Alterations of anterior lens epithelium in pseudoexfoliation syndrome

Session Details

Session Title: Presented Poster Session: New & Interesting I

Venue: Poster Village: Pod 3

First Author: : F.Akritidou GREECE

Co Author(s): :    S. Karachrisaphy   S. Roumelis   A. Karachalios   C. Karagiannidis   T. Papamitsou   A. Sioga        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To present alterations of anterior lens epithelium in pseudoexfoliation syndrome. Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX) is an age-related ocular and systemic disease caused by a generalized fibrillopathy, in which abnormal extracellular material is produced and accumulates in many tissues. Although more data is still required, an increased incidence of cardiovascular disorders in PEX patients and several common features in their pathogenesis suggest that PEX may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The pathogenesis of PEX glaucoma and CAD in PEX patients may reflect different manifestations of the same process. [Andrikopoulos GK et al., 2014].

Setting:

1. Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital of Serres, Serres, Greece 2. Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of medicine Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Methods:

Samples of anterior capsular bag were collected intraoperatively, during cataract surgery, from 15 healthy eyes (control group) and from 15 eyes with pseudoexfoliation/PEX-syndrome (experimental group), which was manifested in the absence of any other local or systemic desease. Gluteraldeyde was used for fixing samples for examination with transmission electron microscope.

Results:

In control group observed some degenerative alterations like less or more vacuoles and increased intercellular spaces. In experimental group (PEX) observed large intracellular vacuoles, fine- grained or pyknotic nucleus, increased intercellular spaces. The thich of the epithelium was different. The surface of epithelium was rough, with some round-shaped formations of the cells and some fine fibrils in the ground substance.

Conclusions:

The changes of the capsular bag in eyes with PEX may be linked with zonular instability in patients with pseudoexfoliative syndrome and it could be indicative of the pathological changes in all the tissues affected. Thus it is important to better understand and study PEX-related changes in the eye.

Financial Disclosure:

None