Topical cyclosporin A is an effective treatment in the management of severe allergic conjunctivitis with a benefit as a steroid-sparing agent.

PURPOSE: Applied pre- and postoperative corneal topography outcomes with visual acuities were evaluated to determine the surgical results in pterygium therapy. METHODS: The study group consisted of 30 eyes of 26 patients with primary and recurrent pterygium. Mean patient age was 52.26±11.50 years (range: 27 to 68 years). Pre- and postoperative visual acuity and corneal topography were evaluated for each case. Statistical analysis was performed using the repeated-measure test. RESULTS: The mean uncorrected visual acuity was 0.41±0.30 preoperatively and 0.63±0.26 postoperatively (P<.001). The mean best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was 0.59±0.28 preoperatively and 0.84±0.22 postoperatively (P<.001). Surface regularity index ranged from 1.96±1.08 preoperatively to 1.09±0.76 postoperatively (P<.001). The mean surface asymmetry index was 3.05±2.85 preoperatively and 1.39±1.70 postoperatively (P=.003). The mean topographic astigmatism was 4.65±3.02 preoperatively and 2.33±2.26 postoperatively (P=.003). CONCLUSIONS: Examination of the topographic records reveals pterygium-associated corneal flattening in the horizontal meridian along the line of the pterygium. The improvement in topographic pattern and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity can be used as one indicator of the success of pterygium surgery. [J Refract Surg. 2005;21:166-170.]

HLA B5 plays an important role in the aetiology of Behçet's disease. The frequency of HLA B5 differs between racial groups and geographical regions. Ocular involvement, which could lead to serious complications, is a very important feature of Behçet's disease. Various racial groups having different genetic properties live in the Cukurova region, located in southern Turkey. To investigate the role of HLA B5 in Behçet's disease in Cukurova region, HLA B5 antigens were investigated by lymphocytotoxicity assay in 65 patients and 200 healthy controls. A significantly higher frequency was found in the patient group. Neither ocular involvement, nor the type of uveitis showed any correlation with HLA B5, but it was found that patients presenting with frequent ocular attacks had significantly higher HLA B5 positivity than the patients with rare attacks. This observation suggests that HLA B5 would be a negative factor in visual prognosis in Behçet's disease.

Purpose: To evaluate the results of surgical management of scleral defects using fascia lata, cornea, and sclera as graft materials. Methods:The scleral defects of 8 patients were repaired surgically.Six had previous intraocular surgery, 1 had eye trauma, and the other had both intraocular surgery and trauma. Corneoscleral grafts were used in 3 eyes, scleral grafts in 4, and fascia lata was used in 1 eye. Results:In 7 patients, we achieved the desired cosmetic and tectonic success. During the follow-up period, a recurrent defect was seen in 1 patient, and a second operation was required.Conclusions: Surgical techniques using fascia lata, corneal, and scleral grafts are effective for scleral defects.

New techniques are being searched for the evaluation of cellular morphology and population of ocular surface. Impression cytology is one of the most preferred techniques in ocular surface sampling in dry eye, keratitis, and conjunctivitis. We evaluated and compared the efficacy of impression and brush cytology in 63 patients. All of the samples collected by the brush technique were sufficient for diagnosis: 88% of the slides revealed abundant cells and 12% adequate number of cells. In 21% of the samples observed by impression cytology the cell number was inadequate for diagnosis. In 58% of them the cells were abundant and in 21% few cells were observed. This study proved the value of brush cytology in collecting ocular surface cells. Diagn. Cytopathol. 17:88–91, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.