George A. Fournier

Perfluoroether liquid as a long-term vitreous substitute. An experimental study.

A commercial perfluoroether liquid, Fomblin®-H Fluorinated Fluid, which is transparent and viscous, was investigated as a possible long-term vitreous substitute. The material belongs to a family of perfluorocarbon derivatives that are generally inert and nontoxic. A space for the vitreous substitute was created in rabbit eyes by a vitreous compression technique using perfluoropropane gas. Fomblin caused gliosis of the retina at 1 month after intravitreous injection. Preretinal membrane formation and retinal disorganization and detachment occurred in two of four eyes enucleated at 3 months, and in all five eyes enucleated at 4 or 6 months. Vacuoles presumably filled with Fomblin were localized histopathologically within the retina. In control eyes injected with medical-grade silicone oil, abnormalities were limited to moderate edema of the nerve fiber and ganglion cell layer. Fomblin was not as well-tolerated by the rabbit retina as was medical-grade silicone oil. Fomblin is not a suitable vitreous substitute.

Cocaine's use in ophthalmology: Our 100-year heritage

One hundred years ago the fledgling ophthalmologist Carl Koller demonstrated that the alkaloid cocaine was a local anesthetic suitable for rendering the eye temporarily insensible to pain. It was an event of historical significance, as his discovery opened the door not only to a new era in ophthalmic surgery, but to surgery in general. In this paper we review the ancient uses of the coca leaf, the historical events leading up to and following Kollers discovery, and the present day uses of cocaine in ophthalmology and medicine.

The Effects of Pre-enucleation Irradiation on the Development of Metastases from Intraocular Greene Melanoma in Hamsters

Using intraocular Greene melanoma in a hamster model, we studied the effect of pre-enucleation irradiation on the development of melanoma metastases. One group (No. = 111) was treated with 1,210 to 1,600 rads of cobaltous chloride Co 60 gamma irradiation before enucleation and the second group (No. = 100) received no irradiation. The groups did not differ with respect to presence of metastases in the 106 days after tumor implantation (chi 2 = 3.05; P = .08). However, Kaplan-Meier survival curves gave a longer time to melanoma-related death in the irradiated animals compared with the controls (log rank test, P = .0008).

Choroidal halo nevus occurring in a patient with vitiligo

A halo nevus of the ocular fundus is described in a patient with vitiligo and history of malignant melanoma of the calf excised six years previously. The significance of halo nevi is discussed.

An Investigation Into the Association Between Liver Damage and Metastatic Uveal Melanoma

We examined the effect of liver damage induced by carbon tetrachloride on the incidence of hepatic metastasis in the Greene hamster melanoma. Nine of 17 animals with liver damage had melanoma growth in the liver after the intraportal vein injection of tumor cells, whereas tumor growth occurred in four of 27 control animals (P less than .01). These results suggest that, in this model, liver damage predisposes to metastatic involvement by melanoma.

The Harrower collection and its place in the history of ophthalmic pathology

A set of ophthalmic pathology slides made in 1882 by Dr. David Harrower, a Massachusetts physician who studied at Moorfields Eye Hospital, and Mr. W. Jennings Milles, the curator of Moorfields, are reviewed. They are of historical significance, as they were made at a time when microscopic examination of ocular tissues was first being introduced, and they represent one of the earliest examples of the use of celloidin for embedding ocular tissue. The slides are well preserved and contain cases demonstrating a wide spectrum of ocular pathology. The Harrower collection is possibly the oldest existing slide collection of ophthalmic histopathology.