House-dust mite sublingual-swallow immunotherapy in perennial conjunctivitis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The safety and the efficacy of sublingual-swallow immunotherapy (SLIT) in perennial conjunctivitis caused by house dust mite were evaluated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study including 60 patients for 24 months. METHODS: Patients received either placebo or SLIT with standardized Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D.pt.) and D. farinae (D.f.) 50/50 extract. The evaluation of the efficacy of the SLIT was obtained by using standardized D. pteronyssinus (D.pt.) extracts on the antigen-specific conjunctival provocation test (CPT). Specific CPT, skin sensitivity and serum-specific IgE were performed before starting treatment and 6, 12, 18 and 24 months. RESULTS: Of the 60 patients included, only 45 completed the study (26 in the active group and 19 in the placebo group, P < 0.05). Two out of 30 (6.6%) patients dropped out because of insufficient efficacy in the active group compared to eight out of 30 (26.6%) in the placebo group (P < 0.05). There was a significant increase in the antigen threshold required to obtain a positive CPT from 8.2 IR [95% confidence interval (CI) 5.9-11.4] at baseline to 21.7 IR (95% CI 15.4-30.4) at 2 years (M24) in the active group, compared to 8.1 IR (95% CI 5.4-12.1) at baseline to 8.1 IR (95% CI 5.1-12.4) at M24 in the placebo group (P < 0.04 for overall treatment difference, P < 10-7 for the time-treatment interaction; repeated measures ANOVA). Differences between groups at individual time points were significant from 18 months on. Despite increased antigen concentrations, CPT scores were lower overall in the active than in the placebo group (P < 0.001). No serious adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSION: SLIT effectively increased the antigenic threshold required to obtain a positive CPT to house-dust mite antigen. Tolerance to and innocuity of SLIT were comparable to previous studies. This could justify recommending SLIT for the preventive treatment of perennial conjunctivitis caused by house dust mites.

[Conjunctival provocation test with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in the diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis from house mites]. / Test de provocation conjonctival au Dermatophagoïdes pteronyssinus dans le diagnostic des conjonctivites allergiques aux acariens domestiques.

INTRODUCTION: Perennial conjunctivitis due to house dust mites is the most frequent form of allergic conjunctivitis in urban environments. However, its diagnosis remains difficult for ophthalmologists. In this study, we evaluated a conjunctival provocation test (CPT) using standardized extracts of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt) and compared it to the diagnostic methods commonly performed in allergology: prick tests with dust and house dust mites and specific and IgE assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a CPT on 60 volunteer patients, between the ages of 8 and 64 years, corresponding to 30 patients sensitized to house dust mites with the presence of specific IgE and chronic conjunctivitis, 21 patients not sensitized to house dust mites but presenting features of chronic conjunctivitis, and 9 asymptomatic patients. A house dust mite desensitizing treatment was not an exclusion criterion for a number of allergic patients. CPTs were prepared from Dpt allergenic extracts (Laboratoires Stallergènes, Antony, France) with 5 progressive concentrations by dilution in a nonphenolic physiological solution: 1.2 RI, 3.7 RI, 11 RI, 33 RI, and 100 RI. CPTs were performed in only one eye and asymmetry of the ocular response was evaluated by the cumulative clinical score of Abelson Chambers and Smith. The correlation between the 2 diagnostic tests was established by calculating the Cohen correlation coefficient or kappa. We also evaluated the sensitivity and diagnostic specificity for each test. RESULTS: The statistical correlation between specific IgE and the other allergological tests in for allergic conjunctivitis to house dust mites was 0.93 for the CPT, 0.46 for the prick test to Dpt, and 0.33 for the prick test to dust. The diagnostic sensitivities and specificities for each test were 90% and 100% for the CPT, 60% and 70% for the prick test to dust, 70% and 76% for prick test to Dpt, respectively. Beyond an antigenic cut-off value of 11 RI, we also observed greater hypersensitivity reactions for patients with lacrimal IgE or elevated specific IgE levels. CONCLUSION: The results obtained with the CPT confirm its high antigenic quality. It is a particularly useful, rapid, and perfectly safe clinical test. It is the only test able to establish a relationship between ocular manifestations and specific I(8)E.

Correlation between tear IgE levels and HLA-DR expression by conjunctival cells in allergic and nonallergic chronic conjunctivitis.

BACKGROUND: Chronic conjunctival inflammatory diseases may depend upon various mechanisms. Discriminating allergy from nonspecific inflammation has become of striking importance for diagnosis and treatment. We investigated conjunctival inflammatory response by comparing two objective biological tools, tear IgE and HLA-DR expression by conjunctival epithelium, as indirect indicators of activation of the Th2 and Th1 subsets, respectively. METHODS: Eighty-two patients with chronic conjunctivitis underwent tear IgE measurement by an ELISA technique and quantitation of HLA-DR expression in impression cytology specimens. Forty-two had direct or indirect clinical indications of allergic mechanisms, 26 had chronic conjunctivitis without any sign of allergy, and 14 suffered from isolated nonallergic dry eyes. RESULTS: Patients clinically considered as allergic only showed positive IgE in 47 of 84 eyes (56%), whereas 21% and 25% of eyes with nonspecific conjunctivitis and dry eyes respectively were also positive. IgE levels were significantly higher in the allergic group than in the other two groups. HLA-DR positivity in epithelial cells was found in 28.5%, 48% and 50% of eyes, respectively. HLA-DR expression by epithelial cells was negatively correlated with tear IgE, as most specimens positive to one criterion were negative to the other one (49 eyes DR+, IgE-; 47 eyes DR-, IgE+; only 9 eyes positive to both criteria; chi-square: P = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: As IgE synthesis and HLA-DR induction may represent indirect indicators of the activation of the Th2 and Th1 subsets, association of these two simple tests could be interesting for the routine assessment of the mechanisms of inflammatory ocular surface diseases.

[Fluctuations in uncorrected visual acuity after refractive surgery using intra-stromal corneal rings]. / Fluctuations de l'acuité visuelle sans correction après chirurgie réfractive par segments intra-cornéens.

PURPOSE: Refractive surgery is meant to provide early stable and good uncorrected visual acuity. Our main concern in this study was to take special interest in fluctuation in uncorrected acuity within the first three months after implantation of Schanzlin intracorneal ring segments (ICRS) produced by Keravision. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten eyes in 6 patients underwent implantation of 2 intrastromal corneal segments for myopias ranging from -1.00 to -3.50 Dipoters. Visual acuity was measured with cytoplegy on day one, on day 8, two weeks, 1 month, and 2 months after surgery. The fluctuations of visual acuity were noted between observations. RESULTS: Uncorrected visual acuity varied up to 4 lines without an obvious pattern of progression over time. Fifty percent of the eyes had a variation of 2 lines. The best spectacle corrected visual acuity was preserved in all patients. DISCUSSION: Corneal topography with measurement of keratometry, intraocular pressure, and examination of the anterior chamber must be studied to identify the parameter that could condition these fluctuations of visual acuity. No parameter was found to predict these variations that may result from individual corneal healing factors peculiar to each patient. The fluctuations of uncorrected visual acuity were relatively important during the 3 first postoperative months. In all patients, final uncorrected visual acuity was always at least 10/10.

[Hereditary retinal macrovessel. Report of 2 cases]. / Macro-vaisseau rétinien congénital. A propos de 2 cas.

PURPOSE: We report two cases of hereditary retinal macrovessel an uncommon condition where an anomalous retinal vessel crosses the macula. CASE REPORT: A 45-year-old woman complained of fluctuating visual acuity in the right eye for 10 years. A 24-year-old man was seen at a routine ophthalmic examination. In both patients, dilated fundus examination and fluorescein angiogram confirmed the diagnosis. DISCUSSION: Hereditary retinal macrovessel is a rare condition. The anomalous vessel is remarkably stable and complications only occur exceptionally as described in the literature.

Hot needle thermal keratoplasty to correct naturally occurring hyperopic astigmatism.

OBJECTIVE: To study the safety, effectiveness, predictability and stability of sectoral thermal keratoplasty in the treatment of naturally occurring hyperopic astigmatism. METHODS: Using Fyodorov's technique, sectoral controlled coagulations were applied on both sides of the flattest meridian in 12 eyes from eight patients with naturally occurring hyperopic astigmatism. Preoperative average refractive cylinder was +3.19 +/- 1.13 diopters (D), and the mean spherical component was +0.71 +/- 1.03 D. Mean follow-up time was 13.2 months. RESULTS: Immediately after surgery, we observed a significant overcorrection in the treated meridian in all patients. Then, a gradual decrease of the refractive effect was noticed, since the average refractive astigmatism was +0.25 +/- 1.23 D at 6 months and +1.15 +/- 0.86 at 12 months after surgery. At 1 month after surgery, the mean shift in the cylinder axis was 83.75 degrees +/- 8.82 degrees and 12.08 degrees +/- 12.33 degrees at the 1-year examination. Uncorrected visual acuity was 20/40 or better in all patients 1 year after surgery. We did not observe severe corneal complications, such as irregular astigmatism or delayed epithelial wound healing. CONCLUSION: Hot needle sectoral thermal keratoplasty appears to be safe and partially effective in reducing hyperopic astigmatism, but considerable postoperative regression may occur.

[Post-traumatic fat embolism. Apropos of a case]. / Embolie graisseuse post-traumatique. A propos d'une observation.

We describe the clinical, ophthalmoscopic, angiographic, and perimetric findings of fat embolism occurring in one patient with diaphysare femoral fracture. Fundus examination disclosed a bilateral cotton-wool spot retinopathy. Fluorescein angiography showed a masking effect of the cotton-wool spots. Visual field testing did not show scotoma in damaged areas of the retina.