[Chemical eye burns]

Chemical injuries of the cornea are ophthalmic emergencies. These injuries often result in significant ocular morbidity and generally strike young adults in the prime years of life. Classification schemes enable the ophthalmologist to determine the severity of injury and the prognosis for the injured eye. Immediate management consists of copious irrigation following exposure. Effective management in the intermediate and late phases requires an understanding of the cellular events that occur during each phase. Appropriate medical and surgical care helps ensure the best outcomes for these potentially blinding injuries. With appropriate management, it is possible to restore vision to all but the most severely burned eyes. While our current understanding of these injuries allows us to save many of these eyes, more work is needed to improve the prognosis of grade IV injuries. Ongoing animal and human research is investigating the use of novel topical agents to reduce angiogenesis, inhibit inflammation, promote repair, and reduce the risk of corneal melting. Efforts at preventing ocular chemical burns are equally important and deserve emphasis

[Visual outcomes and complications of phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation]

To evaluate the prevalence of concomitant systemic and ocular diseases in patients scheduled for phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation [PE+PC IOL] and post surgical visual outcomes and complications in 1253 cases. Medical records of all patients of a private clinic who underwent PE+PC IOL from 1999 to 2003 were reviewed. All operations were performed by as single surgeon [MAJ]. Among 1253 operated eyes, 95.9% had senile cataracts. Mean age was 61 years and mean follow up was 10 +/- 12.5 months. Incidence of systemic hypertension, diabetes mellitus [DM], ischemic heart disease, pseudoexfoliation syndrome [PXF], and glaucoma were 16%, 11.5%, 7.7%, 3.1%, and 2.7%, respectively. After the operation 71.9% and 90.4% of the eyes gained UCVA and BCVA of 20/40 or better, respectively. The most important intraoperative and postoperative complications were sterile uveitis [4.8%], vitreous loss [0.23%], endophthalmitis, CME, RD and, corneal decompensation each in one eye [0.08%]. Significant posterior capsule opacity requiring Nd: YAG capsulotomy occurred in 5.8% of the eyes. PE+PC IOL is a safe and effective procedure in patients with cataract. Systemic hypertension and DM are important concomitant systemic disorders in this group of patients