Fish allergy causing angioedema and secondary angle-closure glaucoma.

A 56-year-old woman with a history of primary angle-closure glaucoma presented with acute generalised swelling, and facial angioedema following a fish meal. She complained of nausea, vomiting, headache, pain in both eyes and acute loss of vision. Her visual acuity was reduced and intraocular pressures (IOP) were elevated. Gonioscopy revealed complete angle closure in the left eye and complete to partial closure in the right eye. Through existing peripheral iridotomies the anterior capsules were seen pressed up against the iris of both eyes. A diagnosis of angle-closure glaucoma was made, medications were started to reduce the elevated intraocular pressure and systemic antihistamine to counter the allergic reaction. She was hospitalised for further management. A follow-up at 2 years revealed her visual acuities and IOP had remained normal.

Sickle retinopathy in a person with hemoglobin s/new york disease.

A patient who presented with sickle retinopathy and hemoglobin electrophoresis results compatible with sickle cell trait was found, on further investigation, to be a compound heterozygote with hemoglobin S and hemoglobin New York disease. This recently reported form of sickle cell disease was not previously known to cause retinopathy and surprisingly was observed in a non-Asian individual. The ophthalmological findings, the laboratory diagnosis, and possible pathophysiology of this disorder are discussed. Persons diagnosed with sickle cell trait who present with symptoms of sickle cell disease may benefit from specific screening for this variant.

Acanthamoeba infection as a cause of severe keratitis in a soft contact lens wearer in Jamaica.

We report the case of a 29-year-old Jamaican patient who presented with severe pain, redness, and swelling of both eyes. She was a regular soft contact lens wearer who did not maintain standard lens care. She was treated for a possible microbial/viral keratitis using topical ciprofloxacin drops, topical acyclovir ointment, and topical atropine drops. The response was inadequate, and scrapings from her cornea, contact lens cases, and both lenses revealed Acanthamoeba on microscopy, which was shown to be Acanthamoeba polyphaga using polymerase chain reaction. She was treated using chlorhexidine 0.02% hourly, ciprofloxacin every 4 hours, and atropine 1% every 12 hours, along with oral ketoconazole 200 mg twice daily with a dramatic response. However, she subsequently suffered slow corneal epithelial regrowth with severe scarring, vascularization, and cortical lens opacification and was referred for penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery. This is the first case of severe keratitis caused by Acanthamoeba to be reported from Jamaica and demonstrates that this emerging pathogen can be a cause of severe keratitis in the tropics.

The aetiology of diabetic retinopathy - abstract

The pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy is still largely unknown. There are several factors which appear to play a role. These are metabolic, endocrine and haemodynamic, which are interrelated. The basis for all the other factors is high blood glucose (abstract truncated)