Overall, this instrument has good interobserver reliability for assessing general disease activity. We therefore suggest that this proforma has a place in routine clinical monitoring of patients with BD, as well as assessing outcome in therapeutic trials.

During saccadic motion the eyewall moves in a manner similar to a sinusoid or at least can be represented by a sine Fourier series. Motion of the vitreous is induced by the saccade and the vitreo-retinal interface is subjected to a time-dependent shear. This force may be a significant factor for retinal tearing in the neighbourhood of small retinal holes or tears. An analytical viscoelastic model and a numerical, Newtonian model of the motion of the vitreous are presented and compared. Under sinusoidal boundary motion the analytical model shows that a viscous wave propagates inward toward the axis of rotation and the characteristic length of this wave is a function of the Womersley number. The numerical solution indicates that the vitreous moves similarly to the analytical result with small secondary motion; however, this motion allows complete recirculation of the vitreous over large timescales. Excellent agreement is found between the analytical and numerical models. The time-dependent fluid shear is evaluated and from the analytical solution the maximum value of this is found to be proportional to R0 square root of v(omega)3, where R0 is the eye radius, v the modified complex viscosity and omega the sinusoidal frequency. This indicates that myopes have a larger shear force exerted on them by virtue of the larger eye size. Further work is directed toward a model which links the stress found in the sclera to that exerted on the vitreo-retinal interface by the vitreous fluid motion.

Objective Experimental evidence suggests that inappropriate regulation of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) may play a role in the pathogenesis of Behçet's disease (BD). This is supported by recent reports highlighting the efficacy of anti‐TNFα agents in the treatment of this disease. The TNF gene is encoded in the class III region of the HLA complex adjacent to HLA–B. This genetic proximity to a gene that is already widely implicated in disease susceptibility led us to investigate the association between TNF promoter polymorphisms and susceptibility to BD. Methods We studied 133 UK white Caucasoid patients with BD and 354 healthy controls. We attempted to dissect the contribution of individual polymorphisms in this gene‐dense region by linkage disequilibrium mapping across 6 adjacent genes. Results We report a novel association with the TNF promoter allele TNF‐1031C. Subsequent analysis identified 2 extended HLA haplotypes associated with BD. One of them contained the previously recognized susceptibility gene HLA–B*51, while the other was defined by HLA–B*5701. Both of these haplotypes contained the TNF promoter polymorphism −1031C, an allele that was associated with disease even in individuals who did not carry either HLA–B*51 or HLA–B*5701. Conclusion The TNF‐1031C allele is independently associated with susceptibility to BD in Caucasoid patients. Further studies will be required to determine the functional effects of this polymorphism, its influence in disease pathogenesis, and its role in other ethnic groups.

Acute retinal necrosis has been described as a clinical entity for nearly 30 years. Acute retinal necrosis is a potentially visually devastating necrotizing vaso-occlusive retinitis affecting both healthy and immunocompromised patients. Acute retinal necrosis is caused by the herpes group of viruses, mainly varicella zoster, herpes simplex types 1 and 2, and, rarely, cytomegalovirus. Recently, polymerase chain reaction techniques have enabled detection of very small amounts of viral DNA from intra-ocular fluid samples. This can help in both the diagnosis of atypical cases of retinitis and uveitis and directing treatment in cases of acute retinal necrosis.

The eye is involved in several pathologies where precise identification of the underlying condition is essential for the optimal patient care. This preliminary report presents the potential of high-resolution microscopy coil magnetic resonance imaging (HR-MRI) to undertake this task being actively used in the clinical setting. We used a commercially available MRI scanner and a microscopy surface coil. Exquisite anatomic detail of the eye and orbit with depiction of previously unobserved structures and clear demonstration of the underlying pathology was achieved. This report supports the idea that orbital imaging can be revolutionized with the introduction of HR-MRI with broad clinical implications.