Two Cases of Macular Edema Associated with Extramacular Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

PURPOSE: To report two cases of patients treated for macular edema associated with extramacular branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). CASE SUMMARY: (Case 1) A 64-year-old female presented with macular edema (ME) associated with superotemporal extra-macular BRVO. The ME was resolved but hard exudate (HE) deposited after combined therapy of intravitreal bevacizumab injection and laser photocoagulation of the BRVO area. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved from 0.2 to 0.5 following absorption of HE. (Case 2) A 53-year-old male presented with ME associated with extramacular BRVO outside the superior vascular arcade. ME was treated with 2 monthly injections of bevacizumab and laser photocoagulation in the BRVO area. Although HE deposited after resolution of ME, it was absorbed and BCVA improved from 0.1 to 0.4. The ME did not recur in either patient. CONCLUSIONS: We report 2 cases managed with combined therapy of intravitreal bevacizumab injection and laser photocoagulation for ME associated with extramacular BRVO.

A Case of Ocular Syphilis Presenting as Bilateral Optic Neuritis

PURPOSE: To report a case of ocular syphilis presenting as bilateral optic neuritis. CASE SUMMARY: A 25-year-old man presented with visual difficulty in both eyes that had begun 2 weeks previously. Best corrected visual acuity was 0.7 in the right eye and 0.1 in the left eye. Anterior segment was normal. On fundoscopic examination, optic disc swelling was found in both eyes. Color vision was abnormal in the left eye. The visual field (VF) showed peripheral constriction in the right eye and generalized reduction in the left eye. Fluorescein angiography revealed early, bilateral leakage of dye from the optic disc with multiple hot spots in the chorioretinal level. Serology was positive for fluorescent treponemal antibody absorbance (FTA-ABS) IgM, IgG and rapid plasma reagin test. A test of the cerebrospinal fluid was positive for venereal diseases research laboratory and FTA-ABS IgG. A diagnosis of syphilitic optic neuritis was made and the patient was treated with antibiotics. Six months later, visual acuity was 1.0 in the right eye and 0.8 in the left eye. There was no disc swelling on both fundoscopy and optical coherence tomographs. VF also improved after treatment, with the restoration of central vision. CONCLUSIONS: Syphilis can present as optic neuritis. Clinicians should consider serologic examination for syphilis and then initiate appropriate antibiotic treatment.

A Case of Long Anterior Lens Zonule and Pigment Dispersion Syndrome

PURPOSE: To report a case of long anterior lens zonule and pigment dispersion syndrome. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old female visited our clinic with complaint of visual disturbance in the left eye. She had no history of nyctalopia. Visual acuity was 0.6 in the right eye and 0.4 in the left eye. Intraocular pressure was 12 mm Hg in the right eye and 16 mm Hg in the left eye. Nuclear sclerosis was observed in the left lens. There was no pseudoexfoliative material observed. In the left eye, long anterior zonules with brown pigmented lens striae were spotted irregularly in every direction of the anterior lens. On gonioscopy, the angle was open, and dense, uniform, trabecular meshwork pigmentations were observed at the interior 120 degrees. On fundus examination, cup-to-disc ratio was 0.4 in the right eye, 0.3 in the left eye, and multiple hard exudates were observed in both retinas. Axial length was 22.03 mm in the right eye and 21.84 in the left eye. Anterior chamber depth was 2.71 mm in the right eye and 2.47 mm in the left eye. Defects in the retinal nerve fiber or visual field examination were not observed and pigment dispersion syndrome was diagnosed. The patient showed no significant change at the 9-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: We diagnosed atypical pigment dispersion syndrome associated with long anterior zonules and pigmented lens striae. Late onset retinal degeneration should be ruled out with chromosomal analysis if patients show nyctalopia, retinal pigment epithelium atrophy, or family history.

Theoretical and Clinical Comparison of the Hoffer Q and SRK/T Formulas

PURPOSE: To evaluate the biometric conditions causing increased disparity in the calculation of intraocular lens (IOL) power between the Hoffer Q and SRK/T formulas. METHODS: A prospective comparative study was conducted on 365 uneventful, cataract surgeries performed at a tertiary care center by one surgeon. The IOL power was calculated using both the Hoffer Q and SRK/T formulas with A-scan biometry. For a selected IOL power, the expected disparity between the 2 formulas (EDF) was measured and the EDF value was used to categorize the cases. The resultant error associated with each formula was determined at postoperative 6 weeks. KAL was defined as the product of mean corneal power (K) and axial length (AL). Postoperative errors of both formulas were calculated and their association with preoperative biometry measurements analyzed. RESULTS: In 17.8% of the cases, the EDF was larger than 0.4 D, possibly leading to different IOL diopter recommendations. The EDF value and the product of corneal curvature and axial length were significantly correlated (R2 = 0.855, p < 0.001). Multiple regression analysis of causative preoperative biometric factors on the postoperative formula errors showed that astigmatism, anterior chamber depth (ACD), and lens thickness (LT) were significantly associated with Hoffer Q error and SRK/T error. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, both formulas performed very well when recommending the correct IOL power. The cause of disparity between the predicted refraction for the 2 formulas was more associated with KAL than K or AL alone. Astigmatism, ACD, and LT were the causative factors for the postoperative errors in both formulas.

Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy Type VI with Bilateral Middle Cerebellar Peduncle Involvement

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) 2A with optic atrophy is referred to as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy type VI (HMSN VI) and is caused by mitofusin 2 gene (MFN2) mutation. In patients with MFN2 related CMT, central nervous system is known to be also involved and cerebral white matter is mostly involved. We report a patient confirmed as HMSN VI who had isolated bilateral middle cerebellar peduncular lesions in brain MRI.

A Case of Full Thickness Macular Hole Secondary to Old Traumatic Choroidal Rupture

PURPOSE: We report a case of a full-thickness macular hole which occurred many years after a blunt eye trauma leading to choroidal rupture. CASE SUMMARY: A 50-year-old male visited our clinic with a complaint of decreased vision in his left eye 2 years in duration. He experienced a blunt trauma to his left eye with a baseball when he was 6 years old, although he did not complain of any visual disturbance in the left eye at that time. Fundus examination revealed a full-thickness macular hole with vertical fibrotic scar at the temporal side of the macula, which was thought to be a choroidal rupture induced by the previous blunt eye trauma. We performed vitrectomy and intravitreal tamponade injection. Two months later, the full-thickness macular hole completely closed and visual acuity of the left eye improved.

Silent Giant Cell Arteritis in an Elderly Korean Woman

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a rare disease among Asians. Arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, which accompanies GCA, has not yet been reported in Koreans. Diagnosis of GCA is difficult if typical symptoms other than visual loss are absent. Here, we report a case of an 83-year-old Korean woman presenting with sudden visual loss in both eyes (oculus uterque, OU). Her visual acuities included perception of light in the right eye (oculus dexter, OD) and perception of hand motion in the left eye (oculus sinister, OS). The results of the Hardy-Rand-Rittler test and Ishihara test showed total dyschromatopsia OU. The Goldmann perimetry test revealed a total field defect OD and paracentral island OS. Fundus examination revealed chalky-white disc swelling OU. Other systemic symptoms and signs were unremarkable. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and platelet count were highly elevated. Temporal artery biopsy revealed multiple lymphocytes and multinucleated giant cells in the arterial media layer. To our knowledge, this is the first report of GCA in a Korean that has been confirmed with temporal artery biopsy. In conclusion, silent GCA can occur in Koreans, and hence, elderly patients presenting with chalky-white disc swelling, and corresponding laboratory findings must be evaluated for GCA.

A Comparative Study of the Effect of Fibrin Glue versus Sutures on Clinical Outcome in Patients Undergoing Pterygium Excision and Conjunctival Autografts

PURPOSE: To compare the effect of using fibrin glue or 10-0 nylon sutures on the clinical outcome of patients undergoing pterygium excision and conjunctival autografting. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 52 eyes from 46 patients who underwent pterygium excision and conjunctival autografting and were followed up for more than 3 months. The operation duration, postoperative inflammation, complications, and recurrence rates were compared between groups of 20 patients (22 eyes) for whom fibrin glue was used (fibrin glue group) and 26 patients (30 eyes) for whom suturing was performed with 10-0 nylon (suture group) in pterygium excision and conjunctival autografting. RESULTS: The operation duration was 27.71 (5.22) minutes in the fibrin glue group and 43.30 (8.18) minutes in the suture group (p = 0.000). Seven days after the operation, the fibrin glue group showed milder conjunctival inflammation than the suture group (p = 0.000). Postoperative complications and corneal recurrence rates were not statistically different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The use of fibrin glue in pterygium excision with conjunctival autografting is likely to be a more effective, safer procedure than suturing.

Clinical Features and the Effect of High-Dose Steroid Therapy in Korean Optic Neuritis Patients

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical manifestation and response to high-dose steroid therapy in Korean optic neuritis patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 13 patients diagnosed with optic neuritis who were treated with high-dose steroid and who were followed-up for more than three months in Seoul National University Hospital between January 2005 and December 2008. RESULTS: Pain on extraocular movement (EOM) and disc swelling were observed in 61% (8/13) patients diagnosed with optic neuritis. Visual acuity (VA) improved to more than 20/40 in 77% (10/13) of patients after high-dose steroid therapy. The patients who resolved within one month recovered VA a mean of 18 days after onset. The recovery period had nothing to do with the initial time of high-dose steroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Pain on EOM was less frequently observed and disc swelling was more frequent in Korean patients than have been reported in Caucacian patients. The recovery period of optic neuritis was not influenced by the initial time of high-dose steroid therapy.

Two Cases of Orbital Castleman's Disease

PURPOSE:To report two cases of multicentric Castleman's disease involving the orbital area. CASE SUMMARY: A 52-year-old man presented with discomfort of the right eye on eyeball movement that began 4~5 months ago. He had been diagnosed as Castleman's disease upon the biopsy of his neck lymph nodes 2 years ago. Proptosis was found in his right eye, and orbital computed tomography revealed an enlarged mass in the inferior orbit compared to the former image. An incisional biopsy confirmed Castleman's disease. A 57-year-old man presented with left eyelid swelling that began 3 months ago. Orbital and chest computed tomography revealed a mass in the left superotemporal orbit and the enlarged lymph nodes of the mediastinal area. Castleman's disease was confirmed by biopsy of the lymph nodes in the mediastinal area. CONCLUSIONS: Steroid therapy was prescribed for the 52-year-old man. The 57-year-old man was placed under close observation.