ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Nd: YAG capsulotomy is the treatment of choice for posterior capsular opacification after cataract surgery. We report a case of corneal perforation following Nd:YAG capsulotomy in a patient with systemic scleroderma. CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old woman presented with acute onset of blurred vision 2 weeks following Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy for posterior subcapsular opacification. On examination, her best-corrected visual acuity was 1/120, and bio-microscopy revealed a central full-thickness corneal laceration. Conservative treatment consisted of topical ocular antibiotics, cycloplegics, hypotensive drops and a soft therapeutic contact lens. Her final visual acuity improved to 6/18 with resolution of the corneal laceration. CONCLUSION: The possibility of corneal perforation after Nd-YAG capsulotomy in patients with systemic scleroderma and connective tissue disease should be borne in mind when treating such patients.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Abstracts submitted to meetings are subject to less rigorous peer review than full-text manuscripts. This study aimed to explore the publication outcome of abstracts presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting. METHODS: Abstracts presented at the 2008 AAO meeting were analyzed. Each presented abstract was sought via PubMed to identify if it had been published as a full-text manuscript. The publication outcome, journal impact factor (IF), and time to publication were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 690 abstracts were reviewed, of which 39.1% were subsequently published. They were published in journals with a median IF of 2.9 (range 0-7.2) and a median publication time of 426 days (range 0-2,133 days). A quarter were published in the journal Ophthalmology, with a shorter time to publication (median 282 vs. 534 days, p=0.003). Oral presentations were more likely to be published than poster presentations (57.8% vs. 35.9%, p<0.001) and in journals with higher IFs (3.2 vs. 2.8, p=0.02). Abstracts describing rare diseases had higher publication rates (49.4% vs. 38.0%, p=0.04) and were published in higher IF journals (3.7 vs. 2.9, p=0.03), within a shorter period of time (358 vs. 428 days, p=0.03). In multivariate analysis, affiliation with an institute located in the United States (p=0.002), abstracts describing rare diseases (p=0.03), and funded studies (p=0.03) were associated with publication in higher IF journals. CONCLUSIONS: Almost 40% of abstracts were published. Factors that correlated with publication in journals with higher IF were a focus on rare diseases, affiliation with a US institute, and funding.
