Blindness in patients with diabetes who have been screened for eye disease.

PURPOSE: Detection of diabetic retinopathy by screening is a major public health concern. Fundus photography has been shown to be a useful screening tool for the detection of diabetic retinopathy. In this paper the authors assess the incidence of blind and partially sighted registration due to diabetic eye disease in patients screened by a mobile fundus photography unit and identify the factors that contributed to loss of vision in the registered group. METHODS: A retrospective review of blind and partially sighted registrations between 1990 and 1995 was performed in a diabetic population screened by a mobile fundus photography unit in a region with a population of 390,000. The incidence of blind and partially sighted registration in the screened diabetic population was calculated. In the registered group, cause of visual loss, accuracy of photograph reporting, delay in laser treatment, adequacy of laser treatment and non-attendance rates at ophthalmic clinics were assessed. RESULTS: Of the 5390 patients screened by the mobile unit over 6 years, 68 (210 per 10(5) patient-years) were registered blind or partially sighted, but in only 17 patients (53 per 10(5) patient-years) was this as a result of diabetes. The factors contributing to loss of vision were found to be failure of laser treatment, rapidly progressive disease and poor patient attendance. CONCLUSIONS: As the majority of visual impairment in patients with diabetes is not due to diabetic retinopathy, this has important implications for screening programmes and may make the St Vincent Declaration targets difficult to achieve. The rate of new blind and partially sighted registration due to diabetes in the screened population was low at 53 per 10(5) patient-years (95% confidence interval, 29-76).

Low-dose midazolam infusion for oculoplastic surgery under local anesthesia.

PURPOSE: Oculoplastic surgery with infiltration of local anaesthesia at the operative site performed as a day-case procedure is both efficient and cost-effective. Patients considered unsuitable for this because of fear or apprehension may, however, benefit from per-operative conscious sedation. We sought to study the efficacy and safety of this using midazolam, a water-soluble benzodiazepine. METHOD: We have performed a controlled clinical trial comparing the effect of a low-dose intravenous infusion of midazolam (0.2 mg/ml of normal saline at a rate of 1 mg/h) with saline placebo on 48 subjects undergoing oculoplastic surgery with local anaesthesia. Patients were given pre- and post-operative questionnaires assessing, amongst other factors, anxiety levels, pain, degree of reported amnesia and psychomotor recovery. RESULTS: Using the low-dose midazolam infusion no adverse cardiorespiratory reactions occurred. Patients receiving midazolam reported remembering significantly less about their operation than controls (p = 0.04) and showed significantly lower state-anxiety after their operation than before (p < 0.02). This change was not noted in the placebo group. There was no significant difference in the psychomotor performance of patients given midazolam compared with controls 2 h after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: A low-dose continuous infusion of midazolam can be used to safely provide effective anxiolysis and conscious sedation with good psychomotor recovery during oculoplastic procedures in a day-case setting.

Bimedial rectus recession using the anchored hang-back technique.

Hang-back recession of a rectus muscle offers several advantages over conventional techniques: a reduced risk of scleral perforation, easy intraoperative adjustment, and a convenient site for suturing to the sclera. There are also disadvantages: the muscle tends to collapse, thereby increasing the effective recession and making the result less predictable. In addition, the insertion cannot accurately be displaced upward or downward, as may be required to correct A- and V-patterns, or vertical deviations. The authors describe a modified technique, an anchored hang-back recession, and discuss the results in 60 consecutive cases of bimedial rectus recession.

A clinical study of the hydroxyapatite orbital implant.

The hydroxyapatite orbital implant has been used in the anophthalmic patient to give good motility of the artificial eye and a cosmetic result which matches that of the natural eye. It is thought to reduce the unacceptable complication rate that has been associated with other implants, as its buried, vascularized state deters extrusion and migration of the implant. Eighty consecutive patients were followed, 33 of whom had been referred for primary enucleation or evisceration, and 47 for secondary implant surgery. Thirteen of the secondary patients already had implants in situ. There were 44 males and 36 females in the study. The age range was 2.5 to 72 years with a mean of 36 years. The follow-up time was 2 to 30 months with a mean of 15 months. Twenty patients had been pegged at the time of review. A standardised operative and post-operative protocol was followed. The patients were assessed for the results of the motility of the artificial eye for both smooth pursuit and saccades, and for the cosmetic result. The amount of upper lid sulcus deformity was assessed to give an indication of volume replacement by the implant. The nature of any complications was noted as well as any further surgical procedures undertaken. The results show the hydroxyapatite orbital implant to give good cosmetic results with good motility of the artificial eye and to be associated with a low rate of complications. Drilling of the implant is simple to perform and also not associated with any significant complications. The hydroxyapatite orbital implant can be used successfully not only as a primary but also as a secondary or exchange implant with very few contraindications.

Correction of blepharoconjunctivitis-related upper eyelid entropion using the anterior lamellar reposition technique.

Upper eyelid entropion is a complication of chronic blepharoconjunctivitis which may be easily missed unless careful examination of the lid margin of patients with trichiasis is carried out. Many patients undergo years of unsuccessful treatment for trichiasis because the underlying upper eyelid entropion has not been detected. We would like to recommend the already established procedure of anterior lamellar repositioning as a more permanent solution to this distressing condition and present the results of this procedure on 19 consecutive patients (28 lids). Our surgical technique is described and the results in this group of patients reported. The procedure was successful in 24 of 28 eyelids (85%), with success being defined as complete resolution of symptoms for a follow-up period of at least 10 months. Anterior lamellar repositioning is easy and relatively quick to perform and provides good functional and cosmetic results.

The hydroxyapatite orbital implant: a prospective study.

The hydroxyapatite orbital implant was first released for use as an orbital implant in humans in August 1989. It has been shown to be well tolerated, providing good motility of the artificial eye with a low complication rate when used as a primary implant. This prospective study evaluated the hydroxyapatite orbital implant used as both a primary and a secondary implant. Sixty patients were implanted between October 1992 and November 1994, 28 being implanted as a primary procedure at the time of enucleation or evisceration, and 32 as a secondary procedure. Seven patients underwent second-stage drilling and pegging of the implant. The mean follow-up time was 13 months (range 2-26 months). A standardised operative and post-operative protocol was followed. The patients were evaluated post-operatively for the amount of enophthalmos, degree of upper lid sulcus deformity, motility of the prosthesis, location of the implant in the socket, socket status and the presence or absence of discharge, position of the drill hole and coverage of the implant. Complications and their management were documented. Both patient and surgeon made a subjective assessment of cosmesis and the patient's satisfaction with the overall result was noted. The results of this study show the hydroxyapatite orbital implant to provide excellent motility of the artificial eye and good cosmesis with a low rate of complications when used both as a primary and as a secondary implant.

Use of Proplast II as a subperiosteal implant for the correction of anophthalmic enophthalmos.

BACKGROUND: A variety of autogenous and alloplastic materials have been used as subperiosteal implants to correct anophthalmic enophthalmos. Proplast II is a synthetic porous composite of Teflon polymer and alumina. Proplast II offers a number of advantages over other commonly used alloplastic materials such as silicone and polymethyl methacrylate. It is light, porous, resilient, malleable, and easy to shape. It can be readily sterilised after shaping. It has been found to integrate with the surrounding tissues, thereby minimising the risk of subsequent implant migration and extrusion. METHODS: Proplast II was used as a subperiosteal implant in a total of 15 anophthalmic patients during the period June 1990 to March 1994. The indication for this procedure in all patients was poor orbital volume replacement despite the prior insertion of an adequately sized spherical socket implant. RESULTS: The results were excellent with a good correction of preoperative upper eyelid sulcus deformity. There were no operative complications nor any serious postoperative complications. The implants were well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Proplast II can be highly recommended for use as a subperiosteal implant.