders, such as dry eye disease, ocular rosacea, and allergic conjunctivitis, are a heterogeneous group of diseases that require an interdisciplinary approach to establish underlying causes and develop effective therapeutic strategies. These diverse disorders share a common thread in that they involve direct changes in ocular surface chemistry as well as the rheological properties of the tear film and topographical attributes of the cellular elements of the ocular surface. Knowledge of these properties is crucial to understand the formation and stability of the preocular tear film.

Spectral domain optical coherence tomography imaging of spectacular ecdysis in the royal python (Python regius).

Objective: To describe using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), digital slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and external photography, changes in the ophidian cuticle, spectacle, and cornea during ecdysis.

Animals Studied: Four normal royal pythons (Python regius).

Procedures: Snakes were assessed once daily throughout a complete shed cycle using nasal, axial, and temporal SD-OCT images, digital slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and external photography.

The spectrum of postoperative scleral necrosis.

An otherwise healthy 62-year-old woman developed necrotizing scleritis 23 years following pterygium excision with adjunctive beta-radiation. Surgically induced necrotizing scleritis (SINS) was diagnosed, but the scleritis progressed despite anti-inflammatory therapy, and 10 weeks after presentation the patient developed a hypopyon and decreased vision. After cultures revealed no growth at 72 hours, immunosuppressive therapy was escalated, with a subsequent deterioration in the patient's clinical course.

Comparative ocular anatomy in a blind African cichlid fish, Lamprologus lethops.

Objective: Troglomorphic fishes provide excellent comparative models for studying eye evolution. We describe the gross and microscopic anatomy of ocular structures of the depigmented, blind cichlid, Lamprologus lethops, and its putative sister species, Lamprologus tigripictilis collected from the lower Congo River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Procedures: Both species were fixed, paraffin-sectioned and stained.

Eyelash alopecia areata: case series and literature review.

Objectives: To characterize the clinical presentations, features, and outcomes of eyelash alopecia areata.

Design: Retrospective chart review of patients evaluated for eyelash loss and found to have eyelash alopecia areata. A 3-year follow-up was required.

Silk fibroin as a biomaterial substrate for corneal epithelial cell sheet generation.

Purpose: To evaluate a silk fibroin (SF) biomaterial as a substrate for corneal epithelial cell proliferation, differentiation, and stratification in vitro compared with denuded human amniotic membrane (AM).

Methods: Primary human and rabbit corneal epithelial cells and immortalized human corneal limbal epithelial cells were cultured on the SF and denuded AM, respectively. The biological cell behavior, including the morphology, proliferation, differentiation, and stratification, on the two substrates was compared and analyzed.

Specific ion fluxes generate cornea wound electric currents.

The corneal epithelium generates a significant trans-epithelial potential (TEP) which aids in maintaining cornea water balance and transparency. Injury to the cornea causes a short circuit of the TEP at the wound. The TEP in the intact epithelium around the wound acts like a battery, powering significant ion flux and electric current at the wound.

Diseases of periocular hair.

Diseases of the periocular hair range from localized disease to systemic processes and may present challenging diagnostic questions. We present a comprehensive clinical guide to the evaluation and diagnosis of these disorders. Deficiencies in growth, excess production, changes in pigmentation, aberrant position, or abnormalities in form may affect this region's hair.

Comparative retinal morphology of the platypus.

The purpose of this study is to identify evolutionary origin and fate of anatomic features of the duck-billed platypus eye. Eyes from the duck-billed platypus and four key evolutionary basal vertebrates (Pacific hagfish, north hemisphere sea lamprey, and Australian and South American lungfishes) were prepared for light microscopy. In addition to a standard panel of stains, tissues were immunostained against a variety of rod and cone opsins.