Ocular Effects Produced by High-Intensity X-Radiation

Research on the Eyes of X-Ray-Irradiated Mice with and without Pharmacological Protection

“…They also observed a process of disintegration in the corneal epithelium, but without nuclear fragmentation, when they left the ionization per square centimeter unchanged. Similar conclusions were reach ed by Cibis et al [10] in tests on guinea pigs.…”

“…Finally, with regard to the effect of radi ation on retinal tissue, mention should be made of the work carried out by Cibis et al [10], who also determined the radiationsensitivity of various other organs. Accord ing to Anderson [cited in 10], the brain and the retina are very resistant to ionizing radi ation, being sensitive only to doses of 5,000 R.…”

Ultrastructural Retinal Changes after Irradiation with Fast Neutrons

“…Depending on the type of radia tion and the mode of fractionation threshold values, round about 2,000 cGy have been reported in the literature as causing retinal damage [5][6][7][8][9]12]. Ultrastructural alterations of the rods of guinea pig retina were first described after exposure to a single X-ray dose of 1,500 cGy [1], The only paper pre sented so far on the effect of fast neutrons on the eye, which was observed as a side effect in patients who had tumours in the vicinity of the eye and had been irradiated in the head and neck regions, fails to give any threshold values [14], Due to their higher biological effectiveness, fast neutrons cause retinal damage much earlier than do conven tional types of radiation [3].…”

The Effect of X-rays on the Metabolism of the Retina

“…It is now well recognized that x-rays in doses of 2000-5000 rad kill the visual cells of the mammalian retina, but have no obvious acute effect on the cells of the other layers (Hicks and Montgomery 1952, Noell, Eichel and Cibis 1954, Cibis and Brown 1955, Cibis, Noell and Eichel 1955a, b, Lucas 1961, 1962.…”