Transepithelial CXL treatment appeared to halt keratoconus progression, with a statistically significant improvement in visual and topographic parameters. The treatment was safe and well tolerated. Its noninvasive nature makes it potentially useful in cases in which epithelial debridement is ideally avoided, such as pediatric cases, uncooperative patients, and thin corneas with thicknesses nearing 380 μm.

The TE-CXL procedure appears to be safe and effective at least up to 18 months. The absence of epithelium debridement (necessary in the classical technique) makes the procedure more comfortable for the patient, and allows the treatment of thinner corneas (between 360 and 400 μm) and problematic patients.

Echography plays an important role in symptomatology investigations of ocular traumatology. Trauma causes the opacification of eye fluids, and so echography is particularly suitable for studying the endobulbar situation. We wished to enrich ocular investigations with another methodology: ultrasonic evaluation of the dimensions of intraocular foreign bodies, and report here the results obained with experimental studies introducing foreign bodies into enucleated bovine eyes.

Systemic echinacea appears safe and effective in the control of low-grade autoimmune idiopathic uveitis.

The rationale of this study stems from the consideration that vision is a dynamic process, during which photopigments of photoreceptor cells (rods and cones) are continuously consumed and regenerated by retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells. The whole process of vision triggered by light radiation generates free radicals which are potentially toxic to the cells in the central retina (macula), which is the main player in vision. Therefore, the central retina contains carotenoid pigments (mainly lutein and zeaxanthin) with the double function of shielding the cells from light radiation and providing free radical-scavenging action due to their antioxidant power. Nonetheless, visual performance (including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and stereoscopic perception) can be hampered by bright light and by sudden changes in illumination conditions, such as during the transit from the dark to intense light. Therefore, objective of this study has been to investigate whether the treatment with a food supplement regimen containing different antioxidant and protective elements shown to protect from photo-oxidative damage retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, might also improve retina functions during challenging light conditions. We present here our findings, showing the protective effects on human RPE cells in vitro of lutein and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) against photo-oxidative stress. Accordingly, the results of a retrospective analysis of a case series show that sport motorcycle test pilots (who need for their profession an optimal visual performance) taking a commercially available food supplement containing a blend of antioxidant and protective molecules (lutein, C3G, verbascoside and zinc), improved their visual abilities and reduced their sensibility to glaring lights in a dose/time-dependent fashion. In conclusion, these results suggest that a food supplement may increase the antioxidant defense of the retina, thus improving the visual performance also during challenging illumination conditions, hence increasing the safety of individuals finding themselves in such situations.