Clinical characteristic and therapy results of presumed ocular tuberculosis and their relation to HIV status.

Background: Ocular tuberculosis (TB) emerges as an important cause of intraocular inflammation, partly due to the increasing number of HIV/AIDS patients. This study attempts to identify ocular signs that are associated with ocular TB and assess the efficacy of the treatment and their relation to HIV status. Methods: Medical records of all 56 patients diagnosed with presumed ocular TB in Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital between January 2006 and December 2011 were reviewed. Demographic and clinical characteristics and HIV status were recorded as well as efficacy of treatments given. Results: There were 39 patients included with mean age 35.38 ± 13.1 and male to female ratio was 2:1. Unilateral involvement was in 26 (66.7%) patients. From all, four (10.3%) had anterior uveitis, 14 (35.9%) posterior uveitis, 21 (53.8%) panuveitis, and none had intermediate uveitis. Most of them (32/82.1%) have concurrent other organ TB. Five out of 8 (62.5%) HIV positive patients had granulomatous inflammation and 3 (37.5%) had non-granulomatous inflammation and all eight of them had concurrent other organ TB. The other 7 known non-HIV patients, six (85.7%) have non-granulomatous inflammation. Treatment with anti-tubercular therapy (ATT), combination ATT and steroid or steroid alone increased visual acuity. However steroid alone was slightly have more frequent recurrences (1.4 ± 0.89 episodes of inflammation). Conclusion: Ocular TB in our study had variable clinical manifestations and ocular inflammation was predominantly non-granulomatous in HIV negative patients and granulomatous in HIV infected patients. All HIV positive patients the ocular TB was always accompanied by manifestations in other organs. The treatment with steroids solely resulted in improved vision but was characterized by frequent recurrences.

Glaucoma and dry eye disease: the role of preservatives in glaucoma medications.

Glaucoma is a common cause of irreversible blindness with increasing prevalence. Some of glaucoma patients will also experience dry eye. Dry eye is the most frequent side effect related to benzalkonium chloride (BAC)-containing eye drop used for glaucoma patients. In addition, glaucoma and dry eyes have shared risk factors that are old age and female. Dry eye among glaucoma patients need to be treated promptly as it produces discomfort, reduces patients’ compliance and decreases success rate of glaucoma therapy. Dry eye symptoms can be treated by applying preservative-free eye drop, giving combination of preservative containing and preservative-free eye drop to reduce BAC exposure, prescribing artificial tear and conducting surgery to minimize or eliminate the need of topical medication.

Correlation of neuropathy with corneal sensitivity and lacrimal gland secretion in type 2 diabetes mellitus patient.

AIM: To evaluate correlation between blood glucose control, corneal sensitivity and lacrimal secretion in type 2 DM with peripheral neuropathy. METHODS: A cross sectional study has been conducted in 20 type DM with peripheral neuropathy and 20 without peripheral neuropathy at the Department of Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology, Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital, Faculty of Medicine University of Indonesia, from August through November 2002. All subject underwent a comprehensive medical examination, including esthesiometer Semmes-Weinstein 10 g, HbA1c, Schirmer test, and corneal sensitivity measurements. RESULTS: The mean corneal sensitivity was significantly lower in diabetic patients with neuropathy (p=0.000). HbA1(c) was related to corneal sensitivity (p=0.016). CONCLUSION: In type 2 DM with peripheral neuropathy, corneal sensitivity was demonstrated to be significantly decrease, all of which seems to be due to the status of blood glucose control.