Prion protein accumulation in eyes of patients with sporadic and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Purpose: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) primarily affects the brain. This study was conducted to assess the possible involvement of the eye in sporadic and variant CJD by testing for the presence of the disease-associated, protease-resistant isoform of the prion protein (PrP(Sc)) in ocular tissue.

Methods: Human eyes from donors with CJD and non-prion neurodegenerative disease control eyes were studied.