Corneal Laser Refractive Surgery Curriculum Development in the Military: Using the Nominal Group Technique.

INTRODUCTION: Corneal laser refractive surgery (CRS) has emerged over the past three decades as a surgical method for correcting or improving vision. In the military, CRS helps warfighters achieve weapon grade vision, which offers a tactical advantage in the deployed environment. As refractive surgery has become more prevalent in both the military and civilian sector, more ophthalmologists need to learn about treatment options as well as management of complications in order to meet increasing patient demand. Currently, little is known about the most effective curriculum for teaching refractive surgery in training programs, and a standardized curriculum does not exist. Since unification of training programs is a Defense Health Agency priority, this study aimed to collect expert consensus on a standardized curriculum for CRS training in the military. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To achieve this goal, the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used wherein a panel of experts, currently practicing refractive surgeons involved in military refractive surgery training programs, arrived at consensus on a standardized CRS curriculum. The framework for developing this curriculum is based on Kern's Six-Step Approach to Curriculum Development. The International Council of Ophthalmology refractive surgery curriculum, National Curriculum for Ophthalmology Residency Training, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies and surgical minimums, and American Academy of Ophthalmology Refractive Surgery Preferred Practice Guidelines were used as the starting materials from which panelists' consensus was drawn. This consensus-building method allowed for equal representation of experts' ideas and fostered collaboration to aid in the creation of a robust and standardized curriculum for refractive surgery training programs in the military. RESULTS: The panelist experts from this NGT were able to reach consensus on the components of a standardized military refractive surgery curriculum to include generalized and targeted needs assessment, goals and objectives, educational strategies, and curriculum implementation. CONCLUSION: A standardized CRS curriculum is warranted in military training programs. This NGT achieved expert consensus on the goals, objectives, educational methods, and implementation strategies for a standardized CRS curriculum in military ophthalmology residency.

In the Right Place, at the Right Time: Autobiographical Case Report of an Ophthalmologist Who Had a Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a medical eye emergency that can lead to loss of vision, especially if not promptly treated. High myopia, retinal holes or tears, previous surgery, and trauma have been identified as risk factors for developing RRD. Although some obstetricians may believe labor or vaginal delivery increases the risk for RRD, there has been no significant evidence in the literature to support a correlation. This is a case report of a retinal detachment a month after childbirth as experienced by me, an ophthalmologist.

Pain Control Following Photorefractive Keratectomy: A Prospective Clinical Trial Comparing Codeine Versus Oxycodone for the Management of Postoperative Pain.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of oral codeine plus acetaminophen versus oxycodone plus acetaminophen for severe pain control following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS: This single-center trial randomized 200 patients to receive codeine 30 mg/acetaminophen 325 mg (codeine group) or oxycodone 5 mg/acetaminophen 325 mg (oxycodone group)every 4 hours as needed for severe pain for 4 days following PRK. Patients recorded postoperative pain, tablet consumption, and tetracaine use. Patients were monitored at postoperative 1 day, 1 week, and 1, 3, and 6 months for visual acuity and follow-up. Study outcomes were mean postoperative pain, treatment and tetracaine use, and visual acuity. RESULTS: Analysis of 197 patients who completed the trial (97 codeine group and 100 oxycodone group) showed mean pain scores were lower in the codeine group throughout the intervention period. Mean pain scores were higher in the oxycodone group than the codeine group on postoperative days 2 and 4 (P = .017 and P = .034, respectively). The oxycodone group consumed more tablets than the codeine group, with a difference on postoperative day 2 (P = .019), and used a greater number of tetracaine drops (P = .015). Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant improvement in visual acuity in both groups with no difference in visual outcomes (P = .81). CONCLUSIONS: Codeine/acetaminophen is as effective and safe as oxycodone/acetaminophen for pain control following PRK, with no clinical difference in overall pain control and long-term visual outcomes. This implies that treating postoperative pain after PRK with a Schedule III opioid (codeine) is effective and potentially decreases the risk of misuse by a higher regulated Schedule II opioid (oxycodone), lowering the potential for abuse and dependence. [J Refract Surg. 2021;37(9):582-589.].

Five-Year-Old Sequestered Retained Lens Fragment Requiring Keratoplasty.

A 77-year-old male with a history of cataract extraction and intraocular lens placement 5.5 years prior, was referred for idiopathic corneal edema of the right eye. Six months prior to initial consult with a Cornea specialist, the patient presented with acute onset cystoid macular edema (CME) and later developed anterior chamber (AC) cell. The cornea became diffusely edematous and decompensated on topical steroids and hypertonic drops. During the Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) procedure, a sequestered retained lens fragment (RLF) migrated out of the posterior chamber and was aspirated. The remainder of the surgery and post-operative period was unremarkable. This case is the first reported in which a significantly delayed onset of inflammatory reaction from a sequestered RLF led to full corneal decompensation requiring keratoplasty. This case highlights the importance of RLF suspicion in delayed presentation, even when RLFs are not visible via slit-lamp or on gonioscopic view.

Assessment of Factors Associated With Postoperative Pain After Photorefractive Keratectomy.

PURPOSE: To define the factors that affect patient's self-assessed postoperative pain after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS: Patients who underwent PRK in 2016 were evaluated. Anonymized data collected included patient gender, age, and season at the time of surgery, ablation depth, surgeon status (attending vs. resident), topical tetracaine use, and subjective pain scores at postoperative days (PODs) 1 and 7. Average pain scores and amount of pain medication taken were analyzed for each of the previously mentioned variables. RESULTS: Overall, 231 patients who underwent PRK were analyzed. The mean pain score and SD were 0.78 ± 1.87 on POD 1 and 0.03 ± 0.37 by POD 7. Patients who used topical tetracaine reported significantly higher pain on POD 1 and 7 compared with patients who did not use tetracaine (P < 0.001 and P = 0.038, respectively). No significant differences in pain scores were seen based on surgeon status, ablation depth, gender, and season. Patients who used topical tetracaine took a higher amount of oral pain medication (9.44 ± 6.01) compared with those who did not (7.02 ± 4.71) (P = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative pain was significantly elevated in patients who used tetracaine on POD 1 and POD 7. These patients were also more likely to take oral pain medication than those who did not use topical tetracaine. Surgeon status, season, gender, and ablation depth showed no significant differences in subjective pain scores. Oral pain medication should be evaluated to assess efficacy and safety in inhibiting ocular pain after PRK.

Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking Complications.

Corneal cross-linking was approved by United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of progressive keratoconus in April 2016. As this approach becomes more widely used for the treatment of keratoconus and post-laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) ectasia, the medical community is becoming more familiar with potential complications associated with this procedure. This article aims to review the reported complications of collagen cross-linking for the treatment of keratoconus and post-LASIK ectasia.

Location of hemorrhage as predictive factor for refractoriness to blood pressure control in acute, non-lobar, hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhages

BACKGROUND: Uncontrolled hypertension in acute intracerebral hemorrhages (ICH) may cause hematoma expansion within the first 24 hours, and increase patient mortality. We investigated whether there was an association between ICH location and the difficulty in lowering BP in patients with acute hypertensive non- lobar ICH. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of adults diagnosed with non-lobar ICH admitted at a tertiary hospital over a 2-year period. We documented the time to attain target mean arterial pressure (MAP) of 110-130 mmHg, as well as the use of antihypertensive medications. RESULTS: Of 357 patients admitted for non-lobar ICH,47 patients fulfilled the study criteria. Basal ganglia hemorrhages were the most common (47%), followed by thalamic (34%), cerebellar (11%), and pontine hemorrhages (8%). While there were no significant differences in baseline MAP among the different sites of hemorrhage, those with thalamic ICH had a significantly longer time-to-target MAP (p=0.02) and required three or more classes of oral antihypertensive medications (p CONCLUSIONS: Acute thalamic intracerebral hemorrhages may require multiple classes of antihypertensives to lower blood pressure to safer levels.