Treatment of visual axis opacification and secondary membranes with Nd:YAG laser after pediatric cataract surgery under intranasal sedation.

Purpose: To describe neodymium-doped yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser treatment of visual axis opacification and secondary membranes in pediatric patients with cataracts under intranasal dexmedetomidine sedation. Methods: Twenty eyes of 17 patients with secondary membrane formation after cataract extraction were enrolled in this study. Intranasal dexmedetomidine sedation (3 ug/kg) was administered, and Nd:YAG laser (Ellex Super Q, Adelaide, Australia) procedures were performed with children in the sitting position with their chin supported on a laser delivery slit lamp. Preoperative and postoperative visual acuities were documented, and medical records were reviewed. Results: The age of the patients ranged from 5 to 83 months (31.82 ± 27.73). Nineteen (95.0%) eyes had congenital cataracts and one (5.0%) had a traumatic cataract. Nd:YAG laser treatment of VAO with ten (50.0%) eyes, pupillary membranes with three (15.0%) eyes, pupillary cortical proliferation with six (30.0%) eyes, and anterior capsule contraction with one (5.0%) eye. Five (25.0%) eyes demonstrated visual acuity improvement, whereas six (30.0%) eyes remained unchanged after laser treatment. The recurrence rate was 30.0% and four eyes underwent a second Nd:YAG membranectomy. No side effects or tolerances due to sedative drugs were observed. Conclusion: Nd:YAG laser membranectomy under intranasal dexmedetomidine sedation was safely performed in children as young as 5 months old in a sitting position. This approach facilitates patient convenience, doctor proficiency, and cost reductions. Patients with recurrence can be treated by repeating the procedure.

A decrease in macular microvascular perfusion after retinal detachment repair with silicone oil.

AIM: To observe whether silicone oil (SO) tamponade could decrease macular perfusion after retinal detachment repair. METHODS: A prospective observational case-control study. Patients diagnosed with primary macular off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment undergoing successful retinal repair surgery with vitrectomy were strictly selected. Optical coherence tomography angiography findings were compared between SO and air tamponade groups. Two postoperative visiting points were set (1 and 3mo). RESULTS: Totally 29 patients (29 eyes) were enrolled. Twenty cases had SO tamponade while 9 cases were with air tamponade. At the first visiting point, superficial parafoveal vessel density (PFSVD) significantly decreased in the SO group (P=0.0403), especially in the superior quadrant or superior-hemi area (P=0.0089, 0.0426, respectively). Parafoveal deep vessel density (PFDVD) had no difference between the two groups. At the second visiting point, all quadrants of PFSVD reduced significantly in the SO group (P=0.0256, 0.0001, 0.0031, <0.0001 in temporal, superior, nasal, and inferior area, respectively), but PFDVD remained no different. In the air group, all areas of PFSVD showed significantly improving from the first visit to the second one (P=0.0324, 0.0001, 0.0371, 0.0026, in temporal, superior, nasal, and inferior area, respectively); however, almost all quadrants of PFDVD showed no changes during this period. In the SO group, both PFSVD and PFDVD showed no obvious changes between the two visiting points. Besides, parafoveal full retinal thickness in the SO group reduced significantly at both visiting points over the air tamponade, while the foveal avascular zone area showed no difference in the two groups. CONCLUSION: After retinal detachment surgery with vitrectomy and SO tamponade, superficial macular perfusion and full retinal thickness could decrease obviously when compared to air tamponade. This reduction process could persist throughout the tamponade period.

A Novel Quantitative Index of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, the Meibomian Gland Tortuosity.

Purpose: To quantitatively measure meibomian gland (MG) tortuosity in meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) patients and normal controls and to observe the efficacy of evaluating MG tortuosity for the diagnosis of MGD. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 32 obstructive MGD patients and 28 normal volunteers. Clinical assessments were performed, including symptom questionnaires, tear meniscus height, tear break-up time (TBUT), corneal fluorescein staining, lid margin abnormality, MG expressibility, and meibography. The meibomian gland tortuosity and meibomian gland density were measured by VIA software. Results: The mean age of the patients in the MGD group was 33.28 ± 9.28 years, and that of the normal controls was 25.25 ± 11.19 years. The average tortuosity of all MGs in the MGD patients was significantly larger than in the normal controls (P< 0.05). We further stratified the MGD patients into symptomatic MGD and asymptomatic groups. The average tortuosity of all MGs and of the central eight MGs was significantly higher in the symptomatic MGD patients than in the asymptomatic MGD patients (P< 0.05). Significant linear correlations were found between MG tortuosity and the lid margin score, meiboscore, meibum expressibility score, and TBUT (P< 0.05). When the diagnosis of obstructive MGD was based on the tortuosity of the central eight MGs of both eyelids, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: MG tortuosity is an effective index to delineate MG morphology and to diagnose MGD, especially for the diagnosis of early-stage MGD. Translation Relevance: Calculating tortuosity quantitatively may play an important role in the diagnosis of MGD.

Study of Feasibility and Safety of Higher-Dose Dexmedetomidine in Special Outpatient Examination of Pediatric Ophthalmology.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and safety of higher-dose dexmedetomidine in ophthalmological outpatient examination of children with cataract. METHODS: 100 cases of children were recruited in the study and randomly equally divided into two groups. One group was given 2 µg/kg intranasal dexmedetomidine anesthesia, while the other group was under 3 µg/kg. The dosage of dexmedetomidine was calculated by the same anesthesiologist according to the weight of patient. After sufficient sedation, the same ophthalmologist performed ocular examinations manually, including intraocular pressure, keratometry, axial length, and corneal thickness and recorded the ocular position score during intraocular pressure measurement and corneal thickness measurement. Other variables were sedation onset time, recovery time, vital signs, and side effects. RESULTS: In intraocular pressure measurement, only one case in the 2 µg/kg group did not complete the examination, while all cases in the 3 µg/kg group completed the examination and the difference of the success rate between the two groups was nonsignificant (P > 0.05). The success rates of the 3 µg/kg group in corneal curvature, axial length, and corneal thickness examination were 96%, 92%, and 86%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the 2 µg/kg group (22%, 18%, and 4%). The average onset time of sedation in the 3 µg/kg group was 15.42 ± 2.09 minutes, which was significantly shorter than that in the 2 µg/kg group (19.52 ± 2.43 minutes, P < 0.001). The average time of completing all examinations in the 3 µg/kg group was 18.36 ± 4.01 minutes, which was significantly shorter than that in the 2 µg/kg group (22.62 ± 4.13 min, P < 0.001). The recovery time of group 3 µg/kg was 90.62 ± 27.80 min, which was significantly longer than that of group 2 µg/kg (49.20 ± 15.50 min). Vital signs such as pulse, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and heart rate kept in normal range throughout the tests, and no obvious side effects were observed. CONCLUSION: 3 µg/kg intranasal dexmedetomidine had a higher sedation success rate and quality than 2 µg/kg did in pediatric ocular examinations, without any obvious side effects.