Choroidal Vascularity Index and Treatment Outcomes in Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion Patients with Macular Edema

Purpose@#To explore the association between the visual and anatomical outcomes and the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) post-intravitreal injection in patients with macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). @*Methods@#We conducted a retrospective review of medical records of 50 patients (27 eyes treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and 23 eyes treated with a dexamethasone implant) with BRVO and macular edema who underwent intravitreal injections from January 2017 to October 2020. We measured the central macular thickness (CMT), subfoveal choroidal thickness, and CVI of the BRVO eyes and the fellow eyes using optical coherence tomography and then analyzed the correlation between these measurements and visual and anatomical outcomes. @*Results@#After six months of treatment, the best corrected visual acuity improved, and CMT decreased. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that factors associated with best corrected visual acuity improvement at six months were fellow eye CVI (standardized β = 0.346, p = 0.008), ellipsoid zone integrity (standardized β = 0.398, p = 0.001), and initial best corrected visual acuity (standardized β = 0.590, p < 0.001). Initial CMT (standardized β = 0.563, p < 0.001) was the only factor associated with the decrease in CMT at six months. @*Conclusions@#In cases of severe macular edema, accurate evaluation of choroidal vessels can be challenging due to shadowing. We discovered that a larger CVI in the fellow eye was associated with greater visual improvement in patients with BRVO and macular edema. CVI could be a prognostic factor for predicting treatment outcomes in BRVO patients, suggesting that the choroidal vascular status may play a role in the pathophysiology of BRVO.

Tractional Retinal Detachment in Eyes with Vitreous Hemorrhage and Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy and Posterior Vitreous Detachment in Fellow Eye

Purpose@#To predict the presence of tractional retinal detachment (TRD) in eyes with dense vitreous hemorrhage (VH) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) by evaluating the status of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in fellow eyes using optical coherence tomography (OCT). @*Methods@#A total of 44 eyes from 22 patients who underwent vitrectomy due to dense VH with PDR were enrolled. Using OCT, the PVD status in the fellow eye was divided into two groups (incomplete and complete PVD). The incomplete PVD group included eyes without PVD and eyes with partial PVD. B-scan ultrasonography was performed on eyes with dense VH to evaluate the presence of TRD. Both OCT and B-scan images were reviewed by four ophthalmologists (two novices and two experienced), and the interobserver agreement was evaluated. @*Results@#There was a difference in the interobserver agreement regarding the presence of TRD in eyes with dense VH evaluated by B scan between novice and experienced ophthalmologists (novice, κ = 0.421 vs. experienced, κ = 0.814), although there was no difference between novice and experienced ophthalmologists in the interobserver agreement regarding the status of PVD in the fellow eye evaluated by OCT (novice, κ = 1.000 vs. experienced, κ = 1.000). All observed TRD during vitrectomy occurred in eyes with incomplete PVD in the fellow eye. Logistic regression analysis revealed a statistically significant relation between TRD and the age of the patient (odds ratio [OR], 0.874; p = 0.047), and between TRD and incomplete PVD in the fellow eye evaluated by OCT (OR, 13.904; p = 0.042). @*Conclusions@#Evaluation of the PVD status in the fellow eye using OCT may be a useful predictor for detecting the presence of TRD in eyes with dense VH and PDR.

Ocular Manifestations Associated with Cerebral Vein Sinus Thrombosis Developing after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination

Purpose@#We report a case of neuroretinitis combined with external ophthalmoplegia in a patient who developed a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after administration of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.Case summary: A 26-year-old woman who was on oral contraceptives was diagnosed with a cerebral venous sinus thrombosis 1 month after the first injection of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (BNT162b2, Pfizer-BioNTech). The levels of factors 8 and 9 were elevated on the blood test. The corrected visual acuities were 0.3 in both eyes. A complete limitation of abduction and esotropia were evident in the left eye. Both eyes exhibited optic disc swelling and hemorrhage and retinal nerve fiber layer swelling. Subretinal fluid was apparent in the right eye. Three weeks later, the optic disc swellings and hemorrhages had worsened and both eyes evidenced macular stars. After 10 months, the corrected visual acuities improved to 0.9 in both eyes. Ocular motor function and the esotropia also improved. However, the overall contraction of the visual field did not. @*Conclusions@#SARS-CoV-2 vaccination can trigger cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, neuroretinitis, and external ophthalmoplegia. In patients with risk factors for such thrombosis, the possibility of ophthalmic complications should be considered after administration of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Prognostic Factors Related with Surgical Outcome of Vitrectomy in Myopic Traction Maculopathy

Up-to-date knowledge on age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of central vision loss in developed countries. The incidence of AMD has increased rapidly in Korea. The objective of this article is to introduce the latest knowledge about the pathophysiology, diagnostic tools and therapeutic modalities of AMD. The risk factors for AMD are age, smoking, familial history, genetic factors related to the complement system, diet, and cholesterol levels. Inflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of AMD and is associated with the complement system. Genes associated with the complement system affect the pathophysiology, expression, progression and therapeutic response of AMD. The use of antioxidants, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids inhibits progression from moderate AMD to advanced AMD. Although there is no established treatment for dry AMD, treatment with agents that inhibit the complement system or through other mechanisms is under study. A number of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents have been developed for the prevention of choroidal neovascularization in the treatment of wet AMD and are being used clinically. Therapeutic alternatives to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents are under study.

Up-to-date knowledge on age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of central vision loss in developed countries. The incidence of AMD has increased rapidly in Korea. The objective of this article is to introduce the latest knowledge about the pathophysiology, diagnostic tools and therapeutic modalities of AMD. The risk factors for AMD are age, smoking, familial history, genetic factors related to the complement system, diet, and cholesterol levels. Inflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of AMD and is associated with the complement system. Genes associated with the complement system affect the pathophysiology, expression, progression and therapeutic response of AMD. The use of antioxidants, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids inhibits progression from moderate AMD to advanced AMD. Although there is no established treatment for dry AMD, treatment with agents that inhibit the complement system or through other mechanisms is under study. A number of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents have been developed for the prevention of choroidal neovascularization in the treatment of wet AMD and are being used clinically. Therapeutic alternatives to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents are under study.

Comparison of Diplopia and Ocular Torsion Rate in Blow-Out Fracture Patients

PURPOSE: We compared ocular torsion rates in blow-out fracture patients before and after blowout fracture repair by analyzing mean disc foveal angles. METHODS: The study participants were divided into 2 groups: blow-out fracutre repair patients (n = 36) and controls (n = 36). We measured ocular torsion rates by analyzing mean disc foveal angle. The angle was composed of 2 imaginary horizontal lines which crossed the optic disc center and fovea. We compared statistically ocular torsion rates in blow-out fracture patients based on subsided diplopia, continued diplopia, or absence of diplopia before and after blow-out fracture repair using paired t-test. RESULTS: In the patient group, ocular torsion rates were statistically significantly decreased. In the blow-out fracture repair group with subsided diplopia, ocular torsion rates were decreased statistically from 7.74 +/- 3.48 degrees before blow-out fracture repair to 5.02 +/- 3.11 degrees after blow-out fracture repair. In the blow-out fracture repair group with continued diplopia or absence of diplopia before surgery, ocular torsion rates did not change statistically significantly from 6.36 +/- 2.80 degrees before blow-out fracture repair to 6.51 +/- 3.24 degrees after blow-out fracture repair. CONCLUSIONS: Subsided diplopia after blow-out fracture repair and ocular torsion rate changes were significantly related in blow-out fracture patients. Further research which on the correlation of intraorbital change and movement of orbital position after blow-out fracture repair with ocular torsion rates are necessary.

Reliability Comparison of Rebound Tonometer at the Upright and Supine Position

PURPOSE: Rebound tonometer has been used to measure the intraocular pressure (IOP) in the supine as well as normal upright positions. We investigated the reliability of IOP measurements using the rebound tonometer in the upright and supine positions. METHODS: IOP was measured in 30 patients (60 eyes) with open-angle glaucoma who had no history of ocular surgery and no anterior segment pathology, in both the upright and supine positions using rebound tonometer (IcarePRO; Icare Finland Oy, Finland). The average IOP value after 6 measurements was recorded. We measured IOP repeatedly until 3 reliable values within normal limits of the measurement's variation were obtained. We calculated the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation, and number of repeated measurements necessary to obtain 3 reliable IOP values in each position as measured by one examiner. RESULTS: ICC values for IOP measurements were 0.852 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.784-0.903; p < 0.001) in the upright position and 0.684 (95% CI, 0.563-0.784; p < 0.027) in the supine position. Coefficient of variation was 8.7 +/- 0.1% in the upright position and 24.0 +/- 0.1% in the supine position. An average of 3.3 times of repeated measurements in the upright position and 6.2 times in the supine position were necessary to obtain 3 reliable IOP values within the normal range of standard deviation. CONCLUSIONS: When measuring IOP using the IcarePRO rebound tonometer, the measurement reliability was different between the upright and supine positions. Reproducibility of IOP measurements was lower in the upright than the supine position.

Diagnostic Abilities to Detect Glaucomatous Abnormality Using Normal Retinal Thickness Measured by Optical Coherence Tomography

PURPOSE: Recently, the introduction of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) has enabled measurement of retinal thickness in the posterior pole in 64 sectors. SD-OCT was used to evaluate the diagnostic effectiveness in detecting glaucomatous abnormality of visual field sensitivity. A normal value for retinal thickness was determined and then compared in corresponding local sectors. METHODS: Thirty healthy controls and 30 glaucoma subjects were evaluated. Macular thickness values from the 4 adjacent square cells in an 8 x 8 posterior pole retinal thickness map were averaged for a mean retinal thickness (MRT) value. A normative database was prepared using the data from the healthy eyes of this study to determine the diagnostic criteria for MRT. If the MRT value was <5% (Criteria A) or <1% (Criteria B) of the normative database, it was considered to be abnormal. The abnormalities of the MRT value for each diagnostic criteria were compared with the visual field sensitivity results in the corresponding positions. RESULTS: The concordance of abnormalities between MRT and visual field sensitivity at 16 measured points was low in both criteria A (Kappa value; -0.418~0.429) and B (Kappa value; -0.363~0.444). Based on the results of the visual field at each focal point, the sensitivities and specificities of MRT values using the 2 criteria ranged from 0% to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, MRT values showed low correlation and diagnostic ability to detect decreased sensitivity of the visual field in corresponding points, when customized criteria derived from a normative database were applied.

A Case of Serous Macular Detachment Preceding Macular Retinoschisis in an Optic Pit

PURPOSE: To report a case of serous macular detachment preceding macular retinoschisis in an optic pit patient successfully treated by vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling. CASE SUMMARY: A 76 year old female visited our clinic for visual disturbance in her right eye. Fundus photograph revealed optic pit and OCT showed macular retinoschisis in her right eye. She was followed up in our clinic. The patient revisited our clinic because of sudden decrease of visual acuity in her right eye 3 days before. At that time, the patient's best-corrected visual acuity was 0.05. Macular retinoschisis, subretinal fluid and serous retinal detachment were observed in her right eye on OCT. She was diagnosed with serous retinal detachment associated with optic pit and pars plana vitrectomy was performed. During vitrectomy, we found adhesion and defect of posterior hyaloid membrane which covered the optic pit. Therefore, subretinal fluid was drained via membrane defect and posterior vitreous detachment and fluid-gas exchange were induced. Sixteen days after surgery, we found a macular hole in her right eye on OCT. Pars plana vitrectomy was performed with internal limiting membrane peeling. One month after surgery, macular detachment was not observed. Six months after surgery, the patient's best corrected visual acuity was 0.63 and the macula was reattached completely. CONCLUSIONS: Optic pit maculopathy can be progressed rapidly in aged patients and macular hole would be ocurred as a complication. Additional study will be needed to figure out the role of internal limiting membrane and tractional force of posterior vitreous in these patients.