[Mechanical dilatation of the pupil in phacoemulsification surgery: first experiences with the 6.25 mm Malyugin-ring].

Purpose: Inadequate mydriasis may cause major problems in phacoemulsification surgery. Usually 4 iris retractors are used to allow adequate pupillary dilatation. Implantation of a Malyugin ring to maintain a 6.

[Stargardt's disease and its intrafamilial variability].

Background: Because of its considerable differential diagnosis and a wide range of phenotypic variation, Stargardt's disease (juvenile macular dystrophy) can cause diagnostic problems. Moreover, ample variability in course and outcome of the disease has been described.

Patients And Methods: The diagnosis and variable course of Stargardt's disease of three affected siblings have been documented by clinical manifestation, fluorescein angiography and Ganzfeld-ERG including the ISCEV standard protocol.

[Effect of insulin on retinal glycogen content].

Background: The effect of insulin on glucose and glycogen metabolism in peripheral organs is well known. However, information about the action of this peptide in the retina is incomplete. We addressed the questions whether insulin influences glycogen content in the cat retina and whether glycogen breakdown is triggered by lack of glucose.

The mouse ERG before and after light damage is independent of p53.

Death of retinal photoreceptors by apoptosis is observed under many physiological and pathological conditions such as histogenesis, retinal dystrophies and light-induced photoreceptor degeneration. To date, little is known about regulatory mechanisms for apoptosis in the retina. The tumor suppressor gene p53 is a regulator of apoptosis in a number of systems, however, p53-independent apoptosis has also been described.

The retina of c-fos-/- mice: electrophysiologic, morphologic and biochemical aspects.

Purpose: Mice without a functional c-Fos protein (c-fos-/- mice) do not exhibit light-induced apoptotic cell death of rods in contrast to their wild-type littermates (c-fos+/+ mice). To analyze the consequences of the absence of c-fos in the retina, we investigated whether the retinas of c-fos-/- mice have a reduced capacity to absorb and transduce light compared with c-fos+/+ mice.

Methods: Retinal function was evaluated in dark-adapted mice by full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) over more than 6 log units of intensity.