The Trend of Species and Microbial Susceptibility of Bacteria Isolated from the Anophthalmic Socket and Fellow Normal Conjunctiva

In 189 consecutive non-inflamed anophthalmic patients wearing uniocular prosthesis, the conjunctival flora was evaluated and compared to that of the opposite healthy eye. And this results were compared with that of department of clinical pathology studied from January 1997 to July 1998. The incidence of bacterial isolation on the anophthalmic side (63.5%) was significantly higher than that on the healthy side (28.0%). Especially, the incidence of potential pathogenic bacterial isolation. (S.aureus, streptococci spp. and gram-negative bacilli grouped together) on the anophthalmic side (42.3%) was very significantly higher (p90%) in all bacterial isolate from the both anophthalmic socket and fellow normal conjunctiva. The bacteria isolated from the anophthalmic socket and fellow normal conjunctiva were similarly sensitive to vancomycin,clindamycin, gentamicin, imipenem, tobramycin, amikacin, netilmicin, colistin and were resistant to penicillin, ampicillin and tetracycline. No significant difference in the anophthalmic conjunctival flora between our study and the previous report but the antimicrobial susceptibility to clindamycin in coagulase-negative staphlyococcus (CNS) and S.aureus from the anophthalmic socket is higher than that of the previous report. The antimicrobial susceptibility to erythromycin in gram-positive bacteria except coagulase-negative staphlyococcus (CNS) and S.aureus from the anophthalmic socket is lower than that of the previous report. The species isolated from our study were more sensitive to the majority of antimicrobial agents than that of the microbial laboratory report. But,the antimicrobial susceptibilities of our study to chloramphenicol and colistin were very significantly lower than that of the microbial laboratory report (p<0.001).

Axial Lenth of Eye as a Risk Factor of the Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

Branch retinal vein occlusion(BRVO), along with central retinal vein occlusion, is second only to diabetic retinopathy as a cause of retinal vascular disease. It has been suggested that eyes with shorter axial length have smaller lamina cribrosa and a narrower scleral canal through which the central retinal vein and artery could pass, causing physical blockage in the vein which predisposes to thrombus formation. The subsequent narrowing of the venous lumen will lead to trubulence. reduced flow, venous stasis and thrombus formation at the level of the arteriovenous crossing. This study was conducted to determine whether there was any difference between the axial lengths of eyes with BRVO and those of control eyes. The axial lengths of the eyes in the group of 37 patients with a unilateral BRVO was compared with those of eyes in the control group. The BRVO group consisted of 23 male and 14 female patients and their mean ages were 61.5+/-7.0 years(51~75years) in male and 63.7+/-7.0 years(52~76years) in female. The control group consisted of 46 male and 28 female patients and their mean ages were 62.5+/-6.5 years(50~73years) in male and 63.9+/-6.1 years(52~75years) in female. The mean axial length of eyes of the BRVO group was 23.08+/-0.57mm(21.92~24.19mm) in male and 22.71+/-0.65mm(21.08~24.00mm) in female. The mean axial length of control eyes was 23.74+/-0.73mm(22.46~25.24mm) in male and 23.18+/-0.81mm(21.62~24.76mm) in female. The difference between the mean axial length of eyes of the BRVO group and that of control eyes was statistically significant(p<0.05). In conclusion, the short axial length may play as a risk factor in the occurrence of a BRVO.