Abstract
Purpose: To report pathologic changes in the conjunctiva from the exciting eye in a case of sympathetic ophthalmia (SO). Methods: Report of clinical findings and conjunctival histopathology in a patient with SO. Results: A 50-year-old male developed SO, with unusual peribulbar conjunctival pigmentation in the inciting eye. Histological examination of the conjunctival biopsy revealed perivascular distribution of CD68+ melanophages that also expressed HLA-DR, suggesting that these macrophages may act as antigen-presenting cells. In addition, increased CD4+ and CD3 + lymphocytes were noted in the subconjunctival space when compared to specimens of normal conjunctiva and traumatic uveal prolapse without SO, suggesting T-cell recruitment. Conclusions: These pathologic findings suggest a possible mechanism by which local antigen processing by subconjunctival melanophages may play a role in the initiation of the complex cell-mediated response seen in SO.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 186-191 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Ocular Immunology and Inflammation |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2011 |
Funding
This work was supported by the Summa Foundation, Akron, OH; Doris Semler, Arlington Heights, IL; and Research to Prevent Blindness, New York, NY (DAG).
Keywords
- CD68-positive cells
- HLA-DR-positive macrophages
- melanophages
- sympathetic ophthalmia
- uveitis
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology
- Immunology and Allergy