Phacoemulsification in vitrectomized eyes under topical anesthesia.

PURPOSE: To study phacoemulsification in vitrectomized eyes under topical anesthesia, assessing anesthetic and intraoperative characteristics and complications. METHODS: A prospective study was performed on 52 eyes of 51 patients who underwent phacoemulsification of cataract with intraocular lens implantation under topical anesthesia, having previously undergone pars plana vitrectomy. Surgical and anesthetic observations and complications were recorded, as were visual outcomes. RESULTS: Ninety-two percent of patients had improved visual acuity postoperatively with only one patient having visual loss as a result of surgery. The most common intraoperative observations were of a deep anterior chamber, posterior capsular plaques, posterior synechiae, and nuclear sclerotic cataracts. Topical anesthesia proved satisfactory in 96%, with only two patients requiring intracameral lignocaine 1%; no patients required conversion to injection anesthesia. There were no major operative or postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Phacoemulsification in vitrectomized eyes can be challenging, but is visually rewarding. Topical anesthesia proved satisfactory for the vast majority of cases, with none of our patients requiring conversion to injection anesthesia.

Increased CD4+ expression and decreased IL-10 in the anterior chamber in idiopathic uveitis.

PURPOSE: To compare cell types and cytokines in aqueous humor from patients with uveitis either occurring in association with a systemic disease or apparently isolated and not associated with a systemic disease. METHODS: Cells were collected by centrifugation of fresh aqueous humor from uveitis and controls, and immunofluorescence techniques were performed with markers for T cells, B cells, and monocytes. Cytokines were measured in the aqueous supernatants, and serum samples were assayed for soluble interleukin-2 receptors. RESULTS: When aqueous samples from idiopathic uveitis were compared with those from uveitis associated with a systemic disease, there were increases in CD3+, CD4+ (p = 0.001), and activated CD4+ T cells (p = 0.02) and a decrease in B cells (p = 0.0013). This was not reflected in the peripheral blood where there were no differences in the cell types or in soluble interleukin-2 receptor levels. No cells were obtainable from control aqueous. Interleukins-10 and -12, interferon-gamma, and transforming growth factor-beta2 were detected in aqueous supernatants. Interleukin-10 was reduced (p = 0.024) in uveitis in comparison with controls. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a selective recruitment of CD4+ T cells within aqueous humor but only in idiopathic uveitis. In both disease groups there was a decrease in the immunoregulatory cytokine interleukin-10, which might enable an immune response to occur in an otherwise highly immunosuppressive microenvironment. Increases in activated CD4+ T cells combined with depressed interleukin-10 levels could partially explain why, for example, in acute anterior uveitis, the inflammatory disease is often more severe.

Pneumatic retinopexy in the treatment of primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

PURPOSE: To review the management by pneumatic retinopexy of 31 primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments performed between August 1994 and December 1997. METHODS: Ocular indications included superior retinal breaks, no evidence of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) and ability to posture. Patients with inferior breaks and/or areas of vitreoretinal degeneration were excluded. Surgery was performed under local anaesthetic using sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) or perfluoropropane (C3F8) gas injection. Transconjunctival cryotherapy or laser retinopexy was used to create permanent retinal adhesion. The mean length of patient follow-up was 11 months (range 5-24 months). RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (20 men, 11 women) with a mean age of 63.4 years (range 29-81 years) underwent pneumatic retinopexy which resulted in initial retinal reattachment in 22 patients. Two detachments recurred in the first month and a third at 4 months post-operatively, giving an anatomical reattachment rate with one procedure in 19 out of 31 eyes (61%). Of the 12 failures, 7 were reattached with one additional operation and one case reattached after multiple procedures, giving an overall reattachment rate of 87%. Post-operatively, new or missed breaks were present in 7 patients (22%) and PVR developed in 4 patients (13%). There was no difference in age, gender or extent of detachment between the failed and reattached groups and pseudophakia did not appear to be a poor prognostic factor. CONCLUSION: Pneumatic retinopexy can be a useful alternative to conventional rhegmatogenous retinal detachment surgery in carefully selected cases. A larger study addressing the influence of non-ocular factors is warranted.

The early results of excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy for compound myopic astigmatism.

UNLABELLED: An excimer laser (VISX Twenty/Twenty Excimer Refractive System) was used to treat 51 eyes for myopia and astigmatism. Uncorrected pretreatment visual acuity was between 6/18 and 6/60 (log unit +0.45 to +1.0) in 59% and worse than 6/60 in 29%. The mean pretreatment spherical refractive error was -4.05 dioptre (range 1.25 to 13.25), and the mean pretreatment cylindrical error was -0.97 dioptre (range 0.25 to 4.00). RESULTS: Uncorrected visual acuity measured 6/6 or better (log unit 0.0 or less) in 80% at three months, and averaged 6/6 for all eyes at six months post-treatment, with 75% eyes obtaining 6/6 or better. The mean post-treatment spherical error decayed according to pre-treatment values, with a mean sphere of -0.20 dioptre for eyes initially less than -2.00 dioptre, -0.40 dioptre (for those between -2.25 and -3.00), -0.71 dioptre (for those between -4.25 and -5.00), and -1.15 dioptre for eyes initially above -6.25 dioptre. Vectored cylindrical correction exhibited response proportional to initial refraction, with a mean post-treatment cylinder of -1.83 dioptre for eyes formerly averaging -3.08 dioptre, -0.55 dioptre (eyes initially averaging -1.63 dioptre), and -0.51 dioptre (eyes initially averaging -0.67 dioptre). Vector analysis of post-treatment astigmatism showed 58% eyes exhibiting 51 or more degrees of axis shift, although 34% eyes remained within 20 degrees of their pretreatment axis. CONCLUSIONS: An effective reduction in spherocylindrical error was achieved with all eyes, although axis misalignment was a common event.

Delayed fellow eye involvement in acute retinal necrosis syndrome.

PURPOSE/METHOD: We studied a case of acute retinal necrosis in which a 30-year delay occurred between involvement of the first and fellow eyes. After systemic treatment with acyclovir and prednisolone, the fellow eye developed a retinal detachment requiring vitrectomy and silicone oil tamponade. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: The fellow eye retained a useful Snellen acuity of 20/120. In a patient who has had acute retinal necrosis, any symptoms or signs in the fellow eye, even several decades later, should alert the examining physician to the possibility of delayed involvement of the fellow eye.

A pilot study into the prevalence of ophthalmic disease in the Indian population of Southall.

A pilot study was carried out to determine the prevalence of ophthalmic disease in the Indian community of Southall and to ascertain the best methods applicable for a larger formal study. Three sites were chosen for the study, a Sikh gurdwara, a mosque and a Hindu temple. The subjects were volunteers aged 30 years and over who had visited the appropriate place of worship at least twice in the previous month. A total of 184 subjects were examined. The prevalence of blindness was 2.7% by the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, while 9.8% had uniocular blindness. The prevalence of glaucoma and ocular hypertension was 2.7% and 7%, respectively. Of the 184 subjects examined, 58% had cataract and 3.8% had age-related maculopathy. The prevalence of visually disabling trachomatous eye disease was 9.7%. The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 17.9%, and that of hypertension 22.8%. This small study suggests that people with origins from the Indian subcontinent have a higher prevalence of ophthalmic disease than the Caucasian population.

Removal of silicone oil following diabetic vitrectomy.

The outcome of the removal of silicone oil from previously vitrectomised diabetic eyes was studied in a series of 25 eyes in 24 patients. Originally the patients presented with complex retinal detachments associated with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and all had reattached retinas after the initial operation. During the silicone tamponade, a number of complications had occurred. Cataract had developed in 14 eyes, glaucoma in eight, and reproliferation of fibrous membranes in 12. After the removal of silicone the retina redetached in three eyes (in all cases associated with severe postoperative haemorrhage), hypotony occurred in five eyes (transiently in four) and the seven eyes remaining phakic developed a cataract. In spite of these problems the eventual visual acuities returned to the immediate post-vitrectomy levels in almost all the eyes.

Ownership of direct ophthalmoscopes by medical students.

In September 1986 the Department of Education and Science withdrew the equipment grant for clinical medical students. This coincided with a reduction of 50% in the level of ownership of direct ophthalmoscopes amongst a group of 51 medical students who commenced their medical studies after September 1986 (no longer eligible for the equipment grant), when compared with a group of 63 students (in the same clinical year) who started the medical course before 1 September 1986 and who were hence still able to claim the equipment grant. The majority of non-owners gave lack of finance as the reason for non-ownership. Owners of ophthalmoscopes performed ophthalmoscopy more frequently than non-owners, but the difference did not reach statistical significance.

Sympathetic ophthalmia: visual results with modern immunosuppressive therapy.

Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare bilateral panuveitis that follows penetrating injury to one eye. The use of systemic corticosteroids has transformed the prognosis, and good acuity in the sympathizing eye can now be achieved. The use of immunosuppressive drugs, such as cyclosporin and azathioprine, in combination with the steroids, allows control of the intraocular inflammation at a much lower steroid dose, with concomitant reduction in the systemic side effects that accompany the use of systemic steroids.

Ocutome lensectomy: results and complications.

We describe the results and the complications encountered in 69 lensectomies performed via a limbal approach with the Ocutome vitrectomy instrument, in which it was the intention at surgery to maintain the integrity of the posterior capsule. After operation 87% improved in visual acuity, and 68% achieved 6/12 or better. The main early complications encountered were perioperative rupture of the posterior capsule and iris damage. The main late complications were postoperative thickening of the posterior capsule, retinal detachment, and bullous keratopathy. Of the eyes in which the posterior capsule remained intact after operation 17% developed thickening of the posterior capsule to a degree that required capsulotomy over a mean follow-up period of 50 months.

Anisocoria in unilateral ophthalmic disease.

Pupillary diameters in the affected and unaffected eyes of 327 patients with uniocular red eye were assessed during fixation of a distant target. The mean pupillary diameters were similar in the unaffected eyes in each of eight diagnostic groups, but were significantly different (F = 3.84, p less than 0.001) in the diseased eyes. With corneal abrasions (p less than 0.001), marginal keratitis (p less than 0.05), and acute anterior uveitis (p less than 0.001) the mean pupillary diameter for the affected eye was significantly smaller than that of the unaffected eye. The observed differences of pupillary diameter probably reflect the role of neuronal and autocoid mechanisms in the unilateral control of pupillary size.

Extensive argon laser photocoagulation in the treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

A group of 20 patients (28 eyes) with proliferative retinopathy who required extensive argon laser photocoagulation to induce regression of new vessels is presented. The mean number of burns applied to each eye was 7225, with a maximum of 11,513. These were delivered in a mean of nine sessions over a mean period of 22.9 months. Twenty-five eyes (89%) had a final visual acuity of 6/18 or better. The remaining three eyes (11%) had severely reduced vision attributable to complications of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (traction retinal detachment involving the macula in two eyes and ischaemic maculopathy and a persistent vitreous haemorrhage in the third). Large amounts of confluent argon laser photocoagulation may be necessary for the elimination of new vessels in some patients, and it is our view that laser photocoagulation should be continued until regression of new vessels occurs. This is compatible with the retention of functional vision and good visual acuity.

The Ciapryna coaxial cannula.

We describe a high quality, reusable, coaxial irrigation aspiration cannula for cortical cleansing during cataract surgery. Its advantages are that it is cheap, resterilisable, atraumatic, and has a rapid inflow, low-pressure irrigation rate enabling faster and safer aspiration of soft lens matter.