Tzu Chi Medical Journal
Volume 20, Issue 1 , Pages 25-34, March 2008

Blood-Ocular Barriers

  • Muh-Shy Chen

      Affiliations

    • Department of Ophthalmology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Department of Ophthalmology, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Ping-Kang Hou

      Affiliations

    • Department of Ophthalmology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Tong-Yuan Tai

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
    • ,
  • Boniface Juisiang Lin

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, Cardinal Tien Hospital and School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan

Received 29 August 2007; received in revised form 3 September 2007; accepted 7 September 2007.

Article Outline

Abstract 

There are two main blood-ocular barriers, the blood-aqueous barrier and the blood-retinal barrier. The blood-aqueous barrier is formed by the nonpigmented ciliary epithelium of the ciliary body and the vascular endothelium of the iris vessels. The blood-retinal barrier is formed by the vascular endothelium of the retinal vessels and the retinal pigment epithelium. Four methods of examination are currently used to study the function of blood-ocular barriers. Among these, laser flare-cell photometry is a noninvasive, quantitative method to evaluate the permeability of the blood-aqueous barrier. Vitreous fluorophotometry is an excellent technique to quantitate blood-retinal barrier function. Fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography are excellent qualitative imaging techniques to evaluate blood-retinal barrier function. Current basic research shows prostaglandin E2 and other mediators may produce breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier, and vascular endothelial growth factor plays an important role in the breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier. Retinal laser photocoagulation can induce breakdown of both the blood-aqueous and blood-retinal barriers in pigmented rabbits. The four methods of examination described herein are excellent measures for clinical application to evaluate blood-ocular barrier function in various ocular diseases, many of which are discussed here. [Tzu Chi Med J 2008;20(1):25–34]

Keywords:  Blood-aqueous barrier , Blood-ocular barrier , Blood-retinal barrier

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PII: S1016-3190(08)60004-X

doi:10.1016/S1016-3190(08)60004-X

Tzu Chi Medical Journal
Volume 20, Issue 1 , Pages 25-34, March 2008

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