Ultrasonic circular cyclocoagulation prospective safety and effectiveness study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultrasound cycloplasty procedures (UCP) in patients with uncontrolled glaucoma. METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study with UCP was performed by EyeOP1© probe with 8 s duration on 6 or 8 sectors, according to baseline intraocular pressure (IOP). Complete ophthalmic examination was performed pre- and post-operatively at 1st day, 1st week, 1st, 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th months. UCP was repeated beyond 3rd month if IOP was > 21 mmHg, under maximum therapy, without major complications. Primary outcomes were complete (IOP reduction ≥ 20% or reduction in number of antiglaucomatous drugs and IOP ≥ 5 mmHg without occurrence of major complications) and qualified (IOP reduction ≥ 20% or reduction in number of antiglaucomatous drugs and IOP ≥ 5 mmHg) surgical success rates at 12 months. Secondary outcomes were mean IOP reduction, mean number of drugs reduction, rates of failure, number of repeated procedures, mean time to failure and occurrence of complications. RESULTS: Fourteen eyes of 13 patients (11 male) with advanced glaucoma (Hoddap classification) were included. Six were surgically naïve. Mean age was 68.29 ± 10.66 years. Four eyes were treated in 8 sectors (28.5%). Patients were followed for 12 months after first UCP procedure. Overall surgical success was achieved in 92.9% at 6 months and in 100% of cases at 12 months. Mean IOP significantly reduced from 28.50 ± 7.61 mmHg to 13.79 ± 6.97 at 1 month, 17.36 ± 8.58 at 3 months, 17.79 ± 6.29 at 6 months, 16.3 ± 4.6 at 9 months and to 15.23 ± 5.09 at 12 months (p < 0.01). Mean number of drugs reduced from 3.71 ± 0.61 to 2.43 ± 1.51 at 3 months, 2.86 ± 1.1 at 6 months, 2.64 ± 0.93 at 9 months and to 2.92 ± 0.86 at 12 months (p < 0.05). Major reversible complications included choroidal detachment in 2 (14.29%) and corneal edema in 1 eye (7.14%), without permanent visual acuity reduction. Minor reversible complications included anterior chamber reaction (92.25%), conjunctival hyperemia (71.43%) and superficial keratitis (57.4%). Four eyes (28.57%) had indication for repeating UCP, with mean period to failure of 8.1 ± 3.95 months. CONCLUSION: UCP procedures are effective in reducing IOP in severe glaucoma. Its application and repetition seem to be a medium-long term acceptable alternative to cyclodestructive surgery. However, long-term efficacy and safety require yet further investigation.

Retinal structural changes in preterm children without retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare all retinal layers' thickness in full-term and preterm children without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). METHODS: Cross-sectional study including two groups of patients: group 1 children with history of preterm gestation without ROP (gestational age < 37 weeks) and group 2 healthy children with history of full-term gestation. All subjects underwent an ophthalmic examination including spectral domain-optical coherence tomography. After automatic retinal segmentation, each retinal layer thickness (eight separate layers and overall thickness) was calculated in all nine Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study areas. Demographic, systemic, gestational, and birth data were collected. Generalized additive regression models were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Fifty-one children (51 eyes) were recruited, 19 full-term and 32 preterm children, mean age at ophthalmic examination of 10.58 (4.21) and 14.13 (3.16), respectively. In multivariable analysis, the preterm group's retinal thickness was significantly decreased in total retina nasal outer sector, ganglion cell layer (GCL), and inner plexiform layer (IPL), specifically GCL temporal outer (p = 0.010), GCL superior outer (p = 0.009), IPL temporal outer (p = 0.022), and IPL superior outer (p = 0.004), when compared with full-term group. From the variables compared only with birth head circumference that influenced the models, a non-linear association was identified and consequently modeled with splines through a generalized additive model. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that preterm children without ROP have structural retinal alterations, mostly in GCL and IPL in outer areas of the macula. Therefore, it is crucial to question gestational history since these retinal changes may be found later in life leading to useless investigation.

Astenopia digital em controladores de tráfego aéreo: diagnóstico e avaliação na Força Aérea Portuguesa / Digital-related eye strain in air traffic control specialists: diagnosis and evaluation in the Portuguese Air Force staff

RESUMO A função de controlador aéreo exige várias horas de visualização de ecrãs, o que torna esses profissionais um grupo particularmente exposto à astenopia digital. Procuramos, com este artigo de revisão, compreender quais os métodos quantitativos e qualitativos usados atualmente para diagnosticar e avaliar a fadiga ocular em controladores de tráfego aéreo. Trata-se de pesquisa bibliográfica utilizando as bases de dados PubMed® e ClinicalKey®, usando palavras-chave, tendo sido selecionados artigos de revisão e estudos observacionais com publicação posterior ao ano 2000, de modo que os termos buscados estivessem no título e/ou resumo do trabalho. Excluímos artigos em línguas que não inglesa. Existem vários métodos para melhor caracterizar a astenopia digital, destacando-se os subjetivos, como questionários, e os objetivos, que procuram, por um lado, diagnosticar o olho seco, bem como alterações da acomodação e da convergência. Da análise efetuada, ressaltou-se uma escassez de estudos prospectivos com Níveis de Evidência moderados e altos relacionados com a aplicação dos vários métodos de diagnóstico. A Computer-Vision Symptom Scale parece ser um questionário confiável e que pode ser aplicado aos controladores de tráfego aéreo, para diagnóstico de astenopia digital. Vários métodos objetivos podem também ser utilizados para essa avaliação, sendo importante, numa fase posterior, aplicar esses dois tipos de métodos de diagnóstico para avaliar a prevalência dessa patologia em controladores de tráfego aéreo.

ABSTRACT The work of air traffic control specialists require several hours looking at screens, and they comprise a group particularly exposed to digital-related eye strain. In this review we aim to understand the quantitative and qualitative methods currently used to diagnose and evaluate asthenopia in air traffic control specialists. A bibliographic search was carried out at the databases PubMed® and ClinicalKey®, using keywords, and selecting review articles and observational studies, dated after 2000, containing the keywords in the title and/o abstract. Articles not published in English were excluded. There are several subjective and objective methods to better describe digital-related eye strain, including questionnaires, aiming to make diagnosis of dry eye disease or changes in accommodation and convergence. From our analysis, there are few prospective studies with moderate and high levels of evidence regarding these diagnostic methods. The Computer-Vision Symptom Scale seems to be a reliable questionnaire to be applied to air traffic control specialists, for diagnosis of digital-related eye strain. Several objective methods can also be employed in this evaluation, and, in a later stage, it will be important to apply both diagnostic methods to evaluate the prevalence of this condition in air traffic control specialists.

XEN® implant and trabeculectomy medium-term quality of life assessment and comparison of results.

AIM: To evaluate and compare the quality of life of patients submitted to XEN® implant or trabeculectomy and the relationship with potentially involved variables. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of patients with advanced open-angle glaucoma who underwent implantation of XEN® (group 1) and trabeculectomy (group 2) between October 2015 and February 2017. The studied variables were: age, gender, follow-up time, need of topical anti-hypertensive therapy, visual acuity and intraocular pressure (IOP). The quantification of the quality of life was attained through the Glaucoma Symptom Scale (GSS) questionnaire. RESULTS: Totally 34 eyes (34 patients) were included, 17 in each group. The mean GSS scores for group 1 were 42.6±6.8 (median, 47; p25, 36.5; p75, 48.5) and for group 2 it was 41.6±7.0 (median, 43; p25, 36.5; p75, 47.0; P=0.34). There was a strong negative correlation between the need for topical anti-hypertensive drugs and the GSS result in both groups (r=-0.88, P<0.01, r=-0.59, P=0.01, respectively) and a moderate negative correlation with IOP in group 1 (r=-0.50, P=0.03). CONCLUSION: The analysis demonstrates the non-inferiority of medium-term quality of life of one group in relation to the other (XEN® implant and trabeculectomy). The number of topical anti-hypertensive drugs and IOP negatively influenced the quality of life.