Sympathetic Ophthalmia after Vitreoretinal Surgeries: Incidence, Clinical Presentations and Outcomes of a Rare Disease.

Aim: To evaluate clinical presentation, course and outcomes in patients without a history of penetrating ocular trauma who developed Sympathetic Ophthalmia (SO) following vitreoretinal surgeries Methods: Retrospective review of clinical records of all patients diagnosed and treated as S.O was done . All cases without a previous history of trauma were included and were analyzed with respect to clinical presentations, anatomic and visual outcomes. Results: 175 cases of sympathetic ophthalmia were diagnosed and treated till June 2017. 16 of these cases had undergone a pars plana vitrecomy (PPV) in the past and had no history of prior ocular trauma. SO after vitreoetinal surgeries accounted for 9.14 percent of all cases of SO .In the same duration, till 2017,a total 41365 PPV were done. Thus 0.038 percent of PPV cases developed a SO . 10 patients were males and 6 were females. The median age at presentation was 45.7 years. The time interval from surgery to diagnosis of sympathetic ophthalmia ranged from 22 days to 4 years after undergoing a surgery. The mean visual acuity in the sympathizing eye was 1.26 logMAR (snellens equivalent of 20/320) which improved to 0.62 logMAR(snellens equivalent of 20/80) after treatment. The most common anterior segment finding was non granulomatous anterior uveitis, seen in 8 cases (50%) while neurosensory detachments were the most common posterior segment presentation (10 cases, 62.5%).12 patients had undergone more than 1 surgery (mean number of surgeries was 1.88). 10 patients had undergone a sutureless PPV (6 cases of 23 gauge and 4 cases of 25 gauge vitrectomy) while 4 patients had undergone a 20 gauge vitrectomy where all sclerotomies were sutured after surgery All patients were treated with systemic steroids and immunosuppresants and 15 out of 16 patients showed significant improvement in the final visual acuity in the sympathizing eye Conclusions: Sympathetic ophthalmia after vitreoretinal surgeries is a rare but potentially sight threatening disease occurring in 0.038 percent of all cases of Pars Plana Vitrectomy. Presence of inflammation in the fellow eye after a vitreoretinal surgery in the other eye should alert the surgeon to possibility of sympathetic ophthalmia.

One-year outcomes of ziv-aflibercept for macular edema in central retinal vein occlusion.

PURPOSE: To report the 12-month efficacy and safety outcomes of intravitreal ziv-aflibercept in macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). METHODS: Interventional case series documenting 12-month outcomes of intravitreal ziv-aflibercept (1.25 mg in 0.05 mL) in 6 patients with treatment-naive macular edema secondary to CRVO. All patients had comprehensive ophthalmic examination, spectral domain optical coherence tomography at baseline and all follow-up visits, and fluorescein. Retreatment decisions were based on recurrence or persistence of intraretinal or subretinal fluid, deterioration in visual acuity (VA), increase in central subfield thickness (CST) by ≥ 50 µm from the previous visit, or lowest recorded CST. RESULTS: Participants had (2 males, 4 females) an average age of 53.5 years. From baseline to 12 months, the mean logMAR VA improved from 0.86 (Snellen ≈ 20/145) to 0.33 (Snellen ≈ 20/40), central macular thickness decreased from 519 µm to 255 µm, and total macular volume decreased from 14.7 mm3 to 7.1 mm3. No eyes had uveitis, cataract progression, intraocular pressure (IOP) elevations, or systemic adverse events. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: Ziv-aflibercept achieves favorable intermediate-term functional and structural outcomes in macular edema secondary to CRVO. No safety concerns were raised. Low-cost ziv-aflibercept may thus be useful for CRVO in resource-poor countries. Further prospective studies in larger cohorts are needed further establish the efficacy and safety of this agent.

Long-term safety and efficacy of ziv-aflibercept in retinal diseases.

AIMS: To investigate the long-term safety of intravitreal ziv-aflibercept in eyes receiving six or more intravitreal injections of ziv-aflibercept, an off-label substitute to the approved aflibercept. METHODS: Consecutive patients with retinal disease receiving six or more of intravitreal 0.05 mL ziv-aflibercept (1.25 mg) injections were followed monthly in three centres. Outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMar)) and central macular thickness (CMT) on spectral domain optical coherence tomography and monitoring for ocular inflammation, progression of lens opacities and intraocular pressure rise. Paired comparison was done using Wilcoxon signed-rank test calculator. RESULTS: Sixty-five eyes of 60 consecutive patients received a mean of 8.4 (6-17) intravitreal injections with a baseline mean logMAR BCVA of 0.98±0.56 and CMT 432.7±163.0 µm and followed for a mean of 9.2 months (range 6-18 months). After the sixth injection, mean BCVA improved to 0.57±0.36 (p=0.001) and CMT decreased to 274.8±117.8 µm (p=0.0001). At the 9-month follow-up, mean BCVA improved to 0.62±0.37 (p=0.0004) and mean CMT decreased to 292.0±160.9 µm (p<0.01) in 19 eyes. At 1 year, mean BCVA was 0.73±0.52 and CMT 311.6±232.5 µm in seven eyes. Intraocular pressures did not increase after injections. One subject developed transient mild iritis at the fourth injection but not on subsequent injections. No lens opacity progression or endophthalmitis was noted. Systemic adverse effects were not registered. CONCLUSIONS: Repeated intravitreal injections of ziv-aflibercept appear tolerable, safe and efficacious in the therapy of retinal disease.

SHORT-TERM SAFETY OF 2 MG INTRAVITREAL ZIV-AFLIBERCEPT.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety of single intravitreal 2 mg ziv-aflibercept (0.08 mL) injections for the treatment of choroidal neovascular membranes (CNVM). METHODS: Eyes with choroidal neovascular membranes because of several conditions each received single intravitreal injections of 2 mg ziv-aflibercept (0.08 mL). Comprehensive ophthalmic examinations and detailed systemic evaluations were performed at baseline and Days 1, 7, and 30 after injections. Standard electroretinography was performed at baseline and Day 30. Primary outcome measures consisted of safety assessments (signs of clinical toxicity and electroretinographic abnormalities). Secondary outcome measures included changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central subfield thickness (CST) of the macula. RESULTS: Twenty-one eyes of 20 patients (12 males) received injections. Etiologies responsible for the choroidal neovascular membranes included age-related macular degeneration (14), polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) (3), myopia (2), and idiopathic juxtafoveal telangiectasia (2). None of the patients complained of worsening vision or pain after the intravitreal injections and no intraocular inflammation was seen. No significant changes in the electroretinographic b/a ratio from baseline to 1 month were measured (scotopic: P = 0.89; photopic: P = 0.13) and mean intraocular pressures were unchanged (14.2 ± 3.6 vs. 13.7 ± 3.0 mmHg; P = 0.62). Mean best-corrected visual acuity did not change significantly from baseline to 1 month (0.66 ± 0.37 logMAR [Snellen equivalent: 20/100] vs. 0.61 ± 0.35 logMAR [Snellen equivalent: 20/80]; P = 0.72) but significant improvements in central subfield thickness were seen (343 ± 177 vs. 210 ± 133 µm; P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Single intravitreal injections of 2 mg ziv-aflibercept (0.08 mL) appear to be safe through 1 month.

Intravitreal ziv-aflibercept for the treatment of choroidal neovascularisation associated with conditions other than age-related macular degeneration.

AIM: To report the short-term outcomes of eyes with choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) associated with causes other than age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after treatment with intravitreal ziv-aflibercept (IVZ) injections. METHODS: This retrospective study included eyes with non-AMD-related CNV that were treated with IVZ (1.25 mg/0.05 mL) on a pro re nata basis. The primary outcome measure is the mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and secondary outcome measures include the mean change in central macular thickness (CMT) and adverse events. RESULTS: 23 eyes of 19 patients with CNV due to high myopia (9), macular telangiectasia (4), central serous chorioretinopathy (3), choroidal osteoma (2), choroiditis (2), Best's disease (2) and idiopathic (1) were treated. The mean follow-up period was 4±1.9 months. The median number of IVZ injections was 1 (range, 1-3) and the median treatment-free interval at the time of the final visit was 3 months (range, 1-8). The mean BCVA improved from 0.67 LogMAR to 0.58 LogMAR (p=0.0507). Nine of 23 (39%) eyes had BCVA gains of at least 0.1 LogMAR, 11 (48%) eyes had stable BCVA (within 0.1 LogMAR of baseline) and 3 (13%) eyes had a BCVA decline of at least 0.1 LogMAR at the final visit. The mean CMT improved significantly from baseline until the final visit (22 vs 174.5 µm; p=0.037). No ocular or systemic adverse events were noted. CONCLUSIONS: IVZ improves CMT in patients with CNV associated with causes other than AMD, but improvements in BCVA are modest.

Three-month outcome of intravitreal ziv-aflibercept in eyes with diabetic macular oedema.

PURPOSE: We report the 3-month efficacy of monthly intravitreal ziv-aflibercept in patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME). METHODS: Prospectively, consecutive patients with DME underwent intravitreal injection of 0.05 ml of compounded ziv-aflibercept (1.25 mg) from March 2015 to November 2015. Monitoring of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular inflammation, cataract progression and retinal structure by spectral domain optical coherence tomography was carried out at baseline, 1 week, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months after 3 monthly injections. RESULTS: A total of 17 eyes (11 right eyes and 6 left eyes) were treated. The participants were divided into 10 Caucasians and 6 Indians, 11 men and 5 women, and had a mean age of 61.5 years. Five eyes were treatment-naïve cases and 12 eyes were treatment non- naïve with last treatment received at least more than 4-month interval. Mean BCVA in log MAR (equivalent Snellen visual acuity) improved from baseline 0.70 (20/100) to 0.49 (20/60) at 1 month, 0.43 (20/50) at 2 months and 0.42 (20/50) at 3 months (p ≤ 0.003). Central macular thickness decreased from mean baseline 517.5 to 388.1 µm at 1 week, 355.4 µm at 1 month, 351.4 µm at 2 months and 322.2 µm at 3 months (p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Off-label use of intravitreal ziv-aflibercept improves visual acuity, without detectable ocular toxicity or systemic side effects in DME. It offers a less expensive alternative to the approved intravitreal aflibercept (Eylea), especially in the low/middle-income countries and in countries where Eylea is not available.

Intravitreal ziv-aflibercept for macular edema following retinal vein occlusion.

AIM: To report the efficacy of intravitreal ziv-aflibercept injections in eyes with macular edema due to retinal vein occlusions (RVOs). METHODS: Consecutive patients with persistent or recurrent macular edema (central macula thickness >250 µm) due to RVO were enrolled in this prospective study. Study eyes received intravitreal injections of ziv-aflibercept (1.25 mg/0.05 mL) at baseline. Patients were reassessed monthly for 4 months and given additional injections pro re nata for worsening best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraretinal edema or subretinal fluid seen on spectral domain optical coherence tomography, or central macular thickness (CMT) measurements >250 µm. The primary endpoint was improvement in mean CMT at 4 months. Secondary endpoints included improvement in mean BCVA, and ocular and systemic safety signals. RESULTS: Nine eyes (five central and four branch RVOs) of nine patients were enrolled. The mean ± standard deviation CMT decreased from 604±199 µm at baseline to 319±115 µm (P=0.001) at 1 month and to 351±205 µm (P=0.026) at 4 months. The mean BCVA did not improve significantly from baseline (1.00 LogMAR) to the 1-month (0.74 LogMAR; P=0.2) and 4-month (0.71 LogMAR; P=0.13) visits. No safety signals were noted. CONCLUSION: In this small prospective study, intravitreal ziv-aflibercept significantly improved mean CMT in eyes with persistent or recurrent macular edema due to RVOs. Prospective, randomized trials comparing ziv-aflibercept with standard pharmacotherapy are needed to better define efficacy and safety.

Rare bilateral presentation of morning glory disc anomaly.

A 4-year-old girl presented with a history of poor vision and oscillation of both eyes since infancy. Ocular examination revealed the best corrected visual acuity of 2/60 in right eye and 3/60 in left eye. Horizontal pendular nystagmus was present in both eyes. Fundus examination revealed morning glory disc anomaly (MGDA) bilaterally. Radiographic imaging of the brain revealed central nervous system anomalies. The guarded visual prognosis was explained and the patient referred for low vision rehabilitation and advised yearly follow-up. MGDA is very rarely bilateral. We aim to highlight the distinguishing features of bilateral MGDA from other excavated optic nerve head anomalies which could also present bilaterally but vary in their associations, management and prognosis.