STUDIES ON HUMAN CORNEAL ULCERS TREATED WITH HISTOACRYLIC GLUE Morphological studies of an successful and unsuccessful membrane

Artificial epithelial corneal barriers of histoacrylic glue have been used since 1968. Experimental and clinical studies have since then indicated that the barrier protects the cornea from repopulation by polymorphonuclear leukocytes from the tears and thereby from tissue-destroying enzymes. Using light-, scanning electron- and transmission electron-microscopical techniques, the differences between a successful and an unsuccessful treatment of a corneal ulcer with histoacrylic glue have been investigated. The successful glue barrier is a continuous membrane tightly bound to the corneal stroma and preventing population of the stroma by polymorphonuclear leukocytes from the tear fluid.