Argus II retinal prosthesis for retinitis pigmentosa in the Middle East: The 2015 Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology Gradle Lecture.

BACKGROUND: To describe the outcomes of patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) who received the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System. METHODS: This retrospective, interventional case series evaluated 10 consecutive patients who received the Argus II retinal implant and underwent visual function tests with the system on and system off. The main outcome measures were safety (the number, seriousness, and relatedness of adverse events), and visual function measured by computer-based objective tests, including square localization (SL) and direction of motion (DOM). Secondary measures included functional vision performance, including orientation and mobility (O&M) tasks. RESULTS: There were no intraoperative complications and all prostheses remained implanted at the end of follow up. The mean patient age was 41.3 years; mean duration of the implant in vivo was 2.1 years. One patient had a suture exposure over the coil suture tab and over the inferior case suture tab at 2 years postoperatively, which was managed successfully. One patient developed mild vitreous hemorrhage that resolved spontaneously. One patient developed high intraocular pressure postoperatively due to a tight scleral band (SB) that was managed successfully. Patients performed significantly better with the Argus II system on than off on all tasks. CONCLUSION: Patients who received the Argus II had a safety profile out to 4 years post-implantation that was markedly better than that observed in the pre-approval phase of the Argus II. In this population of RP patients, the Argus II retinal prosthesis provided useful visual function over several years that likely translates into improved quality of life. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov identifier, NCT00407602.

Prepapillary vascular loop-a new classification.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To analyze the ophthalmic characteristics of congenital prepapillary vascular loop (PVL) and to propose a new morphologic classification dividing the loops into six types. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Collaborative multinational multicentre retrospective study of PVL cases. RESULTS: There was a total of 49 cases (61 eyes), 37 unilateral (75.5%) and 12 bilateral (24.5%), 32 arterial type (65.3%) and 18 venous type (36.7%) (one patient had either kind in each eye). The mean number of loops per eye was 2.7 (range, 1-7). The loops were asymptomatic in 42 cases (85.7%). Other findings included: the presence of cilioretinal artery (14 cases), retinal vascular tortuosity (26 cases), amaurosis fugax (1 case), branch retinal artery occlusion (1 case) and vitreous haemorrhage (3 cases). Six morphologic loop types could be discerned based on elevation (flat vs. elevated), shape (figure of 8 or corkscrew with hyaline sheath), number (multiple or single), location (central or peripheral), lumen size (arterial vs. arteriolar) and presence of vascular tortuosity or vitreous traction. CONCLUSIONS: PVL are usually asymptomatic and can be divided into six morphologic types with different pathogenesis during early embryogenesis.

Preoperative Bevacizumab for Tractional Retinal Detachment in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: A Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: To assess the effectiveness and safety of an intravitreal injection of 1.25 mg bevacizumab (IVB) as a preoperative adjunct to small-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) compared with PPV alone in eyes with tractional retinal detachment secondary to proliferative diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: This prospective, double-masked, randomized, multicenter, active-controlled clinical trial enrolled 224 eyes of 224 patients between November 2013 and July 2015. All eyes underwent a baseline examination including best-corrected visual acuity, color photos, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography. Data were collected on intraoperative bleeding, total surgical time, early (<1 month) postoperative vitreous hemorrhage, and mean change in best-corrected visual acuity at 12 months. P < .05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 214 patients (214 eyes) were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to PPV plus IVB ([study group] 102 eyes) or PPV plus sham ([control] 112 eyes). Iatrogenic retinal breaks were noted intraoperatively in 35 eyes (34.3%) in the study group, and 66 eyes (58.9%) in the control group (P = .001). Grade 2 intraoperative bleeding was noted in 32 (31.3%) eyes in the study group and 58 (51.7 %) eyes in the control group (P = .001). Endodiathermy was necessary in 28 (27.4 %) eyes in the study group, compared with 75 (66.9%) eyes in the control group (P = .0001). Mean surgical time was 71.3 ± 32.1 minutes in the study group and 83.6 ± 38.7 minutes in the control group (P = .061). CONCLUSION: Preoperative IVB seems to reduce intraoperative bleeding, improving surgical field visualization, and reducing intraoperative and postoperative complications. NOTE: Publication of this article is sponsored by the American Ophthalmological Society.

Teleophthalmology image-based navigated retinal laser therapy for diabetic macular edema: a concept of retinal telephotocoagulation.

BACKGROUND: To determine the feasibility and efficacy of a retinal telephotocoagulation treatment plan for diabetic macular edema. METHODS: Prospective, interventional cohort study at two clinical sites. Sixteen eyes of ten subjects with diabetic macular edema underwent navigated focal laser photocoagulation using a novel teleretinal treatment plan. Clinic 1 (King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) collected retinal images and fundus fluorescein angiogram. Clinic 2 (Palmetto Retina Center, West Columbia, SC, USA) created image-based treatment plans based on which macular laser photocoagulation was performed back at clinic 1. The primary outcome of the study was feasibility of image transfer and performing navigated laser photocoagulation for subjects with diabetic macular edema between two distant clinics. Secondary measures were change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography at 3 months after treatment. RESULTS: The teleretinal treatment plan was able to be successfully completed in all 16 eyes. The mean logMAR BCVA at baseline was 0.49 ± 0.1, which remained stable (0.45 ± 0.1) 3 months after treatment (p = 0.060). The CRT improved from 290.1 ± 37.6 µm at baseline to 270.8 ± 27.7 µm 3 months after treatment (p = 0.005). All eyes demonstrated improvement in the area of retinal edema after laser photocoagulation, and no eyes demonstrated visual acuity loss 3 months after treatment. CONCLUSION: This study introduces the concept of retinal telephotocoagulation for diabetic macular edema, and demonstrates the feasibility and safety of using telemedicine to perform navigated retinal laser treatments regardless of geographical distance.

Assessment of the prevalence and risk factors of ophthalmoplegia among diabetic patients in a large national diabetes registry cohort.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the epidemiology and risk factors of ophthalmoplegia among diabetic patients. This study aims to determine the prevalence and important risk factors related to ophthalmoplegia among diabetic patients. METHODS: This is an observational registry-based study using the Saudi National Diabetes Registry (SNDR) database to select diabetic patients regardless of their diabetes type. A total of 64,351 Saudi diabetic patients aged more than 18 years and registered in SNDR between January 2000 and December 2010 were analyzed to identify ophthalmoplegic cases. Demographic, clinical, and biochemical parameters were studied and STROBE guidelines were used to design and report the results of this study. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of ophthalmoplegia cases was 0.32 %, further distributed into: 53.11 %, 36.36 %, and 2.8 % for cranial nerves VI, III, IV palsies respectively. Ophthalmoplegic cases were predominantly type 2 diabetic males with older age and longer diabetes duration. The most important and significant risk factors were age ≥ 45 years, diabetes duration ≥ 10 years, male gender and presence of retinopathy and nephropathy. CONCLUSIONS: Ophthalmoplegia is a rare entity associated mainly with type 2 diabetes. Clinicians have to consider its risk factors when screening or planning for prevention of this condition.

Serum molecular signature for proliferative diabetic retinopathy in Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes.

PURPOSE: The risk of vision loss from proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) can be reduced with timely detection and treatment. We aimed to identify serum molecular signatures that might help in the early detection of PDR in patients with diabetes. METHODS: A total of 40 patients with diabetes were recruited at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 20 with extensive PDR and 20 with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). The two groups were matched in age, gender, and known duration of diabetes. We examined the whole genome transcriptome of blood samples from the patients using RNA sequencing. We built a model using a support vector machine (SVM) approach to identify gene combinations that can classify the two groups. RESULTS: Differentially expressed genes were calculated from a total of 25,500 genes. Six genes (CCDC144NL, DYX1C1, KCNH3, LOC100506476, LOC285847, and ZNF80) were selected from the top 26 differentially expressed genes, and a combinatorial molecular signature was built based on the expression of the six genes. The mean area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.978 in the cross validation. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity were 91.7% and 91.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary study defined a combinatorial molecular signature that may be useful as a potential biomarker for early detection of proliferative diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes. A larger-scale study with an independent cohort of samples is necessary to validate and expand these findings.

Attitudes of Saudi Arabian Undergraduate Medical Students towards Health Research.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate attitudes, perceptions and perceived barriers towards health research among Saudi Arabian undergraduate medical students. METHODS: This cross-sectional study took place between August and October 2014 and included 520 students from five medical schools across Saudi Arabia. An anonymous online survey with 21 close-ended questions was designed to assess students' attitudes towards research, contribution to research-related activities, awareness of the importance of research, perception of available resources/opportunities for research, appreciation of medical students' research contributions and perceived barriers to research. Responses were scored on a 5-point Likert scale. RESULTS: A total of 401 students participated in the study (response rate: 77.1%). Of these, 278 (69.3%) were female. A positive attitude towards research was reported by 43.9% of the students. No statistically significant differences were observed between genders with regards to attitudes towards and available resources for research (P = 0.500 and 0.200, respectively). Clinical students had a significantly more positive attitude towards research compared to preclinical students (P = 0.007). Only 26.4% of the respondents believed that they had adequate resources/opportunities for research. According to the students, perceived barriers to undertaking research included time constraints (n = 200; 49.9%), lack of research mentors (n = 95; 23.7%), lack of formal research methodology training (n = 170; 42.4%) and difficulties in conducting literature searches (n = 145; 36.2%). CONCLUSION: Less than half of the surveyed Saudi Arabian medical students had a positive attitude towards health research. Medical education policies should aim to counteract the barriers identified in this study.

Diabetic glomerulosclerosis can be the pathogenesis of refractory diabetic macular edema.

BACKGROUND: Kidney failure provoked by glomerulosclerosis leads to fluid filtration deficits and other disorders of kidney function. Refractory diabetic macular edema (DME) can be another warning sign of glomerulosclerosis in diabetic patients. CASE: A 40-year-old Saudi male presented with macular edema that was refractory to all possible medical and surgical ophthalmic interventions in both eyes. The macular edema significantly improved once the patient began systemic treatment for newly diagnosed diabetic glomerulosclerosis. This case report is presented with optical coherence tomography (OCT) documentation of before and after each medical and surgical intervention. OBSERVATIONS: Considerable improvement occurred after treatment with a systemic angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and diuretic treatment due to newly diagnosed diabetic glomerulosclerosis. CONCLUSION: Refractory DME can be secondary to diabetic glomerulosclerosis. This case indicates the possibility that systemic intervention may be warranted in cases of refractory DME, and the importance of collaboration between ophthalmologists, endocrinologists, and internists in these cases.

The use of a virtual reality surgical simulator for cataract surgical skill assessment with 6 months of intervening operating room experience.

PURPOSE: To evaluate a haptic-based simulator, MicroVisTouch™, as an assessment tool for capsulorhexis performance in cataract surgery. The study is a prospective, unmasked, nonrandomized dual academic institution study conducted at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins Medical Center (Baltimore, MD, USA) and King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia). METHODS: This prospective study evaluated capsulorhexis simulator performance in 78 ophthalmology residents in the US and Saudi Arabia in the first round of testing and 40 residents in a second round for follow-up. RESULTS: Four variables (circularity, accuracy, fluency, and overall) were tested by the simulator and graded on a 0-100 scale. Circularity (42%), accuracy (55%), and fluency (3%) were compiled to give an overall score. Capsulorhexis performance was retested in the original cohort 6 months after baseline assessment. Average scores in all measured metrics demonstrated statistically significant improvement (except for circularity, which trended toward improvement) after baseline assessment. A reduction in standard deviation and improvement in process capability indices over the 6-month period was also observed. CONCLUSION: An interval objective improvement in capsulorhexis skill on a haptic-enabled cataract surgery simulator was associated with intervening operating room experience. Further work investigating the role of formalized simulator training programs requiring independent simulator use must be studied to determine its usefulness as an evaluation tool.

Vitreous hemorrhage in pediatric age group.

Purpose. To identify and study causes of vitreous hemorrhage (VH) in pediatric age group and to investigate factors predicting visual and anatomical outcomes. Procedure. A retrospective review of patients aged 16 years or less with the diagnosis of vitreous hemorrhage from January 2005 until December 2010. Results. A total number of 230 patients (240 eyes) were identified. Traumatic vitreous hemorrhage accounted for 82.5%. In cases of accidental trauma, final visual acuity of 20/200 was significantly associated with visual acuity of ≥20/200 at presentation and the absence of retinal detachment at last follow-up. Patients with nontraumatic vitreous hemorrhage were significantly younger with higher rates of enucleation/evisceration/exenteration and retinal detachment at last follow-up compared to traumatic cases. Conclusion. Trauma is the most common cause of VH in pediatric age group. In this group, initial visual acuity was the most important predictor for visual outcome, and the presence of retinal detachment is a negative predictor for final good visual outcome. The outcome is significantly worse in nontraumatic cases compared to traumatic cases.

Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography findings in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy suggest a type 1 neovascular growth pattern.

PURPOSE: To report spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventeen eyes of 15 consecutive patients diagnosed with PCV based on typical clinical and angiographic findings were imaged with macular SD-OCT including line scans passing through the polyps. RESULTS: SD-OCT findings included typical and atypical retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) detachments and subretinal and intraretinal fluid in all eyes. In the areas corresponding to the polypoidal lesions, well-delineated round-oval, sub-RPE cavities were present and were adherent to the posterior surface of the detached RPE above Bruch membrane. No retinal or choroidal connections to the cavities were noted. CONCLUSION: These SD-OCT findings document that the vascular lesions in PCV are not located in the inner choroid, but in the sub-RPE space, suggesting that PCV is a variant of type 1 choroidal neovascularization rather than a distinct clinical entity as initially thought.

Review of choroidal osteomas.

Choroidal osteomas are rare benign ossifying tumors that appear as irregular slightly elevated, yellow-white, juxtapapillary, choroidal mass with well-defined geographic borders, depigmentation of the overlying pigment epithelium; and with multiple small vascular networks on the tumor surface. Visual loss results from three mechanisms: Atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium overlying a decalcified osteoma; serous retinal detachment over the osteoma from decompensated retinal pigment epithelium, and most commonly from choroidal neovascularization. Recent evidence points to the beneficial effects of intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor antagonists in improving visual acuity in serous retinal detachment with or without choroidal neovascularization.

Role of Intravitreal Antivascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections for Choroidal Neovascularization due to Choroidal Osteoma.

We treated 26 eyes of 25 young patients having a mean age of 30 years with intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor for choroidal new vessel (CNV) formation overlying choroidal osteoma over a mean follow-up of 26 months. Mean number of injections was 2.4 at 6 months, 3.2 at 12 months, and 5.5 at 24 months. CNV was subfoveal in 14 eyes, juxtafoveal in 5, extrafoveal in 5, and peripapillary in 2. By paired comparison, mean decrease from baseline was 119.7 microns at 6 months (n = 15; P = 0.001), 105.3 microns at 1 year (n = 10; P = 0.03), and 157.6 microns at 2 years (n = 7; P = 0.08). BCVA improved by 3.3 lines at 6 months after therapy (n = 26; P < 0.001), 2.8 lines (n = 20; P = 0.01) at 1 year, and 3.1 lines (n = 13; P = 0.049) at 2 years. We conclude that intravitreal anti-VEGF injections improve vision in majority of eyes with CNV from choroidal osteoma.

Surgical simulators in cataract surgery training.

BACKGROUND: Virtual simulators have been widely implemented in medical and surgical training, including ophthalmology. The increasing number of published articles in this field mandates a review of the available results to assess current technology and explore future opportunities. METHOD: A PubMed search was conducted and a total of 10 articles were reviewed. RESULTS: Virtual simulators have shown construct validity in many modules, successfully differentiating user experience levels during simulated phacoemulsification surgery. Simulators have also shown improvements in wet-lab performance. The implementation of simulators in the residency training has been associated with a decrease in cataract surgery complication rates. CONCLUSIONS: Virtual reality simulators are an effective tool in measuring performance and differentiating trainee skill level. Additionally, they may be useful in improving surgical skill and patient outcomes in cataract surgery. Future opportunities rely on taking advantage of technical improvements in simulators for education and research.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment in children 16 years of age or younger.

PURPOSE: To study the anatomical and visual outcomes and prognostic factors that may predict the outcomes of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) in children. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed for patients 16 years of age or younger who underwent retinal reattachment surgery for RRD at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital from 1996 to 2005 and the King Khalid Eye Specialist Hospital from 2002 to 2006, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Good visual outcome was defined as ≥20/200. The association between two categorical variables was evaluated with the Chi-squared test or the exact test, as appropriate. Predictors for RRD and good final visual acuity were identified by conducting stepwise logistic regression analysis. P < 0.05 was statistically significant. RESULTS: The study population comprised 148 patients (166 eyes). There were 104 (70%) males and 44 (30%) females. Mean age at presentation was 8.33 ± 3.26 years (range 1.5-16 years). The retina was reattached after one surgical procedure in 106 (63.8%) eyes and reattached in 130 (78.3%) eyes after multiple surgeries. Factors predicting recurrence after the first surgery were myopia (P = 0.028), proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) at presentation (P = 0.024), and total retinal detachment (P = 0.032). Good final visual outcome was achieved in 60 (44.4%) eyes. Predictors of good visual acuity were: good visual acuity at presentation (P < 0.001); absence of PVR at presentation (P < 0.001); one quadrant of retinal detachment (P = 0.0024); macula on (P = 0.0107); absence of primary repair of a ruptured globe (P = 0.0059); no pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) (P = 0.0123); clear phakic lens at follow-up (P < 0.001); absence of postoperative complications (P < 0.001); absence of recurrence of RRD (P < 0.001); and absence of epiretinal membrane (P = 0.0088). Logistic regression analysis indicated that recurrence of RRD was associated with myopia and previous congenital cataract surgery; good final visual outcome was associated with macula on detachment and poor visual outcome was associated with recurrence of RRD and occurrence of postoperative complications and previous repair of a ruptured globe. CONCLUSION: RRD in children is usually associated with a predisposing factor, a high rate of PVR, and total retinal detachment. Despite late diagnosis and the presence of PVR, favorable anatomical and visual outcomes can be achieved.

Anesthesia for pars plana vitrectomy with insulin needle, is it possible?

Peribulbar block is commonly used for ocular posterior segment surgery. This work aimed to compare the efficacy of using 12.5 mm to 25 mm standard needle length in performing single injection peribulbar block for retinal surgery. Peribulbar block was performed in 120 patients using either standard 25 mm or 12.5 mm 30 G needle (insulin needle). While applying digital pressure around the needle hub, 8-10 mL of local anesthetic are injected. Ocular movement was assessed at 5 and 10 min using simple akinesia score (0-8). If after 10 min score was >1, supplementary injection was given. Visual analogue scale (0-10) was used at the end of the procedure to assess surgeons' satisfaction and patients' intraoperative pain. No differences in akinesia score at 5 & 10 min (P = 0.34 and 0.36, resp.). Initial volume injected was comparable between groups (P = 0.31), however total volume of local anesthesia and supplementary injections were significantly higher in 12.5 mm group (P = 0.03 and 0.01, resp.). No difference as regard surgeons' satisfaction and patients' intraoperative pain (P = 1.0 and 0.18, resp.). Peribulbar block with 12.5 mm needle together with digital compression is a suitable alternative to the standard block with 25 mm needle length for retinal surgery.

Surgical treatment and histopathology of a symptomatic free-floating primary pigment epithelial iris cyst in the anterior vitreous.

We report the surgical removal of an iris pigment epithelial cyst that was floating freely in the posterior chamber of an 18-month-old child. The reason for surgical removal was disturbance in near vision secondary to the movement of the cyst across the visual axis. Visual disturbance secondary to a unilateral anterior vitreous iris cyst at this age is a rare presentation and, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported previously as an indication for surgery. We performed histopathological study of the cyst aspirate to determine its contents and its possible origin.

Ocular manifestations of branchio-oculo-facial syndrome: report of a novel mutation and review of the literature.

PURPOSE: To report unusual ocular manifestations of branchio-oculo-facial syndrome (BOFS) caused by a novel mutation in activating enhancer binding protein 2 alpha (TFAP2A). METHODS: Full ophthalmological evaluation and direct sequencing of TFAP2A. RESULTS: A 10-year-old girl with unusual ocular manifestations of BOFS such as elliptical shaped microcornea and a novel de novo TFAP2A mutation was identified. CONCLUSIONS: This report expands the ocular phenotypic spectrum of BOFS and adds to the small number of reported TFAP2A mutations.

Optical coherence tomography demonstration of Best's vitelliform macular dystrophy in a child.

Considering the importance of optical coherence tomography in clinical decision making, the veracity of these images is critical. The authors describe a 5-year-old girl with Best's vitelliform macular dystrophy of different stages of development in both eyes in which the optical coherence tomography appearance correlated well with both the staves of the disease and the visual function.