We examined 304 conjunctiva in 152 subjects by clinical, cytologic, and bacteriologic methods. Bacteriologic samples were evaluated after a 48-hour incubation. Bacterial growth was found in 8 (20.5%) of 39 patients with clinically normal conjunctiva and no polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs), and in 8 (61.5%) of 13 subjects with clinically normal conjunctiva and evidence of PMNs. Bacterial growth also was observed in 4 (40.0%) of 10 patients with clinically mild conjunctivitis and no PMNs, in 10 (24.4%) of 41 patients with clinically mild conjunctivitis and a mixture of inflammatory cells or predominantly lymphocytes, and in 37 (75.5%) of 49 patients with clinically mild conjunctivitis and evidence of PMNs. The presence of PMNs was well correlated with the existence of rapid-growing bacteria.
We prospectively examined corneal conditions and bacterial growth in 77 individials with unilateral aphakia who were using extended-wear soft contact lenses. The ratios of positive bacterial growth (70.6–79.4%) from 34 patients with superficial punctate keratopathy were significantly higher than those (41.9–46.5%) from the 43 subjects with normal corneas. Bacterial growth was found frequently in patients with superficial punctate keratopathy who were older than 80 years and in those using soft contact lenses for more than 22 days. Several kinds of bacteria grew from the specimens. Among the most common were Staphylococcus epidermidis and Cornybacterium species. Pseudomonas aeruginosa grew from patients with superficial punctate keratopathy who were using extended-wear soft contact lenses.
A 25-year-old pregnant woman complained of a transient decrease of vision in her left eye. No ring scotoma was described. During her second pregnancy at age 27, the patient noticed subtle ring scotomas in both eyes. During her third pregnancy at age 30, the scotomas enlarged. A grayish zone with a few small areas of pigmentation around the macula was seen bilaterally. At age 37, the retinal degeneration progressed slightly: results of visual function and electrophysiologic examinations revealed mild rod and cone dysfunction. We believe that this patient represents a rare case of deteriorating pericentral retinal degeneration during pregnancies.
We examined fundus photographs of 3,506 eyes and noted uncommon retinal vessel patterns in the temporal quadrants of the posterior fundus. Of 1,753 subjects, 20 patients (21 eyes) had unusual retinal vessel patterns. Seven eyes had an abnormally distributed branch of the inferotemporal artery; 8 eyes had an enlarged macular artery that was uncommonly long, and 6 had a longer than usual cilioretinal artery. Of these 20 patients, 1 had visual complaints associated with the unusual vascular patterns.
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