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This paper presents the outcomes of 230 primary, advanced, and secondary implants of polytetrafluoroethylene orbital inserts manufactured by the closed joint stock company "Nauchno-Proizvodstvennyi Kompleks (Scientific-and-Production Complex) "Ekoflon" (Saint Petersburg). The duration of a follow-up was 6-36 months (mean 15.9 +/- 037 months). The accumulated experience suggests that polytetrafluoroethylene orbital inserts are noted for their biocompatibility, easiness of manual treatment, and simplicity of implantation. Thus, porous polytetrafluoroethylene orbital inserts are promising medical articles designed for the prevention and treatment of the anophthalmic syndrome.

The paper lays down the basic principles of ophthalmoplastic treatment on the basis of an analysis of the results of treatment and follow-ups of 2300 patients aged 6 months to 18 years who have abnormalities of the orbit and appendages of the eye. Emphasis is laid on the preference of methods for plastic repair, using local tissues, and free autologous grafting of the skin and mucosa. A soft material that is to be easy grown through, such as Carbotextim-carbonic felt, is recommended when contour plastic repair of the orbit is required. For hanging, a mersilene mesh should be employed in case of blepharoptosis. To achieve the better cosmetic results, it is better to operate at the age of more than 4 years; however, treatment should be initiated at the age of 1 year when there are available functional indications (symblepharon, ablepharia, or cryptophthalmus).

The development of the programs analyzing the image of the fundus of the eye has aroused considerable interest in computer-aided diagnostic tools. At present the majority of such programs is based mainly on the analysis of information of the brightness and color of an image. The paper proposes a procedure for correcting the color images of the fundus of the eye, by lowering the impact of color differences caused by external causes, such as the spectrum of a light source, the spectral characteristics of ocular optical medium transmission, and those of a photo receiver. The procedure for correcting the color retinal images is to standardize the color of an image and makes it possible to use information on color with more confidence to recognize diseases of the eye grounds and the natural course of a pathological process.

This study was undertaken to detect and study the distribution, localization, and morphological features of the histamine-positive structures of the lens in intact animals. The paper presents a detailed account of fluorescent and morphological differences between the nuclei of different portions of the lens.

The paper describes the current types of electroretinography, the origin of electric retinal activity and its role in the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and monitoring of retinal diseases of various origin. It presents the electroretinographic symptoms typical of pathology of the retinal cone and rod system in some hereditary diseases whose genes have been mapped and cloned to date and whose pathogenesis specified. The current concepts of retinal remodeling in its dystrophic changes are produced and emphasis is laid on the necessity of using the progress of vision biology and physiology in ophthalmological practice.

The paper analyzes the topical problems of injuries to the organ of vision. It mentions the basic trends in the pattern of ocular traumatism. The ways of further studies of a number of issues of eye traumatology are defined. The significance of basic studies in solving the problems of eye traumatology is shown.

The paper covers the issues of blindness and disability associated with pathology of the organ of vision. It lists the principal causes of blindness in the developed and developing countries. Basic tendencies in solving the problems of blindness and weak sight are defined. The issues of disability due to pathology of the organ of vision and the ways of its reduction are discussed.

The present paper generalizes the tactical principles of the examination and treatment of patients with orbital fractures. The clinical signs of a fracture are evaluated, with emphasis laid on the significant and insignificant symptoms. Routine X-ray study is regarded as an inadequate diagnostic technique, computed tomography is presented as a basic procedure for detecting and detailing the specific features of the fracture. The cases (n = 161) are divided into 5 groups according to the types of fracture. The treatment sequence is defined, by taking into account the severity of injury. The time of reparative operations (early or late) is recommended in terms of the risk for ocular dysfunction. The principles of reparative and compensatory surgical techniques for different types of injuries, mainly by applying bony autografts and Carbotextim, are given.

The paper considers the armament development ultimately resulting in the predominance of using minor blasting assemblies and accordingly to a drastic prevalence (as high as 80%) of mine explosion injuries among other battle injuries to the eye. The particular severity of these injuries requires their efficient subdivision into types and severity, which is alleviated by the introduction of a new classification of mechanical injuries into the eyeball. It is obligatory for each ophthalmologist to know this classification. It is the ophthalomologist who may be the first specialist to start rendering an aid to the victim. In terms of the highest level of development of modern ophthalmological diagnosis and intraocular eye surgery, delivery of a patient to a specialized eye traumatological center where he/she will be given a comprehensive aid, including an intraocular one, in 3-7 days rather than the promptest surgical debridement (generally as just wound closure) is a master link in obviating the losses associated with eye injury. There is evidence that the same interregional centers as the army centers that have operated in Kabul and Rostov-on-Don should be set up preferably on the basis of multidisciplinary hospitals in the civil health care system. They could become an original testing area for researches of explosive injuries to the eye and a source of materials for making the centralized national register of eye injury.

The paper analyzes complications due to 500 orbital plastic repairs for traumatic deformities. Biomaterials (cadaveric cartilage/bone, allograft for orbital wall plastic repair, or xenopericardium) were applied in all cases. The lost orbital volume was also compensated for by Carbotextim-M. Damage to the inferior oblique muscle was the severest intraoperative complication. The bulk of complications in the early postoperative period were transient and implant displacement in the late periods required its position correction only in 4% of cases. The implant displacement-associated risk factors were as follows: male sex, childhood, application of a solid material (cartilage, bone), and its attachment failure. Purulent processes were local and encountered in 2% of cases. The low incidence of severe complications, as well as permanently high functional and cosmetic outcomes (during as long as 98.2 months) suggest that biografting of the lower orbital wall is effective.

The paper discusses the problems of abnormalities of the oculomotor apparatus and binocular vision, considers the topical aspects of the pathogenesis and treatment of amblyopia, gives data on the new methods of recording the binocular movements of the eye, and provides evidence for the tactics and stage sequence of surgical treatment for concomitant oculomotor disturbances.

The paper generalizes the present-day principles of prevention of progressive and complicated myopia. The risk factors of complications and disability due to congenital and acquired myopia are defined. Methods of spectacle, contact, and surgical correction in congenital myopia are discussed. There is evidence for the importance of studies dealing with the etiological factors and pathogenetic mechanisms in determining the ways of preventing myopia. Recommendations are given for the prevention of disabling forms of myopia.

The paper details the currently available psychophysical and objective diagnostic methods. Among the recently used improvements, there is enhancement of the capacities of a perimetric analysis, an objective control of fixations during multifocal electroretinography, confocal ophthalmoscopy of the retina, and its enhancement coherent optical tomography. Study of local visual activity, quantitative analysis of metamorphopsias, autofluorescence analysis of retinal pigment, and evoked visual multifocal potentials are regarded as innovations. Future developments of methods for functional studies of the organ of vision may follow several directions: improvement of available methods, development and application of new different methods, and estimation of the advantages of different studies.

The present paper presents the results of a study of hemodynamic features in 83 patients with intraocular tumors (74 uveal melanomas and 9 solitary choroidal hemangiomas), by applying high-frequency duplex scanning with color Doppler coding and Doppler spectral analysis of flows. The tumors in question are shown to differ in the qualitative and quantitative indicators of blood flow, which can be successfully used in the complex differential diagnosis and in the adjustment of management policy in the patients of this category.

Solid-phase enzyme immunoassay was used to study the serum levels of the antiendoxin IgA, IgM, IgG antibodies and total immunoglobulins of classes A, M, and G in 62 patients (122 eyes) with type 2 diabetes mellitus at different stages of diabetic retinopathy. Patients with diabetic retinopathy concurrent with type 2 diabetes mellitus were found to have a significant imbalance of antiendotoxin immunity. The highest level of anti-lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-IgA was detected in patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy that exhibited macular edema, single or multiple aneurysms, hemorrhages, portions of solid lipid exudate and preproliferative diabetic retinopathy, in addition to vascular changes. Much lower levels of anti-LPS-IgA were found in nonproliferative retinopathy in which only retinal vascular changes and in proliferative diabetic retinopathy were noted. The patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy complicated by neovascular glaucoma were ascertained to have the lowest levels of antiendotoxin antibodies of all the classes. As compared with the control group, the patients of all groups had the decreased levels of anti-LPS-IgM. The paper presents the results of a correlation analysis of the relationship of the parameters of antiendotoxin immunity to the levels of total immunoglobulins.

The paper presents the comparative results of clinical and immunological studies dealing with the use of the physiological reparation regulators (the human amniotic membrane and systemic enzyme therapy) and the antimetabolite 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to prevent excessive ocular tissue scarring. The clinical observations have demonstrated the high efficiency of the proposed methods for the physiological regulation of reparative processes as compared with the use of 5-FU, which manifested as a more marked normalization ofophthalmotonus and fewer numbers of postoperative complications. The investigation of the study of proliferation-activating cytokine (TGF-beta1) and antiprolerative cytokine (IFN-gamma) has demonstrated the immunomodulating properties of the physiological reparation regulators used in the present study.

The present paper deals with the study of the efficiency of oral use of the antioxidative drug Immugen (a complex of alpha-tocopherol, oubichinone, selenium aspartate, methionine, and soyabean phospholipids) on a rabbit model of severe alkaline-induced corneal burn. The investigations have indicated that addition of Immugen to the rabbit feed exerts a significant positive effect on the parameters of the local antioxidative system of the eye and causes an increase in the activity of superoxide dismutase and catalase, and, on day 14, in antioxidative activity. The early experimental periods were marked by a slight rise in the frequency of deep corneal ulcerations. Moreover, the long-term clinical effect of use of Immugen appears as a significant increase in the area of the transparency-preserving affected cornea. The findings suggest that the antioxidants can show their optimal effect in the complex therapy for burn processes, including the use of proteinase inhibitors.

The paper analyzes the diagnostic value of computed tomography (CT) in posttraumatic lesion of the eye socket, ball, and appendage and identifies the basic groups of patients in whom CT is an essential study. In 2004, the Department of Traumatology, Reconstructive Surgery, and Eye Prosthesis, Helmholtz Research Institute of Eye Diseases, performed CT in 323 patients (18.2% of the inpatients and 3.4% of the outpatients). Analyzing all CT images identified the basic groups of patients in whom this study was essential. The CT scans characterizing examples from each group of patients are given. The studies could extend indications in patients with posttraumatic lesion of the eye and orbital area for CT. The latter is an important and essential study in patients with traumatic pathology of the eye with multiple and hard-to-reach foreign bodies and with trauma of the soft and osseous structures of the orbit, which makes it possible to determine not only the possibility, but also pattern and scope of a surgical intervention and to assess its long-term result.

The paper outlines the clinical and morphological picture of 6 sympathizing eyes enucleated in 1996 to 2003 after vitrectomy and other endovitreal interventions into early injured or operated eyes. Resurgery was attempted early after wounds or a primary operation on the average following 20 days. Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) generally occurred in the posterior uveal tract as panuveitis or posterior uveitis and diagnosed in the late periods. Specific granulomatous inflammation in the uveal tract was observed in all eyes and the morphological feature of sympathizing eyes was the spread of an inflammatory process to the retina with the development of the latter's epithelioid-cell granulomas and adhesive chorioretinitis. The authors also discuss the possibility of additional antigenic stimulation accompanied by a progressive autoimmune process in the eye and by the generalization of a granulomatous inflammation, as well as the role of retinal minor lesions in this process as a source of additional autoantigens during repeated vitreoretinal operations. The latter, as the authors believe, are a risk factor of SO. In this connection, when repeated vutreoretinal interventions should be made in the presence of an uncompleted wound process in the eye and when they should be conducted under the conditions of active immunosuppressive therapy gain in great importance.

The paper evaluates the clinical effectiveness of Vitrum Vision ("Unifarm") that contains a complex of carotenoids, vitamins, and trace elements, which is adapted to ocular tissue metabolic features, in the tired eye syndrome and senile macular degeneration. The use of Vitrum Vision in patients with the tired eye syndrome improved the basic parameters of photosensitivity and increased the reserve of relative accommodation and in those with myopia enhanced uncorrectable visual acuity, ameliorated the magnitude of subjective visual and ocular symptoms, and increased the duration of a visual load until sensations of eye tiredness appeared. The administration of the drug in all clinical forms of senile macular degeneration increased visual acuity, improved the basic parameters of photosensitivity, enhanced the functional activity of neurons in the central portions of the retina (as shown by electrophysiological studies) while that in the subretinal neovascular membrane diminished retinal edema, improved the patients' general condition, far vision, and increased comfort on reading.

The paper presents the results of surgical treatment in 12 (12 eyes) infants aged 3 to 11 months who had different forms of unilateral congenital cataract. The surgical techniques involved the following stages: formation of a sclerocorneal tunnel cut, 3.5 mm in width, anterior continuous circular capsulotomy (anterior capsular rhexis), aspiration-irrigation techniques for removal lens masses, implantation of a flexible intraocular lens (IOL) into the capsular sac, graded opening of the posterior capsule with anterior vitrectomy in some infants. The authors could achieve symmetrical capsular rhexis in 75% and intracapsular IOL fixation in all the cases. During 3-month-to-2-year follow-ups after surgery, IOL held its position in the capsular sac; IOL dislocation and lenticular body capture were not observed in any case.

The paper analyzes the results of removal of epibulbar tumor and nontumor masses, by using the radiowave surgical technique. The authors used two basic modes: fulguration and completely rectified and/ or completely filtered wave. Postoperative healing was aseptic and areactive. The duration of reparation depended on the working conditions, the volume of excised tissues, and the individual pattern of reparative processes. No intraoperative and postoperative complications were found. There were no cases of relapses and on-going growth during 9-12-month follow-ups. The authors have concluded that a radiowave knife may be used in surgery for epibulbar tumor and nontumor masses.

The paper presents data on the diagnostic use of three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound visualization, analyzes earlier existing and new ultrasound diagnostic technologies, and shows it expedient to apply them in ophthalmologic practice. A hundred and forty-six healthy individuals and 52 patients (60 eyes) with different diseases of the eye and orbital cavity (chorioidal melanoma, facial angiomatosis, retinal detachment, vitreoretinal changes, etc.) were examined. The results of the studies and the analysis of the data available in the literature on this problem allow the authors to state that 3-D ultrasound diagnostic technologies can detect occult masses undetectable during conventional visual and ultrasound studies and define the topography of the dislocation of structurally complicated changes in the tunics of the eyeball.

The paper deals with a new treatment technology for childhood progressive myopia concurrent with chronic diseases. The technology of vision preservation in children of a general educational establishment includes complex phytotherapeutic exposure and infrasound pneumomassage of eyeball tissues. Infrasound ocular pneumomassage at a pressure of 0.1 atm, with a frequency of 4 Hz, and an infrasound power of 170 dB improves muscle accommodation function, blood circulation and lowers intraocular pressure. The developed complex technology contributes to a reduction in the incidence of exacerbations of chronic diseases and exerts a beneficial effect on the course of myopia in children.

The mechanism responsible for the development of occlusive processes on the fundus of the eye in different forms of retinal angiitis remains unknown. So the purpose of this study was to investigate the local and systemic fibrinolytic activity in 10 patients with optic disk vasculitis (ODV), 16 patients with peripheral uveitis (PU), 21 patients with isolated retinal angiitis (IRA), 17 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) versus 8 healthy donors (a control group). Fibrinolytic activity was determined by the area of lysis, which appeared on the fibrin plate around the 2x2-mm filter paper previously placed in tear or blood. Fibrinolytic activity was ascertained to be decreased if the area of lysis was less than 30 mm2. There was a significant reduction in local fibrinolytic activity in the eyes with occlusive retinal vasculitis (RV) compared with the eyes with RV without occlusions by PU (60 and 9.1%, respectively; p = 0.0048), IRA (61.5 and 12.5%, respectively; p = 0.0056), and as compared to the eyes without vasculitis by ODV (70 and 0%, respectively, p = 0.0031). In SLE, the decrease in local fibrinolytic activity was detected significantly less frequently (33.3 and 16.6% with and without retinal vascular occlusion (RVO), respectively). Blood fibrinolytic activity was lowered only in patients with SLE (with 100 and 16.7% with and without RVO, respectively; p = 0.0151) and remained unchanged in those with ODV, PU, and IRA (more than 50 mm2). Thus, RVO is associated with impaired local reactions in patients with PU, ODV, and IRA and with impaired systemic reactions in those with SLE.

The paper analyzes the nature of an accommodational response in 11 patients (19 eyes) before and after surgical correction of myopia with ICL intraocular lenses (IOLs). Rapid and slow accommodational responses were studied to different values of an accommodation stimulus (from 1.0 to 3.0 diopters). The implanted IOLs were found to have no effect on the performance of the ciliary muscle. Its compensatory enhancement occurs after implantation, which ensures the normal performance of the accommodation apparatus.

This paper deals with the study of infrasound phonophoresis-induced changes in biochemical factors, which affect the permeability of eyeball tissues. During 10 days, the rabbit right eye was exposed to an infrasound in the changing pressure mode at 4 Hz and 173 dB for 10 minutes every day. The left eye remained control. After finishing a series of studies, the animals were slaughtered, the eyes were enucleated and prepared into individual tissues. Changes in sodium-potassium composition were investigated in the first series. By causing a reduction in the cellular content of K+, infrasound exposure was found to cause a decrease in membranous potential and activation Na-channel, as confirmed by the elevated intracellular levels of Na+. This in turn enhances ocular tissue permeability for drugs without damaging the structure of a cell membrane. Changes in the activity of the following enzymes: beta-glucosidase, cathepsin D, and hy- aluronidase. Infrasound was ascertained to enhance the activity of beta-glucosidase, which accounts for the lower levels of glucose in ocular tissues and points to the activation and acceleration of biochemical processes in the tissues. At the same time the increased concentrations of cathepsin D and hyaluronidase found in ocular tissues were responsible for a temporary reduction in the viscosity of hyaluronic acid, which promotes resolution of opacities, adhesions or scars and increased tissue permeability.

The paper presents the results of experimental use of a polyglycolide material-based filling for temporary episcleral filling in retinal detachment. Thorough comparative morphological and biomechanical studies of 120 experimental eyes in different periods after scleroplasty, by using an inflatable balloon catheter, homoscleral and polyglycolide fillings, have indicated that the polyglycolide filling material is completely lysed by ocular tissues within 60-90 days, which rules out a repeated surgical intervention for removal of temporary filling (for example, an inflatable balloon catheter), by preserving the constancy of the depth of scleral pressing-in. The short existence of a chemically indifferent polyglycolide filling in the ocular tissues excludes its negative effect on the surrounding structures of the eye, minimizes the likelihood of the occurrence of early postoperative complications, but thereby leading to a substantial increase in the biochemical stability of the scleral-and-chorioretinal complex in the early postoperative periods and ensuring increased resistance to dynamic loads, by forming a stable scleral-and-chorioretinal adhesion 3 months after surgery. The findings suggest that the designed polyglycolide explant has advantages and that it is expedient to introduce the new Russian resolving polyglycolide fiber explants into clinical practice (for scleroplastic operations).

Presented in the paper are data of a comparative analysis of efficiency of different methods of administration of drugs in neuritis and partial atrophy of the optic nerve. New techniques of application and fixation of irrigation systems in the retrobulbar and Tenon's space are described. Experimental and clinical data proving advantages of the new method of administration of drugs by an automatic pulse doser in the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the optic nerve are represented. The use of such intensive intermittent technique of administration of drugs in Tenon's space performed at the preliminary stage before electrostimulation of the optic nerve made the procedure by far more effective and ensured better treatment results.

Described in the paper are the results of surgical treatment of 25 children (37 eyes), aged 3 months to 12 years, with congenital and secondary cataracts. The treatment schemes were based on new technologies including tunnel incisions, continuous round anterior capsulorhexis and aspiration-irrigation as well as implantation of different-model posterior-chamber flexible "Acrysof' IOLs into the capsular sac or ciliary sulcus. A high treatment efficiency as well as a need in a differentiated approach to choosing an IOL fixation, diameter and technique of anterior capsulorhexis and a model of the implanted "Acrysof' IOL made with respect to individual age and clinical peculiarities of eyes of children with congenital cataracts as well as with respect to a potential general somatic pathology (galactosemia) are demonstrated.

Described in the paper are results of a clinical treatment of 127 children (174 eyes), aged 2 to 15 years, with different-type congenital cataract; the treatment was based on modem technologies including tunnel limbic incision, continuous anterior round capsulorhexis, aspiration-irrigation of the contents of the capsular sac, implantation of soft Acrysof SA30A1 IOLs by forceps or "Monarch" injector and suturing of incision. The anterior continuous capsulotomy was found to be the most complicated surgery stage in removal of congenital cataract in children it could be made without errors in 75.3% of cases. Intracapsular implantation of IOL in different-type cataract in children was possible in 97.7% of cases. The single-unit Acrysof IOL stays stable inside the capsular sac for as long as 24 months. A combination of primary capsulorhexis with "dry" anterior vitrectomy is most effective in the prevention of secondary cataract.

Described in the paper are the results of a comparative evaluation of treatment of amblyopia by computer techniques based on the modern understanding of the mechanisms of impaired visual functions, as observed in amblyopia, comprising stimulation of different canals of the visual system, which were affected or not. Better clinical-and-functional results were fixed in patients with high amblyopia by using the "Ambcar" soft stimulating the magnocellular system by sinusoidal grates with the eyes being fixed on moving objects as well as in patients with moderate amblyopia by using the "eYe" and "Krestiki" soft tools affecting different canals of the visual system and different levels of the parvocellular system. Amblyopia should be treated with respect to individual differences between affected functions of the visual system in each patient, and a therapy method should be chosen in proportion to a disease severity.

Described in the paper are comparative descriptions of the efficiency of epibulbar and retrobulbar anesthesia made through evaluating the sensation of pain experienced by patients in cataract phacoemulsification and IOL implantation. The patients (1046 subjects, aged 28 to 89) were shared between 2 groups; they received an identical premedication by midazolam, peroral administration, 3.75 mg in 1 h before surgery. Epibulbar anesthesia with 1% proximetacaine hydrochloride, administered via instillator, was used in Group 1 (524 patients). Analgesia with 2% lidocaine hydrochloride solution (injections, 1:1) was made in Group 2 (522 patients). The subjective pain sensations experienced by patients during subsequent surgical stages were evaluated by an international 6-point scale. The pain sensations were found to vary from 0 to 4 points (mean point value--2.25) in Group 1. The most severe pain was experienced by the patients during the introduction of the phacoemulsificator tip into the anterior chamber of the eye (mean pain value--1.75 points) as well as during IOL implantation (mean pain value--1.25). The instillator-based analgesia does not normally provoke any complications and is well tolerated by patients; it can be recommended for cataract phacoemulsification.

Described in the paper is the response of eye tissues in extraction of traumatic cataract with IOL implantation observed in primary surgical treatment of penetrating corneal wounds. Experiments were made on 60 rabbits (120 eyes). 5 mm-long penetrating corneal wounds located in the optic zone with damaged lens were modeled in the experimental group (30 rabbits, 60 eyes). The wound was surgically treated in 24 hours: traumatic cataract was extracted and posterior-chamber IOL was implanted ("Ufalens-1" manufactured at the UFA Research institute of eye diseases). Thirty rabbits (60 eyes) were in the control group: transparent lens was extracted in them and IOL (same model) was implanted. The animals were taken out of the experiment by air embolism on days 3 and 7 and in 1, 3 and 7 months. Tinting with hematoxylin or eosin was used to ensure plain histological examination. The stages of histological treatment of tissues were carried out according to the standard method. A conclusion was made on the basis of research results that the implantation of "Ufalens-1" in primary surgical treatment of eyeball wounds with damaged lens does not have any essential clinical or morphological impact on the severity of the postoperative period and can be recommended as a method of medical rehabilitation of victims for use at specialized ophthalmologic clinics.

The main factors of risk were analyzed and indications for preventive laser coagulation were specified in the paper. An approach was defined to ensure a maximally sparing surgical and stage-based laser treatment in retinal detachment, which is targeted at preventing its relapses and at improving the functional results.

Described in the paper are the results of examination of the local immunity in patients with demodectic blepharoconjunctivitis (DBC). Demodicosis of the eyes was established to develop in impairments of the local immunity described by a lower level of IL-4 in lacrimal fluid, a lower relative quantity of CD3+ cells, and a higher relative count of CD16+-lymphocytes infiltrating the eyelid-conjunctiva epithelium. The age-related immunodeficiency manifested as a decreased relative number of CD3+ and CD4+-lymphocytes infiltrating the eyelid-conjunctiva epithelium provokes a higher invasion of ticks and an increased morbidity of demodicosis among elderly people. DBC, when complicated by episcleritis or keratitis, is accompanied by a higher IgE level in lacrimal fluid and a decreased ratio of IgE/IL-4, which matters in prognostication and pathogenetic substantiation of DBC therapy.

Described in the paper is an efficiency study of using, postoperatively, the low-intensity helium-neon laser (LIHNL) in patients with obstruction of the lacrimal tracts. Eighty patients were examined after endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy. They were shared between 2 groups with respect to a postoperative course: group 1--experimental, 40 patients, and group 2--control, 40 patients. The experimental patients received, apart from the traditional postoperative therapy, a course of LIHNL therapy. The controls received only the traditional postoperative treatment. The efficiency of postoperative treatment was evaluated by clinical, instrumental and laboratory examination methods. The study denoted that the use of LIHNL in the early postoperative period after endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy had a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, speeded up the wound healing, prevented the growth of granulation tissues and the merging of the shaped lacrimal-sac fistula with the nasal cavity. LIHNL contributed to a complete recovery of the functional activity of the nasal mucous tunic. Thus, the LIHNL therapy essentially facilitates the postoperative management of patients, cuts the rehabilitation period and enhances the treatment results.

The paper contains the results of using a mew method applicable to regulation of corneal regeneration, i.e. transplantation of allogenic fibroblasts cultivated in collagen gel within an experimental model of acute alkali corneal burns in rabbits. Two experimental stages, involving 120 animals, were undertaken. The above method was used, at stage 1, on day 2 after trauma and, at stage 2, it was applied in two weeks after ocular burns with profound corneal defects were inflicted. The clinical, morphological and immune-histochemical examinations were used to show a high efficiency of the method in healing the corneal burn wounds; the mechanism of the therapeutic action of the transplant components exerted on regeneration of the affected cornea was investigated; finally, good outlooks for using the discussed method in clinical practice were proven.

A classification of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic maculopathy as well as treatment schemes for each stage, which were worked out by the authors, are described in the paper. A stage free of any diabetic changes in the eye fundus is isolated, within the suggested classification, as well as the notion of a high-risk diabetic retinopathy is defined with more precision and in accordance with the modern understanding of importance of the vitreous-retinal interaction and of compensation of carbohydrate metabolism in the disease pathogenesis. Finally, an original classification of diabetic macular edema was introduced.

The so-called nonpenetrating surgeries have been, during the recent years, used on an expanding basis in patients with open-angle glaucoma. The paper focuses on their evolution from sinusotomy, suggested by M.M. Krasnov in 1962, to different variations of temporal-canal-stomy. Efficiency of the penetrating and nonpenetrating surgeries is comparatively analyzed; their possible action mechanisms are elucidated.

The paper contains the results of an experimental study of the clinical healing of the standard wound defect in the bulbar conjunctiva of rabbit after conjunctiva-plasty involving the use of the human amnion transplant; there is also a description of a histological study of reparative processes in the adjacent tissues and a description of morphological changes occurring in the transplant during the healing process. The study was made on 14 rabbits (28 eyes). It was established that the wound-surface healing occurs, beneath the amnion transplant, without a pronounced inflammation, scarring or immunologic-rejection reaction; its sequence is typical of inflammation and compensatory processes with the formation, in the outcome, of the conjunctiva coating of the eyeball, whose color and composition are ordinary.

The paper contains data on comparative research of the IgE content in blood serum and lachrymal fluid in patients with ophthalmoherpes and with other inflammatory diseases of the eye. A higher IgE level was found in blood serum and lachrymal fluid in cases of ophthalmoherpes as well as in lachrymal fluid in cases of allergic, Chlamydia and fungus diseases of the eye. The data obtained can be used in the diagnostics of allergic eye diseases as well as in elaborating complex treatment methods for herpetic, Chlamydia and fungus lesions of the anterior eye segment. A detection of the local allergenic effect of acaricide drugs exerted on the conjunctiva and eyelids makes it obligatory to consider the above fact while treating patients with demodectic blepharoconjunctivitis.

Described in the paper are the results of ophthalmologic, ultrasound and radiological examinations of 3 girls with the Aicardi syndrome. It was for the first time, that an expansion of the optic-nerve disk excavation was described in patients with the above syndrome; such expansion was conditioned by trans-synaptic neuron degeneration induced by lesions to optic radiation in view of prenatal of encephaloplastic processes. The changing brain white substance as projected by optic radiation was detected in all children by computer and magnetic resonance tomography. Besides, other anomalies of the optic nerve (bindweed syndrome, coloboma) and of the retina are elucidated. Finally, the pathogenesis and differential diagnostics of the Aicardi syndrome are under discussion.

Described in the paper are the results of observations of the autogenous and allogenic limb transplantation (LT) made in 4 patients at exacerbation of severe and extra severe burns of the eyes and made in 8 patients in the remote period after severe chemical burns (4 months and more after trauma). A total vascularized corneal leukoma shaped up in 3 patients with LT made at exacerbation; an intense corneal opacification was observed in 1 more such patient. As for the patients, who were operated on in the remote period, better corneal properties and significantly improved visual acuity were registered in them. Relapsing corneal conjunctivalization were observed only in 3 cases of allogenic LT. Thus, LT was proven to be an effective tool in the remote visual rehabilitation of patients with severe eye burns, whereas, the procedure made at exacerbation and in cases of acute and extra acute burns with extensive lesions in the conjunctiva is low effective or a failure.

The purpose of the case study, as described in the paper, was to evaluate the cell loss in the corneal posterior epithelium (CPE) after laser cataract extraction (LCE) by means of a new laser unit designed on the basis of ND:YAG laser with a wave length of 1.44 microns. The conditions of 59 eyes with high (degrees 3-4) and extra high (degree 5) lens density were analyzed preoperatively and 3 months after LCE. Group 1 comprised 51 surgical cases, which were ideal in the technical respect; Group 2 comprised 8 surgical cases involving an intraoperative short-time lifting of the fragmentized lens mass into the eye anterior chamber during aspiration. The method of contactless endothelial biomicroscopy ("SP-1000" unit, "Topcon Co.", Japan) was made use of. According to the obtained results, it can be stated: the CPE cell loss made 1-9% (4.69 +/- 0.7%) and 1-18% (9.4 +/- 8.4%) in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. The total energy exposition level to laser radiation is the most significant factor affecting the CPE cell loss. The pulse energy radiation level did not affect the CPE cell loss. The corneal posterior surface was subject to a highly adverse impact in the fragmentation of brown cataracts. Finally, the results are indicative of an insignificant surgical trauma in LCE.

Comprehensive recent research of eye traumatism is described, aspects related with changes in the trauma structure are defined and advanced methods of diagnostics as well as of therapeutic and surgical treatment in eye trauma are elucidated in the paper. It is pointed out that the above study results are valuable for rehabilitation of victims during peacetime, in emergency situations and in calamities; the contribution of civil ophthalmologic institutions to rendering a specialized medical care to victims of military conflicts is equally important. The case study comprises extensive research findings that can be used in the below cases requiring a specialized medical care: penetrating eye injuries, contusion, burn injuries of the eye, splintered trauma etc.; the current micro-surgery standards must be adhered to and the latest technologies must be used. Finally, the important role of and valuable contributions to the above research made by the Calamity Medicine Center ("Zashchita") are underlined.

The paper contains the results of examinations of hemodynamics of the eye and brain in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) obtained by the authors also by means of rheoophthalmography made to determine the functional status of intraocular vessels. New methods are suggested for diagnostic interpretation, which enhance the importance of rheography in examinations of hemodynamics of the eye and brain in patients with glaucoma. The authors used self-learning artificial neuron networks to process Fourie- and wavelet factors, obtained in novel rheoophthalmograms processing, which made it possible to recommend the described method for an early diagnosis of POAG.

Outlined in the paper are the basic trends and tasks of clinical-and-social ophthalmology--research and practice related with the medical-and-social consequences of disabling visual impairments as well as of blindness and disability due to vision. They comprise: 1) A study of the epidemiological, social-and-hygienic and clinical-and-ophthalmologic aspects of blindness and disability; 2) Scientific elaboration of methodological, clinical, social and managerial positions and criteria of ophthalmologic and of medical-and-social expertise; 3) A theoretical definition of the methodological principles for medical-and-social rehabilitation of the disabled due to vision. Data are presented of the rate of blindness and disability due to ophthalmic pathologies in the Russian Federation. The modern standpoints of ophthalmologic medical-and-social expertise and rehabilitation of persons with visual lesions are elucidated.

The key issues associated with correcting the refractive derangements are analyzed in the paper; they are: 1) the frequency of refractive defects; 2) a need in preparatory measures targeted at a better diagnostics and an adequate correction choice; and 3) possibilities of full-value correction involving the achievements of modern ophthalmology. The key criteria that can be used to enhance the efficiency of ametropia correction method are described. Advantages and disadvantages of different corrections methods (spectacles and contact lenses and refractive surgeries) were analyzed with regard for the above criteria.

The paper is dedicated to assessing the efficiency of various formulae designed to calculate the IOL optic power, when IOL is fixed transscelerally in patients with an inconsistent ligament-capsular lens apparatus. According to an analysis of the obtained data, the closest values were ensured, as regards the practical result, with theoretical formulae, i.e. Binkhorst, Hoffer-Colenbrander and Binkhorst in situ. The postoperative refraction deviation was below 0.1 diopters, which is optimal for such calculation types. Should the use of theoretical formulae be problematic due to a lack of appropriate devices, then it is acceptable to apply the SRK-II empiric formula with a correction by -1.6 diopters to guarantee the postoperative emmetropia.