scholarly journals The Extracellular Matrix of the Human and Whale Cornea and Sclera: Implications in Glaucoma and Other Pathologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Vecino ◽  
Noelia Ruzafa ◽  
Xandra Pereiro ◽  
Ane Zulueta ◽  
Alfredo Sarmiento ◽  
...  

The cornea is the transparent part of the eye that allows light to enter into the eye and reach the retina, thereby activating the neurons that will send messages to the brain. The sclera is the hard-white part of the eye, and its main function is to provide structure and form to the eye, and to support the retina. Indeed, while the cornea best performs its main functions when transparent and it is capable of adapting its curvature to allow the eye to focus, the sclera must be opaque and hard to function correctly. Both structures are mainly composed of collagen, some elastic fibres and ground substance, all components of the Extracellular Matrix. The disposition of the collagen fibres and the amount of ground substance around the fibres is responsible for the differences in the aspect of both these structures. In this chapter, for the first time we have compared the structure and ultrastructure of the cornea and sclera in humans and the whale adult (18mts) Balaenoptera physalus, the second largest animal on the planet. We will discuss how the differences in their structure may be related to the maintenance of intraocular pressure in their distinct environments, which is of particular clinical interest as increased intraocular pressure is one of the main causes underlying the development of open angle glaucoma.

Author(s):  
E. N. Simakova ◽  
O. V. Stenkova

Introduction. Glaucoma is one of the most significant eye diseases. It is often diagnosed, not always amenable to therapy, and can lead to a complete loss of visual functions. In recent years, the method of osteopathic correction has become widespread as one of the effective methods of treatment and rehabilitation of patients with pathologies of various body systems. In the pathogenesis of glaucoma, it is customary to distinguish a dystrophic concept, which considers primary open-angle glaucoma as a result of dystrophic changes in the connective tissue, as well as in the endothelial lining of the trabeculae and Schlemm′s canal, especially destructive changes in mitochondria and the alteration of their functional activity. A vascular concept is also distinguished. According to this concept, the central link in the pathogenesis of glaucoma is circulatory disorder in the ciliary vessels, ocular artery, and major vessels of the head and neck, it can be assumed that osteopathic correction in the treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma will be pathogenetically substantiated and will have a positive effect on intraocular pressure and trophicity of the optic nerve. The goal of research — to study the influence of in osteopathic correction on the nature of unoperated glaucoma (stage IIA) and to substantiate the possibility of using osteopathic correction in the complex treatment of patients with this pathology.Materials and methods. A prospective controlled randomized study was conducted at 52 city polyclinics, branch 3, Moscow, from January 2018 to January 2019. 40 patients (70 eyes) aged 50 to 75 years with primary open-angle glaucoma IIA stage were examined. At this stage of the disease, patients most often seek medical care and the issue of conservative management is primarily considered. All patients were divided into two groups of 20 people: the main group and the control group. The treatment in the main group included hypotensive drug therapy and osteopathic correction. Patients of the control group received only drug therapy. All patients underwent ophthalmic (visometry, tonometry, perimetry) and osteopathic examination twice: before the treatment and after 3 months.Results. For patients with primary open-angle IIA non-operated glaucoma, regional (most often regions of the head, neck, dura mater) and local (abdominal diaphragm, iliac bones, hip and knee joints) somatic dysfunctions were the most typical. In the main group a statistically significant decrease in the frequency and severity of dysfunctions at all levels was stated. Also, in patients receiving osteopathic correction, a significant decrease in the level of intraocular pressure and perimetric indices was noted. In patients of the control group, no reliable changes in these indicators were obtained.Conclusion. The results obtained indicate that osteopathic correction is clinically effective in the complex treatment of patients with primary open-angle II A glaucoma.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 1218
Author(s):  
Ebrahim Khalil BaniHabib ◽  
Ali Mostafai ◽  
Seyyed Mohammad Bagher Fazljou ◽  
Ghadir Mohammdi

Background: Open-angle glaucoma (OAG) is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. This study evaluates the therapeutic effects of hab shabyar in patients with open-angle glaucoma. Materials and Methods: In this clinical randomized controlled trial, 50 patients with OAG were randomized into two groups. The intervention group was received a drop of timolol plus 500 mg of hab shabyar every 12 hours. The placebo group was received a drop of timolol every 12 hours plus 500 mg of wheat germ as a placebo. The intraocular pressure in patients with OAG was measured in each group and compared at before the intervention (t1), one month (t2), and two months (t3) after the intervention. Results: The mean decrease in intraocular pressure for the right eye at three times in the intervention group was statistically significant, but the mean decrease in the placebo group was not significant. Similar results were obtained for the left eye at t1 when compared to t3. The patients in the intervention group expressed more satisfaction than the patients in the placebo group (P≤0.001). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that consumption of timolol plus hab shabyar instead of consuming of timolol alone was probably more effective for reducing intraocular pressure in patients with OAG.[GMJ.2019;In press:e1218]


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hong Yang Zhang ◽  
Yong Jie Qin ◽  
Yang Fan Yang ◽  
Jian Gang Xu ◽  
Min Bin Yu

Purpose.To compare the efficacy of subthreshold and conventional selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in lowering intraocular pressure (IOP) in the patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).Methods.Fifty-two eyes from fifty-two POAG patients were randomized into two groups, one group treated with subthreshold SLT using two-thirds of the conventional energy and the other one treated with the conventional energy. IOP was measured with the Goldmann tonometer and the anterior chamber inflammation was determined using laser flare meter.Results.The initial energy dosage used in subthreshold SLT group was significantly lower than the amount of the energy used in conventional SLT group (0.4±0.1 mJ versus0.6±0.1 mJ,P=0.030). The total energy dosage was also significantly lower in subthreshold SLT group compared to the other group (37.6±3.3 mJ versus51.8±5.7 mJ,P=0.036). However, the level of inflammation in aqueous humor, amount of reduction in IOP, and the success rate in controlling IOP was the same in both groups.Conclusion.The efficacy of subthreshold SLT group in reducing IOP in POAG patients is comparable to the efficacy of conventional SLT group.


2002 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karim N Jamal ◽  
Rabİa Gürses-Özden ◽  
Jeffrey M Liebmann ◽  
Robert Ritch

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