Conjunctival Ophthalmomyiasis due to the larvae of oestrus ovis

Ophthalmomyiasis is a parasitic disease of the eye caused by the larvae of a number of flies belonging to the order Diptera. We report two cases of conjunctival ophthalmomyiasis caused by the larvae of Oestrus ovis. Both cases were from an urban area and not associated with sheeprearing. The patients complained of sudden onset of a foreign body sensation, redness and tearing that resolved rapidly after mechanical removal of the larvae. Identification of Oestrus ovis larvae was determined by light microscopy. Ophthalmologists should consider ophthalmomyiasis in the differential diagnosis of acute catarrhal conjunctivitis

Risk factors for diabetic retinopathy: univariate and multivariate analysis

The risk factors for development of diabetic retinopathy have not yet been well studied in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the possible relationship between diabetic retinopathy and twenty-four demographic, clinical, and metabolic risk factors was examined by us in 370 consecutive diabetic persons presenting to a specialized diabetes center in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. In univariate analyses, current age, duration of the diabetes, insulin dependence, presence of peripheral neuropathy, peripheral vascular insufficiency, proteinuria, insulin treatment, poor metabolic control, elevated levels of glycosylated hemoglobin, and elevation of systolic blood pressure were all found to correlate significantly with the presence of retinopathy. The significance was confirmed in multivariate analysis only for the duration of the diabetes and the presence of peripheral neuropathy, while correlation with the level of glycosylated hemoglobin approached significance. In the group of non-insulin-dependent diabetics [323 patients], proteinuria was also a significant predictor of retinopathy. These data indicate that the duration of the diabetes is the most important predictor for the development of diabetic retinopathy