Hanna Savir

Lysozyme Content of Tears in Patients With SjÖGren's Syndrome and Rheumatoid Arthritis

In 37 patients and 143 control patients we estimated tear fluid lysozyme content by the Micrococcus lysodeikticus agar diffusion assay. We found no correlation between the titer of lysozyme in tear fluid and the rate of tear flow. Decrease in lysozyme production was found to be a sensitive indicator of the involvement of the lacrimal system in Sjögrens syndrome.

Sodium Hyaluronate as a Tool in Strabismus Surgery in Rabbits

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE The authors tested whether coating tissue with sodium hyaluronate (Na-HA) reduced postoperative adhesions and accelerated the healing process in strabismus surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS The surgical technique was tested during recession and resection operations performed on 30 rabbits and was compared with the use of NaCl 0.9%. Clinical, biomicroscopic examinations were performed on postoperative days 1, 2, 7, and 30 and histopathologic examinations were performed on postoperative days 2, 7, and 30. RESULTS Clinically, there were no statistically significant differences between the study group and the control group. Also, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups for most of the histopathologic criteria; however, new vessel formation was smaller with Na-HA than without it. Statistical significance was defined as P < .05. CONCLUSION The authors found no significant positive effect of Na-HA on postoperative healing in rabbits.

An Atypical Fulminant Course of Choroidal Osteoma in Two Siblings

We studied two cases of bilateral choroidal osteoma in an otherwise healthy 5-year-old boy and his only sibling, a 7-year-old sister. Both children were known to have normal fundus appearances at younger ages. The tumor showed slow growth in all four eyes, but severe visual acuity loss developed in three eyes because of neovascular complications that could not be effectively treated by photocoagulation. Secondary retinal cysts developed in three eyes.

Lysozyme content of tears in some external eye infections.

We estimated tear flow and lysozyme content in 130 eyes with external ocular infections during the active infection and after recovery and compared these findings to those for 286 normal eyes. We found an exact correlation between the rate of tear secretion in eyes with external infections and the enzyme content of the tears. The greater the flow of tears, the greater was the decrease in the enzyme content of the tears.

Oculo‐palato‐cerebral dwarfism: a new syndrome

Three of four offspring of consanguineous parents presented a unique association of microcephaly, mental retardation, spasticity, connective tissue abnormalities, cleft palate, persistent hypertrophic primary vitreous, and short stature. In one patient brain atrophy was documented. All the affected individuals had severe asthma and it is thought that the asthma is associated with the syndrome complex. Genetic transmission is most likely autosomal recessive. We believe this constellation of findings to be a new genetic syndrome and have termed it the oculo‐palato‐cerebral dwarfism syndrome.

Corneal calcification in dry eye disorders associated with retinoic acid therapy.

anterior chamber in the right eye. The right pupil was fixed and had a diameter of 6 mm. Intraocular pressure by applanation was R.E.: >60 mm Hg and L.E.: 10 mm Hg. Gonioscopy showed a 360-degree angle closure in the right eye. In the left eye, the angle was open to a scierai spur throughout. The patient was given 500 mg of acetazolamide intravenously, pilocarpine 2% every 15 minutes for two hours, timolol 0.5% once, and prednisolone 1% every two hours. Minimal response was noted. Three hours later, intraocular pressure was R.E.: 52 mm Hg, and the patient was still experiencing severe pain accompanied by intermittent episodes of ventricular tachycardia. An emergency Nd:YAG peripheral iridotomy was performed (4.3 mj, 17 shots), with minimal reduction in intraocular pressure. Intraocular pressure by applanation at IV2 and 12 hours after iridotomy was R.E.: 48 mm Hg and 36 mm Hg, respectively. B-mode ultrasonography 12 hours after iridotomy demonstrated large choroidal detachments (Fig. 2). A-mode ultrasonography confirmed this finding. Twenty-four hours after iridotomy, intraocular pressure was R.E.: 13 mm Hg, and the angle was open to the ciliary body.

Retinal Damage After Argon Laser Iridotomy

We conducted a prospective clinical study to evaluate potential retinal damage after argon laser iridotomy in 25 eyes of 22 patients with primary chronic angle-closure glaucoma. Kinetic perimetry and ophthalmoscopy showed no detectable damage. Iridotomy required a mean of 11.4 +/- 10 joules to achieve a patent coloboma of 200 micron after one to three sessions. Dark-prone and mydriasis tests were performed one month after surgery. Pilocarpine was discontinued in all cases. Both static perimetry and fluorescein angiography of the midperiphery corresponding to the meridian of laser coloboma done six months after surgery showed focal damage. There was no damage in control tests of the same eyes in an opposite area of the retina.

Autosomal recessive blepharophimosis, ptosis, V-esotropia, syndactyly and short stature.

Frydman M, Cohen HA, Karmon G, Savir H. Autosomal recessive blepharophimosis, ptosis, V‐esotropia, syndactyly and short stature. Clin Genet 1992:41:57–61.

Ocular Manifestation of Hairy Cell Leukemia With Dramatic Response to 2-Chloro-deoxy-adenosine

PURPOSE To demonstrate that hairy cell leukemia may involve the eye. METHODS We examined a patient who had a unique ocular manifestation of hairy cell leukemia with severe panuveitis in one eye and leukemic retinopathy in the fellow eye. RESULTS Therapy with 2-chloro-deoxy-adenosine, a drug recently introduced for treatment of hairy cell leukemia, led to dramatic improvement of the ocular complications. CONCLUSIONS Hairy cell leukemia may involve the eye and ocular symptoms may respond to systemic treatment with 2-chloro-deoxy-adenosine.

The effect of topical ceftazidime on pseudomonas keratitis in rabbits.

Ceftazidime is a β -lactam antibiotic highly effective against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Using a rabbit model of Pseudomonas keratitis, 103 bacteria (in 20 µ l) were injected unilaterally into the corneal stroma of albino rabbits. Twenty-six hours after inoculation, topical Ceftazidime (50 mg/ml) drops were administered for 48 h, following which the corneal tissue was cultured. Eighteen of 20 corneal cultures (90%) from rabbits treated with Ceftazidime drops were negative. In comparison, all untreated control group cultures showed florid bacterial growth. These results suggest that topical Ceftazidime may be a useful agent in the treatment of P. aeruginosa keratitis.