Research status of ocular changes in beta-thalassemia major / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Beta-thalassemia major(β-TM)is an inherited disease caused by a defect in the synthesis of globin. The disease requires long-term blood transfusion and iron chelator treatment, which can cause various secondary changes in the body and eye tissues. Compared with normal peers, β-TM patients will show changes in the eye such as steeper corneal curvature, shallower anterior chamber, increased lens thickness, shorter axial length, and reduced tear secretion. At the same time, nutritional deficiencies and the use of iron chelator drugs will increase the risk of complicated cataract and retinal degeneration, thus affecting the quality of life of β-TM patients.This article combines relevant domestic and foreign literatures to explore and review the changes in the eye of β-TM patients, with a view to providing valuable insights for clinical practice.

Study of ocular manifestation of snake bite at tertiary care hospital, Valsad

Introduction: All over the world, cases of snake bite via poisonous snakes are common and as India is a tropical country great variety of snakes are present. Almost 60,000 people are bitten by snakes every year in India with a mortality rate of almost 25%. Various ocular manifestations like angle closure glaucoma, optic neuritis, external ophthalmoplegia and vitreous hemorrhage following snake bite may result in blindness. The present study was conducted with an aim to study various ocular manifestations of snake bite among cases came to tertiary care hospital, Valsad. Materials and methods: Total 100 cases were included with history of snake bite with ocular manifestations over a period of 2 years from January 2015 to December 2017 from records at tertiary care hospital, Valsad. Detail history and complete ophthalmologic examination findings of every case were taken for study. Results: Out of 100 cases, 78 were male and 22 were female. Maximum cases (26%) were in age group of 41-50 years while least cases (4%) were in age group of < 10 years. Most common snake was viper (71%) unknown (17%) followed by cobra (12%). Most common ocular manifestation was subconjunctival hemorrhage (70%), followed by acute anterior unveitis (32%). Least common finding was external ophthalmoplegia (12%). Conclusion: Subconjunctival hemorrhage is the most common finding in snake bite case with ocular manifestation. Male are more prone to snake bite and cases are common in age group of 41-50 years.

Eye in pregnancy.

Hormonal, metabolic, hemodynamic, vascular and immunological changes that occur during pregnancy can affect the function of the eye. These changes are commonly transient, but in some cases they may be permanent and have consequences even after childbirth. The ocular effects of pregnancy may be physiological or pathological and can be associated with the development of new ocular pathology or may be modifications of pre-existing conditions. The most common physiological changes are alterations of corneal sensitivity and thickness, decreased tolerance to contact lenses, decreased intraocular pressure, hemeralopia and refractive errors. Possible posterior segment changes include worsening of diabetic retinopathy, central serous chorioretinopathy, increased risk of peripheral vitreochorioretinal dystrophies and retinal detachment. Thus, it should be kept in mind that the presence of any ocular symptoms in a pregnant woman requires ophthalmologic examination and further management. Knowledge of these ocular changes can help to differentiate the physiological changes from ocular manifestation of systemic disease and diseases pertaining to the eye in a pregnant woman. This article explains the effects of ocular changes in pregnancy.

A Case of Stickler`s Syndrome

Stickler`s syndrome is a progressive, connective tissue disease which has an autosomal dominant trait with variable penetrance. Ocular changes include vitreoretinal degenera- tion, retinal pigmentary changes, retinal detachment, chori- oretinal atrophy, cataract and high myopia. Systemically, characteristic facial appearances, musculoskeletal abnormal- ities and hearing loss may be associated. We experienced a sporadic case of Stickler`s syndrome in a neonate and report with a review of the literatures.