Assessment of Corneal Epithelial Thickness in Asymmetric Keratoconic Eyes and Normal Eyes Using Fourier Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose. To compare the characteristics of asymmetric keratoconic eyes and normal eyes by Fourier domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) corneal mapping. Methods. Retrospective corneal and epithelial thickness OCT data for 74 patients were compared in three groups of eyes: keratoconic (n = 22) and normal fellow eyes (n = 22) in patients with asymmetric keratoconus and normal eyes (n = 104) in healthy subjects. Areas under the curve (AUC) of receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves for each variable were compared across groups to indicate their discrimination capacity. Results. Three variables were found to differ significantly between fellow eyes and normal eyes (all p < 0.05): minimum corneal thickness, thinnest corneal point, and central corneal thickness. These variables combined showed a high discrimination power to differentiate fellow eyes from normal eyes indicated by an AUC of 0.840 (95% CI: 0.762-0.918). Conclusions. Our findings indicate that topographically normal fellow eyes in patients with very asymmetric keratoconus differ from the eyes of healthy individuals in terms of their corneal epithelial and pachymetry maps. This type of information could be useful for an early diagnosis of keratoconus in topographically normal eyes.

Diseño y validación de un simulador para el entrenamiento en la capsulotomía circular continua en la facoemulsificación / Design and validation of a simulator for training in continuous circular capsulotomy for phacoemulsification

Introducción: Diseñar y validar un simulador para el aprendizaje y entrenamiento de la técnica de la capsulorrexis. Métodos: El sistema consiste en un soporte de metacrilato con inclinación de 15° para el apoyo de las manos del cirujano y una zona de papel aluminio comercial y otro de similares características donde el alumno realiza la técnica a través de unas hendiduras realizadas previamente en el soporte. Para evaluar la viabilidad de este simulador se toman los datos de 65 oftalmólogos que realizan la técnica durante actividades de formación, dividiéndolos aleatoriamente en un grupo de 30 especialistas que inician directamente su aprendizaje en ojos de cadáver de animal y en otro grupo de 35 especialistas que se inician previamente con este simulador. Resultados: Se desarrolla un simulador para entrenamiento de la técnica de capsulorrexis. El grupo de alumnos del grupo simulador consigue una reducción en el uso de ojos de cadáver y una mayor eficiencia en la realización de capsulorrexis correctas, a diferencia del grupo que se inicia directamente en ojos de cadáver. Conclusiones: Este simulador constituye una novedad en el entrenamiento de la técnica de capsulorrexis en cuanto a sencillez, coste y reutilización, frente a otros simuladores virtuales con equipos informáticos más costosos y más complicados de transportar. Es pieza clave como paso previo a la utilización de piezas de cadáver y de animales de experimentación, disminuyendo el número de ambos y, por tanto, el coste de la enseñanza (AU)

Introduction: To design and validate a simulator for learning and training in the capsulorhexis technique. Methods: The system consists of a methacrylate support inclined 15° for the surgeon's hand, an area of commercially available aluminum foil, and another one of similar characteristics, where the student performs the technique through some slots that are previously made in the support. In order to evaluate the feasibility of this simulator, data were collected from 65 ophthalmologists performing the technique during training activities. The ophthalmologists were randomly divided into one group of 30 specialists who start their learning on the eyes of an animal cadaver, and into another of 35 specialists who previously started with this simulator. Results: A simulator is developed for training in the capsulorhexis technique. The students from the simulator group achieved a reduction in the use of cadaver eyes, and a higher efficiency in correct capsulorhexis, unlike the group who started directly on the cadaver eyes. Conclusions: This simulator is an innovation in training of the capsulorhexis technique as regards simplicity, cost, and reuse, as compared to other virtual simulators with more expensive computer equipment (CE) equipment that are more difficult to transport. It is an important step prior to the use of cadaver parts and experimental animals, decreasing the number of both, and therefore the teaching costs (AU)

[Design and validation of a simulator for training in continuous circular capsulotomy for phacoemulsification]. / Diseño y validación de un simulador para el entrenamiento en la capsulotomía circular continua en la facoemulsificación.

INTRODUCTION: To design and validate a simulator for learning and training in the capsulorhexis technique. METHODS: The system consists of a methacrylate support inclined 15° for the surgeon's hand, an area of commercially available aluminum foil, and another one of similar characteristics, where the student performs the technique through some slots that are previously made in the support. In order to evaluate the feasibility of this simulator, data were collected from 65 ophthalmologists performing the technique during training activities. The ophthalmologists were randomly divided into one group of 30 specialists who start their learning on the eyes of an animal cadaver, and into another of 35 specialists who previously started with this simulator. RESULTS: A simulator is developed for training in the capsulorhexis technique. The students from the simulator group achieved a reduction in the use of cadaver eyes, and a higher efficiency in correct capsulorhexis, unlike the group who started directly on the cadaver eyes. CONCLUSIONS: This simulator is an innovation in training of the capsulorhexis technique as regards simplicity, cost, and reuse, as compared to other virtual simulators with more expensive computer equipment (CE) equipment that are more difficult to transport. It is an important step prior to the use of cadaver parts and experimental animals, decreasing the number of both, and therefore the teaching costs.

Anteroposterior shift in rigid and soft implants supported by the intraocular capsular bag.

We compared the depth of the anterior chamber and the optimal distance refraction in a group of patients with soft and rigid intraocular implants under pilocarpine (maximal ciliary contraction) and cyclopentolate (maximal ciliary relaxation) in order to determine if lens movement might account for the apparent accommodation phenomenon. Lens shifts ranging from 1.5 to 0.02 mm and refractive variations up to 1 D were found. However, the discrepancies between amount of shift and refractive variations suggest that lens movement does not play a relevant role in this phenomenon.

Patients with endocrine ophthalmopathy not associated with overt thyroid disease have multiple thyroid immunological abnormalities.

Twenty-two apparently euthyroid patients with endocrine ophthalmopathy not associated with goiter, antithyroid microsomal or antithyroglobulin antibodies, or overt thyroid disease (so-called ophthalmic Graves' disease) were tested for subclinical hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. We measured 131I uptake and scan, serum T3 (by RIA), and serum TSH using a sensitive (by immunoradiometric assay) assay. Three patients were found to be hyperthyroid, and 1 was hypothyroid. The remaining 18 patients, who remained euthyroid throughout the study period, were investigated for evidence for antibody-mediated immunity against thyroid antigens. We measured antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against fresh thyroid cells using a 51chromium release assay, thyroid membrane-reactive antibodies in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay incorporating solubilized thyroid membranes, and TSH receptor-binding antibodies using a RRA and carried out sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting with patient sera for antibodies reactive with 64 and 110 kDa (thyroid peroxidase) membrane proteins. Bands were demonstrated, on SDS-PAGE, at 64 or 110 kDa in 13 patients, antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity tests were positive in 7 patients, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was positive in 4 of the 17 patients tested. In addition, TSH receptor antibody tests were positive in 5 patients, none of whom had other evidence for hyperthyroidism. Finally, significant lymphocyte infiltration was demonstrated on aspiration biopsy in 3 patients. All 18 patients had positive tests in at least 1 of the immunological assays. We believe that these data support the hypothesis that endocrine ophthalmopathy always occurs in patients with overt or subclinical Graves' hyperthyroidism, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or thyroid immunological abnormalities. Those patients previously described as having euthyroid Graves' disease should, thus, be considered to have associated thyroid immunological abnormalities even though histological confirmation (from aspiration needle biopsy) may be obtained in only a minority of the patients. The possibility that the mechanism for this close association is cross-reactivity of cytotoxic antibodies against a thyroid/eye muscle cell surface shared antigen is discussed in the context of recent evidence from the authors' laboratory.

Significance of cytotoxic eye muscle antibodies in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

We have studied the clinical significance of cytotoxic antibodies against human eye muscle cells in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO). Eye muscle reactive antibodies were measured in an antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assay. A positive test was defined as % specific lysis greater than the upper limit of normal, taken as the mean plus two standard deviations for normal subjects tested concurrently. As parameters of the severity of the ophthalmopathy we measured the degree of proptosis (mm), level of intraocular pressure (IOP) (mmHg) and American Thyroid Association classes (0-6). ADCC tests were positive in 21 out of 42 patients with TAO and in 8 out of 14 patients with Graves' disease without evident eye disease but in none of 12 normal subjects tested. In patients with TAO mean (+/- SE) IOP was significantly greater than that in patients with Graves' disease without apparent eye involvement for the primary position and for all gaze positions. There were significant positive correlations between levels of eye muscle reactive cytotoxic antibodies and the severity of the eye disease quantitated as American Thyroid Association classes 0-6, the IOP in the primary position and on downgaze, but not with the degree of proptosis. These results suggest that cytotoxic antibodies, as detected in ADCC, may play a role in the eye muscle damage of TAO and that their measurement may provide a useful clinical test.