Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) to promote corneal healing in firework-related ocular burn and total limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD).

PURPOSE: To report the case of persistent corneal epithelial defect in total limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) after severe firework-related ocular burn treated with autologous Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP). CASE DESCRIPTION: A young patient, victim of fireworks trauma, presented with a large persistent epithelial defect affecting the central cornea of his left eye and progressing to stromal melting, in the context of grade VI ocular surface burn with 12 h limbal involvement. Impression cytology to the cornea confirmed a complete LSCD. Assessment of corneal sensitivity by Cochet Bonnet esthesiometer revealed complete corneal anesthesia. Based on progressive clinical worsening under conventional therapy, the patient was started on very pure autologous PRP eye drops obtained using the Hy-Tissue PRP® technology. Six times a day eye drops administration for 30 days was scheduled in the affected eye. At the end of treatment, the epithelial defect had disappeared being replaced by advancing conjunctiva. CONCLUSION: Our findings provide information on management of ocular burns from fireworks, a subject of current interest and concern. Autologous PRP eye drops prepared using the Hy-Tissue PRP® system and administered in the presence of total LSCD and complete corneal anesthesia, prevented corneal stromal melting to progress and allowed the ocular surface epithelial coverage to re-establish. This paved the way for later successful restorative and reconstructive intervention. Also, first description of the Hy-tissue PRP procedure for ophthalmological use is reported.

Ten-Year Outcomes of Intravitreal Bevacizumab for Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization: Analysis of Prognostic Factors.

The current standard treatment of myopic choroidal neovascularisation (mCNV) is intravitreal injection of VEGF antagonists. This study was proposed to assess efficacy and safety of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) for the treatment of mCNV across a 10-year follow-up. Thirty eyes of thirty patients with treatment-naïve mCNV who underwent IVB and were followed up with for a minimum of ten years were recruited for the present retrospective cohort study. All participants were treated with three monthly IVB at baseline and then evaluated and treated under pro re nata (PRN) schedule. Outcome measures were to determine BCVA changes over years and identify the predictive factors of both final visual outcome and need for retreatment. Analysis of the main involved prognostic factors with correlations among variables is reported. Visual acuity remained stable at 10-year follow-up (p = 0.001) with the greatest improvement at 2 years (p < 0.0001) in all CNV locations. Baseline BCVA correlated positively with final BCVA (ß = 0.88, p < 0.0001, R2: 0.75). No predictive factors for the need of additional injections were identified. Retinal and choroidal thickness significantly reduced over time but without correlation with the number of injections. CNV max height and area significantly decreased at 10 years (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.003, respectively), with complete regression of mCNV lesion in 40% of subjects. Intravitreal bevacizumab resulted as long-term effective and safe therapy for mCNV with sustained results at 10 years.

Understanding Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis: Beyond Allergic Mechanisms.

Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) is a chronic, recurrent, inflammatory disease of the cornea and conjunctiva mostly affecting boys in prepubertal age. VKC recurrence is characterized by intense symptoms of itching, redness, and photophobia associated with corneal damage, impairment of visual function, and quality of life. The pathogenesis of VKC has not yet been completely understood, and it is still controversial. In fact, VKC is considered an ocular allergic disease due to the involvement of immunoglobulin E, eosinophils, and mast cells, and of a lymphocyte T-helper type 2 reaction. However, approximately half of VKC patients have negative allergological history and testing, suggesting that other pathogenic mechanisms participate in VKC development and severity. Specifically, evidence suggests that genetic, endocrine, neuronal factors and an imbalance of innate immunity are involved in the pathogenesis of VKC. The purpose of this review is to summarize evidence on the pathogenic role of innate immunity, neuroimmune reaction, and hormonal changes in VKC. Increasing understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms behind VKC may lead to the identification of novel biomarkers for diagnosis and/or potential therapeutic targets in order to improve the management of this challenging condition.

Clinical Features of Ocular Syphilis: a Retrospective Clinical Study in an Italian Referral Centre.

Purpose: To describe the clinical characteristics and visual prognosis of ocular involvement in syphilis.Design: A retrospective cohort study.Methods: We studied the charts of 24 patients who visited our Ophthalmological Centre in Rome, Italy. All patients with serological evidence of syphilitic infection were included.Results: Ocular involvement was the first manifestation of syphilitic disease in 96% and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) seropositivity was found in 29% of the cases. The most frequent ocular manifestation was posterior uveitis. Vitreous involvement was frequent. Patients with papillitis at onset showed better visual outcome with antisyphilitic treatment. Posterior uveitis at onset and HIV seropositivity were negative prognostic factors for visual outcome. HIV-positive patients showed more severe and frequent bilateral course of ocular involvement in syphilis.Conclusions: The ophthalmologist should suspect syphilis in patien ts with uveitis or optic neuropathy associated with high-risk sexual behaviour and/or HIV, or in patients with posterior placoid chorioretinitis, necrotising retinitis, or interstitial keratitis.

Optical coherence tomography evidence of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thinning in eyes with subretinal drusenoid deposits.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate macular ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer (GCL-IPL) and choroidal thickness in early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in eyes with subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD). SUBJECTS/METHODS: Comprehensive ophthalmological examination was performed. Near infrared reflectance and raster images using enhanced depth imaging were acquired with spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Drusen and SDD were diagnosed based on raster scans and near infrared reflectance. GCL-IPL maps were generated with automated segmentation and choroidal thickness maps were obtained by manually delineating the choroid-scleral boundary. RESULTS: Forty-eight eyes from 48 patients (mean age 77.5 ± 5.7, range 68-90 years) with a diagnosis of early AMD and 42 eyes of 42 age-matched control subjects (mean age 76.9 ± 5.7, range 67-88 years) were included. Of these, 28 eyes (58.3%) had drusen alone, 4 eyes (8.3%) had SDD alone, and 16 eyes (33.3%) had drusen associated with SDD. Compared with controls, average choroidal thickness was significantly decreased in AMD eyes (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in choroidal thickness in eyes with SDD with respect to those with drusen alone. GCL-IPL thickness was reduced in an annular pattern at the 3 and 6 mm macular areas in AMD patients with respect to controls (P < 0.05). GCL-IPL thickness at 3 mm was significantly reduced in eyes with SDD with respect to those with drusen alone (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The GCL-IPL is reduced in thickness with an annular pattern in early AMD and is significantly thinner in eyes with SDD.

Retinal microvascular abnormalities in neurofibromatosis type 1.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to provide a classification of the different retinal vascular arrangements in neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), with appropriate qualitative and quantitative information. METHODS: This study was conducted on 334 consecutive patients with NF1 and 106 sex-matched and age-matched healthy control subjects. Each patient underwent a comprehensive ophthalmological examination inclusive of near-infrared reflectance retinography by using the spectral domain Optical coherence tomography (OCT), a complete dermatological examination and 1.5 T MRI scan of the brain to assess the presence of optic nerve gliomas. To evaluate the predictability and the diagnostic accuracy of our identified retinal microvascular arrangements, we calculated the diagnostic indicators for each pattern of pathology, with corresponding 95% CI. In addition, we evaluated the association between the microvascular arrangements and each National Institutes of Health diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Microvascular abnormalities were detected in 105 of 334 NF1 patients (31.4%), the simple vascular tortuosity was recognised in 78 of 105 cases (74.3%) and whether the corkscrew pattern and the moyamoya-like type showed a frequency of 42.8% (45 of 105 cases) and 15.2% (16 of 105 cases), respectively. We found a statistically significant correlation between the presence of retinal microvascular abnormalities and the patient age (p=0.02) and between the simple vascular tortuosity, the patient age and the presence of neurofibromas (p=0.002 and p=0.05, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: We identified microvascular alterations in 31.4% of patients and a statistically significant association with patient age. Moreover, the most frequent type of microvascular alterations, the simple vascular tortuosity, resulted positively associated with age and with the presence of neurofibromas.

Comparison of Short-Term Choroidal Thickness and Retinal Morphological Changes after Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Therapy with Ranibizumab or Aflibercept in Treatment-Naive Eyes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate choroidal thickness (CT) and retinal morphological changes in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) following ranibizumab or aflibercept intravitreal treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective, observational, comparative study where 76 eyes of 76 consecutive patients with treatment-naive nAMD were consecutively enrolled and randomized to ranibizumab 0.5 mg or aflibercept 2 mg injections. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images of the choroid were obtained by enhanced depth imaging modality. CT measurements were made of the subfoveal choroid, and at 500 µm from the center of the fovea in the superior, inferior, temporal, and nasal quadrants. Central subfield retinal thickness, intraretinal fluid, subretinal fluid, and pigment epithelium detachment were evaluated. Patients were followed up for 3 months. RESULTS: Compared with baseline, CT decreased over time in both the ranibizumab and aflibercept group (P = 0.04 and 0.001, respectively). At each location, the decrease in CT was significantly more prominent in aflibercept with respect to ranibizumab-treated eyes (P < 0.05). Among the different choroidal neovascularization subtypes, type 3 lesions showed the greatest CT decrease after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections (P = 0.003). Choroidal thinning was significantly greater in type 3 lesions treated with aflibercept compared with ranibizumab (F = 13.6, P = 0.002). Post-treatment incidence of dry macula was higher in aflibercept- versus ranibizumab-treated eyes (50% vs. 76%, P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: CT reduction is greater in aflibercept-treated eyes, and type 3 lesions show the greatest thickness decrease. The post-treatment frequency of dry macula, evaluated by qualitative parameters, is higher in aflibercept-treated eyes, but is not correlated with CT change.

Intravitreal Injection of Ozurdex(®) Implant in Patients with Persistent Diabetic Macular Edema, with Six-Month Follow-Up.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal dexamethasone injections in diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS: A 700 µg slow-release intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex®) was placed in the vitreal cavity of 17 patients (19 eyes) affected with persistent DME. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was assessed through Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS). Central macular thickness (CMT) was measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. BCVA and CMT examinations were carried out at baseline (T0) and repeated after three days, one month (T1), three months (T3), four months (T4), and six months (T6) post injection. RESULTS: Dexamethasone implant induced an improvement in ETDRS at T1, T3, T4, and T6 post injection. CMT was reduced at T1, T3, and T4, while at T6, CMT values were not statistically different from baseline. No complications were observed during the follow-up. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that dexamethasone implant is effective in reducing DME symptoms within a six-month frame.

Combined intravitreal ranibizumab and verteporfin photodynamic therapy versus ranibizumab alone for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To compare same-day combined therapy of photodynamic therapy with verteporfin (PDT-V) and intravitreal ranibizumab versus monotherapy with ranibizumab for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization. METHODS: IN THIS PROSPECTIVE STUDY, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EYES WAS RANDOMIZED INTO TWO GROUPS: in the first, treatment consisted of a combined therapy of PDT-V and ranibizumab 0.5 mg on the same day; in the second, ranibizumab 0.5 mg in 3 monthly injections. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) on optical coherence tomography (OCT) were recorded before and 6 months after treatment. RESULTS: A total of 47 eyes of 47 subjects were enrolled in the study. In the combined-therapy group (group 1), the mean baseline BCVA ± standard deviation (SD) was 32.65 ± 11.09 letters (Snellen equivalent, 20/59); in the ranibizumab-alone group (group 2), 29.13 ± 9.03 letters (20/70). At 6 months' follow-up, in group 1 the mean baseline BCVA was 39.06 ± 10.12 letters (20/42); in group 2, 33.87 ± 12.06 letters (20/57). Improvement was significant in both group 1 (P = 0.03) and group 2 (P = 0.002). In group 1, the mean CMT at baseline ± SD was 315 ± 95.49 µm; in group 2, 306.33 ± 71.61 µm. At 6 months' follow-up, in group 1 it was 202 ± 52.02 µm; in group 2, 226 ± 65.58 µm. Reduction was significant in both group 1 (P = 0.0007) and group 2 (P = 0.00001). After 6-months, the rate of retreated eyes was 29.4% in group 1 and 43.3% in group 2. The need for retreatment did not depend on the treatment protocol (P = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: From a functional and anatomic point of view, the two treatments showed equivalent efficacy, with fewer retreatments in group 1. No serious adverse events, such as retinal detachment, endophthalmitis, or ocular hypertension occurred in either group.

Choroidal neovascularization in pathologic myopia: intravitreal ranibizumab versus bevacizumab--a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the short-term efficacy and safety of intravitreal ranibizumab versus bevacizumab in treating myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV). DESIGN: Prospective, comparative, randomized, interventional study. METHODS: Thirty-two eyes from 32 patients with myopic CNV were consecutively enrolled and randomly treated, in a 1:1 ratio, with intravitreal ranibizumab (0.5 mg) or bevacizumab (1.25 mg) as needed, after the first injection. ETDRS best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), foveal center thickness (FCT) on optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fluorescein angiographic findings were examined before and after treatment. Patients were followed up for 6 months. RESULTS: No statistically significant difference in the BCVA improvement, as well as in the FCT reduction, was found between groups during follow-up (P value at 1, 3, 6 months > .05). Complete resolution of fluorescein leakage was observed in all 16 bevacizumab-treated eyes and in 15 out of 16 (93.7%) ranibizumab-treated eyes. No ocular or systemic adverse effects from treatment were encountered. CONCLUSION: This randomized clinical study cannot determine a statistically significant difference in anti-VEGF treatment effect between ranibizumab and bevacizumab for the treatment of CNV secondary to pathologic myopia. A larger study is required to determine the relative efficacy and duration of action of these drugs.