Study of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in diabetic patients with and without non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE: To analyze high and low contrast visual acuity and contrast sensitivity in diabetic patients without clinically significant macular edema associated or not with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 368 eyes of 368 patients classified into three groups: a) disease-free patients, b) patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) without diabetic retinopathy, c) DM patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination that included high and low contrast visual acuity with 1.25%, 2.5% and 5% contrast chart and Pelli-Robson type contrast sensitivity test. RESULTS: We observed no statistically significant differences regarding age, intraocular pressure, duration of diabetes or high contrast visual acuity. The eyes of patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy had worse contrast sensitivity (p = 0.03, in both cases) and low contrast visual acuity at 1.5% (p = 0.03 and p = 0.01), 2.5% (p = 0.01, in both cases) and 5% (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04) than patients free of disease or without diabetic retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of contrast sensitivity and low contrast visual acuity could be considered as markers of visual function impairment in the eyes of patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Anti-IL-6 Receptor Tocilizumab in Refractory Graves' Orbitopathy: National Multicenter Observational Study of 48 Patients.

Graves' orbitopathy (GO) is the most common extrathyroidal manifestation of Graves' disease (GD). Our aim was to assess the efficacy and safety of Tocilizumab (TCZ) in GO refractory to conventional therapy. This was an open-label multicenter study of glucocorticoid-resistant GO treated with TCZ. The main outcomes were the best-corrected visual acuity (BVCA), Clinical Activity Score (CAS) and intraocular pressure (IOP). These outcome variables were assessed at baseline, 1st, 3rd, 6th and 12th month after TCZ therapy onset. The severity of GO was assessed according to the European Group on Graves' Orbitopathy (EUGOGO). We studied 48 (38 women and 10 men) patients (95 eyes); mean age ± standard deviation 51 ± 11.8 years. Before TCZ and besides oral glucocorticoids, they had received IV methylprednisolone (n = 43), or selenium (n = 11). GO disease was moderate (n =29) or severe (n = 19) and dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON) (n = 7). TCZ was used in monotherapy (n = 45) or combined (n = 3) at a dose of 8 mg/kg IV every four weeks (n = 43) or 162 mg/s.c. every week (n = 5). TCZ yielded a significant improvement in all of the main outcomes at the 1st month that was maintained at one year. Comparing the baseline with data at 1 year all of the variables improved; BCVA (0.78 ± 0.25 vs. 0.9 ± 0.16; p = 0.0001), CAS (4.64 ± 1.5 vs. 1.05 ± 1.27; p = 0.0001) and intraocular pressure (IOP) (19.05 ± 4.1 vs. 16.73 ± 3.4 mmHg; p = 0.007). After a mean follow-up of 16.1 ± 2.1 months, low disease activity (CAS ≤ 3), was achieved in 88 eyes (92.6%) and TCZ was withdrawn in 29 cases due to low disease activity (n = 25) or inefficacy (n = 4). No serious adverse events were observed. In conclusion, TCZ is a useful and safe therapeutic option in refractory GO treatment.