[Early alterations of the conjunctiva after alkali-burning (author's transl)]

Eye burns: an emergency and continuing problem

Adequate treatment of eye burns is an essential task of rescue teams. Clinical and occupational medicine studies have shown that efficient emergency treatment can prevent severe eye damage, but therapy is frequently delayed or inadequate. When initial therapy has been delayed or missed, several treatment strategies, including surgery, are available that may improve the outcome of an injury with poor visual prognosis. Discussed in this review are common accident mechanisms, causative agents and biophysical/pathogenetic aspects of eye burns, together with emergency and long-term treatment strategies including surgical procedures, and factors influencing outcome.

Relationship between various concentrations of NaOH and metabolic effects in experimentally burned rabbit cornea. A biochemical and histochemical study

In order to assess the extent of injury and the response of the cornea to alkali burns, NaOH in concentrations of 0.5, 0.25, 0.1, 0.05, and 0.01 N was applied to rabbit eyes and the histologic and metabolic changes studied. The activities of alkaline and acid phosphatases in homogenates and in cold microtome sections were examined on days 1, 4, and 7 after injury. At all time intervals 0.5 N and 0.25 N NaOH induced a remarkable decrease in enzyme activities. On the other hand, after 0.05 N and 0.01 N NaOH only very slight changes were observed. Using 0.1 N NaOH, both phosphatases decreased on day 4 after treatment and acid phosphatase reached normal values in a week, whereas alkaline phosphatase increased with a maximum on day 7. Its role in synthetic processes during corneal regeneration is discussed. Both histologic and metabolic patterns in the experimentally burned cornea were shown to be a function of NaOH concentration and the duration of contact. The process of re-epithelization of the cornea during healing after 0.1 N NaOH for 1 min is described.

[Metabolic alterations in corneal stroma of rabbit's eye in the early phase after experimental alkali burning (author's transl)]

The cornea and conjunctiva of rabbits are burned with 0.25 n NaOH for exactly 30 s. Then, the cornea and conjunctiva are cleaned with 0.9% NaCl. After sacrification the cornea is rinsed and the levels of the glucose and lactate are measured. The alterations of the metabolites for corneal nutrition are discussed.

The ultrastructure of the normal conjunctival epithelium of the guinea pig. II. The superficial layer of the perilimbal zone

The ultrastructure of the superficial cell layer of the perilimbal zone of the guinea pig conjunctival epithelium as seen in transmission and scanning electron micrographs is described. The major interest is focused on the apparatus of vesicles, vacuoles and cysts and their possible significance in connexion with transport functions and autophagocytic processes. The importance of the cell surface components and the role of the microfilaments in phagocytosis are also discussed.