Bloodborne viral infections: Seroprevalence and relevance of preoperative screening in Indian eye care system - A retrospective study.

PURPOSE: To report the seroprevalence of bloodborne viral infection (BBVI) in patients undergoing ophthalmic surgeries and assess the utility and feasibility of preoperative screening for BBVI in India's current eye care system. METHODS: This retrospective, hospital-based, descriptive study included data from patients undergoing preoperative screening for Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) at a tertiary eye care institute from 2018 to 2022. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) were performed on the blood samples after obtaining informed consent from the patients. Seroreactive patients underwent surgery with additional safety precautions. The demographic data and surgical details of these patients were collected and analyzed. ANOVA was used to carry out statistical analysis between groups. During the study period, the number of healthcare workers (HCWs) sustaining needle stick injury (NSI) and accidental sharp injury (ASI) in the operating theater (OT) and details of these injuries were recorded. RESULTS: Samples from 28,563 patients were included. The seroprevalence of BBVI was 1.87% (536/28563). Hepatitis B virus (322, 60.1%) was the most commonly detected infection, and HIV (59, 11%) was the least detected infection. The mean age of the seroreactive patients was 60.3 ± 30.8 years. The incidence of NSI was 0.49/1000 surgeries. Nurses (11) and technicians (4) in the OT sustained maximum NSI. None of the HCWs had seroconversion after NSI. CONCLUSION: The overall seroprevalence of BBVI in the current study is lower than that reported in previously published studies from eye care organizations. Currently, mandatory preoperative screening for BBVI to prevent transmission of these infections to HCWs working in the eye care sector in India appears to be less cost-effective.

Outcomes of early versus deferred laser after intravitreal ranibizumab in aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to report the treatment outcomes of early and deferred laser in infants of aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity (APROP) after initial treatment with intravitreal Ranibizumab (IVR). Methods: In a prospective, randomized, interventional study, infants with APROP received IVR (0.25 mg) and were randomized into two groups prior to laser. Laser was done at 1 week (group 1) or at 6 weeks or earlier if there was a recurrence of plus disease (group 2). The structural outcome, number of laser spots, duration of laser procedure and refractive error at 6 months were compared. Favorable structural outcome was defined as, complete regression of disease at 6 weeks after laser. Results: 63 eyes of 32 infants with APROP were enrolled. Mean gestational age (GA) and birth weight (BW) were 30.2 ± 2.3 weeks and 1294 ± 372.8 grams respectively. GA, BW, and disease severity were comparable at baseline. 27 (90%) eyes in group 1 and 29 (93.5%) eyes in group 2 had favorable structural outcome (P = 0.61) at 6 weeks after laser. Eyes in group 2 (2149.8 ± 688.7) required lesser number of laser spots than group 1 (2570.8 ± 615) (P = 0.01). At six months, more eyes in group 1 had myopic refractive error (Mean spherical equivalent: -1.0D ± 1.3) than those in group 2 (Mean spherical equivalent: 0.5D ± 1.9) (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Infants with APROP receiving IVR have comparable structural outcomes after an early or deferred laser. Moreover, eyes undergoing deferred laser require less number of laser spots and have a less myopia at 6 months after laser.

Functional evaluation of the macular area in early glaucoma using microperimetry.

Purpose: To evaluate the central visual field by microperimetry (MP), in early glaucoma. Methods: Consecutive perimetrically experienced patients with a single nasal step or arcuate scotoma and 14 control eyes underwent MP. Retinal sensitivity on MP was mapped for frequency and depth of loss in the central 10° around fixation. Results: Twenty-one eyes had a single nasal step and 19 eyes with single arcuate scotoma on standard automated perimetry (SAP), with central 10° being normal on 30-2 and 10-2 perimetry. The average mean sensitivity on MP, in glaucomatous and control eyes was 11.8 ± 3.9 dB and 16.6 ± 1.2 dB, respectively, P = 0.0004. The average mean defect on MP-1, in glaucomatous and control eyes was -6.5 ± 2.0 dB and -3.0 ± 1.2 Db, respectively, P = 0.05. The corresponding retinal hemisphere showed significant defects in MP. In eyes with single nasal steps, an absolute scotoma was seen in 14-28% of eyes 8-10° off fixation, moderate to mild defects were seen in 10-52% eyes, and 10% eyes showed involvement up to 4° from the fixation. Eyes with arcuate scotoma had an absolute scotoma on MP in 95% of eyes, 6-10° from fixation, with extension up to 2° from fixation in 21%. In glaucomatous eyes, the normal hemisphere on SAP showed a mild defect on MP in 43%. Control eyes did not show any defect in SAP or MP. Conclusion: A significant loss of central retinal sensitivity is recorded on MP in early glaucomatous neuropathy as compared to SAP. Paramacular absolute defects were seen at 6-10° from fixation.

Successful treatment of aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity with diode laser in ocular albinism: A case report.

Oculocutaneous albinism is characterized by partial or complete absence of melanin in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and uveal melanocytes. Absence of typical fundal background from RPE and choroid makes it difficult to diagnose retinal disorders in ocular albinism. Lack of melanin in RPE makes the laser photocoagulation very challenging in these cases. This report presents a unique case of preterm infant of oculocutaneous albinism diagnosed as aggressive posterior retinopathy of prematurity (APROP), which was successfully treated with diode laser photocoagulation. The parameters of the laser used in this case were higher than usual, just enough to achieve blanching of retina. This report highlights the fact that the diagnosis of APROP and its treatment with laser is challenging in the presence of oculocutaneous albinism, but it is possible to achieve complete regression using diode laser at higher parameters.

Screening of antiangiogenic potential of twenty two marine invertebrate extracts of phylum Mollusca from South East Coast of India.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the antiangiogenic potential of twenty two marine invertebrate species of Phylum Mollusca from south east coast of India. METHODS: Live specimens of molluscan species were collected and their methanolic extracts were evaluated for preliminary antiangiogenic activity using the in ovo chick chorio-allantoic membrane assay. The extracts were further evaluated for in vivo antiangiogenic activity using chemical cautery induced corneal neovascularization assay in rats and oxygen induced retinopathy assay in rat pups. RESULTS: In the chick chorio-allantoic membrane assay, four methanolic extracts of marine molluscan species viz. Meretrix meretrix, Meretrix casta, Telescopium telescopium and Bursa crumena methanolic extracts exhibited noticeable antiangiogenic activity at the tested concentration of 200 µg whereby they significantly inhibited the VEGF induced proliferation of new blood vessels. Among these four extracts, the methanolic extract of Meretrix casta exhibited relatively higher degree of antiangiogenic activity with an inhibitiory percentage (64.63%) of the VEGF induced neovascularization followed by the methanolic extracts of Telescopium telescopium (62.02%), Bursa crumena (60.48%) and Meretrix meretrix (47.01%). These four methanolic extracts were further evaluated for in vivo antiangiogenic activity whereby the methanolic extract of Telescopium telescopium exhibited most noticeable inhibition (42.58%) of the corneal neovascularization in rats in comparison to the sham treated group, and also exhibited most noticeable inhibition (31.31%) of the oxygen induced retinal neovascularization in rat pups in comparison to the hyperoxia group that was observed for considerable retinal neovascularization. CONCLUSIONS: The significant antiangiogenic activity evinced by the extract of Telescopium telescopium merits further investigation for ocular neovascular diseases.

Role of organic cation transporters in the ocular disposition of its intravenously injected substrate in rabbits: implications for ocular drug therapy.

The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis; OCT may be active from blood-to-vitreous for the uptake of its substrates. Ocular uptake of Tetraethylammonium (TEA) across blood ocular barriers and the tissue distribution was evaluated in vivo in New Zealand albino rabbits after intravenous administration. Quinidine (blocker) pretreatment resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the Area Under the Curve (AUC) of TEA in vitreous (4.2 fold) and aqueous humor (1.8 fold) as compared to the control group which supports the role of OCT in uptake transport of its substrate across Blood ocular barrier. The blockade of OCT also affected the elimination of its substrate resulting in increased plasma levels. In most of the tissues, OCT are functionally present from apical to basolateral. The gene expression studies also showed the presence of OCT1, OCTN1 and OCTN2 in various ocular tissues studied. The present findings suggest that OCT are functionally active in blood ocular barriers and involved in the transport of its substrate from blood-to-vitreous humor.

Impact of early rise of intraocular pressure on visual outcome following diabetic vitrectomy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to study the incidence and risk factors for an early rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and to correlate its impact on visual outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a longitudinal prospective study. IOP and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) for 73 cases of PDR (52 males and 21 females) who underwent PPV were recorded at day 1, week 1, and months 1, 3, and 6. Risk factors for the early IOP rise, defined as IOP ≥ 30 mmHg at day 1, were evaluated using cross-tabulation and the t-test. RESULTS: Mean IOP at day 1 was 21.8 ± 9.8 mmHg with 15 cases (20.5%) having an early rise in IOP. Risk factors for the early IOP rise included intraoperative fibrovascular frond removal (P = 0.003), lens removal (P = 0.043), and intraoperative vitreous bleed (P = 0.008). The early rise in IOP was also associated with consistently raised IOP (P = 0.02), defined as IOP > 21 mmHg during first three consecutive follow-up visits. Further, difference in BCVA at 6 months among the two groups, i.e., with and without an early IOP rise was statistically significant (3.11 ± 1.52 logMAR vs. 2.11 ± 1.49 logMAR; P = 0.025). CONCLUSION: An early rise in IOP is a significant risk factor which compromises the visual outcome of patients undergoing diabetic vitrectomy.

Role of intravitreal bevacizumab in the management of Eales' disease.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of intravitreal bevacizumab in the treatment of Eales' disease. Study design Retrospective, interventional case series. METHODS: Two patients with proliferative Eales' disease were managed with an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (1.25 mg). The presence of persistent retinal neovascularization despite adequate laser photocoagulation caused recurrent episodes of vitreous hemorrhage in the first patient. The second patient had florid retinal and disc neovascularization with a dispersed vitreous bleed, which prevented laser therapy. Both patients were followed up for 6 months. RESULTS: Rapid regression of the retinal neovascularization and clearing of the vitreous hemorrhage were observed in both cases following intravitreal bevacizumab therapy, allowing laser photocoagulation. In both patients, the visual acuity improved, and no signs of recurrence were observed 6 months post-treatment. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal bevacizumab injections may be effective as an adjunctive or alternative treatment of retinal neovascularization in Eales' disease, where inadequate visualization precludes laser photocoagulation. This approach may also be useful in avoiding vitreoretinal surgical intervention in certain cases. Intravitreal bevacizumab was well tolerated by our patients, and no adverse effects were observed.

Evaluation of vitreous levels of gatifloxacin after systemic administration in inflamed and non-inflamed eyes.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the human vitreous penetration of gatifloxacin in inflamed and non-inflamed eyes after oral administration. METHODS: Vitreous penetration of single-dose (400 mg) oral gatifloxacin was evaluated in patients (n = 33) undergoing vitreous tap during the standard procedure for intravitreal antibiotic injection for acute postoperative endophthalmitis at various time-points. Vitreous penetration of 400 mg oral gatifloxacin was evaluated in the non-inflamed eyes of patients (n = 33) undergoing pars plana vitrectomy at similar time-points. The study was extended to evaluate the vitreous penetration of single-dose oral (800 mg) gatifloxacin at a single time-point in inflamed (n = 10) and non-inflamed (n = 11) eyes. RESULTS: After 400 mg oral gatifloxacin, inflamed eyes showed mean vitreous concentrations of 0.58+/-0.19 microg/ml, 1.33+/-0.33 microg/ml and 1.30 +/- 0.23 microg/ml at 2, 4 and 6 hours, respectively. The levels reached at 2 and 4 hours were found to be significantly increased compared with those in non-inflamed eyes. At the 800-mg dose, 4-hour vitreous levels in inflamed and non-inflamed eyes were 1.57 +/- 0.3 microg/ml and 1.42 +/- 0.24 microg/ml, respectively. Although the increased dose of gatifloxacin elevated plasma concentration, it failed to raise vitreous levels significantly higher than the 400-mg dose at the 4-hour time-point. CONCLUSIONS: Orally administered gatifloxacin achieves therapeutic levels in both inflamed and non-inflamed human eyes with a spectrum covering the bacterial species most frequently involved in the various causes of endophthalmitis. However, the levels achieved were below the MIC(90) for Pseudomonas aureginosa and Enterococcus.

Case report: bilateral simultaneous central retinal vein occlusion in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia.

BACKGROUND: We report a case of bilateral simultaneous central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. METHODS: We report the case of a 60-year-old woman who presented with decreased vision in both eyes. RESULTS: Ophthalmoscopic examination showed scattered retinal hemorrhages and venous tortuosity with macular edema bilaterally. The patient had a history of hypertension and was under investigation for lethargy, recurrent epistaxis, and fainting episodes. Serum protein electrophoresis showed an M-spike in the gamma region. Bone marrow trephine biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. The patient was treated with plasmapheresis and subsequent chemotherapy, resulting in improvement of ocular and systemic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: We report this case to emphasize that in any case of bilateral CRVO, hyperviscosity should be suspected. Serum electrophoresis along with coagulation profiles should be performed as a standard practice in patients with bilateral simultaneous CRVO.

Extended internal limiting membrane peeling in the management of unusually large macular holes.

This study was conducted to determine the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of internal limiting membrane peeling in the management of large macular moles. Two patients whose eyes had macular holes measuring 1,147 and 773 microns in diameter, respectively, were treated by pars plana vitrectomy with extended internal limiting membrane peeling and the injection of long-acting gas. Preoperative and postoperative assessment of the macular holes was done by optical coherence tomography. Postoperatively, the macular holes closed and there was improvement in visual acuity. Extended internal limiting membrane peeling can be performed to achieve surgical success in very large macular holes.

Intravitreal bevacizumab for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration in an Indian population.

PURPOSE: To investigate the 6-month safety profile and clinical outcomes of intravitreal bevacizumab for treating subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: We performed a prospective nonrandomized interventional study of 40 consecutive patients (40 eyes) with subfoveal CNV due to AMD. Patients underwent standard ophthalmic examination, optical coherence tomography, and fundus fluorescein angiography. All patients were administered one or more intravitreal injections of bevacizumab (1.25 mg) as primary therapy. Outcomes were also analyzed in subgroups based on lesion type (classic or occult) and lesion size (< or =3000 microm or >3000 microm). RESULTS: At the 6 months' follow-up, mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved from 20/160 to 20/100 (P = 0.014), and the mean contrast sensitivity improved from 0.38 to 0.62 (P = 0.001). The mean greatest linear diameter and mean central macular thickness significantly decreased from 3.79 mm to 2.4 mm (P = 0.0001) and from 438.5 microm to 363 microm (P = 0.0001), respectively. Visual acuity gain of 15 letters or more was seen in 20% of patients, and the gain was more in the small-lesion subgroup (31.5%) than in the large-lesion subgroup (9.5%). No significant adverse effects were observed. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal bevacizumab is a safe and effective modality for treatment of CNV secondary to AMD. A significant improvement in BCVA with intravitreal bevacizumab was observed for all lesion types.

Primary vitrectomy versus conventional retinal detachment surgery in phakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare the results of primary vitrectomy and conventional scleral buckling procedures (conventional retinal detachment surgery) in phakic rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). METHODS: We carried out a randomized, prospective, clinical controlled trial of 61 consecutive phakic eyes with primary RRD, not complicated by proliferative vitreoretinopathy >or= grade C. Subjects were randomized to either scleral buckling (group 1) or pars plana vitrectomy (group 2). RESULTS: At 6 months follow-up, the primary reattachment rate was 80% (24/30 cases) in group 2 and 80.6% (25/31 cases) in group 1; the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.213). Best corrected visual acuity improved significantly from a preoperative median of 1.78 (1/60) (mean 1.73 +/- 0.91, range 0.3-3) to a median of 0.6 (6/24) (mean 0.689 +/- 0.35, range 0.18-1.48) in group 2 and from a preoperative median of 1.48 (2/60) (mean 1.43 +/- 0.92, range 0-3) to a median of 0.6 (6/24) (mean 0.608 +/- 0.36, range 0-1.78) in group 1; the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (p = 0.376). Cataract developed in five cases (17%) in the vitrectomy group (group 2), with a statistically significant difference of p = 0.018. CONCLUSIONS: Although primary vitrectomy can achieve anatomical and functional success rates comparable with those achieved by scleral buckling in uncomplicated forms of phakic RRD, the major drawback of the procedure is the high incidence of postoperative cataract formation. Moreover, visual rehabilitation takes place earlier with scleral buckling than with vitrectomy. Scleral buckling should thus be used as the primary surgical modality in the treatment of uncomplicated RRD where the media are sufficiently clear.

Familial ectopia lentis with Axenfeld-Rieger anomaly.

Three siblings with ectopia lentis were examined for associated abnormalities. Case 1 had Axenfeld-Rieger anomaly and retinal detachment. Case 2 had Axenfeld-Rieger anomaly, ciliary staphyloma, and glaucoma. Case 3 had no associated ocular abnormality. The parents had normal eyesight. This is the first report of ectopia lentis associated with Axenfeld-Rieger anomaly. The mode of inheritance is likely autosomal recessive.