In eight patients with clinical sure Vogt-Koyanagi Harada-syndrome (VKHS) immunological examinations were performed. We tested whether there were signs of former or present infections (measles HHT and complement fixation test (C.F.T.), rubella HHT, hepatitis HBs-antigen, adenovirus AG, varicella-zoster C.F.T., herpes simplex C.F.T., cytomegaly IgM and IgG, toxoplasmosis immunofluorescence, tuberculosis Middlebr. Dubois). In none of all cases we could find HLA B12. The rheumatic tests, LDH, albumin an electrophoresis, coeruloplasmin and haptoglobin were negative. The uveal pigment failed to stimulate the leucocyte cultures from VKHS-patients in leucocyte-migration-inhibition-test and in leucocyte-adherence-inhibition-test.

Replacement of the corneal endothelium by a monolayer of melanocytes is reported in typical association with earlier surgery and glaucoma. The melanocytes have adjusted to the new location and there are signs that they may have taken on some of the future use of planned seeding of melanocytes in cases with failing endothelium is considered.

BVDU [(E)-5-(2-bromovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine] has a potent and selective activity against herpes simplex (type 1) in both cell culture systems and animal models. The efficacy of topical BVDU treatment (0.1% eye drops) has been evaluated in 37 patients with different forms of herpes simplex keratitis. Of these patients, 35 were followed for 2-9 months (average 6.5 months). Most of the patients had first been treated with topical IDU (idoxuridine) or ara-A (adenine arabinoside), albeit unsuccessfully, before BVDU treatment was started. Upon BVDU treatment, dendritic corneal ulcers healed in 7.8 days (on average) and the geographic corneal ulcers in 10.8 days. BVDU also exerted a pronounced healing effect on stromal keratitis, whether it was used alone or in combination with topical corticosteroids. No early recurrences were observed. Late recurrences were seen in four patients who again responded quickly to BVDU treatment. No toxic side effects, whether local or systemic, were noted in any of the patients treated with BVDU. These results establish the efficacy of BVDU in the local treatment of herpetic keratitis in man.

Chronic administration of certain cationic amphiphilic drugs to rats and other species induces generalized lysosomal storage of polar lipids. In rat, retinal pigment epithelium belongs to the tissues which are most susceptible toward this adverse drug action. Drug-induced lipidosis in retinal epithelium is characterized ultrastructurally by the occurrence of numerous cytoplasmic inclusion bodies with a crystalline-like internal structure. Freeze-fracture images of such inclusions indicate that they consist of phospholipids aggregated in a hexagonal phase. The quantitative and structural uniformity of lipidosis in retinal pigment epithelial cells appears to reflect the uniformity of the lipid load which is physiologically imposed on the digestive apparatus of the epithelium due to the phagocytosis of photoreceptor membranes. The pathophysiological significance of drug-induced lipidosis in pigment epithelium remains to be clarified.

We have used the indirect immunperoxidase technique to examine the exfoliation syndrome and can demonstrate that the fibrils so typically found in this disease certainly contain basement membrane proteoglycans. This finding is interesting for two reasons: 1. For the first time, an electron-microscopical technique is described that is able to identify one protein component of the exfoliation material. 2. The fact that the basement membrane proteoglycans are present in the exfoliation material supports the hypothesis that this disease is caused by a disturbance in the biosynthesis of the basement membrane.

To test the pathogenetic role of the phenotype MZ of alpha 1-antitrypsin/alpha 1-protease inhibitor (PI) in acute anterior uveitis (AAU), 156 patients with AAU were examined. Sera of all patients and 120 healthy controls were PI-typed using isoelectric focusing. There were no significant differences in PI MZ frequencies either between the patients with AAU (4.5%) and the controls (4.2%), or between AAU patients with associated rheumatic diseases (4.8%) and AAU patients with no associated disease (4.3%). The results indicate that the PI MZ type is not closely associated with AAU among Finns.

Ten patients with the immotile-cilia syndrome were subjected to an extensive eye examination, which failed to demonstrate any consistent single abnormality. The tests of the retinal function and the aqueous humor dynamics were normal. However, different corneal abnormalities--mostly without clinical significance--were observed in 9 out of 10 patients, suggesting a developmental disturbance.

The present report reviews the fine structure of the basement membrane zone or complex in the normal human cornea and describes its alterations in cases of early and acute keratoconus. In normal human cornea the basement membrane zone is formed by a basal lamina (with a lamina lucida and a lamina densa), "special fibrils", collagen fibrils and assemblies of filaments. These components are less evident in the central region of the cornea than in its periphery. In early stages of keratoconus the basement membrane zone is thickened and the lamina densa displays an irregular course. In acute keratoconus, the basement membrane zone is also thickened and includes a large number of "special fibrils" as well as bundles of "microfibrils" (oxytalan fibers). The conclusion that the basement membrane complex of the corneal epithelium is equivalent to the epidermal-dermal junction of the skin is discussed.

Concentric "microwaves" in Henle's fiber layer are found in a case of extensive horizontal folding in the fundus due to tumor pressure on the globe from behind. In addition to horizontal folding of inner choroid and inner retina between disk and fovea, somewhat irregular vertical folds are found next to the fovea in the inner retinal layers. The concentric waves of Henle's fiber layer are a new observation and they are suspected to be a protective adjustment of the central retina to minimize distortion of the foveola.

Two male infants with congenital hereditary retinoschisis are presented. The disease was detected when they were 11 and 20 months old, respectively, and they were followed up during the subsequent months. Initially, they both revealed a tremendously elevated retinoschisis lesion in both equatorial an peripheral retina, which was associated with foveal retinoschisis. The peripheral ballooning retinoschisis regressed gradually in the following months, and a relatively flat retinoschisis was left. It was proposed that the early stage of the disease is characterized by a bullous retinoschisis followed by its spontaneous regression during the first several years of life. A survey of the literature favors our view.

Variation of the stimulus intensity and duration over a wide range causes a change in amplitude of the c wave. If the energy of the applied stimulus is kept constant, however, stimuli of 0.05-4 s duration effected c waves that were nearly equal in amplitude. As patients consider shorter stimuli with higher intensities to be more comfortable in ERG recording, stimuli of a duration of 2-4 s seem most appropriate for clinical testing.

One hundred pigmented rabbit eyes and ten primate eyes were exposed to infrared (IR) radiation in the 715 to 1,400 nm wavelength range and to the full spectrum output from a 5,000 W Xenon high-pressure source. The ocular exposures were evaluated independently with a slitlamp by two researchers and classified for ocular damage. The primary ocular lesions resulting from exposure to IR radiation were corneal, iritic, and lenticular. Corneal damage varied from epithelial haze to epithelial erosion but no endothelial damage was found. The iris showed stromal haze and swelling. Lenticular changes showed small white dots that, occur at the level of the anterior cortex. All lens damage depended on iris involvement. Ocular damage was related to the rate of delivery of the IR radiation since the data show that as the irradiance level increases, the radiant exposure threshold decreases. Exposures for the full spectrum were found to be additive for irradiance levels at 4 W.cm-2 and above. The threshold radiant exposures for the full spectrum of 750 J.cm-2 for the cornea, 1,000 J.cm-2 for the iris, and 2,000 J.cm-2 for the lens were essentially identical to the IR exposure thresholds for the same irradiance levels. The primate threshold radiant exposure was a factor of six above the respective rabbit thresholds.

The effects of vitreous hemorrhages on anterior uveal vessels were studied. Albino rabbits were injected intravitreally with autogenous blood, plasma, RBCs, iron-dextrin, or Ringer's solution. The vascular permeability was assessed by fluorescein iris angiography, carbon labeling and penetration of peroxidase. Following one injection of blood, aqueous flare and fluorescein leakage from the iris were observed for 40 days. Intense vascular carbon labeling in iridial and ciliary processes was present for 1-40 days and weak-to-moderate labeling in the iris for 9-40 days. Repeated blood injections aggravated the vascular response, showing extravasation of peroxidase and carbon labeling of iridial vessels for 92 days. The most severe vascular damage ensued from iron-dextrin and RBCs. Plasma an Ringer's solution gave no reaction. The authors suggest that the iron-containing degradation products of RBCs induce vascular damage in anterior uvea and disruption of blood-aqueous barriers.

An application of L-3-123I-iodo-alpha-methyltyrosine for the detection of ocular melanoma is presented. In rabbits with malignant Greene amelanotic melanoma transplanted to the anterior chamber of the eye, all tumors were detected in positive contrast using a gamma camera with a single pinhole collimator. The smallest tumor identified weighed 65 mg. Our data are compared with those obtained with 32PO4, 67Ga, 203Pb or labelled iodochloroquine.