Waardenburg syndrome with anisocoria and exotropia.

A case of Waardenburg syndrome with unusual features such as anisocoria, exotropia is reported.

Simultaneous pterygium and cataract surgery.

In our country both pterygium and cataract have a high incidence. Hence in this study, thirty patients with pterygium and cataract were treated with a simultaneous pterygium excision and cataract extraction procedure. These patients after pterygium excision were treated intra-operatively with 500 rads of beta radiation over the pterygium site. Then, the cataract was extracted and the patients were treated post-operatively with topical betamethasone 0.1% for a duration of three months. They were followed up for a duration of 6 months postoperatively. Nineteen patients (63%) had visual recovery to 6/12. Twelve of 30 patients (40%) had recurrence of pterygium. The combined procedure did not result in any surgical complications following cataract removal. Post-operatively, after 6 months 13 patients had with the rule astigmatism (WRA) for a mean WRA of 1.3 D, and 17 had against the rule astigmatism (ARA) for a mean ARA of 1.2 D.

The role of initial 5-fluorouracil trabeculectomy in primary glaucoma.

Sixty-eight patients with primary glaucoma involving 68 eyes were divided into two groups: Group I eyes were subjected to trabeculectomy (n = 38) and Group II eyes underwent trabeculectomy followed by subconjunctival injections of 5-fluorouracil (35 mg) (n = 30). After one year follow-up, Group I eyes exhibited reduction of mean intra-ocular tension from 45.7 mm Hg (pre-operative) to 16 mm Hg; optic disc cupping remained unchanged and 24/38 eyes (63%) were found to have field defects (19/38 i.e. 50% had preoperative field defects.) Group II eyes showed a reduction of mean intra-ocular pressure from 47.3 mmHg to 9.3 mmHg after one year. Mean cup disc ratio was lowered from 0.50:1 to 0.46:1 and 17/30 eyes (57%) which had field defects initially continued to exhibit the same. Complications in Group I and II eyes were shallow anterior chamber [8/38 eyes (21%) from Group I and 8/30 eyes (26%) from Group II], posterior synechiae formation in 10/38 eyes (26%) and 8/30 eyes (26%) and cataract progression in 13/38 eyes (34%) and 12/30 eyes (40%) respectively; only Group II eyes had transient superficial keratitis in 9/30 eyes (30%) and thin blebs in 6/30 eyes (20%). The use of 5-fluorouracil after trabeculectomy for primary glaucoma resulted in lowering of intra-ocular pressure, eliminated the need for antiglaucoma medications post-operatively, reduced the galucomatous cup size, and prevented progression of field loss without having a significantly increased complication rate.

The role of early trabeculectomy in the control of chronic simple glaucoma.

Seventy patients of bilateral chronic simple glaucoma with a mean age of 59.7 years, an intra-ocular pressure over 25 mmg Hg, optic disc cupping, and without visual field loss were selected. The eye with higher intra-ocular pressure or the larger optic disc cup was treated by early trabeculectomy while the other eye of the same patient was subjected to medical therapy with topical beta blockers for 3 years (without any surgical treatment). Both the eyes of 70 patients were compared after 3 years. Eyes which had undergone trabeculectomy had a mean intra-ocular pressure of 11.7 mm Hg against 18 mm Hg in the medically treated eyes. Surgically treated eyes had decrease in the mean cup : disc ratio (from 0.54 : 1 to 0.48 : 1) whereas medically treated eyes showed an increase from 0.41:1 to 0.51: 1. Visual field loss occurred in 3/70 operated eyes and in 27/70 medically treated eyes. Twenty-one of 70 treated eyes developed cataract and 12 of these required cataract surgery. Only 18/70 medically treated eyes developed cataracts but none of these required cataract surgery. Early trabeculectomy in cases of chronic simple glaucoma resulted in a large reduction of intra-ocular pressure and consequently reduced the size of optic disc cup and the chances of visual field loss.

The rationale of argon green laser photocoagulation for diabetic maculopathy.

Eighty-four patients of bilateral diabetic retinopathy were divided into 2 groups: Group I comprised of 60 patients (mean age 46 yrs) having non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy with maculopathy (total no. of eyes = 120). Group II consisted of 24 patients (mean age 49.1 yrs) with proliferative diabetic retinopathy with maculopathy (total no. of eyes under study = 48). One eye of each patient in group I was treated as a control and the other was subjected to focal laser therapy. While 48/60 control Group I eyes (80%) had 6/24 vision at the outset, at one year follow-up only 39/60 cases (65%) had 6/24 vision. Diabetic maculopathy persisted in all the 60 control eyes at one year. In contrast, 44/60 eyes (73%) subjected to focal laser therapy in Group I, had 6/24 vision at outset but one year later, 49/60 eyes (81%) had 6/24 vision. Maculopathy completely regressed in 48/60 eyes (80%). The 48 eyes of Group II patients were subjected to focal and scatter laser therapy. 20/48 eyes (41.6%) had 6/24 vision prior to treatment but one year after treatment, 25/48 eyes (52%) had 6/24 vision. Neovascularization and macular edema regressed after one year in 42/48 eyes (87.1%) and only 4/48 eyes (8.3%) developed localized vitreous hemorrhage. Laser therapy in Group I improved visual acuity by reducing macular edema. In Group II, it improved the vision and reduced the risk of vitreous hemorrhage, detachment and glaucoma.