[Corneal asphericity in myopes]. / Etude de l'asphéricité cornéenne chez le sujet myope.

PURPOSE: To study the variations of corneal asphericity in a population of myopic patients. METHODS: One hundred consecutive myopic patients were included in this study. The EyeSys videokeratoscope was used to assess the corneal topography of these patients seeking refractive surgery. We compared the results of cycloplegic refractions with the values of the corneal asphericity and mean central keratometry. RESULTS: Mean corneal asphericity was -0.09. Eighty per cent of the myopic patients had a prolate corneal contour, whereas 20% had an oblate corneal contour. No significant relationship was found between the corneal asphericity value and the mean keratometry value or the mean refractive error. CONCLUSION: The mean corneal asphericity in our myopic population was -0.09. This is slightly more than previously reported data in similar studies. No statistically significant relationship was found between corneal asphericity, mean refractive error, and mean keratometry.

[Treatment of ocular cicatricial pemphigoid with sulfasalazine]. / Traitement des pemphigoïdes oculaires cicatricielles par la sulfasalazine.

PURPOSE: To report on three patients with biopsy-proven ocular cicatricial pemphigoid successfully treated with sulphasalazine. METHODS: Three case reports. RESULTS: A 71-year-old man, treated with dapsone for ocular cicatricial pemphigoid stopped his treatment because of an allergy to this drug. Oral sulphasalazine, 2.5 grams daily was successfully used as an alternative treatment (3 month follow-up). Two patients, aged 71 and 84 year old, were treated with dapsone for ocular cicatricial pemphigoid. Both patients stopped their treatment because of drug induced hemolytic anemia. They then received oral sulphasalazine, 4 grams daily. The disease was successfully controlled. In the first patient, sulphasalazine was discontinued after 13 months; and in the second patient no relapse was seen after a 16 month follow-up period. No adverse side effect of sulphasalazine occurred. CONCLUSION: Sulphasalazine, that has already been proven to be effective for Crohn's disease, also can be used in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid. However, further studies including a larger series of patients along with a longer follow-up are necessary to confirm the efficacy of sulphasalazine in this disease.