Chemical Injuries of Eye - An Update.
Introduction It is very frequent to encounter chemical injury in our routine ophthalmic practice. Most of the chemical injuries are minor, which heal without any squeal. Most are acids and alkalis. Alkali injuries are more common (nearly twice) than acids and are more severe in nature. It is of utmost importance to recognize the nature of chemicals for treating such patients. Here, we review the c...Read More
Cornea Edema : Ready Reckoner for the Post Graduates
Corneal edema is defined as the increase in the thickness of cornea due to the accumulation of extracellular fluid in epithelium and stroma resulting in loss of corneal transparency. Pathophysiology: Cornea remains in a relatively dehydrated state maintaining a 78% hydration level. Corneal hydration depends on 5 factors. 1. Stromal swelling pressure (SP) This is the tendency of stroma to swell due...Read More
Acanthamoeba Keratitis: A review for the Postgraduates
Eye diseases affecting the cornea are a major cause of blindness worldwide. Among different infectious agents, bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoans may be causes of keratitis. This article is about the keratitis caused by protozoa. Three amoebic parasites are thought to be significant to human disease, entamoeba which is responsible for amoebic dysenter, naegleria which causes amoebic meningoen...Read More
Fungal Keratitis: A Review for the Post-Graduates
Introduction Fungal or mycotic keratitis is a leading cause of ocular morbidity, opacification and preventable blindness.1 The approximate annual incidence of fungal keratitis in India is said to be 11.3/10,000 population.2 Frequently it is caused by filamentous fungi (Aspergillus, Fusarium, Curvularia) in the tropical areas, while in temperate regions it is predominantly caused by Candida species...Read More
Ten Pearls for Descemet's Membrane Detachment Repair
1. Embryology Understanding the embryological development of the cornea helps us appreciate the reasons for a Descemet's membrane (DM) detachment during surgery. After the lens vesicle separates from the surface epithelium, a wave of mesenchyme forms the primary corneal stroma. A second wave then forms the endothelium, which secretes the DM. The DM, hence, has a potential plane of separation f...Read More
Herpetic Eye Disease Study: All You Should Know
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis is the leading cause of corneal blindness in developed as well as developing countries. The ocular disease affects approximately 10 million people worldwide. Herpes viruses are a group of double-stranded DNA viruses with three subfamilies: alpha-, beta- and gamma- herpes viruses. HSV-1, HSV-2, and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) belong to the alpha-subfamily. HSV ...Read More
Recurrent Corneal Erosion Syndrome - A Review
Introduction: Recurrent corneal erosion syndrome (RCES) is a chronic, relapsing condition first described by Hansen1, who termed it as ‘‘intermittent neuralgic vesicular keratitis.’’ Stood in 1901 suggested that trauma to the corneal epithelium and anterior stroma resulted in an inability of the new epithelium to form normal attachments to the injured anterior Bowman’s layer 2. Despite more than a...Read More
Corneal Trauma and its Management
Introduction The cornea is prone to a variety of injuries by virtue of its location as the window of the eye. Apart from chemical injuries, physical trauma to the cornea can range from epithelial abrasions to loss of integrity of the stroma. Corneal injuries of this nature can occur in two distinct populations – in young children from play-related activities, and in young adults from due to their ...Read More
A New Paradigm for Refractive Surgery: SMILE-Small Incision Lenticule Extraction
Automated lamellar keratoplasty (ALK) was a technique to physically remove a refractive lenticule (the lenticule was merely a disc of corneal tissue) from the cornea after lifting a hinged flap and exposing the stroma. A mechanical microkeratome was used to do both steps of the ALK procedure. In the LASIK procedure, the refractive lenticule was ablated with the excimer laser, while the hinged flap...Read More
Ten Pearls for Corneal Scrapping
The management of microbial keratitis requires corneal scraping material for smear and culture. Scraping is a superficial keratectomy procedure to procure samples from central infiltrates or any infiltrate more than 2 mm in size. Stain/ wet mount gives a rapid clue to the diagnosis to initiate appropriate therapy. Inoculation of the sample on culture media help identify the offending organism and ...Read More