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Implant materials for orbital surgery are mainly used during orbital traumatic deformity-eliminating operations, postenucleation stump plasty, evisceration, and anophthalmic syndrome correction. There are currently a lot of biological and artificial implant materials, but there is no universal material to correct all types of defects and this makes surgeons use a great quantity of reparative procedures and techniques and scientists continue to search for more suitable implant materials. This paper reviews the currently available materials used in orbital surgery in Russia and foreign countries.

The paper reviews the currently available methods for studying the lens. It describes the anatomic and functional features of the lens and the principles of its examination based on biomicroscopy, photorecording, etc. It also depicts quantitative methods for assessing the properties of the lens: the use of multifunctional devices in which the Scheimpflug principle is realized; methods based on the application of ultrasound energy (A-scanning, B-scanning, biomicroscopy).

The current methods widely used in ophthalmology to examine patients to diagnose the dry eye syndrome and to trace the course of a process are invasive. Both the Norn test using stains and the Schirmer test with the filter paper strips being inserted are stimuli that affect the rate of tear generation, which misrepresents the data obtainable. The developed procedures for examining the eye in polarized light permit one to considerably reduce the invasiveness of patient examination. The study indicated the high efficiency and diagnostic value of the proposed procedures in the examination of patients with the dry eye syndrome. Polarization filters available in the standard kit of up-to-date slit lamps make it possible to use the proposed procedures without any modification of ophthalmological equipment in wide clinical practice.

The paper analyzes outpatient cards of 415 patients who underwent enucleation for uveal melanoma (UM) in 1962-2008 and who have been registered in the Moscow City Ophthalmology Center since 1990. The patients' mean age was 58.94 +/-1.29 years. During the follow-up, 56 patients died 5.24 +/- 1.84 years postoperatively. The distribution of UM by the histological types was as follows: spindle cell (n = 275; 66.27%); mixed cell (n = 100; 24.09%), and epithelioid cell (n = 26; 6.27%) UM. Eleven (2.65%) patients were diagnosed as having necrotic melanoma. Poor (preequatorial and juxtapapillary) position was observed in 35.4% of the patients. Mortality in patients with UM after enucleation was 14.44% with a life expectancy of 5.24 +/- 1.84 years. The findings make it possible to recommend that an enucleation procedure should be developed, by concurrently forming a locomotor stump, which promotes the improvement of the results of individual cosmetic prosthetics in patients with UM that is not to undergo organ-saving treatment.

The paper presents the results of practical application of a new screening method for determining tolerant intraocular pressure (TIOP) on a Blood Flow Analyzer (Paradigm, USA). Studies were conducted on 331 eyes (205 subjects). Group 1 consisted of 80 patients (126 eyes) without glaucoma being found, with intraocular pressure (IOP) in the average normal range, but with a TIOP excess of 1-8 mm Hg (a risk group); Group 2 included 15 subjects (20 eyes) without glaucoma with normal IOP in whom TIOP exceeded the existing IOP by 1-7 mm Hg; Group 3 comprised 110 patients (185 eyes) with Stage I-III primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) with compensated IOP. Morphofunctional studies revealed glaucoma in 95 (75%) eyes in the risk group: Stages II and I in 61 and 30%, respectively; and advanced glaucoma in 9%. At the same time, there was a close correlation of the probable detection of glaucoma with the existing degree of a TIOP excess. No cases of glaucoma were observed in Group 2. The determination of TIOP and morphofunctional changes over time in Group 3 revealed a stable glaucomatous process in 99% of cases in which IOP was lower than or equal to TIOP, as well as progressive glaucomatous neuropathy in 91% in which compensated LOP exceeded TIOP. The results of the study in Group 3 suggest that the index TIOP may be used as a guide of IOP in the treatment and monitoring of POAG. The presented data indicate that the determination of the level of TIOP is a required element of both standard ophthalmological examination and monitoring of glaucoma.

The outcomes of keratitis in lagophthalmos occurring due to various causes despite therapeutic measures are generally poor. The influence of factors, such as drying of the cornea, impairment of its trophism, and infection, leads to the development of rough leukomas, and occasionally to eye death due to occurring endophthalmitis. The paper describes a clinical case of deep trophic central corneal ulcer on the single seeing eye with lagophthalmos, as well as ulcer treatment by the authors' procedure, by simultaneously affecting both elements of the pathology (lagophthalmos and trophic ulcerative keratitis of central localization) and creating an artificial pupil. This allows one to increase visual acuity, to cure keratitis, and to close a palpebral fissure.

This paper analyzes the data available in the literature on the incidence of uveal melanomas. It historically describes enucleation and the specific features of its performance in patients with and without uveal melanoma. The specific features of enucleation in patients with uveal melanoma, indications for locomotor stump formation, and procedures for calculating the parameters of an implant are considered. Analysis of the data available in the literature shows that there is presently no unambiguous opinion as to the most rational enucleation modes and as to the capacities and types of used implants as a whole. This primarily applies to enucleation used in patients with intraocular neoplasms.

The paper presents a detailed analysis of 27700 patients with ocular injury who received a therapeutic-and-diagnostic care at the first specialized stage. The specific features of an oculist's care in an intensive care unit and the required volume of diagnostic studies in different types of posttraumatic pathology of the eye and its appendages are defined. Indications for emergency hospitalization in fresh trauma and sequels are presented. Algorithms of treatment have been developed and are recommended in relation to the pattern and severity of injuries of the organ of vision.

The paper gives the results of a study of ocular optical aberrations in keratoconus. Objective aberrometry was carried out with OPD Scan (Nidek, Japan). An additional computer program (OPD station) was used to evaluate the corneal wavefront. Examinations were made before and after application of a rigid gas-permeable lens (RGPL) to the eye. For the functional evaluation of the effectiveness of contact correction, the investigators used visometry and determined binocular visual functions, contrast sensitivity, and visual productivity. A total of 87 subjects (174 eyes) with keratoconus were examined. Stage 1 disease was found in 48 eyes, Stage 2 in 49 eyes, Stage 3 in 37 eyes, and Stage 4 in 40 eyes. Analyzing the results of the study could evaluation the effectiveness of keratoconus correction with RGPL. The use of the latter presents a possibility of compensating for optical aberrations, achieving their reduction practically to the one level irrespective of the stage of keratoconus with a slight increase in Stage 4 disease. In Stages 1-3, the mean aberration values of each type have very close values (without statistically significant differences between them). In Stage 1 keratoconus, RGPL can completely compensate for high-order corneal aberrations (including coma, trefoil, and spherical aberrations). Normalization of the wavefront promotes the achievement of high functional results of contact correct of refraction disorders in keratoconus, by applying RGPL.

The paper describes a case of a type of the manifestation of aveitis associated with an exacerbation of nonspecific ulcerative colitis. Ultrasound diagnostic techniques, such as ultrasound biomicroscopy and B-scanning, evaluate the uveal tract that can no longer be imaged, by using the traditional examination methods. These methods extend diagnostic capabilities and permit an objective monitoring of the status of a patient.

The paper reviews specific complications of conventional peeling of the internal limiting membrane (ILM) of the retina in various macular pathologies. It also considers the promising directions of development of ILM surgery, including enzymatic lysis and femtosecond laser ablation of the ILM.

The paper gives the results of comparative assessment of ophthalmoergonomic indicators of the visual system in patients with high-grade myopia after contact correction and within 12 months after phacitic intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. A considerable increase in the level of visual analyzer performance was achieved after surgical correction. The found positive changes in visual analyzer performance after phacitic intraocular lens versus contact correction are explainable in the context of physiological optics by the formation of the optimal ocular cornea--phacitic IOL--lens system that ensures great functional reserves for visual perception as a whole as compared with the optical contact lens--cornea--lens system.

The paper gives the methods of plasmapheresis-based extracorporeal exposure to blood and its components to correct hemostatic disorders. Afferent methods, as well as quantum hemotherapy methods are outlined. The immunomodulating mechanism of their action, which favors a prompter elimination of inflammation, increases ocular functions, and reduces recurrences, is revealed. The mechanisms of action of plasmapheresis as a technique used alone and in combination with laser and ultraviolet blood irradiation and indications for and contraindications to the use of various hemocorrection methods are described.

The paper presents the results of pathohistological studies of the contents of the lacrimal canaliculi and the fragments of their walls, obtained at canaliculotomy in 25 patients. This permitted 14 cases of actinomycotic dacryocanaliculitis to be identified as drusens of the ray fungus Actinomyces israelii had been found. The reactive structural changes found in the wall of the lacrimal canaliculi due to the presence of fungal infection and foreign bodies in their lumen are described. A morphological study is shown to be effective in revealing the actinomycotic etiology of dacryocanaliculitis.

The paper describes a simplified calculation procedure for the volume of the osseous orbit. The use of correction factors allowed the authors to show the appropriateness of calculation of the volume of the osseous orbit from 4-6 fragments instead of 45-55 ones, as had been accepted. The presented volume characteristics of the orbit may be used in the differential diagnosis of false and true exophthalmos and in the planning of orbital operations.

The paper presents the results of studying the prevalence of myopic refraction in adolescents in the Republic of Khakasia in relation to the state of their accommodation-convergence apparatus, constitution, ethnicity, and the type of a settlement. Myopia has been found to occur 3 times more frequently among the urban adolescents. The results have led to the conclusion that urban living conditions may be a determinant of enhanced refraction.

The paper analyzes the structural and functional state of the corneal extracellular matrix (ECM). It presents the currently available data on the role of connective tissue in health and during corneal pathological processes. Numerous morphological studies have provided evidence that the extracellular contact mechanisms characterized by extracellular and matrix-cell interactions are fundamental processes of corneal immunobiology.

This paper presents an analytical survey of the Russian and foreign literature dealing with the current idea on the pathology of a glaucomatous process and methods for the early diagnosis of glaucoma. It gives data on the impact of intraocular pressure, central corneal thickness and ocular biomechanical properties on the pathogenesis of primary open-angle and normotensive glaucoma. The results of electrophysiological, psychophysiological, ultrasound, and morphometric studies were assessed in the diagnosis of primary open-angle glaucoma.

The paper gives data of computed tomography in 100 patients (148 orbits) with edematous exophthalmos (lipogenic and mixed types). There is a relationship of the higher degree of exophthalmos to the increased orbital soft tissue contents. A procedure is described for the individual calculation of the amount of removed orbital fat during compressive operations, which considers both the individual features of the anatomic structure and existing exophthalmos.

The review of literature covers the topical aspects of the interaction of proangiogenic cytokines and angiogenic inhibitors, their implication in the pathogenesis of proliferative retinopathies occurring, among other diseases, in the presence of diabetes mellitus. The paper provides the historical facts of development of the angiogenic homeostasis theory that implies that there is a dynamic equilibrium between two antagonistic systems: proangiogenic and antiangiogenic. The major angiogenic inhibitors involved in the maintenance of the normal structure and function of the eye and in the processes linked with abnormal proliferation are enumerated. Particular emphasis is laid on the pigment epithelium-derived factor that is a potent antiangiogenic agent that is directly synthesized by ocular tissues and a vascular endothelial growth factor antagonist. The review of the literature considers the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy in the context of interaction of these two growth factors.

The paper deals with the impact of infrared low-intensity laser radiation (IRLILR) on a mutation process and the proliferative activity of the animal cornea during stimulation of circulatory brain hypoxia. During an experiment on laboratory albino rats, IRLILR was studied for its impact on the level of chromosomal rearrangements and the mitotic index in the corneal cells was calculated in circulatory brain hypoxia. Laser exposure during stimulation of circulatory brain hypoxia favors normalization of the level of chromosomal aberrations and a mitotic cycle in the rat corneal epithelial cells. The experimental findings suggest that IRLILR may be used in ophthalmological care for antihypoxic purposes.

The study was undertaken to develop an efficient system for prevention and treatment of ophthalmological complications at spontaneous delivery in parturients with peripheral vitreochorioretinal dystrophies and retinal dystrophic detachment. The paper considers the results of a 2-year follow-up of 188 women during pregnancy and puerperal period. No visual changes were revealed in all the cases after both spontaneous delivery and cesarean section (if there are obstetric indications). The findings suggest that timely detection and treatment of menacing types of peripheral vitreochorioretinal dystrophies and retinal detachment considerably reduce the rates of surgical delivery as shown by ophthalmological indications.

The purpose of the present investigation was to develop an optimal approach to rehabilitating patients with episcleritis and scleritis of various etiology. The paper summarizes the results of examination and treatment in 128 patients (142 eyes) with the acute chronic course of the diseases. To specify the etiopathogenesis of a disease, the patients were examined by a rheumatologist, an immunologist, a virologist, a phthisiatrician, an ENT specialist, and a roentgenologist. Rhinofrequency ultrasound biomicroscopy was made in the diagnosis of scleral inflammatory diseases. Ultrasound studies (ultrasound biomicroscopy and B-scanning of the eye) were additionally conducted. Complex therapy produced a marked positive clinical effect in 124 patients (138 eyes). During 5 years, immunological parameters improved in all the examined. Thus, episcleritis and scleritis are an overall immunological disorder and frequently associated with infections. Current laboratory clinical and instrumental studies considerably enhance the efficiency of the diagnosis and, hence, treatment of these diseases.

The paper describes the first experience in using multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). In the latter, thrombogenesis is mosaic in most cases so the techniques providing a spatial imaging of the pathological process is of interest in the examination of patients with this disease. These techniques include mfERG. The quadrant mfERG analysis that reveals pathological changes in relation to the vascular involvement area is of the greatest informative value in patients with APS-associated retinal vascular occlusions.

The paper presents the results of using the current multifocal studies of visual functions in patients with various diseases of the retina (detachment, tapetoretinal abiotrophy, macular foramen). It provides evidence for the high correlation of changes detectable in these patients by statistical computer-assisted perimetry and multifocal electroretinography. The implication of comprehensive application of these techniques to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of ocular neurosensory apparatus diseases and to the functional monitoring and evaluation of treatment has been ascertained.

On the basis of the ISCEV standards and the author's experience, the paper describes theoretical prerequisites for multifocal electroretinography and its methodology. The variants of assessing the results, failure causes, and terminology of multifocal analysis of electroretionographic evidence are considered.

The paper gives the results of electroretinography (ERG) in 38 patients (73 eyes) with type 2 diabetes mellitus at different stages of diabetic retinopathy (including in diabetic macular edema). The reductions in the macular ERG (M-ERG) amplitude parameters and in the retinal density of bioelectrical activity and the decreased amplitude and longer latency of multifocal ERG (mfERG) N1 and P1 components evidence the involvement of the retinal macular region into the pathological process and the magnitude of these changes depends on the presence of imaged macular edema. Despite the certain limitations of mfERG, assessment of the topography of retinal bioelectrical activity in the central field of vision is an important supplement to M-ERG results and may be a prognostic criterion for the development of a pathological process and its extent.

Based on the analysis of the data of a multifocal electroretinography FOK response and the retinal thickness in 38 patients with suspected glaucoma, the paper shows the inhibition of the external retinal biopotential and the lower retinal thickness in the posterior ocular pole. There is a correlation of these changes with light sensitivity alterations, as evidenced by quadrant analysis. It is stressed that monitoring of patients with suspected glaucoma must comprise a morphofunctional assessment using the current techniques.

Based of their experience and analysis of the papers available in the medical literature, the authors describe the clinical picture of malignant lymphomas of the organ of vision. They give a concept of the current classification of lymphomas and information on the specific features of their course, by taking into account the site of the process (eyelids, conjunctiva, intraocular and orbital regions) and present recommendations on their treatment.

The paper presents a procedure and conditions for recording multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG), its origin, and factors influencing small-signal ERG. The optimal conditions of ERG extraction using the existing method are appraised and indications for its use in ophthalmological care defined. The results of comparing the new types of electrodes developed in Russia for ERG recording and a DTL electrode included in the ISCEV guidelines are presented.

The paper considers the possibilities of using multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) to examine patients with primary glaucoma. Forty-seven patients underwent mfERG that established that as the disease progressed, there were reductions in the mfERG wave amplitude, when the first flash response, and in biopotential density, when the quadrant analysis was made. Biopotential changes in glaucoma can be analyzed in relation to the first flash response and a pattern response. Monitoring of changes in primary glaucoma may use mfERG.

The paper presents the results of a comparative study of corneal morphological changes by lifetime confocal miscroscopy in the long-term use of various types of contact lenses (CLs). Twenty-two patients (44 eyes) were examined, of them 8 patients (16 eyes) had worn soft CLs (SCLs) for 10-25 years (mean 17 years). 8 (16 eyes) had used hard CLs (HCLs) made of polymethyl metacrylate for 17-30 years (mean 23 years), 6 (12 eyes) had worn HCLs for 15 to 30 years (mean 20 years), hard gas-permeable CLs (HGCLs) over the past 5-15 years. The findings suggest that long-term wear of corrective CLs may lead to significant structural impairments in different corneal layers. The most characteristic changes are different types of epitheliopathies and the emergence of the signs of stromal degeneration with formation of deposits. According to our evidence, the likelihood of the detected changes increases with the long use of SCLs and reduces with the wear of HCLs, HGCLs in particular, which allows the authors to recommend that SCLs be changed to HGCLs after long (more than 10-15-year) contact correction.

The paper presents data on the prevalence and pattern of fragment injuries of the eye and orbit in the Sverdlovsk Region in 2000-2004. It describes the authors' system for complex diagnosis of metallic foreign bodies, which is based on the wide use of electron location in combination with other clinical, instrumental, and special studies. The comparative results of treating patients with the standard and proposed system, which demonstrate the advantages of the latter in small-sized fragments in particular, are given.

The paper presents the results of Ahmed's drainage implanted in 19 patients with different forms of posttraumatic glaucoma: 14 and 5 eyes with contusion and wound glaucoma, respectively. According to its pathogenesis, glaucoma was recessive (8 eyes), uveal (7 eyes), phakotopic (2 eyes), keratoplasty-associated (1 eye), and congenital (1 eye). Neovascular uveal glaucoma was present in 3 cases. Three eyes with uveal glaucoma showed aniridia and aphakia. On admission, the patients had an average of 2.9 +/- 1.6 operations per patient. There was an average of 5.0 +/- 1.3 instillations of antihypertensive drugs at an intraocular pressure (IOP) of 32.6 +/- 5.2 mm Hg (C = 0.07 +/- 0.038). The technique of surgery and its results are described. Complications and methods of their correction are presented. As a result, IOP normalization was achieved in all patients: on last visit it was 13.7 +/- 4.8 mm Hg. The follow-up was 6-16 months; on the day of last visit, the number of antihypertensive agents averaged 1.4 +/- 0.73.

The paper discusses the impact of some properties of corneal tissue (central corneal thickness, curvature radius, elasticity, etc.). The dynamic bilateral applanation process underlying the ocular analyzer provides exact information on the index determining the viscoelastic properties of the cornea - corneal hysteresis. The author presents the results of detecting corneal hysteresis in individuals without oculopathy and in patients with glaucoma, as well as the association of this index with the central thickness of the cornea, the levels of corneal compensated pressure, and the intraocular value equated to the Goldman tonometric index.

The paper deals with the study of a relationship of elastic tonometric evidence to various factors in a group of healthy individuals and in patients with glaucoma and elevated intraocular pressure. The study revealed that the results of elastic tonometry depended on the thickness and curvature of the cornea and the anteroposterior axis of the eye. Altered hydrodynamic parameters and glaucoma did not virtually affect the results of elastic tonometry, which in turn fails to recommend the use of the technique for the diagnosis and monitoring of glaucoma. The findings allow elastic tonometry to be regarded as an approximate, but accessible method for assessing the biomechanical properties of the cornea.

The paper provides a rationale and indications for diascleral removal of foreign bodies from the anterior chamber of the eyeball, by intraoperatively using ultrasound study. The clinical material presents 148 cases of diascleral removal of foreign (49 magnetic and 49 amagnetic) bodes impacted into the tunics of the anterior eye without evident opacities of optical media and without signs of endophthalmitis. The paper provides a pathogenetic rationale for the method that is lowly traumatic and highly effective (foreign bodies being removed in 99.9% of cases) due to the high precision of location of a scleral cut in the projection of foreign body bedding owing to intraoperative sound usage. A model clinical case of fragment removal is also shown in the paper. The specific features of criteria for using the method are described, by taking into account the anatomic characteristics of orbital eyeball location.

The paper presents the results of life-time confocal microscopy using a Confoscan-4 confocal microscope (Nidek). The study was conducted on 10 healthy volunteers (20 eyes), which evaluated the specific features of the normal morphological pattern of the cornea. The morphological features of three types of anterior corneal epithelial (basal, wing, and spiny) cells were revealed. The possibilities of visualizing subbasal and stromal nerve fibers were assessed. Corneal stromal layers (these being anterior, anteromedian, median, and posterior) differing in the density of cellular elements, their shape, and orientation) were conventionally identified. In health, Bowman's and Descemet's membranes were not visualized as they were transparent and failed to reflect light. The posterior corneal epithelium was microscopically presented by a layer of light hexagonal or polygonal squamous cells with well-defined outlines. Thus, life-time corneal confocal microscopy is a highly informative noninvasive study.

The paper presents the results of studying morphological changes in keratoconus by life-time confocal microscopy. A total of 50 patients (100 eyes) with grades 1-to-4 keratoconus were examined. The most pronounced changes were found in the corneal areas involved in an ectatic process. Four grades of epitheliopathy were conventionally identified in relation to the desquamation of superficial epitheliocytes, the change of their shape, impaired adhesion with the underlying layers, and transparency disorders. The indirect signs of altered Bowman's membrane were revealed. In early keratocons, the stroma showed hyperreflectivity of anterior layers, higher activated keratocytes, their changed shape and spatial orientation. The emergence of microstrium in the posterior stromal layers with their gradual spread to the midstroma and anterior stroma, abnormal transparency, and scarring were typical of the progress of the disease. There were processes of homogenization and fibrotization of stromal structure and fewer keratocytes. There might be changes in Descemet's membrane (undulating folds) and posterior epithelium (polymegatism, polymorphism, enlarged intercellular spaces, and cell apoptosis). Thus, confocal microscopy reveals certain regularities of a pathological process in keratoconus at different stages of the disease.

The paper gives the results of surgical treatment in 30 children (30 eyes) aged 2 months to 5 years who had primary persistent hyperplastic vitreous body. A study group (with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation) comprised 12 children (12 eyes). At surgery, the age of 8 babies was 4 to 12 months and that of 4 children was 13 to 36 months). Postoperative follow-ups lasted 6 to 40 months. Flexible lenses were implanted. A control group consisted of 18 children (18 eyes) operated on at the age of 2 months to 5 years (without IOL implantation). Despite severe retinal and optic nerve changes that are the ground to avoid surgical treatment, the authors' findings provide evidence that early primary IOL implantation in children with the primary persistent hyperplastic vitreous body yields satisfactory functional results.

The paper provides the results of a 15-year following-up of 91 patients with exposed orbital implants made from synthetic and biological materials. Surgery was made in the patients treated at different health care facilities. The authors analyze the causes of implant exposure in different periods. Early after surgery the most common causes of implant exposure are surgical equipment failure (inadequate implant coating with adjacent tissues), a too large implant arching the tissues, and mismatch of an artificial eye. In the late period, the more common cause is secondary infection or the toxic properties ofa material itself, which cause a persistent chronic inflammatory reaction. Moreover, the authors consider the mechanism of implant exposure and rejection depending on the material of an implant. The paper describes medical and surgical treatments in patients of this group.

The possibilities of using infrared teleradiothermometry in the differential diagnosis of inflammatory and dystrophic diseases in the eyeball have been studied. The paper presents the physical bases of the technique, the procedure of measurements, and data on superficial eye temperature in health and in some pathological processes.

The paper presents data on demodicosis-induced blepharoconjunctivitis complicated by the dry eye, such as predictors, etiology, and pathogenesis of this disease. It gives a concise outline of the life history of mites and their species parasitizing on the human skin cycle and an extended treatment regimen for blepharoconjunctivitis complicated by the dry eye. The time course of changes in the pathological signs of blepharitis is shown when the latter is treated using the given regimen and the treatment is discontinued. The authors provide the data of Schirmer's test and Norn's test, which have been used to support the results of the present investigation. The mechanism of action of the drugs considered in the paper on the eyelids is outlined. There is a tendency for demodicosis-induced blepharoconjunctivitis to be completely eliminated and the signs of the dry eye to be compensated when meticulously chosen therapy, including hygienic measures, is performed.

The paper deals with the examination of computed tomograms of 72 patients (90 orbits), including 29 males (36 orbits) and 43 females (54 orbits), who had no any orbital pathology. The patients' age ranged from 34 to 65 years. Data on the volume of the bony orbit and its soft tissue contents are given. The dimensions of the transversal opening to the orbit and its depth are shown. The volumes of all the ocular muscles (extraocular muscles, the elevator muscle of the upper eyelid), optic nerve, eyeball, and ocular fat are separately calculated. These indices may be used for both the differential diagnosis of true exophthalmos and pseudoexophthalmos and the planning of any orbital surgery.

The paper analyzes the diagnostic capacities of two studies (the routine Schirmer test and lacrimal meniscus biometry). It indicates the basic limitations of the Schirmer test and describes a procedure for lacrimal meniscus biometry. Based on the results of studying the lacrimal meniscus in healthy individuals from a control group, the authors revealed a relationship of the height of the lacrimal meniscus to the area and horizontal size of the palpebral fissure. Comparison of the results of studies of basal lacrimal secretion in the presence of dry keratoconjunctivitis and dry eye syndrome in the study patients with hypolacrimation defined the latter as mild, moderate, and severe. There was discordance between the values in 33.85% of cases. The Schirmer test has not shown to be the method of choice in examining basal lacrimal production; erroneous results may be obtained in a third of patients. Lacrimal meniscus biometry makes it possible to identify the degree of significant hypolacrimation more exactly and to minimize the indices of preserved basal secretion.

The paper shows the capacity of fluorescence diagnosis (FD) in patients with subretinal neovascular membranes. Photosens was used as a photosensitizer (PS) (NIOPIK) in FD. The agent was intravenously injected in a dose of 0.05 mg/kg. To study the kinetics of tissue PS distribution, the authors employed a procedure of local fluorescence spectroscopy using a LESA-01-Biospek spectrometer, which was improved when applying the procedure for visual assessment of a visual fluorescence image. It was ascertained that the results of photodynamic therapy (PDT) should be compulsorily taken into account in processing its parameters. In some cases, PDT may be recommended on days 3, 5, and 7 after administration of an agent. By taking into account the pharmacodynamics of Photosens, 0.5 mg/kg, all patients should keep the light regime for 3 months.

The paper considers the results of studies into an accommodative response in 75 patients with aphakia and pseudophakia following 3 months of cataract surgery. In pseudophakia, there is no objective recording of changes in both refraction and accommodation on producing an accommodative stimulus of varying size and at varying rates. Nevertheless, astigmatism subgroup patients could read, by using the capacities of the ocular focal region.

The paper specifies indications and success criteria for photodynamic therapy with visudine for classical macular choroidal neovascularization. Three major clinical types of a response to treatment are presented. These include: 1) complete regression of the subretinal neovascular membrane (SNM) with retinal edema resolution; 2) partial regression of SNM with its shift to inactive status that is attended by a significant reduction in pathological transudation from the newly formed vessels; 3) partial regression with the preserved high transudating activity of SNM. There was stabilization of lesion extents and visual functions in types 1 and 2 responses to therapy and a continued SNM growth and progressive visual worsening in type 3 response.

The paper presents the results of studying the photofungicidal activity of a photosens (octacationic phthalocyanine) in the in vitro and in vivo systems. Cultured Candida guilliermondii were employed in in vitro investigations. The single combined action of octacationic phthalocyanine at a concentration of up to 1 microM and laser irradiation at a wavelength of 675 nm were established to allow the high activation (up to 100%) of yeast fungi to be achieved in the in vitro system. In vivo investigations were performed on 14 rabbits (28 eyes) with induced keratomycosis. In the first series, fluorescent diagnosis of photosens accumulation in the pathological corneal areas was made in 9 (18 eyes). Based on the data obtained in the second series of experiments, the authors examined the feasibilities of photodynamic therapy for corneal mycotic lesions with the above photosensitizer in 5 rabbits (10 eyes).

Macular drusen are known to be a major risk factor of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) of the retina. The use of laser coagulation of macular drusen to prevent the progression of a dystrophic process remains to be disputable question so far. This paper presents the clinical and functional results of laser coagulation of macular drusen in 30 patients with bilateral retinal ARMD. The routine ophthalmological study, photorecording, fluorescence angiography of the fundus of the eye, optic coherent tomography, and electrophysiological studies indicated macular drusen regression, increased visual acuity, and better electrophysiological parameters. Choriodal neovascularization and exudative complications did not develop in both the early and late follow-up periods.