Single dose of 1% tropicamide and 10% phenylephrine for pupil dilation.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of pupil dilation between a single dose and three doses of 1% tropicamide and 10% phenylephrine for binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A prospective randomized double-blind clinical controlled trial was conducted. All patients underwent the binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and met the inclusion criteria were randomized into two groups using block randomization. Group A received a single dose of 1% tropicamide and 10% phenylephrine eye drops, and Group B received three doses of the same drugs. The primary outcome was the horizontal pupil diameter measured by slit-lamp biomicroscope (Haag-Streit model 900) before and at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 minutes after eye drop instillation. The clinical equivalence of the efficacy of pupil dilation between the two groups was defined as the difference of less than or equal to 1 mm (-1 mm to + 1 mm). RESULTS: Eighty patients (160 eyes) were randomized into 40 patients (80 eyes) in group A and 40 patients (80 eyes) in group B. The mean pupil sizes at baseline of group A were 3.51 +/- 0.63 mm in the right eye and 3.39 +/- 0.67 mm in the left eye. Those in group B were 3.61 +/- 0.67 mm in the right eye and 3.66 +/- 0.72 mm in the left eye. The mean pupil diameters at 30 minutes of group A were 7.34 +/- 0.51 mm in the right eye and 7.41 +/- 0.56 mm in the left eye, whereas those of group B were 7.49 +/- 0.45 mm in the right eye and 7.51 +/- 0.40 mm in the left eye. The mean difference of the pupil size between the two groups was 0.15 mm (p = 0.175) in the right eye and 0.l0 mm (p = 0.362) in the left eye. The 95% confidence intervals of the difference in pupil size were -0.36 to 0.07 mm in the right eye and -0.32 to 0.12 mm in the left eye. CONCLUSION: The 95% confidence interval of the difference in pupil size lay entirely within the range of equivalence. The single dose of 1% tropicamide and 10% phenylephrine was clinically equivalent to the three doses of the same drugs.

Surgical outcomes in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment at Srinagarind Hospital.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the surgical outcome for patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and to find out the factors influencing the anatomic reattachment and visual results. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Retrospective review of the medical records of patients for the following details: age, sex, time to diagnosis, time to surgery, phakic status, types, numbers and locations of the retinal breaks, macular status, presence of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), types of surgical procedures, anatomic reattachment and visual improvement. RESULTS: Two hundred and twelve patients were surgically treated by pneumatic retinopexy, scleral buckling, pars plana vitrectomy or combined procedures. Initial anatomic reattachment was found in 157 cases (74.06%) and final reattachment in 193 cases (91.04%). Several factors including age, phakic status, number of the retinal breaks, macular detachment, PVR and types of surgical procedures have been identified to have a correlation with the anatomic success rate. Types of surgical procedures and time to surgery within 8 weeks of detachment have also been demonstrated to have a correlation with final visual improvement. However, only types of surgical procedures had statistically significant difference. Pneumatic retinopexy had a lower anatomic reattachment rate, but obtained a higher visual improvement than did other surgical procedures. Moreover, after repeated pneumatic retinopexy or further surgical procedures, the final anatomic success rate improved from 65.52% to 92.24%. CONCLUSION: Surgical outcomes for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment are comparable to other studies. Types of surgical procedures had a significant correlation with anatomic reattachment and final visual improvement.

Translimbal fixation of posterior chamber lenses.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the result of a surgical technique to insert and secure a standard posterior chamber lens through a simple limbal incision in eyes that had no capsular support or whose capsule was inadvertently ruptured during extracapsular cataract extraction. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Retrospective review of the medical records of patients who underwent translimbal fixation of posterior chamber lenses according to age, gender, preoperative visual acuity, postoperative visual acuity, follow-up period and any complications, especially those that may be related to the surgical technique. RESULTS: Twelve patients were recruited in the present study. The patents' age ranged from 31 to 77 years, with a mean of 62.58 years. There were 9 male and 3 female patients. The preoperative visual acuity ranged from hand motion to counting fingers, and the postoperative visual acuity ranged from 6/6 to 6/24 except one patient who had postoperative visual acuity of counting fingers due to a pre-existing macular hole. The length of follow-up period ranged from 3 to 12 months, with a mean of 6.17 months. There was no clinically significant lens-related complication. CONCLUSION: This simple surgical technique controls the location of the needle entry and exit to decrease the risk of bleeding and increase the chance of ciliary sulcus placement. An inferior groove was made to bury the suture knot and was sutured closed to prevent the knot erosion through the conjunctiva.

Blood culture and conventional media for vitreous culture in infectious endophthalmitis.

OBJECTIVE: To study culture of vitreous fluid specimens in patients with infectious endophthalmitis, using blood culture bottles compared with conventional culture media. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Patients with infectious endophthalmitis, occurred within 6 weeks after ocular trauma or intraocular surgery, were prospectively studied. Vitreous fluid specimens were cultured in both blood culture bottles and conventional culture media. The measured outcome is the yield of positive culture and time to positive culture. RESULTS: The vitreous fluid culture was positive in 14 of 27 eyes (51.85%). Blood culture bottle was positive in 14 of 14 eyes (100%), whereas conventional culture media was positive in 7 of 14 eyes (50%). Most specimens in both techniques showed positive culture within 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Vitreous fluid culture with blood culture bottles is superior to conventional media with statistically significant difference. There was no significant difference in time to positive culture.

Randomized double-blind study of phenylephrine 2.5% vs 10% on pupillary dilation.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of phenylephrine 2.5% versus 10% on pupillary dilation, and also compare their side-effects. METHOD: Patients at the Eye Clinic Srinagarind Hospital were randomized into two groups. Patients in group 1 received 1% tropicamide and 10% phenylephrine, whereas those in group 2 received 1% tropicamide and 2.5% phenylephrine. Pupil diameter, blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and after eyedrop instillation. RESULTS: Five hundred and sixty four patients were randomized into 293 patients (group 1) and 271 patients (group 2), using simple random sampling method. Mean pupil diameters before instillation in group 1 were 4.43 +/- 1.13 mm in the right eye and 4.31 +/- 0.95 mm in the left eye, whereas those in group 2 were 4.45 +/- 1.0 mm in the right eye and 4.32 +/- 0.92 mm in the left eye. After the instillation, the mean pupil diameters in group 1 were 7.58 +/- 0.96 mm in the right eye and 7.60 +/- 1.03 mm in the left eye, whereas those in group 2 were 7.17 +/- 1.04 mm in the right eye and 7.07 +/- 1.06 mm in the left eye. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure after instillation between the two groups. However, the mean heart rate after instillation in group 1 was greater than the value in group 2 with statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: Pupillary dilation with 1% tropicamide and 10% phenylephrine is more effective than 1% tropicamide and 2.5% phenylephrine with statistically significant difference. After single dose instillation, there was no significant difference in the mean blood pressure between the two groups.