Illuminated Chop Using an Illuminated Chopper in Cataract Surgery: on the Way to Minimal-energy Phacoemulsification

Purpose@#To minimize ultrasound power use and surgical phaco time in illuminated chop cataract surgery. @*Methods@#The charts of patients who underwent senile cataract surgery by a single surgeon were reviewed retrospectively. A conventional intracameral endoilluminator was used in a Stop & Chop group (n = 45), while an illuminated chopper was used in an illuminated chop (I-Chop) group (n = 71). EFX, a unitless value that roughly correlates with ultrasound energy during phacoemulsification, surgical phaco time, and changes in endothelial cell count were compared between the two groups and the ratio of zero phacoemulsification in the I-Chop group was evaluated. @*Results@#EFX of the Stop & Chop and I-Chop groups was 18.08 ± 16.15 and 0.82 ± 3.53, respectively (p = 0.001), while the surgical phaco time was 185.08 ± 41.42 and 162.04 ± 49.65 seconds (p = 0.01). However, the endothelial loss did not differ in the two groups (7.03 ± 7.89 vs. 7.13 ± 9.47%, p = 0.76). In the I-Chop group, 56 (86%) eyes had zero phaco energy and patients with EFX >1 (n = 6) had more severe nuclear sclerosis grading (2.90 ± 0.71 vs. 4.5 ± 1.0; p = 0.001). @*Conclusions@#The I-Chop group had lower EFX and shorter surgical phaco time than the Stop & Chop group. Illuminated chop using an illuminated chopper is one way to attain minimal phacoemulsification.

Learning Curve in Phaco Chop Cataract Surgery Using an Illuminated Chopper

Purpose@#To confirm that the phaco chop method using an illuminated chopper (iChopper; Oculight, Seongnam, Korea) can reduce cataract surgery complications, and that even beginners can safely and effectively perform phaco chop. @*Methods@#We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of the first 30 phaco chop cases using illuminated chopper of four cataract surgeons. Four ophthalmologists had a variety of empirical backgrounds, from those who have experienced more than 10,000 cataract surgery, to beginners who have experienced 20 cataract surgery. @*Results@#Of the total 120 eyes, two eyes (1.67%) had posterior capsule rupture. The chopping method was changed from phaco chop to stop and chop in three eyes (2.5%) including one eye with brown cataract with pseudoexofoliation syndrome and two eyes with nuclear opacity grade ≥5. @*Conclusions@#The rates of posterior capsule rupture of phaco chop using an illuminated chopper were very low in four surgeons with various experiences and who became proficient shortly in phaco chop.

Clinical Effects of Non-damaging Retinal Laser Therapy in Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

Purpose@#This study analyzed the effects of non-damaging retinal laser therapy (NRT) in patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. @*Methods@#A retrospective study was conducted on patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy who were undergoing follow-up with NRT from November 2016 to February 2018. NRT was performed in patients who underwent intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injection at least two times with no improvement in visual acuity and a reduced amount of subretinal fluid. Before and after treatment, logMAR best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) evaluation and subretinal fluid (SRF) according to thickness measurements of the macula determined from optical coherence tomography imagery were performed over a period of at least 6 months. @*Results@#Eighteen eyes of 18 patients (11 male and 7 female) with chronic central serous retinopathy were treated with NRT. The mean age of patients was 54.6 ± 13.19 years old and the mean duration of follow-up was 9.75 ± 3.20 months. The central macular thickness decreased from 375 to 246 nm (p < 0.001) and BCVA improved from 0.48 to 0.40 (p = 0.028). SRF completely resolved in 55.56% of the patients after NRT. @*Conclusions@#In patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy, which did not improve even after intravitreal anti-VEGF injection, NRT is a relatively safe and effective treatment.

Apocrine Hidrocystoma Presenting as a Lacrimal Gland Mass

Purpose@#To report a case of apocrine hidrocystoma in the lacrimal gland.Case summary: A 51-year-old woman presented with a left upper eyelid mass that occurred two years before presenting tohospital. Upon physical examination, a painless palpable mass on the left upper eyelid was observed. Based on slit-lamp examination,a pinkish mass with a well-circumscribed border on the left upper temporal conjunctiva was observed. Orbital computedtomography showed a well-defined contrast enhanced mass of 8 × 9 × 9 mm in the lacrimal lesion. The mass was removed completelyunder local anesthesia. Biopsy confirmed that the mass was an apocrine hidrocystoma. There was no recurrence at oneyear postoperatively. @*Conclusions@#This is the first report of an apocrine hidrocystoma in a lacrimal lesion in Korea. Apocrine hidrocystoma is rarelyfound on lacrimal gland lesions, but it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a lacrimal gland mass.

Comparison of Three Formulas for Intraocular Lens Power Formula Accuracy

PURPOSE: To compare the accuracy of three intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas (SRK/T, Barrett Universal II, and T2) in cataract surgery patients.METHODS: In total, 73 eyes of 73 patients who underwent uneventful cataract surgery were retrospectively reviewed. IOL power was determined using SRK/T, Barrett Universal II, and T2 preoperatively. The findings were compared with the actual refractive outcome to obtain the prediction error. The mean prediction error (ME) and mean absolute error (MAE) of each formula were compared. The MAE was defined as the difference between the postoperative spherical equivalence (SE) and the preoperatively predicted SE. The ME and MAE of each formula 3 months after surgery were compared with preoperatively predicted SE. Eyes were classified into subgroups based on axial length (AL) and average keratometry (K).RESULTS: The ME and MAE for the three formulas were SRK/T [−0.08 ± 0.45 diopters (D) and 0.35 ± 0.40 D, respectively], Barrett Universal II (−0.01 ± 0.44 D and 0.33 ± 0.30 D, respectively), and T2 (0.04 ± 0.45 D and −0.34 ± 0.30 D, respectively), but no statistically significant differences were detected. Similar results were obtained in groups with a long AL or a large average K. In groups with an AL ≥ 26 mm or with an average K ≥ 47 D, the Barrett Universal II formula yielded the smallest standard deviation and a ME closest to zero, but these differences were not statistically significant.CONCLUSIONS: No significant differences were observed between the three formulas regarding ME or MAE. However, recent formulas such as the Barrett Universal II could provide certain benefits in predicting IOL power for patients with a long AL (> 26 mm) or larger average K. Further research with a larger sample size is recommended for more evaluation.

Risk Factors for Consecutive Exotropia and Hyperopic Changes after Bilateral Medial Rectus Recession

PURPOSE: To define risk factors for and to analyze changes in hyperopic refractive error during development of postoperative exotropia (XT) after bilateral medial rectus (BMR) recession to treat infantile esotropia. METHODS: We retrospectively examined 50 patients with infantile esotropia who underwent BMR recession from January 2005 to December 2010. All were +2.0 D) prior to BMR recession and a marked fall in the extent of hyperopia (−1.0 D/year) after recession may be associated with a high risk of consecutive XT. Thorough follow-up is necessary when IOOA develops after BMR recession.

Outdoor Air Pollution and Pterygium in Korea

We investigated relationships between outdoor air pollution and pterygium in Korean adults. This study includes 23,276 adults in population-based cross-sectional data using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008–2011. Pterygium was assessed using slit lamp biomicroscopy. Air pollution data (humidity, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm [PM₁₀], ozone [O₃], nitrogen dioxide [NO₂], and sulfur dioxide levels [SO₂]) for 2 years preceding the ocular examinations were acquired. Associations of multiple air pollutants with pterygium or pterygium recurrence after surgery were examined using multivariate logistic models, after adjusting for several covariates. Distributed lag models were additionally used for estimating cumulative effects of air pollution on pterygium. None of air pollution factors was significantly associated with pterygium or pterygium recurrence (each P > 0.05). Distributed lag models also showed that air pollution factors were not associated with pterygium or pterygium recurrence in 0-to-2 year lags (each P > 0.05). However, primary pterygium showed a weak association with PM₁₀ after adjusting for covariates (odds ratio [OR] 1.23; [per 5 μg/m³ PM₁₀ increase]; P = 0.023). Aging, male sex, and greater sun exposure were associated with pterygium, while higher education level and myopia were negatively associated with pterygium (each P ≤ 0.001). Male sex and myopia were negatively associated with pterygium recurrence (each P < 0.05). In conclusion, exposure to higher PM10 levels was associated with primary pterygium, although this study observed no significant association between air pollution and overall pterygium or pterygium recurrence in Korean adults.

Mortality after Hip Fractures in Nonagenarians

OBJECTIVES: Nonagenarians with hip fractures represent a special group of people because of their advanced age and co-morbidities. We evaluated mortality after hip fractures in nonagenarians. METHODS: Fifty-one patients were studied over a 2-year period. There were 39 female and 12 male patients. Twenty seven patients sustained an intertrochanteric fracture of the femur, 24 suffered from femoral neck fracture. The American Society of Anaesthetists (ASA) score of II was the most frequent among 51. Forty-one of them had one or more co-morbidities. Patient review was done 2 years after the fracture. RESULTS: The mortality rate at one year was 53.4% in men, and 15.7% in women. After multivariate analysis, the type of fracture (intertrochanteric fracture) was identified as a risk factor for one-year mortality (P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: The outcome in nonagenarians with hip fractures is poor due to the high rates of mortality, especially in men, and this could be informed to patients and their families before hip fracture surgery.