Clinical and Microbiological Features of Pediatric Endopthalmitis After Open Globe Injury in the North of VietNam.

BACKGROUND: Pediatric endophthalmitis after open-globe injury had its clinical features, microbiological profile different from those in aldults. In Viet Nam, there was no report on the clinical and microbiological characteristics of pediatric posttraumatic endophthalmitis. Therefore, we conduct this study. AIM: To describe clinical features, ultrasound results, gram stain and culture results of endophthalmitis in pediatric open globe injuries. METHODS: Prospective non-controlled study. Case series of 30 eyes presenting with post-traumatic endophthalmitis between 2015 and 2016 were reviewed. RESULTS: Mean age was 8.03 ± 3.99 years. Metallic and organic etiologies were the most common causes for injuries (n = 11). 27 cases had penetrating corneal trauma. Dense opaque vitreous was seen in 25 eyes. Retinal necrosis < 1 quadrant and chorioretinal abscess > 1 quadrant were the most common fundus lesions. Dense vitreous opacity on ultrasound was most common (n = 28). Gram stain bacteria positivity was 93.3%, gram-positive was isolated in 63.3%. Vitreous samples were more often positive than aqueous (P = 0,002). CONCLUSION: Posttraumatic endophthalmitis in children is more common in boys aged 6-10 years and most often caused by injury with metallic and organic matters. Culture results were very low. Vitreous samples were more often positive than aqueous. Gram-positive bacteria were the most common causative organism.

A common variant near TGFBR3 is associated with primary open angle glaucoma.

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a major cause of blindness worldwide, is a complex disease with a significant genetic contribution. We performed Exome Array (Illumina) analysis on 3504 POAG cases and 9746 controls with replication of the most significant findings in 9173 POAG cases and 26 780 controls across 18 collections of Asian, African and European descent. Apart from confirming strong evidence of association at CDKN2B-AS1 (rs2157719 [G], odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, P = 2.81 × 10(-33)), we observed one SNP showing significant association to POAG (CDC7-TGFBR3 rs1192415, ORG-allele = 1.13, Pmeta = 1.60 × 10(-8)). This particular SNP has previously been shown to be strongly associated with optic disc area and vertical cup-to-disc ratio, which are regarded as glaucoma-related quantitative traits. Our study now extends this by directly implicating it in POAG disease pathogenesis.

Prevalence and causes of blindness in children in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of blindness in children in Vietnam and to assess the major causes. DESIGN: A population-based study sampled children from 16 provinces across Vietnam. The second study examined children attending all blind schools in Vietnam. PARTICIPANTS: In 16 provinces, 28 800 children aged 0-15 were sampled. In 28 blind schools, 569 children aged 0-15 were examined. INTERVENTION: In children not seeing well according to the parents, presenting visual acuity (PVA) was assessed. If PVA was <3/60 in one or both eyes, the child was examined by an ophthalmologist. All children in blind schools were examined by a pediatric ophthalmologist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Blindness was defined as PVA <3/60 in the better eye. Causes of visual loss were classified using the World Health Organization classification. RESULTS: In the population-based study, 22 children had a PVA <3/60 in the better eye, a prevalence of 7.6/10 000 children (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.9-11.8/10 000). Fourteen children had a pinhole visual acuity <3/60 in the better eye, a prevalence of 4.9/10 000 (95% CI, 2.8-8.4/10 000). An estimated 16 400 (95% CI, 10 500-25 300), children were blind from all causes, with 36.4% from uncorrected refractive errors. In the blind schools, 411 children had a PVA <3/60 in the better eye and 55.5% were male. Conditions of the retina (24.6%) and cornea (24.0%) predominated. Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) caused blindness in 32.6% of children younger than 10 years, but in only 6% of older children. The converse was true for corneal scarring and phthisis (14.0% and 27.3%, respectively). All other causes were similar between age groups (53.5% and 66.7%, respectively). More than half of all causes were avoidable. CONCLUSIONS: Vietnam is developing very rapidly, and this is impacting health indices. The mortality rate of those younger than 5 years declined from 65/100 live births in 1980 to 14/100 in 2008. The findings of this study show these changes, because the childhood blindness prevalence was relatively low, and the causes show improved control of measles and vitamin A deficiency, as well as increased services for premature babies. Eye care services for children should now focus on refractive errors, cataract, and control of ROP.