Intralenticular Sustained-Release Dexamethasone Implant: Is It Still Effective on Macular Edema?

PURPOSE: To report the therapeutic efficacy of an accidentally injected intralenticular sustained-release dexamethasone implant in a patient with macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion and shortly discuss the management strategy of this rare complication. METHODS: Complete ophthalmological examination and optical coherence tomography imaging were performed at each visit. RESULTS: The implant accidentally caused a posterior capsular tear during the procedure and was injected into the crystalline lens because of an involuntary head movement of the patient. Since the anterior segment was normal, and the resultant cataract and implant itself did not obscure the visual axis, the decision was made to observe the patient with intralenticular implant, preserve the therapeutic effect and avoid reinjection. The macular edema resolved within time, while visual acuity did not show significant improvement due to an increase in lens opacification. The patient underwent phacoemulsification surgery at 7 months after the injection with implantation of posterior chamber IOL into the capsular bag. CONCLUSION: Inadvertent injection of sustained-release intravitreal dexamethasone implant into the crystalline lens is an uncommon but possible complication that is mostly caused by surgeon inexperience, improper technique and uncontrolled head movement during the procedure. Once this complication occurs, early phacoemulsification and repositioning of the implant into the vitreous is the frequently preferred management strategy. However, remarkable decrease in macular edema and visual acuity improvement can also be achieved without an immediate surgical intervention.

23-gauge vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade with and without phacoemulsification in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

The aim of this study is to assess clinical outcomes of 23-gauge vitrectomy and silicone oil (SO) tamponade combined with and without phacoemulsification (PE) in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). The study included forty eyes of 40 patients that underwent 23-gauge vitrectomy and SO tamponade combined with and without PE. Twenty eyes of 20 cases, of whom underwent 23-gauge vitrectomy and SO tamponade combined with PE were allocated to the group 1. Likewise, 20 eyes of 20 cases that underwent 23-gauge vitrectomy and SO tamponade alone were allocated to the group 2. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) between two groups was compared. There was no significant difference in BCVA between the two groups during the 6 months (P = 0.3). Recurrent retinal detachments were observed in 2 cases (10%) in both groups. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups as a point of recurrent retinal detachments (P = 1). We have found higher rates of post-vitrectomy cataract progression (45%) in the eyes with RRD who underwent 23-gauge vitrectomy and SO tamponade. Combined vitrectomy and PE is safe and effective for the patients with RRD.

Impact of panretinal photocoagulation on optic nerve head parameters.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the impact of panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) on quantitative optic nerve head (ONH) assessment in patients with diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Eighty eyes of 80 diabetic patients who did not undergo PRP and 45 eyes of 45 subjects with diabetes who underwent PRP were enrolled in the prospective, cross-sectional study. Participants were evaluated by confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (CSLO). The global values of ONH parameters were compared among the groups. RESULTS: The eyes that had been treated with PRP had a significantly greater rim area (1.84 ± 0.45 vs. 1.68 ± 0.30 mm(2)), smaller cup/disc area ratio (0.14 ± 0.12 vs. 0.19 ± 0.12), smaller linear cup/disc ratio (0.34 ± 0.17 vs. 0.42 ± 0.14) and shallower cup depth (0.15 ± 0.09 vs. 0.18 ± 0.07 mm) than controls (p = 0.021, p = 0.019, p = 0.007, p = 0.04, respectively). On the other hand, PRP-treated eyes were found to have a significantly thinner mean peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer compared with the eyes in the control group (0.21 ± 0.08 vs. 0.25 ± 0.09 mm; p = 0.029). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the ONH morphology in eyes treated with PRP may be altered to mask glaucomatous cupping due to PRP itself. Therefore caution must be taken to interpret the CSLO parameters obtained from eyes that have been treated with PRP.

Ocular manifestations of late-onset behçet disease.

PURPOSE: to describe the demographic characteristics and ocular manifestations of patients with late-onset Behçet disease (BD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients for this retrospective study were selected using the data obtained from the medical records of 16 patients with late-onset BD between January 2000 and May 2008. RESULTS: twelve (75%) of the cases were male and 4 (25%) were female. The mean age of patients was 53.8 ± 2.9 years (range, 51-60 years). The mean follow-up period was 4.3 ± 1.1 years (range, 3-8 years). Throughout the follow-up period, panuveitis, posterior uveitis, and anterior uveitis were detected in 11 (68.7%), 4 (25%) and 1 (6.2%) of 16 patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: in our series, the most frequent type of uveitis was panuveitis and male sex seems to be a significant risk factor for developing panuveitis. Late-onset BD showed a marked preponderance of males with a sex ratio of 3:1.

Is there a correlation between diabetes mellitus and central corneal thickness?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association of central corneal thickness (CCT) with diabetes mellitus and compare it with age and sex-matched healthy controls. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 245 eyes of 245 subjects (one eye per subject). One hundred diabetic patients constituted the study group and 145 were healthy controls. The study group was subdivided into 3 subgroups: subgroup 1 (no diabetic retinopathy), subgroup 2 (nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy), and subgroup 3 (proliferative diabetic retinopathy). CCT was determined with ultrasonic pachymeter. None of the patients had glaucoma, retinal laser treatment, and history of ocular surgery. Statistical analyses were performed by analysis of variance and Kruskall-Wallis tests. Correlation analysis was performed to assess the association between disease duration and glycosylated hemoglobin levels among subgroups. RESULTS: Demographic characteristics of study and control groups were similar (P>0.05). The mean CCT was significantly greater in study group (564±30 µm) compared with control group (538±35 µm) (P=0.001). In addition, mean CCT was found to be greater in subgroup 3 (582±23 µm) compared with subgroups 1 (565±32 µm) and 2 (558±31 µm); but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.056). Also, there was no significant correlation in respect to the level of glycosylated hemoglobin and disease duration among the subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: We found that the central cornea of diabetic patients is thicker when compared with nondiabetic patients. Thicker central cornea associated with diabetes mellitus should be taken into consideration while obtaining accurate intraocular pressure measurements in diabetics.

Inflammatory mediators and posterior segment involvement in ocular Behcet disease.

PURPOSE: To assess the serum level of mediators and their relation with posterior ocular involvement in patients with Behcet disease (BD). METHODS: This study was a prospective, institutional clinical trial including 43 patients with ocular BD. Patients were divided into two subgroups: those with active posterior segment involvement (Group A) and those with inactive ocular BD (Group B). Group A included patients with posterior uveitis (vitritis or chorioretinal involvement), while Group B included patients with no active intraocular inflammation within the last 3 months. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and spectrophotometric assay and compared among the groups by independent sample t test and Mann-Whitney U-test. RESULTS: Serum levels of the mediators in Group A (IL-6 [23.1 pg/mL], IL-8 [161.1 pg/mL], TNF-alpha [30.5 pg/mL], VEGF [455.9 pg/mL], MDA [10.7 microm]) were found to be significantly higher than those in Group B (IL-6 [12.2 pg/mL], IL-8 [48.4 pg/mL], TNF-alpha [18.6 pg/mL], VEGF [138.0 pg/mL], MDA [5.1 microm]). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that increased serum levels of inflammatory mediators including IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, VEGF, and MDA were possibly involved in the development of posterior uveitis in BD.

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome in children: report of a case and review of the literature.

This article reviews the therapeutic approaches in children with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome, and reports on a 9-year-old girl with progressive visual loss due to VKH syndrome in spite of treatment. In previous reports, corticosteroids were found to be the most effective agents in the treatment of VKH syndrome, while combination therapies with cyclosporine, methotrexate, or azathioprine were used with favorable results in refractory cases. In the current case, none of the treatments sufficiently stabilized the vision, but triple combination of corticosteroids, cyclosporine, and methotrexate suppressed the relapses of intraocular inflammation. Treatment of children with VKH syndrome is challenging. Various treatment modalities have been reported with various responses, but there is still no definite treatment regimen, and the treatment is usually individualized in pediatric VKH cases.

Choroidal neovascular membrane in radiation retinopathy.

Radiation retinopathy can occur years after the initial radiotherapy of the cancers of head and neck. It generally has a fulminant course, and can cause a variety of severe retinal abnormalities. Choroidal neovascularization has been rarely reported in radiation retinopathy. In this case report, a 21-year-old boy is presented who developed fulminant radiation retinopathy and choroidal neovascular membrane 4 years after receiving radiotherapy for his nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Phacoemulsification cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation in patients with Behçet's disease.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcomes of phacoemulsification cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation in patients with Behçet's disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This prospective study was based on 40 eyes of 34 patients with Behçet's disease who underwent phacoemulsification cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation between May 2000 and February 2003. Their postoperative ocular complications and visual outcomes were observed during a mean follow-up period of 18.35 +/- 6.17 months (range, 6 to 32 months). RESULTS: Postoperative visual acuity increased in 29 eyes (72.5%) and was 20/40 or better in 18 eyes (45%). It decreased in 7 eyes (17.5%), resulting in a visual acuity of 20/400 or worse. The most frequent postoperative complication was posterior capsular opacification, which developed in 15 eyes (37.5%). Other complications were posterior synechiae formation in 7 eyes (17.5%), severe inflammation in 5 eyes (12.5%), cystoid macular edema in 5 eyes (12.5%), epiretinal membrane in 3 eyes (7.5%), and optic atrophy in 2 eyes (5%). CONCLUSION: With appropriate preoperative and postoperative suppression of inflammation, phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation are safe procedures leading to visual improvement in patients with Behçet's disease without preexisting fundus lesions.

Best's vitelliform macular dystrophy with pseudohypopyon: an optical coherence tomography study.

PURPOSE: To report optical coherence tomography (OCT) changes in Best's vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD) with pseudohypopyon. DESIGN: Observational case report. METHODS: Both eyes of a patient with BVMD showing pseudohypopyon were examined with OCT. RESULTS: OCT demonstrated the presence of serous retinal elevation with normal appearing retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) superiorly, and broadening of the outer-retina-choroid-complex signal under retinal elevation, inferiorly. CONCLUSIONS: OCT findings in our study suggest the accumulation of material under neurosensory retina in BVMD with pseudohypopyon.