ABSTRACT.Purpose: To investigate the effect of non-invasive tear stability assessment with forced eye opening on the lower tear meniscus. Methods: Twenty-three eyes of 23 patients with aqueous-deficient dry eye and 23 eyes of 23 normal subjects were enrolled. All subjects underwent imaging with a Keratograph 5M equipped with a modified tear film scanning function. Lower tear meniscus images were captured, and tear meniscus height (TMH) was measured with an integrated ruler before and after non-invasive Keratograph break-up time (NIKBUT) measurements in each subject. Subjects were instructed to keep their eyes open as long as possible during NIKBUT measurements, and the recording was discontinued at the next blink. Results:The TMH values of the normal and dry eye groups were 0.20 AE 0.05 mm and 0.14 AE 0.03 mm, respectively, at baseline. The TMH values of dry eyes were significantly smaller than those of normal eyes (p < 0.001). Significant increases in TMH values were observed in both normal (0.10 AE 0.12 mm) and dry eyes (0.04 AE 0.09 mm) with the NIKBUT measurement (p < 0.001, p = 0.039). A moderate negative correlation was observed between increased TMH and baseline TMH in dry eyes (r = À0.44, p = 0.03), whereas no correlation was observed in normal eyes (r = 0.04, p = 0.85). Conclusions: Forced eye opening required for the non-invasive tear stability assessment influences the TMH measurement possibly due to reflex tear secretion, even in patients with aqueous-deficient dry eye. TMH should be assessed before tests that require forced eye opening.

Quantitative serial measurement of HOAs and forward light scatter showed that the temporal reduction in optical quality may be attributed mainly to increased HOAs after instillation of highly viscous 0.3% sodium hyaluronate ophthalmic solution and to increased forward light scatter after instillation of 2% rebamipide ophthalmic suspension in healthy subjects.

Ocular forward light scattering and corneal backward light scattering from the anterior cornea were greater in dry eyes than in normal eyes. Increased corneal backward light scattering in dry eye at least partially results from cSPK overlying the optical zone.

This novel culture method using dermal fibroblasts and pharmaceutical agents provides a safe cell processing system without xenogenic feeder cells for ocular surface reconstruction.

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Recently, regenerative therapy with tissue-engineered epithelial cell sheets has been performed for treating ocular surface disease. It would be required to develop the validation method for these cell sheets to standardize and spread the regenerative therapy. In the present study, we developed a validation system for cultivated epithelial cell sheets. Human limbal epithelial cells and human oral mucosal epithelial cells were cultured with 3T3 feeder layer cells on temperature-responsive culture inserts for three different culture periods, and subjected to cell sheet harvest and validation. Epithelial cells cultured for a short period were not successfully harvested as intact contiguous cell sheets. On the other hand, total cell number and viability of epithelial cell sheets harvested after prolonged culture period decreased. Further, these cells also lost epithelial barrier function. These results showed the potential effectiveness of the proposed validation system that can evaluate fabricated cell sheets before transplantation.

In Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy, the corneal endothelium is damaged more severely in the center and paracentral zones than in the peripheral zone, and peripheral measurement can objectively grade the disease. In the peripheral zones, the inferotemporal endothelium is damaged more severely. These findings might provide a new understanding of the disease mechanisms.

ABSTRACT.Purpose: To investigate the short-and long-term effects of diquafosol ophthalmic solution on the optical quality of the eyes in patients with aqueous-deficient dry eye. Methods: Sixteen eyes in 16 patients with mild or moderate aqueous-deficient dry eye were treated with 3% diquafosol ophthalmic solution. Ocular higherorder aberrations (HOAs) were measured with a wavefront sensor before and at 15 min after diquafosol instillation at the baseline visit and at 4 weeks after treatment initiation. Dry eye symptoms, tear break-up time (BUT), corneal/ conjunctival fluorescein staining and Schirmer's test were also evaluated before and after treatment with diquafosol. Results: Treatment with diquafosol ophthalmic solution significantly improved dry eye symptoms, corneal staining and BUT. Compared with mean total HOAs at baseline (0.180 AE 0.06 lm), those at 4 weeks after treatment significantly decreased (0.148 AE 0.039 lm; p = 0.035), whereas those 15 min after diquafosol instillation at the baseline visit did not change significantly (0.170 AE 0.049 lm; p = 0.279). Conclusions: Although no significant change in HOAs was observed as a shortterm effect of a single-drop instillation of diquafosol, long-term use of diquafosol to treat aqueous-deficient dry eye reduced HOAs as well as improved corneal epithelial damage and tear film stability.