Glial remodeling and neural plasticity in human retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy.

Purpose: To investigate glial remodeling and neuronal plasticity in adult human retinal detachment complicated by proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and to grade pathologic changes with a severity scoring system.

Methods: Sixteen full-thickness retinectomy specimens obtained at retinal relaxing surgery for PVR were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde immediately after excision and compared to similarly processed normal donor retinas. Agarose-embedded sections (100-microm-thick) were double labeled for immunohistochemistry by confocal microscopy, with antibodies against rod opsin and GFAP; vimentin and M/L-cone opsin; calbindin D and S-cone opsin; and cytochrome oxidase and synaptophysin.

The Alzheimer's A beta -peptide is deposited at sites of complement activation in pathologic deposits associated with aging and age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss in older individuals worldwide. The disease is characterized by abnormal extracellular deposits, known as drusen, that accumulate along the basal surface of the retinal pigmented epithelium. Although drusen deposition is common in older individuals, large numbers of drusen and/or extensive areas of confluent drusen represent a significant risk factor for AMD.

The ability of rapid retinal reattachment to stop or reverse the cellular and molecular events initiated by detachment.

Purpose: To determine the effects of reattachment on the molecular and cellular events initiated by a retinal detachment lasting 1 hour or 1 day.

Methods: Experimental retinal detachments were created in the right eyes of nine cats. Reattachments were performed 1 hour (n = 3) or 1 day (n = 3) after the detachment, and the animals were killed 3 days after detachment.