Association of smoking and other risk factors with Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy severity and corneal thickness.

Purpose: We investigated effects of smoking and other risk factors on the development of advanced Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) and on central corneal thickness (CCT).

Methods: Eyes from Caucasian probands, affected and unaffected family members, and unrelated controls matched for age from the FECD Genetics Multi-Center Study (n = 2044 subjects) were examined. Univariate and multivariate models, adjusted for family correlations, were used to determine the effect of smoking, sex, diabetes, and age on FECD case/control status and CCT.

Etiologic diagnosis of corneal ulceration at a tertiary eye center in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Purpose: To determine the etiologic diagnosis of infectious corneal ulcers at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, a tertiary teaching hospital in Kathmandu Nepal, from 2006-2009.

Methods: This study involved a review of all microbiology records at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology from August 2006 through July 2009. Microbiologic records from the corneal scrapings of all patients suspected of having infectious corneal ulcers were included.

The use of glycerol-preserved corneas in the developing world.

Corneal opacity is the third leading cause of blindness in the developing world and encompasses a wide variety of infectious, inflammatory and degenerative eye diseases. Most caes of corneal blindness are treatable with partial or full-thickness keratoplasty, provided adequate corneal tissue and surgical skill is available. However, access to sightrestoring keratoplasty in developing countries is limited by the lack of developed eye banking networks and a critical shortage of tissue suitable for transplantation.