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Poppers maculopathy is a complication of alkyl nitrate (poppers) inhalation. It presents with non-specific symptoms and variable signs, which can make it difficult to diagnose. We present a case of coexisting cataract and poppers maculopathy in a patient. He had vague visual symptoms that were attributed entirely to his cataract and he went on to have cataract surgery. Suboptimal postoperative visual acuity and normal clinical examination triggered further investigation with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), after which poppers maculopathy was diagnosed. We highlight the importance of performing OCT in the preoperative assessment of a cataract patient, especially where the cataract is mild and may not fully account for symptoms. The patient showed complete visual recovery on drug cessation despite ongoing maculopathy on OCT scans.
Assuntos
Extração de Catarata , Catarata , Tomografia de Coerência Óptica , Humanos , Tomografia de Coerência Óptica/métodos , Masculino , Catarata/induzido quimicamente , Extração de Catarata/efeitos adversos , Doenças Retinianas/induzido quimicamente , Doenças Retinianas/diagnóstico por imagem , Doenças Retinianas/diagnóstico , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Acuidade Visual , Nitratos/efeitos adversos , Diagnóstico Ausente , Administração por InalaçãoRESUMO
Introduction: To explore patient and clinician perspectives on acute ophthalmology presentations during the COVID pandemic. To ascertain whether the pandemic had differentially impacted access to care based on patient demographics and postcodes. Methods: A single-centre, cross-sectional prospective study in a busy metropolitan eye casualty between April-June 2020 recording patient demographics, distance travelled to access healthcare, diagnosis and outcome compared to the equivalent period in 2019. A further two-part survey was conducted to explore patient and clinician's perceptions around delays in attendances, views on remote consultation and severity of the condition. Results: There was a 68% decrease in April 2020 compared to previous year's ED attendance. The diagnosis tended towards more visually significant pathology. From 2019 to 2020, there was a significant decrease in average distance travelled to the eye emergency department (eye ED). working-age adults (18-59) and white patients travelling from very far pre-pandemic contributed most to this change. 513 Patient responses (12%) out of 4433 attendances during the study period were received, 89% (456/513) of the completed surveys also had matching clinician surveys. 29% (149/513) patients felt COVID-19 stopped them from attending earlier. Clinicians thought a video consultation would have been suitable for 40% (182/456) of patients compared to only 13% (58/456) of patients preferring a video consultation. Discussion: Although our findings were limited by low response rates, COVID-19 may have caused a delay in presentation for emergency eye care. Demographic changes and attitudes towards video consultations have implications for planning of emergency eye care in future pandemics.
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Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death (PCD) and enables the immunologically silent disposal of senescent or unwanted cells, causing minimal damage to the surrounding environment. Apoptosis can occur via intrinsic or extrinsic pathways that initiate a series of intracellular and extracellular signaling events. This ultimately leads to the clearance of the cell by phagocytes. This normal physiological mechanism may be accelerated in several diseases including those involving the eyes and brain, leading to loss of structure and function. This review presents the role of PCD in the health of the eyes and brain, and the evidence presented for its aberrant role in disease.