Alan D. Mendelsohn

Comparative tonometric measurements of eye bank eyes.

A comparison was made of the accuracy of the Tono-Pen, Pneumatonometer, and Perkins hand-held tonometers by measuring the hydrostatically controlled intracular pressure from 10 to 50 mm Hg in human eye bank eyes. The open stopcock method was used in which the cannulated eye, the hydrostatic pressure controlling column, and a manometer were continuously open to each other. The Pneumatonometer gave accurate results at 50 mm Hg but overestimated the lower intraocular pressures; whereas, the Perkins gave satifactory results at 10 and 20 mm Hg but underestimated higher intraocular pressures. The Tono-Pen displayed the least deviation from the controlled pressure over the entire range studied. Another aspect of this study involved determining that a therapeutic soft contact lens did not have any noticeably adverse effect on the accuracy of the Pneumatonometer and Tono-Pen tonometers.

Nersseria gonorrhoeae Keratoconjunctivitis

Abstract Clinical and laboratory findings of 47 patients with ocular infections secondary to Neisseria gonorrhoeae during a 5 1/2-year period were reviewed. In 16 patients (34%), corneal involvement was noted. Six of these patients had a severe ulcerative keratitis resulting in permanent visual loss and five required surgery for a corneal perforation. Patients with corneal involvement were older and presented later in the course of their disease than patients with isolated conjunctival involvement ( P

Laser Photocoagulation of Feeder Vessels in Lipid Keratopathy

Argon laser photocoagulation was performed on rabbit eyes with lipid keratopathy. The lipid keratopathy was induced by rendering 30 rabbits hypercholesterolemic and inciting neovascularization by insertion of corneal sutures. The number of laser shots required to occlude corneal vessels increased with the suture residence time, whereas the number of limbal shots remained essentially constant. Corneal opacification and cholesterol content increased as a result of greater suture residence time and unexpectedly from the laser applications which were administered in a single treatment session.

Corneal ulcer due to Listeria monocytogenes

We present a patient with a corneal ulcer due to Listeria monocytogenes, which has not previously been considered to be a feature of human listeriosis. The ulcer responded to topical and subconjunctival gentamicin and cephaloridine. Subsequent management was complicated by the development of a fibrinous pupillary membrane leading to pupillary block requiring iridotomy and later vitrectomy with trabeculectomy. Listeria monocytogenes may be confused with diphtheroid contaminants seen in corneal ulcer scrapings and is probably underreported as a cause for microbial keratitis.

Branhamella catarrhalis keratitis

Branhamella catarrhalis, formerly known as Neisseria catarrhalis, has structural similarities to Neisseria gonorrhoeae, but is generally considered to be nonpathogenic. We studied the clinical and laboratory data of four previously reported cases and six additional cases of B. catarrhalis keratitis. All patients had a predisposing ocular or systemic condition, or both. There were various clinical characteristics, but in most cases the infiltrate occurred in the central or paracentral cornea. A prompt response to treatment with a cephalosporin and aminoglycoside antibiotic was noted in all cases. Two patients had corneal perforations, which probably resulted from a delay in treatment. Gram-negative diplococci from corneal scrapings may not necessarily represent N. gonorrhoeae.