Reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus by excimer laser photokeratectomy

We tested whether excimer laser photorefractive and phototherapeutic keratectomy may reactivate latent herpes simplex and cause recurrent keratitis in mice. Two of ten latently infected mice that were treated with ten excimer laser pulses to the corneal epithelium shed herpes simplex virus type 1, as did four of ten mice that were treated with 50 excimer laser pulses. Ocular shedding of herpes simplex virus was detected in four of ten mice that were treated with ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid (EDTA) scraping of the corneal epithelium without laser keratectomy, and in six of ten mice on which combined EDTA-facilitated epithelial removal was performed followed by the application of ten excimer laser pulses. In both EDTA-treated groups, viral shedding was prolonged and 18 of 20 mice developed marked corneal opacification or neovascularization, or both. Corneal photoablation with the excimer laser may induce reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus, even in mice with clear and smooth-appearing corneas, and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of humans with persistent corneal epithelial defects after refractive or therapeutic excimer procedures.

Estrogen and progesterone receptors and human conjunctiva

Freshly frozen conjunctival tissue from premenopausal and postmenopausal women and male subjects were processed for estrogen and progesterone receptors by using monoclonal antibodies and a peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique. No immunocytochemical staining was localized in the nuclei of the cells treated with the monoclonal antibodies to human estrogen receptor or human progesterone receptor in any of the conjunctival specimens, in contrast to the strongly positive staining in breast adenocarcinoma controls. Immunocytochemical staining disclosed no evidence for estrogen or progesterone receptors on cells of the ocular surface.

Eye lesions of epidermolysis bullosa. Clinical features, management, and prognosis

Blepharitis, bullous lesions of the eyelids, and corneal erosions occur in patients with some, but not all, forms of epidermolysis bullosa. This preliminary report documents the ophthalmologic lesions observed in a series of 78 patients of varying ages.

Astrocytoma of the ciliary body

A healthy 24-year-old man was noted to have rubeosis iridis and a ciliary body mass. Iridocyclectomy successfully removed the lesion with preservation of vision and resolution of rubeosis. Histologic and immunocytochemical examinations revealed a glial tumor of the ciliary epithelium.