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

Clinical profile, demographic distribution, and outcomes of ocular siderosis: Electronic medical record–driven big data analytics from an eye care network in India

Purpose: To describe the demographics, clinical profile, and outcomes of ocular siderosis in patients presenting to a multi?tier ophthalmology hospital network in India. Methods: This cross?sectional and hospital?based study included 3,082,727 new patients who presented between August 2010 and December 2021. Patients with a clinical diagnosis of ocular siderosis in at least one eye were included. Results: Overall, 58 eyes of 57 patients (0.002%) were diagnosed with ocular siderosis. The majority were men (96.49%) and had unilateral (98.25%) affliction. The most common age group at presentation was during the third decade of life with 24 patients (42.11%). A clear history of ocular trauma was documented in 47 patients (81.03%). Major clinical signs included corneal pigment deposition in nearly half of the eyes (27/58 eyes, 46.55%), corneal scar (20/58 eyes, 34.48%), cataract (22/58 eyes, 37.93%) and retinal detachment (11/58 eyes, 18.96%). The intraocular foreign body (IOFB) was anatomically localized in a majority of the eyes (i.e., 45/58 eyes, 77.59%). The most common location of the IOFB was in the posterior segment (22/58 eyes, 37.93%). The eyes that underwent a vitreoretinal surgery with removal of IOFB had a slightly better BCVA (1.0 ± 1.01) when compared to eyes with non?removal of IOFB (1.58 ± 1.00). Conclusion: Ocular siderosis is a rare sight?threatening entity, with half of the affected eyes exhibiting severe visual impairment. Majority of the eyes in ocular siderosis will have a detectable IOFB. Surgical removal of IOFB may lead to a better visual gain when compared to non?removal.

From Scylla to Charybdis: Fixed drug combinations for tuberculosis and increased ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy in India

Purpose: To describe the increase in prevalence of ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy (EON) in patients presenting to a single tertiary referral eye care center in India after introduction of weight-based fixed dose combinations and an increase in duration of ethambutol use from 2016 in the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program. Methods: This was a retrospective, observational, referral hospital-based study of 156 patients with a diagnosis of EON presenting to a single tertiary referral eye care center between January 2016 and December 2019. The main outcome measure was to assess the increase in prevalence of EON cases presenting to our tertiary care institute. Results: During the 4-year study period, 156 new patients were diagnosed with EON. A total of 101 patients (64.7%) were males and 55 (35.3%) were females. The most common age group affected was 41–60 years. The significant complaint at presentation was decreased vision in all the patients. A rising trend in the number of patients diagnosed as EON was seen, with the prevalence increasing from 16 cases in 2016, 13 cases in 2017, and 31 cases in 2018 to 96 cases in 2019. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated an alarming increase in the trend of EON cases presenting to our tertiary care institute.

LV Prasad Eye Institute EyeSmart electronic medical record-based analytics of big data: LEAD-Uveitis Report 1: Demographics and clinical features of uveitis in a multi-tier hospital based network in Southern India

Purpose: To describe the demographics and epidemiology of uveitis presenting to a multi?tier ophthalmology hospital network in Southern India. Methods: Cross?sectional hospital?based study of 19,352 patients with uveitis presenting between March 2012 and August 2018. Results: In total, 1,734,272 new patients were seen across the secondary and tertiary centers of our multi?tier ophthalmology hospital network during the study period. Among them, 25,353 eyes of 19,352 patients were diagnosed with uveitis and were included in the study. Uveitis constituted 1.11% of all cases. The majority of patients were male (60.33%) and had unilateral (68.09%) affliction. The most common age group was 21� years with 12,204 (63.06%) patients. The most common type of uveitis was anterior uveitis, which was seen in 7380 (38.14%) patients, followed by posterior uveitis in 5397 (23.89%) patients. Among the infectious causes, tuberculosis was the most common etiology (2551 patients, 13%) followed by toxoplasmosis (1147 patients, 6%). Conclusion: Uveitis constituted 1.11% of all cases presenting to our clinics. It was more common in the age group of 21� and was predominantly unilateral. Anterior uveitis was the most common subtype seen in 38%.

Flanged intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with scleral pockets - A modification of flanged IOL technique (E-Flanged IOL) for secondary lens implantation

During pandemic, eye banks worldwide faced drastic reduction of corneal retrieval. Since precut tissues are uncommon in India, the onus is on corneal surgeons to maximize the donor corneal usage. The stumbling block making the stromal part unusable in the graft preparation of the Descemet membrane endothelial Keratoplasty is the stromal window creation to place the orientation mark on the stromal side of the folded graft. To overcome this, we simply marked directly on the folded Descemet graft, after partly stripping it from the donor cornea. Then, we unfolded, punched, and created two grafts after completely stripping it, retaining the Descemet part for the endothelial Keratoplasty and the stromal part for lamellar Keratoplasty. Initially, we used a special F marker, and later we marked an L using just a spatula. This simple technique needing no extra donor tissue or instrumentation maximizes the tissue utility with proper patient selection.

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

Evidence‑based review of diabetic macular edema management: Consensus statement on Indian treatment guidelines.

The purpose of the study was to review the current evidence and design a diabetic macular edema (DME) management guideline specific for India. The published DME guidelines from different organizations and publications were weighed against the practice trends in India. This included the recently approved drugs. DME management consisted of control of diabetes and other associated systemic conditions, such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia, and specific therapy to reduce macular edema. Quantification of macular edema is precisely made with the optical coherence tomography and treatment options include retinal laser, intravitreal anti‑vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), and implantable dexamethasone. Specific use of these modalities depends on the presenting vision and extent of macular involvement. Invariable eyes with center‑involving macular edema benefit from intravitreal anti‑VEGF or dexamethasone implant therapy, and eyes with macular edema not involving the macula center benefit from retinal laser. The results are illustrated with adequate case studies and frequently asked questions. This guideline prepared on the current published evidence is meant as a guideline for the treating physicians.

Role of echography in diagnostic dilemma in choroidal masses.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of echography in diagnosis and management of a diverse array of choroidal masses. Materials and Methods: Sixty-two cases of clinically suspected choroidal masses were prospectively analyzed with B-scan (10 Hz), A-scan, and ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM) (50 Hz) after a meticulous history and ocular examination. Ancillary investigations and systemic evaluation were also done. Results: Based on clinical suspicion, acoustic features, response to treatment, and other ancillary tests combined together, the various masses were differentiated. The cases included in the study were as follows: n = 10 malignant melanomas, n = 16 metastasis and infiltrations, n = 9 hemangioma, n = 7 tuberculoma, n = 8 nonspecific inflammatory masses, n = 2 disciform plaques, n = 4 macular cysts or retinoschisis, n = 2 Coat’s disease, n = 1 melanocytoma, and n = 2 osteomas. Ultrasonography (USG) alone could identify n = 51 lesions, while UBM in combination with USG was needed in remaining 11 masses. Conclusion: Standardized echography is an important adjunct in the diagnosis and management of eyes with intraocular masses. A better understanding of the clinicopathological and echographic picture of the diverse lesions can help in detection, differentiation, diagnosis, proposing a therapeutic approach, and also monitoring response to treatment. Echography is essential to evaluate tumors for extrascleral and anterior segment extension.