Unilateral Ischemic Maculopathy Associated with Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in Patients with AIDS: Optical Coherence Tomography Findings.

To describe the clinical and optical coherence tomography (OCT) characteristics of ischemic maculopathy in two patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Two patients with AIDS and cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis developed ischemic maculopathy. Both patients presented with central visual loss and active granular CMV retinitis. The presence of opacification of the superficial retina in the macular area and intraretinal edema suggested the diagnosis. Fluorescein angiography changes were similar in the two cases with enlargement of the foveal avascular zone and late staining of juxtafoveal vessels. OCT changes were suggestive of retinal ischemia: Increased reflectivity from the inner retinal layer and decreased backscattering from the retinal photoreceptors due to fluid and retinal edema. Ischemic maculopathy may cause a severe and permanent decrease in vision in AIDS patients. Fluorescein angiography and OCT should be considered in any patient with AIDS and unexplained visual loss. The mechanism of ischemic maculopathy may be multifactorial.

Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis.

Diffuse unilateral subacute neuroretinitis (DUSN) is a usually unilateral inflammatory disease characterized by an insidious, usually severe loss of peripheral and central vision. Clinical characteristics are manifested in early and late stages. Parasites of different sizes and several species of nematodes have been reported as the etiology of DUSN without conclusive evidence about the specific agent. Because serologic testing has been variable, the definitive diagnosis is made when the clinical characteristics of DUSN are found in conjunction with an intraocular worm. Laser photocoagulation, pars plana vitrectomy, thiabendazole, and albendazole have been used to treat DUSN with variable success.

Update on sympathetic ophthalmia.

Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is a bilateral diffuse granulomatous intraocular inflammation that occurs in most cases within days or months after surgery or penetrating trauma to one eye. The incidence of SO ranges from 0.2 to 0.5% after penetrating ocular injuries and 0.01% after intraocular surgery. Vitreoretinal surgery and cyclodestructive procedures are considered risk factors. The time from ocular injury to onset of SO varies greatly, ranging from a few days to decades, with 80% of the cases occurring within 3 months after injury to the exciting eye and 90% within 1 year. The diagnosis is based on clinical findings rather than on serological testing or pathological studies. It presents as a bilateral diffuse uveitis. Patients report an insidious onset of blurry vision, pain, epiphora, and photophobia in the sympathizing, non-injured eye. Classically this is accompanied by conjunctival injection and a granulomatous anterior chamber reaction with mutton-fat keratic precipitates (KPs) on the corneal endothelium. In the posterior segment, the extent of inflammation can vary. Systemic corticosteroids are the first line therapy for SO. If patients are non-responsive to steroid therapy or have clinically significant side effects, cyclosporine, azathioprine or other immunosuppressive agents can be used for long-term immunomodulatory therapy.

Radial optic neurotomy for central retinal vein occlusion: results of the Pan-American Collaborative Retina Study Group (PACORES).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the complications after radial optic neurotomy (RON) for central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). METHODS: Seventy-three consecutive patients (73 eyes) with CRVO who were treated with RON participated in a retrospective, uncontrolled, interventional, multicenter case series at 7 institutions from 6 countries. RESULTS: In the ischemic CRVO group (n = 53), 32% of eyes had an improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (mean, 5.5 lines), 35.8% had worse BCVA (mean, 6.4 lines), and 32% had BCVA that remained the same after RON. In the nonischemic CRVO group (n = 20), 50% of eyes had an improvement in BCVA (mean, 6.5 lines), 15% had worse BCVA (mean, 4.3 lines), and 35% had BCVA that remained the same after RON. Complications occurred in 71.2% of cases, including cataract in 17 eyes (23.2%), vitreous hemorrhage in 16 eyes (20.5%), persistent macular edema in 15 eyes (20.5%), neovascular glaucoma in 7 eyes (9.5%), anterior segment neovascularization in 5 eyes (6.8%), retinal detachment in 3 eyes (4.1%), and phthisis bulbi, choroidovitreal neovascularization, central retinal artery perforation, and optic nerve atrophy in 1 eye (1.3%) each. CONCLUSIONS: RON may improve visual acuity in some eyes with CRVO, but complications are common. In our series, surgery by itself did not seem to improve the outcome of CRVO when compared with its natural history.

Functional and anatomical outcomes for intravitreal bevacizumab treatment of choroidal neovascularization in a patient with angioid streaks.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the visual and anatomical outcomes of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA) treatment of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in patients with angioid streaks (ASs). METHODS: A 44-year-old man with angioid streaks and CNV in both eyes (best-corrected visual acuity: 20/400, right eye; 20/50, left eye) received intravitreal bevacizumab injections at monthly intervals. RESULTS: Best-corrected visual acuity in the right eye after 2 intravitreal injections of bevacizumab was 20/70 and remained the same at the 6-month follow-up. Best-corrected visual acuity in the left eye after 3 intravitreal injections of bevacizumab was 20/25 and remained the same at the 9-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: After intravitreal administration of bevacizumab, our patient had visual acuity improvement in both eyes that was associated with rapid and significant reduction in thickness, subretinal fluid, and size of subfoveal neovascularization secondary to ASs. Intravitreal bevacizumab treatment resulted in a meaningful and sustained vision gain after the 9-months follow-up.

Optical coherence tomography characteristics of group 2A idiopathic parafoveal telangiectasis.

PURPOSE: To describe the optical coherence tomography (OCT) characteristics of patients with group 2A idiopathic parafoveal telangiectasis (IPFT) and to correlate them with biomicroscopic and fluorescein angiographic (FA) findings based on Gass and Blodi staging classification for group 2A IPFT. METHODS: Fifty-two eyes of 26 consecutive patients with IPFT underwent biomicroscopic fundus examination, color fundus photography, FA, and OCT. Main outcome measures were OCT characteristics and their correlation with biomicroscopy and FA. RESULTS: The most common OCT findings that help differentiate between stages in group 2A IPFT are 1) highly reflective dots in the inner retina that correspond with microvessels seen by FA in Stage 1 (5 eyes [62.5%]); 2) the presence of hyporeflective intraretinal spaces in the absence of retinal thickening and highly reflective dots in the retina in Stage 2 (9 [81.8%] and 10 eyes [90.9%], respectively); 3) in Stage 3, both outer and inner retina exhibit areas of similar high reflectivity. In addition, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)/choriocapillaris complex is thickened or disrupted as evidenced by an area of high reflectivity (13 eyes [81.2%]); 4) a highly reflective area nasal or temporal to the fovea in the inner or outer retinal layers in Stage 4 suggesting RPE proliferation and migration (13 eyes [100%]); and 5) a fusiform thickening and duplication of the highly reflective RPE/choriocapillaris complex corresponding to choroidal neovascularization in Stage 5 (4 eyes [100%]). Our OCT characteristics correlated well with biomicroscopic and FA findings for Stages 4 and 5. However, the hyporeflective spaces that are evident on OCT could not be seen clinically at the slit lamp or on FA. In addition, our OCT findings on eyes with group 2A IPFT Stage 3 have not, to our knowledge, been previously described. CONCLUSIONS: Optical coherence tomography findings in group 2A IPFT were characteristic for each stage and may be helpful in making the diagnosis as well as defining the anatomical staging proposed by Gass and Blodi. Optical coherence tomography complements biomicroscopic and FA findings in the evaluation of group 2A IPFT.

Combined 5-fluorouracil, low-molecular-weight heparin, and silicone oil in the management of complicated retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy grade C.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine whether combined 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) could improve the outcome of vitreoretinal surgery with silicone oil for the management of complicated retinal detachment with proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) grade C. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In an interventional, controlled, nonrandomized clinical trial, 33 eyes with complicated retinal detachment and PVR underwent vitrectomy with silicone oil and perioperative infusion of 5-FU and LMWH (study group) and 31 eyes underwent vitrectomy with silicone oil without adjunctive medication (control group). RESULTS: In the study group, 24 eyes (72.7%) had the retina attached and 9 had a retinal redetachment (27.3%) at 6 months. In the control group, 25 eyes (80.6%) had the retina attached and 6 eyes (19.4%) had a retinal redetachment at 6 months (chi-square: 0.53, P > .05). One-year postoperative data were available for 17 eyes in the study group and 19 eyes in the control group. Four eyes in each group (23.5% and 21%, respectively) developed retinal redetachment (chi-square: 0.03, P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Combined 5-FU and LMWH does not seem to improve the outcome of vitreoretinal surgery with silicone oil for the management of complicated retinal detachment with PVR grade C.

Indocyanine-green-mediated photothrombosis (IMP) with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for macular edema secondary to group 2A idiopathic parafoveal telangiectasis without choroidal neovascularization: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility, safety and clinical effect of indocyanine green (ICG)-mediated photothrombosis (IMP) combined with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) in patients with macular edema secondary to idiopathic parafoveal telangiectasis (IPFT) group 2A without choroidal neovascularization (CNV). METHODS: Nine eyes of six patients that were treated with IMP immediately followed by IVTA at a dose of 4 mg participated in the study. Patients had a mean follow-up of 23.3 months (range 12-36 months). Patients underwent one or two sessions of IMP combined with IVTA ("study group"). An IVTA-only group of 19 eyes from 14 patients with macular edema secondary to IPFT group 2A that underwent an IVTA 4 mg without IMP ("IVTA-only group") was included for comparison. In addition, a matched control group of 40 eyes from 20 patients selected retrospectively from our medical records with macular edema secondary to IPFT group 2A without any therapy was included ("observation group"). RESULTS: The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) remained stable in five eyes (55.5%). Four eyes (44.4%) demonstrated improvement of BCVA (> or = two ETDRS lines), and no eyes experienced worsening of visual acuity (> or = two ETDRS lines). A significant decrease in hyperfluorescence was not seen with fluorescein angiography (FA), however optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed a decrease in the size of inner intraretinal hyporeflective spaces or cystic edema. Two (22.2%) eyes developed an increase in intraocular pressure. However, it was medically controlled with topical anti-glaucoma medications. Cataract developed in five eyes (55.5%). Six of nine eyes (66.6%) required one retreatment during the study period. At the last follow-up (mean 21.1 months, range 12-30 months) in the IVTA-only group, 5 (25.3%) eyes improved BCVA, 11 (57.9%) eyes remained within two lines of baseline BCVA and 3 (15.8%) eyes lost BCVA. In the observation group, with similar follow-up, 87.5% of eyes showed either stabilization or deterioration of BCVA over time. CONCLUSIONS: Combined IMP and IVTA may provide stability or improvement in BCVA and fundus findings in eyes with macular edema secondary to IPFT group 2A without CNV at a minimum follow-up of 12 months.

Macular hole surgery complicated by accidental massive subretinal indocyanine green, and retinal tear.

BACKGROUND: To report a case of macular hole (MH) surgery complicated by accidental massive subretinal indocyanine green (ICG), and a retinal tear through the papillomacular bundle. METHODS: A 64-year-old woman complained of one-year history of poor vision in her left eye (LE) and of one month in her right (RE). Dilated fundus examination, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) demonstrated a bilateral full-thickness MH with cystic changes and no posterior vitreous detachment RE and a full-thickness hole with significant surrounding retinal edema and cystic changes LE. RESULTS: A vitrectomy and posterior vitreous mechanical detachment were performed to close the MH RE. Approximately 0.3 ml of 0.5% ICG was applied to stain the internal limiting membrane (ILM). The assistant surgical nurse at the beginning of the instillation pushed the ICG syringe's embolus with too much force into the vitreous cavity with a 20-gauge cannula. Subretinal ICG was accidentally introduced through the macular hole, and an iatrogenic macular retinal tear though the papillomacular bundle was created. Infusion was resumed immediately, and ICG was removed from the vitreous cavity, and the ILM was removed in a circular fashion in the usual manner. The eye was left with 14% perfluoropropane gas. Fundus examination and OCT performed after the intraocular gas was reabsorbed one month after the surgery revealed that the macular hole was completely closed with choroidal hypereflectivity due to RPE and choriocapillaris atrophy. Best-corrected visual acuity was 20/150 with a closed macular hole and ICG still present in the subretinal space seven months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Our anatomic and functional results were poor with retinal and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy, and a visual acuity of 20/150. Subretinal ICG and contact of ICG with the RPE should be avoided, and precautions should be taken when using intravitreous ICG to stain the ILM. Further studies are necessary to determine ICG safety in vitreoretinal surgery.

Bilateral macular cyst after lightning visualized with optical coherence tomography.

The authors report a 14-year-old girl who was struck by lightning with bilateral macular cyst that was diagnosed with optical coherence tomography (OCT). Her fundus examination revealed bilateral macular lesions that simulated macular holes. The Watzke-Allen sign was negative in the right eye and positive in the left eye. Fluorescein angiography showed a foveal window defect in both eyes. OCT demonstrated a small foveal cyst evident as a hyporeflective lucency, visible just anterior to the retinal pigment epithelium/choriocapillaris complex in both eyes. OCT seems to be useful in the evaluation of lighting maculopathy to rule-out full-thickness macular hole in these cases, and avoid unnecessary surgery.

Optical coherence tomography characteristics of choroidal metastasis.

PURPOSE: To report 4 patients (7 eyes) with choroidal metastasis (primary: breast [2], lung [1], and unknown [1]) visualized with optical coherence tomography (OCT). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: Four patients (7 eyes) with choroidal metastasis participated in the study. METHODS: Clinical examination, ultrasonography, fluorescein angiography, and OCT were performed in all cases. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Optical coherence tomography characteristics. RESULTS: Three patients suffered a gradual onset of blurred vision in both eyes. The fourth presented a unilateral decrease in visual acuity. Bilateral choroidal lesions with various degrees of exudative retinal detachment (RD) were present in 3 of our 4 patients, and there was 1 case of a unilateral unifocal choroidal lesion. Optical coherence tomography revealed anterior displacement of the photoreceptor layer by subretinal fluid (hyporeflective space) overlying a hyperreflective thickened retinal pigment epithelium-choriocapillaris complex. Subretinal deposits with several degrees of hyperreflectivity were seen, as well as loss of normal retinal architecture with intraretinal splitting, identified as regions of low reflectance within the neurosensory retina. After chemotherapy, OCT demonstrated improvement of the serous RD and reduction of the lesion's size with recovery of the normal retinal architecture. CONCLUSIONS: Optical coherence tomography in patients with choroidal metastasis allows evaluation of secondary retinal-retinal pigment epithelial changes. In addition, the technique is useful in the follow-up of lesions after treatment. However, some limitations result from the choroidal location of the metastasis. Further studies with clinicopathological correlation are needed to confirm our observations.

Full-thickness macular hole after LASIK for the correction of myopia.

PURPOSE: To describe 19 patients (20 eyes) who developed a macular hole (MH) after undergoing bilateral LASIK for the correction of myopia. DESIGN: Noncomparative, interventional, retrospective, multicenter case series. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen patients (20 eyes) who developed an MH after bilateral LASIK for the correction of myopia at 10 institutions in Venezuela, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Spain, and the United States. METHODS: Chart review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Macular hole development. RESULTS: The MH formed between 1 to 83 months after LASIK (mean, 12.1). In 60% of cases, the MH developed < or =6 months after LASIK, and in 30% of cases it developed > or =1 year after LASIK. Eighteen of 19 (94.7%) patients were female. Mean age was 46 years (range, 25-65). All eyes were myopic (range, -0.50 to -19.75 diopters [mean, -8.9]). Posterior vitreous detachment was not present before and was documented after LASIK in 55% of eyes. A vitrectomy closed the MH on the 14 eyes that underwent surgical management, with an improvement of final best-corrected visual acuity in 13 of 14 (92.8%) patients. Our 20 eyes with a full-thickness MH after LASIK reflect an incidence of approximately 0.02% (20/83938). CONCLUSION: An MH may infrequently develop after LASIK for the correction of myopia. Our study shows that vitreoretinal surgery can be successful in restoring vision for most myopic eyes with an MH after LASIK. Vitreoretinal interface changes may play a role in MH formation after LASIK for the correction of myopia.

Indocyanine green-mediated photothrombosis with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration.

BACKGROUND: There is a need for alternative treatments for the management of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The purpose of this paper is to determine the feasibility, safety, and clinical effect of indocyanine green (ICG)-mediated photothrombosis (IMP) combined with intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in AMD. METHODS: Thirty-one eyes of 26 patients who were treated with IMP immediately followed by an intravitreal injection of 4 mg of TA were investigated in the study. The patients had a mean follow-up of 9 months (range 3 months to 26 months). Patients underwent one to four sessions of IMP combined with intravitreal TA. RESULTS: Visual acuity showed stability in 19 eyes (61.3%), improvement of visual acuity (VA) in seven eyes (22.6%), and worsening of VA in five eyes (16.1%). A significant regression of the CNV, and diminishing of subretinal fluid, was demonstrated with fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography. We found no complications associated with the intravitreal injection procedure or IMP. Five (16.1%) eyes developed an increase in intraocular pressure related to the presence of TA in the vitreous cavity. However, it was medically controlled with topical anti-glaucoma medications. Nineteen of 31 eyes (61.2%) required at least one re-treatment (mean 1.7; range 1-4) during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Combined IMP and intravitreal TA may provide stability or improvement in visual acuity and fundus findings in choroidal neovascularization. Further evaluation in a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial with longer follow-up is needed to accurately assess the safety and efficacy of this new treatment modality.

Anterior segment inflammation and hypotony after posterior segment surgery.

Recent advances in the instrumentation and surgical techniques for posterior segment surgery permit better anatomic and functional outcomes. Nevertheless, these procedures may be associated with complications involving the anterior segment, including postoperative inflammation and hypotony. One must differentiate infectious from noninfectious inflammation to initiate appropriate therapy promptly. Hypotony is a frustrating problem because it is difficult to reverse. The exclusion of eyes with other known causes of hypotony is important before establishing the putative mechanism of tractional ciliary body detachment caused by epiciliary proliferative tissue.

Maculopatías luego de queratomileusis in situ asistida por láser (LASIK) para la corrección de miopía / Maculopathy then of keratomileusis for laser (LASIK) in situ the correction of myopia

Reportar nuestra experiencia con el uso de propósito: describir veinte y ocho ojos (26 pacientes) que desarrollaron agujeros maculares (AM) unilaterales de espersor total (16 ojos de 15 pacientes) o membranas neovasculares o coroideas subfoveales (CNV)(12 ojos de 11 pacientes) luego de procedimiento de LASIK bilateral para la correción de miopía. Serie de casos. Los AM se formaron ente una 30 meses luego de LASIK (promedio: 7.5 meses), 93.7 por ciento de los pacientes fueron género femenino. La media edad fue de 43.9 años (25-58). Todos los ojos fueron miopes (rango: -0.50 a -15.25 dioptrias [D]; promedio: -7.94 D). El despremdimiento del Vítreo posterior estuvo no presente antes del LASIK y se documentó posterior al procedimiento en 56.2 por ciento de los ojos. La Viterctomía cerró los agujeros maculares en 11 ojos que fueron a manejo quirúrgico mejorandose la agudeza visual final corregida en todos los pacientes. La incidencia de nuestros quince pacientes (ojos) con AM de espesor cpmpleto post LASIK reflejaron un valor de 0.03 por ciento (16/46,486). Adicionalmente, la CNV ocurrió en una media de 25.2 meses (rango: 1 a 60 meses) luego del LASIK. La miopia en este grupo de pacientes presentó un promedio de -15.12D (rengo:-13:00D a-25.50D). Nuve de nuestros casos se beneficiearon de la Terapia fotdinámica (PDT) con mejoría o estabilidad de la agudeza visual en 77.7 por ciento de los casos. Nuestros doce pacientes con CNV luego del LASIK representan una incidencia del 0.02 por ciento (12/46,486).El LASIK parece ser un procedimiento seguro con una baja incidencia de complicaciones vitero-retinales, sin embargo la CNV y el agujero macular pueden desarrollarse luego del LASIK