Epicorneal aspergilloma after penetrating keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: To report an epicorneal aspergilloma in a postkeratoplasty patient with a bandage soft contact lens. METHODS: Case report of a 77-year-old postkeratoplasty patient who presented with an epicorneal mass under a bandage soft contact lens placed for a nonhealing epithelial defect. On removal of the contact lens, a 4 x 4-mm placoid mass fell free from the corneal surface and was sent for culture and histopathology. RESULTS: Gram stain demonstrated septated branching hyphae, and cultures confirmed the diagnosis of Histopathologic sections of the epicorneal mass revealed a full-thickness aspergilloma. CONCLUSION: Contact lens removal and aggressive antimycotic treatment resulted in epithelial healing and resolution of the keratomycosis. The patient remained stable for 6 months followed by a successful repeat penetrating keratoplasty.

Eye injuries in the U.S. Armed Forces.

OBJECTIVE: To develop prevention and treatment modalities for eye injuries, ophthalmologists require epidemiological data on the various types of eye injuries. This study sought to define eye injury patterns in the U.S. armed forces. METHOD: Data on patterns of eye injury in the armed forces were obtained through voluntary reporting by U.S. military ophthalmologists throughout the world. The reporting format was standardized with the U.S. Eye Injury Registry initial and follow-up report forms. The data were analyzed for significant injury patterns. RESULTS: Data on 112 patients were submitted, representing a broad range of the military population. Data on a total of 96 patients with a 6-month follow-up were analyzed in this study. Immediately after injury, 43% of the patients were noted to have poor vision (worse than 20/200). After treatment, only 20% were noted to have poor vision. Patients lost an average of 21.6 days of work after a severe eye injury. CONCLUSION: An eye injury is a traumatic and potentially debilitating event. The loss of visual acuity can be drastic, resulting in an extensive recovery period.

Eye injuries in a terrorist bombing: Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, June 25, 1996.

OBJECTIVE: We report the experience of our institution in the evaluation and care of multiple simultaneous ocular trauma patients after a terrorist bomb attack on a United States military base in Saudi Arabia. DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative small case series. PARTICIPANTS: Three patients who received severe ocular injuries after a terrorist bombing. INTERVENTION: All patients underwent surgical repair of the injuries that were inflicted as a result of the terrorist bombing. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Baseline ocular characteristics, intraoperative findings, surgical procedures, and final (3 years after injury) anatomic and visual outcomes were noted. RESULTS: Glass fragments caused by the blast were the mechanism of all the ocular injuries in these patients. All patients had primary repair of the injuries done in Saudi Arabia and were sent to our institution for tertiary care. Three of the four eyes injured had stable or improved visual acuity and one eye was enucleated. Two patients had no serious injury other than the globe trauma. One patient had extensive eyelid trauma and required serial procedures to allow fitting of a prosthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Blast-injury patients are at risk for open globe injury as a result of glass fragments. The types of injury that can occur from terrorist blasts can be extensive and involve all the tissues of the eye, the ocular adnexa, and the orbit.

Outcome of sulcus fixation of dislocated posterior chamber intraocular lenses using temporary externalization of the haptics.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the visual outcome and complications of repositioning and sulcus fixation of a dislocated posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC IOL) using a technique in which the haptics of the IOL are temporarily externalized for suture placement. DESIGN: Retrospective, noncomparative case series. PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-eight patients with a dislocated PC IOL. INTERVENTION: All patients underwent surgery to fixate the PC IOL using this technique. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients were evaluated for visual acuity, refractive error, and surgical complications associated with the procedure. RESULTS: The average visual acuity before surgery was 20/205 (range, 20/20 to light perception), with a median refractive error of -1.00 diopters (D; range, -7.25-+15.00 D). After surgery, the average visual acuity improved to 20/72 (range, 20/20 to no light perception), with a median refractive error of -0.75 D (range, -5.50-+3.50 D). Patients were observed for a median of 15.5 months (range, 6-57 months). Twenty patients had postoperative cystoid macular edema (26%), 7 patients had an epiretinal membrane (ERM) (9%), and 5 patients had a retinal detachment (6%). Eight patients (10%) experienced iris capture of the sutured IOL, and in three patients (4%) the PC IOL dislocated again after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This technique is an effective method for securing a dislocated PC IOL.

Ocular injuries from paintball pellets.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the ocular effects of blunt trauma due to injury from a paintball pellet. DESIGN: Noncomparative case series. PARTICIPANTS: Thirteen patients who suffered ocular injury from paintballs are described. The patients presented to six different civilian and military emergency departments in tertiary care medical centers. INTERVENTION: Patients were treated for the ocular injury. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patients were evaluated for initial and final visual acuity. The reason for persistent loss of vision was delineated. RESULTS: There were 12 males and 1 female with an average age of 21 years (range, 12-33 years). Eleven of the 13 had no ocular protection at the time of the ocular injury. On initial examination, nine patients had a hyphema, nine had a vitreous hemorrhage, six had a retinal tear or detachment, three had corneal or corneal-scleral ruptures, and one had traumatic optic neuropathy. The final visual acuity was 20/40 or better in two patients, 20/50 to 20/150 in three patients, and 20/200 or worse in eight patients. CONCLUSION: Injuries due to paintball pellets can result in severe ocular damage and significant loss of vision. Eyecare professionals should be aware of the risks of this sport and must strongly advise participants to wear adequate protection when involved in this activity.

The red eye revisited: ophthalmia nodosa due to tarantula hairs.

We present the case of a 17-year-old girl who came to our center with a red irritated eye from exposure to tarantula hairs. An ophthalmology literature search revealed six reported cases. There have been no reports of these cases in the general medical and pediatric literature. Due to the increasing popularity of tarantulas as pets, we present the following case report and discussion to bring attention to this potential complication of tarantula handling.

Treatment of Nocardia asteroides keratitis with polyhexamethylene biguanide.

PURPOSE: Polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) is a polymeric biguanide disinfectant that has been used previously in the treatment of Acanthamoeba keratitis. The authors report the first case of Nocardia asteroides keratitis treated successfully with PHMB. Further studies documenting the efficacy of PHMB against N. asteroides in vitro also are presented. METHODS: A soft contact lens wearer presented with an infectious keratitis. Cultures from the cornea grew N. asteroides. The infection resolved with the treatment with PHMB 0.02%. Serial dilutions of PHMB were performed against N. asteroides in culture. RESULTS: In vitro dilution studies determined that the minimal inhibitory concentration for PHMB against the tested isolate of N. asteroides was 0.01%. This is a concentration that has been shown to be well tolerated by the cornea in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Polyhexamethylene biguanide is effective against both Acanthamoeba and Nocardia and may have a wider range of usefulness than that currently recognized. Further testing, both in vitro and in vivo, is required.

Dissection along the optic nerve axis by a BB.

A 13-year-old Hispanic boy suffered a perforating injury to his right eye from a BB. The clinical examination and computed tomographic scan revealed questionable light perception and a dense foreign body, consistent with a BB, situated behind the globe. A vitrectomy was performed that was unsuccessful. Six months later the eye was enucleated, and the BB was found to be within the optic nerve sheath. Foreign bodies within the optic nerve are uncommon. The foreign body in this case, a BB, entered the optic nerve through the nerve head after traversing the globe. The histopathologic findings in this unusual case are presented herein.

Risk factors for HIV-1 seroprevalence among drug injectors in the cocaine-using environment of Rio de Janeiro.

To determine risk factors for HIV-1 among drug injectors in Rio de Janeiro, where cocaine is the dominant drug of injection, subjects were recruited using the criteria and interview instrument of the World Health Organization's Cross-National Study of HIV infection and risk behaviour in injecting drug users. HIV antibody test results were derived both from serum tests and from self-reports of previous tests (documented evidence of self-reported seropositivity was required). The analytical sample consists of 123 subjects, recruited both at drug abuse treatment sites and at street locations. Of 27 subjects with both serological and self-reported antibody status data, 20 reported previous negative tests; of these three had positive sera and may have seroconverted. Seven subjects reporting prior positive serostatus all tested positive. For the 123 subjects, seroprevalence was 34%. Independent significant risk factors in multivariate logistic regression with backwards elimination are: years of injection greater than 5; being a male who has had sex with men in the previous 5 years; and not having taken deliberate steps to protect oneself against AIDS. These findings indicate that homosexual/bisexual male drug injectors may be a bridge group through which HIV is entering drug-injecting networks in Rio de Janeiro. Efforts by drug injectors to reduce their risk of infection seem to have protective effects. This underscores the importance of HIV prevention efforts aimed at drug injectors.

Syringe-mediated drug-sharing (backloading): a new risk factor for HIV among injecting drug users.

BACKGROUND: In syringe-mediated drug-sharing (backloading), injecting drug users (IDU) use their syringes to mix drugs and to give measured shares to other IDU by squirting drug solution into the syringes of other IDU. Backloading has been discussed as a potential HIV risk factor, but its role as an HIV transmission route has not been established empirically. METHODS: Six hundred and sixty IDU who had injected drugs in the previous 2 years were street-recruited from Bushwick, New York City through chain referral, tested for HIV antibody and interviewed about sexual and drug-risk behaviors. RESULTS: Receiving drugs via backloading in the previous 2 years was reported by 24.5% of the subjects. These subjects had significantly higher HIV seroprevalence than those who did not receive drugs by backloading (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-3.1). Backloading remained positively and significantly associated with HIV seropositivity in stepwise logistic regression, and in a series of simultaneous logistic models controlling for sociodemographic variables and for sexual and drug risk variables. CONCLUSIONS: Backloading can be a route of HIV transmission among IDU and should be incorporated into risk-factor studies and HIV transmission modeling. Many IDU who avoid other high-risk drug-injection practices may overlook the risk of backloading. HIV prevention programs should warn IDU against syringe-mediated drug-sharing and work together to develop ways to avoid it.

International epidemiology of HIV and AIDS among injecting drug users.

PIP: HIV/AIDS and iv drug use (IVDU) are of significant multinational scope and growing. Supporting increased IVDU in many countries are countries' geographical proximity to illicit drug trafficking distribution routes, law enforcement efforts which increase the demand for more efficient drug distribution and consumption, and countries' infrastructural and social modernization. Given the failures of intensified law enforcement efforts to thwart the use and proliferation of illegal drugs, countries with substantial IVDU should look away from preventing use to preventing HIV transmission within drug user populations. With HIV seroprevalence rates rapidly reaching 40-50% in some developing country IVDU groups, a variety of prevention programs is warranted. Such programs should be supported and implemented while prevention remains feasible. This paper examines the variation in HIV seroprevalence among IVD users, rapid HIV spread among users, HIV among IVDUs in Bangkok, emerging issues in HIV transmission among IVDUs, non-AIDS manifestations of HIV infection among IVDUs, prevention programs and effectiveness, and harm reduction.^ieng