Efficacy of Sunitinib, Sunitinib-Hesperetin, and Sunitinib-Doxycycline Combinations on Experimentally-Induced Corneal Neovascularization.

Purpose: To investigate the preventive effects of topical sunitinib, sunitinib-hesperetin and sunitinib-doxycycline combinations on corneal neovascularization (CNV), apoptosis and fibrosis in a corneal alkali burn model. Materials and Methods: The corneas of 32 Wistar albino rats were cauterized with silver nitrate to induce CNV. Four groups were created receiving artificial tears (sham), sunitinib (0.5 mg/ml), sunitinib-hesperetin (0.5 mg/ml-0.2 mg/ml), and sunitinib-doxycycline (0.5 mg/ml-20 mg/ml) treatments. Corneal photographs were taken on days 0, 7 and 15 . Photographs of the cornea were digitally analyzed to measure the size of the neovascularization area in comparison to the total corneal surface area. On the 15th day, the animals were euthanized, and the eyes were enucleated for immunohistochemical staining to investigate neovascularization, apoptosis, and fibrosis. Results: CNV areas on the 7th day in the sunitinib (4.8% ± 0.07%) and sunitinib-hesperetin (1.1% ± 0.03%) groups were smaller than those in the sham group (33.9% ± 0.12%) (p = 0.001 and, p < 0.001 respectively). On the 15th day, the CNV area in the sunitinib-hesperetin (20.8% ± 0.37%) group was significantly smaller than that of the sham group (74.6% ± 0.32%) (p = 0.039). The combination groups had lower levels of VEGF, TUNEL and α-SMA positivity than the sunitinib monotherapy group. TUNEL positivity was lowest in the sunitinib-hesperetin and sunitinib-doxycycline groups, and α-SMA positivity was lowest in the sunitinib-hesperetin group. Conclusion: Topical sunitinib-hesperetin was more effective than sunitinib alone and the sunitinib-doxycycline combination in the treatment of CNV. The combination of sunitinib and hesperetin seems to be a promising treatment for preventing corneal fibrosis and apoptosis.

Retina and Optic Disc Characteristics in Amblyopic and Non-amblyopic Eyes of Patients with Myopic or Hyperopic Anisometropia.

OBJECTIVES: To compare retinal and optic disc characteristics between amblyopic and non-amblyopic eyes in patients with myopic and hyperopic anisometropia measured with optical coherence tomography (OCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with myopic (25 patients: 17 female, 8 male; median age 27 years, range 16-40 years) and hyperopic (31 patients: 19 female, 12 male; median age 20 years, range 13-41 years) anisometropic amblyopia were included. Eye examination included determination of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with a Snellen chart, measurement of manifest and cycloplegic refraction after pupillary dilation, alternate cover testing, globe movement evaluation, A-scan biometry for axial length, biomicroscopy, fundus examination, and OCT scanning. Main outcome measures were spherical equivalence, BCVA, axial length, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, macular thickness, macular volume, and optic disc area. RESULTS: In both myopic and hyperopic patients, the absolute value of the mean spherical equivalence was significantly greater in the amblyopic than non-amblyopic eyes, and the mean BCVA was significantly less in the amblyopic than the non-amblyopic eyes. In both myopic and hyperopic patients, there were no significant differences in mean RNFL thickness, macular thickness, macular volume, axial length, or optic disc area between amblyopic and non-amblyopic eyes. CONCLUSION: The amblyopic process may have no significant effect on the RNFL, macula, or optic disc. Further studies with more patients, including postmortem studies, may clarify the retinal, histopathologic, and anatomic differences between amblyopic and non-amblyopic eyes.

The Effect of Smoking on Corneal Endothelial Cells.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of chronic cigarette smoking on the endothelial cells of the cornea via non-contact specular microscopy. METHOD: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, 25 eyes of 25 chronic smokers and 21 eyes of 21 age-matched, healthy non-smokers were enrolled. The Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence on Cigarettes was used to determine the nicotine dependency level. The level of cotinine, a major metabolite of nicotine, was measured in urine samples from the control group to detect whether they were passively affected by cigarette smoke. All participants underwent measurement of tear break-up time (TBUT), central corneal thickness (CCT), and axial length. Endothelial cell density and endothelial cell morphology were evaluated by non-contact specular microscopy. RESULTS: On average, the cigarette smokers consumed 19.2 ± 8.3 cigarettes per day and had been smoking for 14.5 ± 6.8 years. The mean TBUT value was significantly lower in the smoker group compared to the non-smoker group (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in the mean CCT, mean endothelial cell density, or parameters of endothelial cell morphology between smokers and non-smokers. CONCLUSION: This study showed that cigarette smoking seems to affect the TBUT value but no effects were found on the parameters of corneal endothelial cells.