Apoptosis Induced by Contact Lens Wearing in Rabbit Cornea.

Kwak, Ilhoon; Lee, Joohwa; Joo, Myungjin

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Ophthalmological Society 1998;39(11):2591-2597.
Published online November 1, 1998.

Apoptosis Induced by Contact Lens Wearing in Rabbit Cornea.

Ilhoon Kwak, Joohwa Lee, Myungjin Joo

Department of Ophthalmology, College of Medicine, Inje University, Sanggye Paik Hospital.

가토의 각막에서 콘택트렌즈 착용에 의해 유발된 세포 자연사(Apoptosis)

곽일훈(Il Hoon Kwak),이주화(Joo Hwa Lee),주명진(Myung Jin Joo)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the role of apoptosis in the contact lens-worn cornea and the pathophysiologic influence of the contact lens to the rabbit corneal tissue, We had 4 experimental groups; soft contact-worn, RGP contact-worn, mechanically scraped and ormal control groups. The corneas were prepared for routine H & E staining and apoptosis evaluation. Keratocyte and epithelia cell morphology of the cornea were examined in each group using light microscopy. Nuclear DNA fragmentation was detected with the TUNEL assay for 3`-hydroxy DNA ends. The apoptosis assay demonstrated: (a) both the normal cornea and the contact lens-worn cornea exhibited no apoptosis, (b) silight degree of apoptosis was corneal apoptosis detected n deratocytes of the soft contact lensworn cornea, and (c) the anterior stromal keratocytes were found to be frequently undergoing apoptotic change in the scraped cornea. Theses findings suggest that the possible hypoxia induced by soft contact lens-wearing may have a role in apoptosis of anterior stromal keratocytes. To be clinically significant, we need more evaluations and long term studies of apoptosis in contact lens-worn cornea.

Key Words: Cornea;Contact lens;Hypoxia;Apoptosis