José Alonso Fernández

Corneal cross linking and infectious keratitis: a systematic review with a meta-analysis of reported cases

BackgroundCollagen cross linking (CXL) of the cornea has been developed recently as a new treatment for multidrug-resistant infectious keratitis. The aim of this study is to summarize the previously published data and evaluate the effectiveness of this treatment.ResultsThe search identified 12 articles. The number of eyes was 104. The infectious keratitis was associated with bacteria in 58 eyes (57f%): Gram-positive bacteria in 44 (43%; 4 of which were infected with Mycobacterium (3.6%)) and Gram-negative bacteria in 14 eyes (13%), fungus in 13 eyes (12%), and Acanthamoeba in 7 eyes (7%). In 26 eyes (25%), the microbiological culture was negative or not performed. The mean time of re-epithelization after CXL was 20.7±28.1 days (minimum of 3, maximum of 145). Sixteen eyes underwent deep or lamellar keratoplasty. The pooled analysis suggested that CXL has a favorable effect on the block of corneal melting in 85% (95%; CI 0.77, 0.91) of eyes.ConclusionAlthough randomized controlled trials are needed, the available evidence supports the use of CXL in the treatment of infectious keratitis.

Optical method for the surface topographic characterization of Fresnel lenses

Fresnel lenses and other faceted or micro-optic devices are increasingly used in multiple applications like solar light concentrators and illumination devices. As applications are more exigent this characterization is of increasing importance. We present a technique to characterize the surface topography of optical surfaces. It is especially well adapted to Fresnel lenses where abrupt surface slopes are usually difficult to handle in conventional techniques. The method is based on a new photometric strategy able to codify the height information in terms of optical absorption in a liquid. A detailed topographic map is simple to acquire by capturing images of the surface. Some experimental results are presented. A single pixel height resolution of ~0.1 μm is achieved for a height range of ~50 μm. A surface slope analysis is also made achieving a resolution of ~±0.15°.