Experimental Studies on the Vitreous Substitutes

Experimental replacements of rabbit vitreous by air, normal saline, dextran and Haemaccel were tried in albino rabbits. After aspiration of 0.7ml of liquid vitreous from the central portion of vitreous, 0.5ml of substitutes were injected. Clinically, these substitutes were well tolerated with slight uveal inflammation which subsided within one week. Intraocular pussure returned to normal value after 5 days. Hexosamine content of the whole vitreous samples showed moderate increase after Haemaccel injection which decreased slowly thereafter, whereas no significant changes were observed with other substitutes. Hydroxyproline content of the whole vitreous also showed marked increase after injection of Haemaccel, owing to the high hydroxyproline content of HaemacceJ. After 6 weeks 22.9% of the injected hydroxyproline remained in the vitreous. With other substitutes no change was observed.

Hearing Disturbance in Primary Glaucoma Patients

There were many instances in which glaucoma, esp. primary, combined with hearing disturbance. The etiology of these cases has not been known until now. We had 15 primary glaucoma patients for whom pure tone audiometry wa~ performed, and could find the hearing defect in high tone in 5 cases (1/3 among those patients). The audiometric curve was similar to that in the presbycusis, but severer in degree than that occured within the normal physiological aging process. The average age was 62.4 year in the group with the hearing defect, and 45.6 year in the group without the hearing defect. There were no relationship between the hearing defect and intraocular tension, visual field change, glaucomatous cupping, and duration of glaucoma. These results may support the opinion of the authors that the hearing disturbance in glaucomatous patients is related to the arterioscIerotic changes which aggrevate the presbycusis, and not related to glaucoma itself. On the otherhand, however, it is stilI impossible for us to rule out that the pleiotropic and multifactorial genetic factors may play as a common important role in the hearing disturbances and glaucoma. And further studies would be necessary for these problems.

Mitomycin Instillation After Pterygium Surgery

There have been several methods to prevent the recurrence after pterygium surgery, but no satifactory method has been brought forth. The value of mitomycin, which appeares to offer an important contribution to control the recurence of pterygium postoperatively, seems to be due to its anticancerous effect. Also it can be used himself easily. 1. We instilled Mitomycin solution after Pterygium surgery to the 85 eyes (77 Patients) visited to the department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National Univ. Hospital from July, 1969 to March, 1971. 2. Mitomycin solution was instilled three times a day since postoperative first day for one to two weeks. The solution was prepared by solving the Mitomycin-S in the 5cc of distilled water or Mitomycin-C in the 5cc of of physiologic saline sloution, so the concentration of solution was 0.4mg per cc. 3. We used bare sclera method in pterygium surgery and all the members of staffs and residents participated in. 4. Follow-up study was done by direct examinations or questionnaires. The period of the follow-up was at least 6 months to 26 months. We recieved the answers of 58 eyes, among which 56 eyes(96.6%) did not recur and only 2 eyes (3.4%) recurred. Of no recurrent cases 42 eyes (75%) were cosmetically satisfactory and 14 eyes (25%) were moderately satisfactory by means of the patients themselves evaluation. 5. Many authors said that the operative technique contributes to the rate of recurrence, so we compared the result of staffs' cases with that of residents' in 58 eyes. There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between staff' and residents' cases inspite of the unskillful techniques of residents. 6. Sid effects of Mitomycin solution appeared in 2 eyes; one had corneal erosion and edema, another severe conjunctival congestion and chemosis which disappeared within a few days by ceasing the instilltation of mitomycin solution.

Comparative Study on the Epithelial Regeneration of the Corneal Ulceration after Cryocautery and Iodine Cautery

Recently cryogenic therapy is widely used for the treatment of herpes simplex keratitis. We had experimental studies on the effect of iodine cautery and cryocautery upon the regeneration of corneal ulceration. On 10 adult albino rabbits, one eye was treated by iodine, and the other by cryocautery in area of 0.6cm X 0.6cm. The epithelium in this area was completly removed by cotton applicator. There after, the rate of epithelial regeneration was observed every 12 hours. The results were as follows: (1) The average period of complete epithelial regeneration was 48 hours in animal treated with cryocautery and 78 hours in animals treated with iodine cautery. This difference is statistically highly significant. (2) Corneal opacity was not demonstrated in eyes treated with cryocautery. Six eyes treated with iodine, however, showed various degree of corneal opacities. These results support the view that the healing time in human herpes simplex keratitis is shortened in patients with cryocautery as compared with iodine.

Management of the Exophthalmos

We presented several cases of the exophthalmos due to the orbital tumors, with the review of the literatures. We performed modified Kronlein operation and anterior orbitotomy, appropriately for each cases to improve the visual acuity and at least to correct cosmetically the proptosed eye. It will be better to do one's best in order to search a possible way to save the eye ball by which the ophthalmologist can remove the orbital tumor even if the patient lost his vision.

Frontal Mucocele: 2 case-reports of the exophthalmos due to frontal mucocele, with the review of the literatures

Last year, we had experienced 2 cases of frontal mucocele from which exophthalmos was induced. In both cases, all were male and exophthalmos was unilateral at right eye. They revealed visual disturbances and ocular deviations to the temporal and inferior direction, a]so with the diplopia in one case. The duration of the exophthalmos was 5 months in one case, and 10 years long in another case. They were treated by means of external sinusotomy through the anterior orbitotomy with good results. In one case visual disturbance was also recovered to the normal.

The Effects of the Tranquilizers on Heterophoria

In 54 cases with heterophoria, the effects of the tranquilizers were studied. The minimum doses of two kinds of tranquilizers i.e., phenothiazine derivative (chlorpromazine) and benzodiazepine derivative (oxazepam) were given for 3 days. The results were as follows: 1. In 18 cases (43%) of the 30 cases who complained asthenopia, the symptom was relieved to some extent. The improvement of the symptom occurred with decrease in the Jateral phoria in 13 cases, and with increase in fusional amplitude in 13 cases. 2, There were no changes in the lateral phoria in 31 cases (59%) at distance, but at near, in 27 cases (52%) there was decrease in the lateral phoria. The amount of the increment or decrement in prism diopters was somewhat larger at near than at distance, and also somewhat larger in cases, in which the initial lateral phoria before medication is high, than in the cases with low initial lateral phoria. 3, There were no changes in the fusional amplitude in 24 cases (46%) at distance, but at near, in 28 cases (55 %) there was the increase in fusional amplitude. The changes in the amount of the increment or decrement in the fusional al1}plitude were similar to that of the changes in the amount in lateral phoria. 4, There were no remarkable changes in vertical phorias. 5. In exophoria there were no remarkable differences between subjects given chlorpromazine and those gIven oxazepam.