Development and Preliminary Validation of a Virtual Reality Approach for Measurement of Torsional Strabismus.

BACKGROUND: Double Maddox rod (DMR), the gold-standard method for in-office measurement of cyclodeviation, requires an examiner and specialized equipment. The objective of this study was to develop a virtual reality (VR) technique for measurement of cyclodeviation and validate this against the DMR. METHODS: A VR-DMR was implemented using a smartphone and commercially available VR viewer. The app displayed a line to each eye and accepted touch inputs from the user to rotate the lines into perceived alignment. VR-DMR cyclodeviation measurements were compared with traditional DMR (T-DMR) cyclodeviation measurements in adults with and without strabismus and children without strabismus. RESULTS: Thirty-one subjects were studied (age 5-88 years, 20 with strabismus). VR-DMR had similar test-retest reliability as T-DMR. VR-DMR was highly correlated with T-DMR (r2 = 0.94, linear regression slope 1.12) with a slight positive bias (linear regression y intercept 1°). VR-DMR was preferred by 54% of subjects with 29% having no preference. CONCLUSIONS: A VR method of ocular cyclodeviation measurement using sensory techniques was implemented using commercially available hardware. VR measurements compared favorably with gold-standard DMR measurements, and user feedback was positive. The VR methodology has application for in office and home use by nonexperts for purposes of strabismus monitoring.

Comparison of non-absorbable silk and absorbable polyglactin sutures for external ptosis repair.

Purpose: The authors compare the outcomes and revision rates for external levator aponeurotic advancement for the treatment of involutional ptosis using non-absorbable silk and absorbable polyglactin sutures.Methods: An IRB-approved retrospective chart review identified 121 patients who underwent external levator advancement for involutional ptosis between 2015 and 2016 by the senior author (JBH).  All patients underwent ptosis repair using either 5-0 polyglactin 910 on a S-14 spatulated needle or 6-0 silk on a G-1 reverse cutting needle for the aponeurotic advancement. Ptosis etiologies other than involutional ptosis were excluded. Patients with >0.5 mm of upper lid height asymmetry post-operatively underwent surgical adjustment. Demographics, clinical findings and revision rates were collected and analyzed from follow-up visits.Results: 116 patients (190 eyelids) met inclusion criteria. Fewer ptosis repairs performed using silk sutures necessitated adjustment when compared to those using polyglactin (1/73 [1.4%] vs. 14/117 [12.0%], p = 0.010). Silk direct connection sutures had no better stability than polyglactin direct connection sutures (p = 0.16), but silk hang-back sutures were significantly superior to polyglactin hang-back sutures (p = 0.035).  Thirteen out of fifteen (86.7%) revisions were advancements to raise the eyelid, while two (13.3%) were recessions.Conclusion: Non-absorbable silk suture may be superior to absorbable polyglactin, necessitating fewer surgical revisions. Silk demonstrated superiority to polyglactin when a hang-back suture was employed. Since the need to place direct or hang-back sutures cannot be made pre-operatively, the authors modified their technique to utilize silk sutures for external aponeurotic ptosis repair.

Evaluating New Ophthalmic Digital Devices for Safety and Effectiveness in the Context of Rapid Technological Development.

IMPORTANCE: The US Food and Drug Administration's medical device regulatory pathway was initially conceived with hardware devices in mind. The emerging market for ophthalmic digital devices necessitates an evolution of this paradigm. OBJECTIVES: To facilitate innovation in ophthalmic digital health with attention to safety and effectiveness. EVIDENCE REVIEW: This article presents a summary of the presentations, discussions, and literature review that occurred during a joint Ophthalmic Digital Health workshop of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery, the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Byers Eye Institute at Stanford and the US Food and Drug Administration. FINDINGS: Criterion standards and expert graders are critically important in the evaluation of automated systems and telemedicine platforms. Training at all levels is important for the safe and effective operation of digital health devices. The risks associated with automation are substantially increased in rapidly progressive diseases. Cybersecurity and patient privacy warrant meticulous attention. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: With appropriate attention to safety and effectiveness, digital health technology could improve screening and treatment of ophthalmic diseases and improve access to care.

Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Highlights Chorioretinal Lesions in Ocular Coccidioidomycosis.

A 34-year-old woman presented after recovering from a disseminated Coccidioides immitis infection of the lungs, blood, brain, and placenta. The patient was asymptomatic for visual complaints. Visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. Fundus examination demonstrated bilateral chorioretinal infiltrates worse in the left eye. Fluorescein angiography (FA) was unable to be performed as the patient was breastfeeding, prompting the use of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) imaging to further investigate the infiltrates. OCTA imaging was able to detect all visualized chorioretinal infiltrates and showed an additional non-visualized deep choroidal lesion. OCTA is a valuable tool in detecting chorioretinal lesions when FA is contraindicated. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2019;50:e71-e73.].

The Role of Surgeon Technique in Current Practice Patterns for Combined Ptosis and Dermatochalasis.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study is to identify and describe the role of surgical incision preference, insurance reimbursement, and geographical location on the current ptosis repair practice patterns of American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) members. METHODS: A 9-question survey was designed with surveymonkey.com and a participation link was emailed to all active ASOPRS members' email addresses in February 2015. After a reminder email, the survey was closed and the results were analyzed. There are 3 major questions the survey data is to be used answer: 1) Surgical approach preference: The first question established preferred surgical technique (internal vs. external approach) for ptosis repair. This result was/is used to stratify the remaining responses into 2 groups. 2) Functional versus cosmetic surgical indication: Three clinical scenarios were presented for a functional versus cosmetic patient for ptosis repair and blepharoplasty. 3) Location: The responses were analyzed based on location to determine any geographic bias for surgical preference. For this analysis, the US was separated into 4 regions (West, Midwest, North, and South), as defined by the United States Census Bureau; all international respondents were grouped together. RESULTS: Three hundred and ten responses were included and analyzed; 61% preferred the internal surgical approach, there was no statistical significance to geographic location (p = 0.17). Surgeons who prefer the external surgical approach (76.1%) were more likely than internal (62.5%) to include a bundled (nonreimbursed) blepharoplasty at no additional charge in the setting of functional ptosis repair (p = 0.015). Treatment plans differed significantly in both groups between functional and cosmetic patients with visually significant ptosis (Margin Reflex Distance < 1.5) and moderate dermatochalasis; with both the internal and external group electing combined surgery at a higher rate in cosmetic patients (p < 0.01 for functional vs. cosmetic within each group, and internal vs. external repair). There was no statistical difference in the timeframe for adjusting external ptosis for functional or cosmetic patients (p = 0.79). More surgeons use nonabsorbable closure for cosmetic blepharoplasty patients (68.7%) than for functional (54.1%) surgery patients (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Previous studies have documented the immediate effect of Medicare reimbursement changes on the management of concurrent ptosis and dermatochalasis. This study illustrates current practice patterns for ptosis repair and blepharoplasty. The necessity of creating a separate surgical site for surgeons who prefer the internal approach to ptosis surgery to perform a functional blepharoplasty has a significant influence on surgeon's willingness to perform concurrent blepharoplasty as a nonreimbursed bundled procedure.

Automated Ptosis Measurements From Facial Photographs.

IMPORTANCE: Measurements of the margin reflex distances 1 and 2 are crucial for the surgical planning of ptosis repair and blepharoplasty. Facial photographs annotated with automated measurements of eyelid position could provide objective, accurate, and reproducible documentation of these features. OBJECTIVES: To describe a software algorithm for determining the margin reflex distances 1 and 2 from facial photographs and to evaluate its agreement with manual measurements of the margin reflex distances 1 and 2. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Observational study at a single-surgeon oculoplastic private practice among 55 eyes of 28 adult volunteers. The study dates were July 30, 2014, to September 12, 2014. The dates of our analysis were October 12, 2014, to June 18, 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Agreement between manual and automated measurements of the margin reflex distances 1 and 2. RESULTS: Among 55 eyes of 28 participants, automated margin reflex distance 1 measurements were strongly correlated with manual measurements (r = 0.97; 95% CI, r = 0.95 to r = 0.98; P < .001). The bias of automated margin reflex distance 1 measurements was 0.03 mm (95% CI, -0.06 to 0.12 mm), with 95% confidence limits of -0.66 and 0.71 mm. Automated margin reflex distance 2 measurements were strongly correlated with manual measurements (r = 0.96; 95% CI, r = 0.93 to r = 0.98; P < .001). The bias of automated margin reflex distance 2 measurements was 0.13 mm (95% CI, 0.03-0.22 mm), with 95% confidence limits of -0.54 and 0.80 mm. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Automated ptosis measurements produced by our software algorithm compare favorably with manually performed clinical measurements. An automated, photography-based system could provide an archival and highly reproducible means for obtaining the margin reflex distances 1 and 2 and other facial morphometric data.