Development and optimisation of an animal model for the study of ganglion cells in degenerative diseases of the retina and optic nerve. / Desarrollo y optimización de un modelo animal para el estudio de las células ganglionares en enfermedad degenerativa de la retina y nervio óptico.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune, chronic and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system with axonal demyelination, gliosis and neurodegeneration. It is considered a frequent cause of neurological disability in young adults. In this work, an Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) model was optimised by injecting a myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG35-55). The ophthalmological effects were studied, as well as its use as an experimental model in other studies of retinal ganglion cell degeneration (RGC) and optic nerve (ON). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 16 mice of 10 weeks that were placed into 2 study groups: a control group of 10 animals and another group of 6 animals with EAE that were injected with MOG35-55. The animals of the EAE model were monitored using motor disability scales. The retinas and optic nerves were processed for morphological examination by optical microscopy and ultrastructure studies. RESULTS: The animal models presented with motor symptoms of spinal cord injury, with the first symptoms appearing between the 7th and 19th day post-injection, with a maximum disability mean of 3.5 points. In the retina, the mean RGC in the EAE group was 0.0891µm, compared with 0.1678µm of the control group (p=.0003). The ON was strongly affected with reactive gliosis, increased axonal damage and decreased density axonal (control group 0.38038 axons/µm2 versus EAE group 0.16 axons/µm2, p=.00032). CONCLUSIONS: In this work an animal model of EAE has been characterised and detailed for the study of demyelinating alterations in the retina and the ON. Its characteristics make it an excellent tool for the study of neurodegenerative ophthalmic diseases.

[Non-infectious corneal macroperforations treated with a combination of Tachosil(®) and Tutopach(®). A report of 2 cases]. / Macroperforaciones corneales no infecciosas tratadas con la asociación de TachoSil(®) y Tutopach(®). A propósito de 2 casos.

CLINICAL CASE: We report 2 cases of patients affected by non-infectious corneal macroperforations treated with TachoSil(®) and Tutopach(®), which closed the defect. DISCUSSION: This procedure is an excellent choice for the emergency treatment of corneal perforation, especially in those centres that have no other therapeutic options, preserving the eye and visual acuity.

Effect of posterior capsular opacification removal on macular optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of posterior capsular opacification (PCO) on macular optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging quality and measurements of macular retinal thickness. METHODS: In this prospective interventional case series, 32 eyes of 23 patients with PCO were recruited. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), a complete ophthalmologic assessment, and macular OCT scans (OCT Stratus 3000) before and after Nd:YAG capsulotomy were performed. Two parameters for image quality (signal strength (SS) and number of tomographic messages) and 10 macular retinal thickness measurements were compared. Spearman correlations between BCVA and SS and macular retinal thickness measurements before and after capsulotomy were also performed. RESULTS: PCO removal was associated with an increase of best-corrected visual acuity (p<0.0001). The mean SS (n=32) went from 3.34+/-2.31 to 6.38+/-1.93 (p<0.0001) after Nd:YAG capsulotomy. The SS improved in 26 of 32 eyes. No significant difference between mean preoperative and postoperative macular retinal thickness measurements was observed (p<0.05) in valuable scans. Before capsulotomy, a correlation existed between BCVA and SS. After capsulotomy this correlation was no longer found. CONCLUSIONS: OCT image quality is influenced by PCO. Nd:YAG capsulotomy results in a measurable improvement in SS and improvement in the number of valuable examinations. Valuable OCT scans in patients with PCO seem to yield reliable measurements of macular retinal thickness even in the presence of severe PCO. The correlation between BCVA and SS before capsulotomy suggests that the SS could be considered an objective indicator of the degree of PCO.