Traumatic corneal endothelial rings
G. W. Cibis, T. A. Weingeist and J. H. Krachmer
Nonpenetrating "blast injuries" to the eye in two patients resulted in
multiple, small, corneal epithelial foreign bodies that were associated
with characteristic ring-shaped opacities of the corneal endothelium. These
endothelial lesions were clinically visible immediately after injury and
became more pronounced during the next several hours. They disappeared
within days and resulted in no permanent loss of visual acuity. This
communication describes and illustrates the appearance of these endothelial
lesions both clinically and in an animal model. Light and electron
microscopic observations of an experimental model, with the use of monkey
and rabbit eyes, revealed that the ring-shaped opacities resulted from
swelling of the corneal endothelium, as well as accumulation of fibrin and
leukocytes on the injured cells. Except for the epithelial impact site and
the concussion injury of the endothelium, the cornea was uninvolved, and
the stroma remained clear.
