The Florida Lions Eye Bank Ocular Pathology Laboratory
Ocular Pathology Laboratory
The Florida Lions Eye Bank Ocular
Pathology Laboratory, located
in Bascom Palmer Eye Institute,
operates solely for the
study of ophthalmic pathology
material. The laboratory
receives tissue from surgeries
performed at Bascom Palmer,
other sites in Florida and
the Southeast United States,
as well as from Central
and South America. Over
2000 surgical specimens
are processed each year
including over 250 globes,
and wide variety of conjunctival,
corneal, orbital, lid and
intraocular lesions. Additionally,
the archive of glass slides,
consisting of over 50,000
cases is available for examination,
teaching and research activities.
Additionally, in suspected
cases of abuse and trauma,
eyes are evaluated from
medical examiners.
The laboratory has access
to immunohistochemistry,
electron microscopy, flow
cytometry, and molecular
diagnostic techniques.
All referred tissues are
reviewed and processed completely
free of charge, a tradition
begun when the laboratory
was founded in unique association
with the Florida Lions Eye
Bank. For submission of
tissue, referring physicians
may call 305-326-6356.
The Work of the Pathology Laboratory
One of only fifteen or
so such laboratories nationwide,
the Bascom Palmer ocular
pathology lab is a comprehensive
source of tissue evaluation
as well as of teaching and
learning. It is one of the
busiest in the country and
the only ocular pathology
lab in South Florida.
In addition to tissue evaluation
in the laboratory, the eye
pathology department trains
ophthalmology residents
in ocular pathology. This
gives residents a clear
understanding of what they
see in the clinic when they
evaluate eye diseases and
disorders on a microscopic
level. When residents examine
specimens from a patient’s
eye, they also may replicate
a clinical examination to
correlate laboratory observations
with clinical observations.
Tissues and slides are submitted
by faculty members and physicians
in the local community,
the surrounding region,
and elsewhere. The medical
director and resident physicians
process and evaluate these
materials in the laboratory
and promptly fax or mail
a report to the clinician.
An on-site collection of
more than 50,000 specimens,
including glass slides and
paraffin blocks, is used
for research and teaching.
