Pediatric ocular trauma in Taiwan.

Background: Ocular trauma is a significant problem in pediatric patients. The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the demographic, etiologic and prophylactic factors of pediatric ocular trauma in a tertiary center in northern Taiwan.

Methods: A retrospective review of medical charts of patients aged 15 years or younger who visited the emergency department of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan for ocular trauma between July 2003 and June 2004 was undertaken.

Alternate-sided homonymous hemianopia as the solitary presentation of mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, stroke-like episodes syndrome.

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome has various presentations. We report on a case of MELAS in which alternate-sided homonymous hemianopia was the main symptom of recurrent neurological defects. A 19-year-old woman suffered from blurred vision, headaches, vomiting, and fever that subsided within days.

Amniotic membrane transplantation for corneal perforation related to vitamin A deficiency.

Corneal perforation is one of the most vision-threatening consequences of vitamin A deficiency. Amniotic membrane transplantation was performed in a 36-year-old man who presented with bilateral corneal ulcers. There was a small, sharply demarcated superficial ulcer with crevices of surrounding keratinized epithelium converging on the ulcer and minimal infiltration at the inferior periphery of the right cornea.

Amniotic membrane graft for the management of scleral melting and corneal perforation in recalcitrant infectious scleral and corneoscleral ulcers.

Purpose: To study the efficacy and safety of using cryopreserved human amniotic membrane (AM) graft as a patch graft to reduce stromal melting and promote reepithelialization in extensive infectious scleral and corneoscleral ulcers.

Methods: Four cases of infectious scleral ulcers with persistent scleral melting and no sign of reepithelialization and three cases of corneoscleral ulcers with corneal perforation were studied. All patients had previously undergone pterygium excision, and infections were caused by Pseudomonas (n = 4), fungi (n = 2), and atypical Mycobacterium (n = 1).