Solar retinopathy in India: Clinical presentation and demographic distribution in 253 patients (349 eyes)

Purpose: To describe the demographics, clinical characteristics, and presentation of solar retinopathy in patients who presented to a multi?tier ophthalmology hospital network in India. Methods: This cross?sectional, hospital?based study included 3,082,727 new patients presenting to the hospital between August 2010 and December 2021. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of solar retinopathy in at least one eye were included in the study. All the data was collected using an electronic medical record system. Results: Three hundred and forty?nine eyes of 253 (0.01%) patients were diagnosed with solar retinopathy and included in the study, and 157 patients (62.06%) had a unilateral affliction. Solar retinopathy was noted to be significantly more common in males (73.12%) and adults (98.81%). The most common age group at presentation was during the sixth decade of life with 56 (22.13%) patients. They were more commonly from the rural geography (41.9%). Among the 349 eyes, 275 (78.8%) eyes had mild or no visual impairment (<20/70), which was followed by moderate visual impairment (>20/70–20/200) found in 45 (12.89%) eyes. The most commonly associated ocular comorbidity was cataract in 48 (13.75%) eyes, followed by epiretinal membrane in 38 (10.89%) eyes. The most common retinal damage seen was interdigitation zone (IZ) disruption (38.68%), followed by inner segment–outer segment (IS–OS) disruption (33.52%). Foveal atrophy was seen in 105 (30.09%) eyes. Conclusion: Solar retinopathy is predominantly unilateral and is more common in males. It usually presents during the sixth decade of life and rarely causes significant visual impairment. The most common retinal damage seen was disruption of the outer retinal layers

Application and validation of a novel inflammatory score in the clinical grading of infectious endophthalmitis: The endophthalmitis management study – Report 2

Purpose: This study was conducted to describe and validate a novel inflammatory score (IS) system in the management of infectious endophthalmitis. Methods: This was a prospective comparative non?interventional observational study. The study included the patients with clinical signs and symptoms of acute post?cataract surgery endophthalmitis (surgery within 6 weeks) with visual acuity from 6/18 to light perception. IS was scored by the clinical picture at two?levels of four ocular tissues on a scale of 0 (normal) to 4 (severe). Four masked graders of different levels of experience evaluated slit?lamp photographs. The concordance correlation coefficient was assessed between the slit?lamp clinical grading and photographic grading. We measured the concordance correlation coefficient, Pearson’s correlation (indicating precision), and the bias correction factor (indicating the accuracy). Results: The study included 43 eyes of 43 patients. The concordance correlation coefficient was 0.99 (95% CI 0.995 to 0.998). Both Pearson’s correlation coefficient and the bias correction were 0.99. The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was measured. The intra?rater ICC was 0.833 with good agreement (95% CI, 0.711 to 0.906; P < 0.001). Inter?rater ICC for consistency was 0.92 (95% CI 0.87 to 0.95). Inter?rater ICC for absolute agreement was 0.86 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.93). Conclusion: Currently used IS scoring in the study is a reliable, reproducible, and easy?to?apply scale to measure inflammation severity in endophthalmitis. We propose that it can have applications in decision?making for primary treatment and monitoring progression in acute infectious endophthalmitis

Effectiveness and future implications of COVID-19-related risk stratification for managing retinopathy of prematurity: The Indian twin cities retinopathy of prematurity study report number 10

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness and future implications of COVID?related risk stratification for managing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods: A prospective study was conducted at a tertiary eye care center from the beginning of the lockdown in India from 23 March 2020 till the end of the first phase of lockdown on 29 May 2020. We evaluated 200 prematurely born infants (< 34 weeks of gestational age) using the new safety guideline protocols for low?risk babies developed in conjunction with the Indian ROP Society for care during the COVID?19 pandemic. Low risk included babies born at more than 30 weeks of gestational age, post menstrual age 34 weeks or above at presentation, more than 1000 grams of birth weight, and stable systemically with good weight gain. Results: New guidelines were implemented in 106 (53%) infants who were low risk while 94 (47%) infants with high risk were followed up as per the old guidelines. Out of the 106 infants (212 eyes) managed by the new guidelines, good outcome (group 1) was seen in 102 (96.2%) infants. Twenty?seven of the 102 infants had some form of ROP and 5 of these infants needed treatment. None of the low?risk babies with no detachment at presentation managed by new guidelines required surgery later (group 2). Two (1.9%) infants came with retinal detachment at presentation and underwent successful surgery (group 3) and two infants (1.9%) were lost to follow up. Conclusion: New risk stratification during the COVID?19 pandemic was an efficient and safe strategy in managing low?risk ROP babies.

Multilayered inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique versus standard internal limiting membrane peeling for large macular holes: A comparative study

Purpose: To evaluate the outcome of vitrectomy with multilayered inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique (ML?IILM) versus vitrectomy with standard ILM peeling for large macular holes in terms of visual acuity and anatomical closure. Methods: A hospital?based, prospective, randomized, interventional study was conducted during three calendar years with a total 150 eyes (75 in each group) in two groups—vitrectomy with ILM peeling (Group A) and vitrectomy with ML?IILM flap technique (Group B) after informed consent of study participants who met the inclusion criteria. Results: The mean minimum and maximum diameter of macular hole did not differ statistically in both the groups. Macular hole index had no significant difference between both groups Pre?operative visual acuity was not statistically significantly different between the two groups. During follow?up, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months was significantly better in Group B (0.12 ± 0.07 at 1 month, 0.14 ± 0.10 at 3 months, 0.18 ± 0.11 at 6 months, and 0.19 ± 0.12 at 12 months) compared to Group A (0.20 ± 0.11 at 1 month, 0.22 ± 0.13 at 3 months, 0.30 ± 0.12 at 6 months, and 0.31 ± 0.14 at 12 months) (P = 0.001 for each). Type 1 anatomical closure (flattening of cuff and opposition of edges of hole) was achieved in 78.66% (59/75) cases in Group A and 93.33% (70/75) cases in Group B (P 0.0016). Conclusion: Vitrectomy with multilayered inverted ILM flap technique had significantly higher anatomical closure and better visual outcome than vitrectomy with standard ILM peeling