Recovery of Vision in Open Globe Injury Patients with Initial No Light Perception Vision.

PURPOSE: To identify clinical characteristics of injured eyes associated with visual recovery in patients with open globe injuries (OGIs) and presenting with no light perception (NLP) vision. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SUBJECTS: All patients presenting to Massachusetts Eye and Ear with OGI and NLP vision from January 1999 to March 2022. METHODS: Manual data extraction to collect patient demographic characteristics, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative characteristics of OGI injury, laceration versus rupture, history of intraocular surgery, time from injury to repair, timing of vitrectomy, lensectomy, choroidal drainage, and silicone oil placement, visual acuity (VA) at last follow-up, and subsequent B-scan ultrasound findings of retinal detachment, choroidal hemorrhage, vitreous hemorrhage, and disorganized intraocular contents. Patients with >1 week of follow-up and a documented VA at most recent follow-up were included. Exclusion criteria included age <10 years. Multivariable regression was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity recovery defined as light perception or better in patients with OGI and initial NLP vision. RESULTS: One hundred forty-seven eyes with NLP vision after OGI were included. Twenty-five (17%) eyes regained vision at last follow-up. The majority of patients recovered light perception vision (n = 15, 60%) followed by 20/500 or better (n = 5, 20%), hand motions (n = 3, 12%), and counting fingers (n = 2, 8%). Most injuries were zone III (n = 102, 69%) and presented with rupture (n = 127, 86%). The mean time from OGI to surgical repair was 0.85 ± 1.7 days. B-scan was obtained in 104 (71%) cases. Pars plana vitrectomy was performed in 9 eyes (6%) with NLP at time of vitrectomy. Disorganized intraocular contents on B-scan (odd ratio, 0.170; 95% confidence interval, 0.042-0.681; P = 0.012) was the only clinical variable significantly associated with visual recovery, corresponding to a lack of visual improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Recovery of vision in OGI with NLP vision at presentation cannot be predicted based on presenting clinical features. B-scan findings of disorganized intraocular contents after initial OGI repair was the only factor negatively associated with vision recovery in this patient population. Therefore, all eyes presenting with an OGI and NLP vision should undergo primary repair in hopes of subsequent visual recovery. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Ultrawide-field fluorescein angiography features in patients with anterior uveitis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of ultrawide-field fluorescein angiography (UWFFA) in patients with anterior uveitis by investigating the detection of retinal vascular leakage (RVL) and the subsequent implications on disease diagnosis and management. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients, who were referred to the National Eye Institute (NEI) for evaluation of anterior uveitis and underwent UWFFA imaging at the initial visit, were included in this study. The electronic medical records of eligible patients were reviewed. The UWFFA images were assessed for severity of retinal vascular leakage, presence of macular leakage, and optic disc leakage by a two-grader system, and intergrader agreement was calculated using the κ-value. Patients with altered diagnoses and management attributable to UWFFA results were noted. RESULTS: A total of 93 eyes of 63 patients were included in the study. Of 93 eyes, 31 (33.3%) eyes had RVL on UWFFA, with 26 (28.0%) eyes and 5 (5.4%) eyes showing mild and moderate-severe RVL, respectively. Twenty-five (26.9%) eyes showed macular leakage, and 7 (7.5%) eyes showed optic disc leakage. The κ-values ranged from 0.85 - 0.87 indicating excellent intergrader agreement. Of the 31 eyes with RVL, the diagnosis was changed to anterior/intermediate uveitis for 9 (29.0%) eyes and to panuveitis for 4 (12.9%) eyes. Systemic treatment was escalated in 5 patients. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that UWFFA imaging is useful in detecting subclinical posterior involvement in patients with anterior uveitis. Moreover, UWFFA results in altered diagnosis and treatment approaches in a portion of patients.

Bilateral Exudative Retinal Detachments and Panuveitis in a Patient with Multiple Myeloma.

PURPOSE: To report a case of bilateral exudative retinal detachments and panuveitis in a patient with multiple myeloma (MM). CASE REPORT: A 54-year-old patient with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy was referred with blurred vision and scotomas in both eyes (OU). Three months prior to the onset of ocular symptoms, he was diagnosed with systemic MM and was receiving chemotherapy. Clinical examination revealed best-corrected visual acuities of 20/80 OU, rare anterior chamber cell, 2+ vitreous cell, diffuse intraretinal hemorrhages, and exudative retinal detachments (RD). Optical coherence tomography of the macula showed central subretinal fluid with cystic intraretinal fluid OU. The findings were consistent with panuveitis and exudative RD in the setting of MM. He reported symptomatic improvement after plasmapheresis and oral prednisone initiation. CONCLUSION: Extensive, bilateral exudative RD and panuveitis are rare but potentially sight-threatening findings in patients with MM.

Small Group Tutorial Curriculum During Third Year Surgical Clerkship and Identification of Surgical Role Models.

Identification of surgical mentors is associated with medical student interest in surgical careers. Small group learning has been a fundamental component of the surgical clerkship at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine for 14 years. The curriculum was standardized on 2018 and has long been hypothesized to facilitate mentoring relationships. In this brief report, we administered a survey that assessed the relationship between students and surgical faculty serving as small group tutors. Analysis was performed by descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis. The survey yielded an 18.8% response rate. Greater than 50% of students identified their tutor as a surgical role model. Greater than 60% of students affirmed that their tutor at least somewhat influenced their interest in surgery. Larger longitudinal studies with higher response rates are needed to assess relationships over time, and if these relationships ultimately correlate with applications made to surgical residency programs.

Unintentional Descemet Cleft Introduces Novel Mechanism of Maintenance of Corneal Clarity.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to report a case of corneal transparency for 7 months after the formation and persistence of a Descemet fluid cleft. METHODS: We report the case of a 64-year-old woman undergoing anterior chamber reformation 2 months after Baerveldt implantation of the right eye. During the procedure, the ophthalmic viscoelastic was inadvertently injected into the posterior stroma, nearly isolating the corneal endothelial cell layer, and creating a Descemet fluid cleft filled with viscoelastic. The patient was managed conservatively and monitored near monthly for corneal decompensation. RESULTS: The cornea remained centrally clear for 207 days after the initial anterior chamber reformation until the collapse of the viscoelastic cleft. When the cleft completely collapsed, the cornea became diffusely edematous, and the patient underwent cataract removal and intraocular lens placement without need for Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty to maintain vision. During these 7 months, the patient's best-corrected visual acuity remained stable at 20/25 +2 or better. Intraocular pressure was also stable, averaging 18.2 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesize that corneal transparency can be maintained in the absence of endothelial cell function provided that aqueous humor cannot reach the cornea and disrupt the arrangement of the interfibrillar space.

Artificial intelligence at the national eye institute.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review highlights the artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning initiatives supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Eye Institute (NEI) and calls attention to activities and goals defined in the NEI Strategic Plan as well as opportunities for future activities and breakthroughs in ophthalmology. RECENT FINDINGS: Ophthalmology is at the forefront of artificial intelligence-based innovations in biomedical research that may lead to improvement in early detection and surveillance of ocular disease, prediction of progression, and improved quality of life. Technological advances have ushered in an era where unprecedented amounts of information can be linked that enable scientific discovery. However, there remains an unmet need to collect, harmonize, and share data in a machine actionable manner. Similarly, there is a need to ensure that efforts promote health and research equity by expanding diversity in the data and workforce. SUMMARY: The NIH/NEI has supported the development artificial intelligence-based innovations to advance biomedical research. The NIH/NEI has defined activities to achieve these goals in the NIH Strategic Plan for Data Science and the NEI Strategic Plan and have spearheaded initiatives to facilitate research in these areas.

Acute syphilitic posterior placoid chorioretinitis as the presenting symptom of syphilis in an immunocompetent patient.

Purpose: To report the case of an immunocompetent 62-year old woman with acute syphilitic posterior placoid chorioretinitis. Observations: The patient presented with sudden, painless vision loss in the left eye (OS) four months after self-resolving decreased vision in the right eye (OD) which was incorrectly attributed to ischemic optic neuropathy. At the time of presentation, visual acuity (VA) was hand motion OS and 20/30 OD. The dilated fundus exam demonstrated a flat, yellow-white macular lesion, deep to the retinal vasculature with a temporal, curvilinear demarcation line OS and was unremarkable OD. Trace vitreous cells and veils OS were observed. Optical coherence tomography demonstrated loss of photoreceptor layers. Rapid plasma reagin and fluorescent treponemal antibody absorption were positive. The patient was treated with intravenous penicillin and prednisolone acetate drops with resolution of vitreous cells and return of VA. Conclusions and Importance: Acute syphilitic posterior placoid chorioretinitis can be the single presenting symptom in syphilis. It is imperative for ophthalmologists to consider this relatively uncommon manifestation of syphilis in the differential in immunocompetent patients presenting with unsuspecting histories and perplexing vision loss.

Telemedicine Curriculum in an Ophthalmology Residency Program.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the adoption of telemedicine in the field of ophthalmology. Despite the increasing utilization of telemedicine, there is a lack of formal training in ophthalmology residency programs to ensure ophthalmologists are prepared to conduct virtual eye exams. Objective This article aims to assess the impact of an ophthalmic telemedicine curriculum on ophthalmology residents' self-reported knowledge acquisition in conducting telemedicine eye exams, perceived ability to diagnose, manage, and triage common eye diseases, and evaluate their attitudes toward the current and future use of teleophthalmology. Methods This single-center study at Massachusetts Eye and Ear used a nonvalidated pre- and postcurriculum survey conducted during the 2020 to 2021 academic year among ophthalmology residents. Participants engaged in an ophthalmic telemedicine curriculum that consisted of interactive didactic lectures and electronic postdidactic assessments. Results Twenty-four residents (100%) completed a precurriculum survey, while 23 of 24 (95.8%) residents completed both the telemedicine curriculum and a postcurriculum survey. On a five-point Likert scale, the median interquartile range (IQR) scores for confidence with setup/logistics, history taking, examination, documentation, and education increased from 2.5 (2.0-4.0) to 4.0 (3.5-4.5) ( p = 0.001), 3.0 (3.0-4.0) to 5.0 (4.0-5.0) ( p < 0.001), 2.0 (1.8-2.0) to 4.0 (3.5-4.0) ( p < 0.001), 2.0 (1.0-2.0) to 4.0 (3.0-4.0) ( p < 0.001), and 2.5 (2.0-3.0) to 4.0 (4.0-4.0) ( p < 0.001), respectively. The median (IQR) scores for comfort with ethics/professionalism, disparities and conducting patient triage, diagnosis, and management increased from 2.0 (2.0-2.3) to 4.0 (3.0-4.0) ( p < 0.001), 2.0 (2.0-2.0) to 3.0 (3.0-4.0) ( p < 0.001) and 3.0 (2.0-3.0) to 4.0 (3.0-4.0) ( p = 0.001), 2.0 (2.0-3.0) to 3.0 (3.0-4.0) ( p < 0.001), and 3.0 (2.0-3.0) to 3.0 (3.0-4.0) ( p = 0.008), respectively. Conclusion The implementation of an ophthalmic telemedicine curriculum increased resident confidence and self-reported knowledge across all logistical and clinical components of virtual ophthalmic care. Formal telehealth curricula can address an unmet educational need of resident trainees in an era of rapid uptake and utilization of telehealth services.

Nationwide Quality of Hospice Care: Findings From the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospice Quality Reporting Program.

CONTEXT: With increasing use of the Medicare hospice benefit, policymakers recognize the need for quality measurement to assure that terminally ill patients receive high-quality care and have the information they need when selecting a hospice. Toward these goals, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been collecting standardized patient-level quality data via the Hospice Item Set (HIS) since July 1, 2014. OBJECTIVE: This article presents a first look at the national hospice HIS quality data. METHODS: We calculated seven quality measures using the HIS data. These measures are endorsed by the National Quality Forum and focus on important care processes hospice providers are required to perform at admission, including discussion of patient preferences regarding life-sustaining treatments, care for spiritual and existential concerns, and symptom management (pain, opioid-induced constipation, and dyspnea). RESULTS: Our sample included 1,218,786 hospice patients discharged from 3922 hospices from October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015. More than 90% of patients received screenings and assessments captured by six of the seven quality measures. The only exception was pain assessment, for which the national mean score was 78.2%. A small number of hospices (156, 4.0%) had perfect scores for all seven quality measures. CONCLUSIONS: Most hospices conduct critical assessments and discuss treatment preferences with patients at admission, although few hospices have perfect scores.