Comparison of mitomycin C trabeculectomy, glaucoma drainage device implantation, and laser neodymium:YAG cyclophotocoagulation in the management of intractable glaucoma after penetrating keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the surgical outcomes of mitomycin C trabeculectomy glaucoma drainage device (GDD) surgery and laser neodymium:YAG (Nd:YAG) cyclophotocoagulation (CPC) in the management of intractable glaucoma after penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in a retrospective study. DESIGN: Interventional case series. PARTICIPANTS/METHODS: The medical charts of consecutive patients who had pre-existing glaucoma or who developed glaucoma after PKP and underwent a surgical procedure to control the glaucoma at the University Eye Associates of Boston University Medical Center, New England Eye Center, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary between January 1991 and July 1995 were reviewed. Follow-up ranged from 6 months to 4 years after the glaucoma procedure. A total of 38 patients were included consisting of 17 patients who underwent mitomycin C, 10 patients who underwent GDD surgery, and 11 patients who had CPC. INTERVENTION: Mitomycin C trabeculectomy, GDDs, or Nd:YAG CPC to control glaucoma after PKP was performed, MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Graft status, postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), and visual acuity were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: There were no differences among the three groups with respect to the follow-up time after the corneal graft operation (P = 0.15) or after the glaucoma operation (P = 0.98). At the final follow-up, the average decrease in the IOP was 17 mmHg (P < 0.001) after mitomycin C, 15 mmHg (P = 0.003) after GDD surgery, and 14.4 mmHg (P = 0.001) after CPC. There were no differences in the proportion of patients who developed postoperative IOP above 20 mmHg (P = 0.50) and in the proportion who developed hypotony (P = 0.10) among the three groups. Two grafts failed after mitomycin C and one failed after CPC. Among the three procedures, there were no differences in the proportion of patients who experienced either an improvement (P = 0.14) or a decrease (P = 0.22) in the visual acuity by more than one line after the glaucoma procedure. One patient each in the GDD group and the CPC group lost light perception after the procedure. The risk of graft failure was almost three times higher for each additional PKP (odds ratio = 2.80, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: No differences were found among the three glaucoma procedures with respect to controlling IOP and graft failure. There was a trend for patients treated with CPC to have a higher incidence of graft failure, glaucoma failure, hypotony, and visual loss by more than one line, although this was not statistically significant. The number of PKPs was associated with graft failure, independent of the surgical procedure.

Changing practice patterns in general ophthalmology.

1. The orientation of general ophthalmic practice in the United States has undergone a dramatic metamorphosis from frequent use of hospital inpatient services, to primarily an outpatient subspecialty. 2. Improved surgical techniques and instrumentation have resulted in excellent outcomes while limiting impatient resource utilization. 3. Screening for appropriate outpatient candidates, in addition to patient education, has been demonstrated to positively influence outcomes.

Clinical pharmacokinetics of various topical ophthalmic delivery systems.

The eye provides an interesting study in contrasts: it is a delicate structure with a transparent anterior wall as thin as 0.5mm; yet this structure in combination with the ocular adnexa provides a resilient physicochemical barrier. The lids, tears and lacrimal apparatus work in concert to continuously protect the cornea and conjunctiva with a stable tear film, which also serves as the primary refracting surface. This elaborate defence system simultaneously prevents ready intraocular access of pharmaceutical agents. Additionally, the trilaminate structure of the cornea has variable permeability to chemical agents, thereby further limiting the passage of highly hydrophobic and hydrophilic moieties. Presenting topical pharmaceutical agents to the eye via different delivery systems allows clinicians to directly affect the profile of drug bioavailability and, ultimately, bioactivity. While achieving optimum bioavailability is therapeutically important, one must simultaneously limit the occurrence of drug-induced adverse effects, both systemic and local. Utilising the different pharmacokinetic properties of drug delivery systems permits clinicians to maximise their therapeutic plans for addressing specific clinical situations while minimising the potential for adverse drug effects.

Excimer laser keratectomy after radial keratotomy.

Radial keratotomy to treat myopia has been characterized by a lack of predictability. Until recently, patients with undercorrected myopia who were unsatisfied with their visual outcome could only be offered secondary augmentation procedures, which were equally unpredictable. We performed excimer laser keratectomy in six eyes of five patients whose myopia was undercorrected after radial keratotomy. The average residual spherical equivalent refractive error after radial keratotomy was -2.40 diopters, and this was reduced to -0.48 diopters after laser treatment. Final uncorrected visual acuity ranged from 20/80 to 20/20, and visual acuity was corrected to within one line of the preoperative best-corrected value in all patients. Epithelialization of all eyes occurred within four to six days. There were no incidences of corneal neovascularization, including no vascularization of the radial keratotomy incisions. Our findings suggest excimer phototherapeutic keratectomy offers a safe and more controlled method of augmenting undercorrected myopia after radial keratotomy.

Corneal edema and bullous keratopathy.

The normally functioning cornea is in a relatively dehydrated or deturgesced state, which maintains the compact anatomic relations of the stroma and epithelium. The corneal endothelium functions as both a barrier and a pump to maintain corneal deturgescence. Even minimal epithelial edema can cause a significant decrease in visual acuity.

Peripheral iridotomy using Nd:YLF laser.

We used the Nd:YLF Oscillator/Regenerative Amplifier Laser (ISL, San Diego, Calif) at 1053 nm to perform peripheral iridotomies in three eyes. The total amount of energy required was greater than the usual amount needed in Nd:YAG peripheral iridotomies. However, each laser pulse uses a much smaller quantity of laser energy and produces a smaller and more refined optical breakdown. The postoperative courses for these patients were uneventful, without postoperative intraocular-pressure spike or increasing anterior-chamber reactions.

Visual field loss and a relative afferent pupillary defect in a patient with optic nerve head drusen.

Optic nerve head drusen often cause several diopters of disc elevation and are important etiology of pseudopapilledema. Compression of nerve fibers between the lamina cribrosa and prelaminar drusen may cause corresponding visual field defects. Significantly asymmetric visual field loss may be associated with a relative afferent pupillary defect. Central visual field loss from optic nerve drusen is a rare phenomenon that requires an extensive ophthalmic work-up to rule out other pathology.