Usefulness of smear microscopy for therapeutic decision-making in patients with infectious keratitis.

Purpose: To determine the usefulness of smears in the diagnosis of infectious keratitis by comparing smears and 2 different culture methods.

Study Design: Retrospective, observational study.

Methods: The foci of 73 patients diagnosed with infectious keratitis at Hiroshima University Hospital between July 2011 and September 2015 were abraded, and smear microscopy and culturing were performed.

Influence of discontinuation of prophylactic antimicrobial agent for trabeculectomy.

Background: There is no unified view of the necessity of prophylactic antimicrobial agents in trabeculectomy. Preoperative prophylactic antimicrobial agent injection and cefazolin sodium (CEZ) for trabeculectomy were discontinued at the Hiroshima University Hospital. In this study, we evaluated whether discontinuation of preoperative administration of CEZ in ophthalmology affects the incidence of postoperative infections.

Successful recovery from misdirection syndrome in nanophthalmic eyes by performing an anterior vitrectomy through the anterior chamber.

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of iridectomy, capsulotomy and anterior vitrectomy through the anterior chamber to treat misdirection syndrome in pseudophakic nanophthalmic eyes.

Methods: This was a non-comparative study of seven nanophthalmic eyes from four consecutive patients. All eyes developed misdirection syndrome after successful cataract surgery.

Characteristics of corneal topographic and pachymetric patterns in patients with pellucid marginal corneal degeneration.

Purpose: To determine the characteristics of the shape of the cornea in patients with pellucid marginal corneal degeneration (PMD) and to compare these characteristics to those of eyes with keratoconus and eyes of normal subjects.

Methods: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional case-series in which 49 eyes of 33 patients with PMD, 51 eyes of 51 patients with keratoconus and 53 eyes of 53 subjects with normal corneas (controls) were examined and compared. For all eyes, we obtained the topographic patterns of the axial power maps, anterior and posterior elevation maps and pachymetric maps using a rotating Scheimpflug camera.

Interface fluid syndrome after laser in situ keratomileusis following herpetic keratouveitis.

We report an unusual case of a 28-year-old man who developed interface fluid with herpetic keratouveitis and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in the left eye. The IOP was unmeasurable with the Goldmann applanation tonometer; rebound tonometry showed an IOP of 30 mm Hg in the central cornea and 58 mm Hg in the superior cornea. Medical treatment of the elevated IOP resulted in resolution of the accumulated interface fluid.

Comparison of drug permeabilities across the blood-retinal barrier, blood-aqueous humor barrier, and blood-brain barrier.

Drugs vary in their ability to permeate the blood-retinal barrier (BRB), blood-aqueous humor barrier (BAB), and blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the factors affecting the drug permeation remain unclear. In this study, the permeability of various substances across BRB, BAB, and BBB in rats was determined using the brain uptake index (BUI), retinal uptake index (RUI), and aqueous humor uptake index (AHUI) methods. Lipophilic substances showed high permeabilities across BBB and BRB.