A case of branch retinal artery occlusion postcataract surgery in an antiphospholipid syndrome patient.

A 46-year-old female with preoperative vision 6/18 N18 (LogMar 0.5) in re and posterior subcapsular cataract underwent an uneventful phacoemulsification surgery under a peribulbar block. On the postoperative day 2, she complained of no visual gain in the operated eye. The reported vision was counting fingers close to the face. Through multimodal imaging (MMI), a diagnosis of branched retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) was made. A detailed consultation and history taking with the patient revealed a concealed history of four miscarriages in the past. A detailed systemic blood workup revealed antiphospholipid antibody (APLA) positive. BRAO postuneventful cataract surgery is a devasting outcome for the surgeon and patient undergoing surgery. The report focuses on the importance of taking detailed past medical history and usage of MMI early to rule out and diagnose unexpected scenarios. We suggest BRAO in our patient was a result of emboli formation, which is a common element in APLA-positive patients.

LONGITUDINAL SWEPT SOURCE OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY OF EXTRAFOVEAL POLYPS AFTER COMBINATION THERAPY.

PURPOSE: To study the efficacy of swept source optical coherence tomography angiography (SSOCTA) to longitudinally follow-up patients with extrafoveal polyps post-laser photocoagulation and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection. METHODS: Observational case series. Four patients diagnosed as polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy with extrafoveal polyps on multimodal imaging were followed up serially on SSOCT, en face and cross-sectional SSOCTA at a month and then 3 monthly for a year. Indocyanine green angiography was repeated at 4 months and 1 year. RESULTS: Anatomical regression of extrafoveal polyps was documented on a combination of en face and cross-sectional SSOCTA, 3 months post-laser photocoagulation and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor. Regression of polyps was maintained at the 12-month follow-up visit in all cases. Changes in branching vascular network morphology post-treatment were well-delineated on en face SSOCTA. Swept source optical coherence tomography angiography findings correlated well with the gold standard indocyanine green angiography. CONCLUSION: Swept source optical coherence tomography angiography is an effective noninvasive imaging modality to diagnose and longitudinally follow-up extrafoveal polyps postintervention. Laser photocoagulation with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor achieved regression of polyps in all cases and this was maintained over 12 months.

Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis following intensive corticosteroid therapy in severe COVID-19 disease.

Purpose: To report endogenous fungal endophthalmitis, postrecovery from severe COVID-19 infection in otherwise immunocompetent individuals, treated with prolonged systemic steroids. Methods: Retrospective chart review of cases with confirmed and presumed fungal endogenous endophthalmitis, following severe COVID-19 disease, treated at two tertiary care referral eye institutes in North India. Results: Seven eyes of five cases of endogenous fungal endophthalmitis were studied. All cases had been hospitalized for severe COVID-19 pneumonia and had received systemic steroid therapy for an average duration of 42 ± 25.1 days (range 18-80 days). All the cases initially complained of floaters with blurred vision after an average of 6 days (range 1-14 days) following discharge from hospital. They had all been misdiagnosed as noninfectious uveitis by their primary ophthalmologists. All eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with intravitreal antifungal therapy. Five of the seven eyes grew fungus as the causative organism (Candida sp. in four eyes, Aspergillus sp. in one eye). Postoperatively, all eyes showed control of the infection with a marked reduction in vitreous exudates and improvement in vision. Conclusion: Floaters and blurred vision developed in patients after they recovered from severe COVID-19 infection. They had received prolonged corticosteroid treatment for COVID-19 as well as for suspected noninfectious uveitis. We diagnosed and treated them for endogenous fungal endophthalmitis. All eyes showed anatomical and functional improvement after PPV with antifungal therapy. It is important for ophthalmologists and physicians to be aware of this as prompt treatment could control the infection and salvage vision.

Tug of war: A bimanual technique for anterior circumferential proliferative vitreoretinopathy in recurrent retinal detachment.

Purpose: To describe a bimanual technique, "tug of war" for managing anterior circumferential proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) in eyes with recurrent retinal detachment (RRD). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed outcomes from eyes with RRD that underwent reattachment surgery using this maneuver and had a minimum of 6 months follow-up. A chandelier light was inserted for endo-illumination and the circumferential anterior PVR was tackled with two 25-gauge forceps stretching circumferential tractional membranes in opposite direction (tug of war) till they snapped. Results: Eleven eyes of 11 patients with a mean age of 38.2 ± 19.7 years underwent surgery. All eyes had advanced PVR of Grade C A Type 4 (Circumferential). The median duration of RD from the time of first surgery was 6 months (interquartile range = 3-8 months). The tug of war maneuver was successful in relieving the anterior retinal traction leading to retinal reattachment in all eyes without the need for relaxing retinotomies or retinectomies. Small iatrogenic retina tears occurred at the time of tug of war maneuver in 3 (27%) eyes at the site of maximum traction. The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved from 1.87 ± 0.2 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) to 1.3 ± 0.4 logMAR at 6-months follow-up (P = 0.04). Conclusion: The 'tug of war' maneuver is useful for relieving circumferential anterior traction and reattaching the retina in eyes with RRD without having to resort to large relaxing retinotomies or retinectomies.