A case of etanercept (anti-TNF agent) induced granulomas on the lids.

Sarcoid-like granulomas are a rare adverse effect of TNF-α inhibitors that are becoming increasingly reported in the literature. A retrospective study in France estimated this adverse effect to occur in 0.04% patients. We report an important reversible cause that is more commonly being seen.A 70 year old lady presented with multiple lesions on her lids in the ophthalmology clinic. Histology confirmed that they were sarcoid-like granulomas. The patient had been started on etanercept (anti-TNF agent) a few months prior for rheumatoid arthritis. Investigations were undertaken to rule out differentials such as autoimmune conditions and infective causes like tuberculosis.After ruling out an active inflammatory disease and an autoimmune cause, etanercept induced granulomas were considered. Etanercept was stopped. This resulted in the resolution of granulomas over the course of a few months.Etanercept induced granulomas resolve when the anti-TNF agent is discontinued; however, some patients may require treatment with steroids.As this case demonstrates, ophthalmologists should be aware that anti-TNF agents can cause non-caseating granulomas, which can be cutaneous or pulmonary. This can help to result in more prompt diagnoses and appropriate treatment.

Sequential versus combined penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To compare the refractive and visual outcomes of combined penetrating keratoplasty and cataract surgery (triple procedure) with those of sequential surgery (penetrating keratoplasty followed by secondary cataract extraction and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation). METHODS: Forty-six consecutive patients undergoing triple procedure or sequential surgery performed by two surgeons were reviewed retrospectively. The triple procedure group consisted of 23 patients and the sequential surgery group also consisted of 23 patients. Refractive and visual outcomes were collected and analyzed with at least 1 year of follow-up for both groups. Both the difference from target and the variability of the refractive outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: Best spectacle corrected visual acuity of 6/12 or better was achieved in 16 eyes (69.8%) in the triple procedure group and in 19 eyes (82.6%) in the sequential surgery group. For both the triple and sequential groups, there was no difference between the mean postoperative refractive outcome (-2.73/+1.05 x 109 SD = 4.30/1.42/4.43) and (-1.33/+0.79 x 175 SD = 2.39/1.16/2.33) compared with the mean target refraction (-0.77, SD = 1.16 and -0.43, SD = 0.99), (p = 0.39 and 0.48), respectively. In addition, there was no significant difference in the variability of the refractive outcome between the two groups (p > 0.99). CONCLUSIONS: Sequential surgery appears to offer no significant advantages over the triple procedure in terms of refractive predictability or variability. There was a slight trend toward more patients achieving 6/12 or better vision in the sequential group.

Keratoconus associated with CSNB1.

A 35-year-old man with best corrected visual acuities of -18.00/+10.00×180 (6/60) OD and -10.00/+8.00×5 (6/36) OS. Bilateral steep central corneal thinning, paracentral ectasia and Vogts striae were present; normal fundi. Corneal topography disclosed 7.4 dioptres of irregular astigmatism in the central 3 mm with thinning (335 µm). Electroretinography (ERG) showed no response. There were no medical or environmental influences for his keratoconus. Occurrence of keratoconus and CSNB in the patient may represent a chance association, but keratoconus has not been previously linked with CSNB1 either as a chance or true association though both show genetic predisposition.

Conjunctival-corneal melt in association with carotid artery stenosis.

PURPOSE: To report a case of severe conjunctival-corneal melt in association with carotid artery stenosis. METHODS: Observational case report. RESULTS: A 76-year-old man with a history of bilateral severe carotid artery occlusion and nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy developed a spontaneous bulbar conjunctival defect. Despite intensive lubrication, and attempts at surgical closure including an amniotic membrane patch graft, it progressed with subsequent adjacent corneal perforation. Thorough investigations revealed no underlying disease, except markedly delayed episcleral vessel filling on anterior segment fluorescein angiography. CONCLUSIONS: Neovascularisation is a known factor in the inhibition of ulceration. In light of the findings in this report, ocular ischemia should be considered as a cause or contributing factor in the differential diagnosis of conjunctival-corneal melt.

Pharmacokinetics of vancomycin following intracameral bolus injection in patients undergoing phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

AIM: To determine the elimination kinetics of intracameral vancomycin administered as a bolus injection at the end of phacoemulsification cataract surgery. METHODS: Vancomycin 1 mg/0.1 ml saline solution was administered to 19 patients by intracameral bolus injection at the end of routine cataract surgery. The aqueous concentration of vancomycin was determined in nine patients 1 minute after administration and in 10 patients 18-24 hours postoperatively. Aqueous samples were obtained by inserting a Rycroft cannula into the anterior chamber via the side port incision. Fluorescence polarisation immunoassay was used to calculate the aqueous vancomycin concentration. RESULTS: The median (interquartile range) vancomycin concentration was 5458 (4756-6389) mg/l at 1 minute and 40.6 (25.9-47.1) mg/l 18 to 24 hours (median 19 hours) postoperatively. The vancomycin concentration exceeded the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of endophthalmitis-causing gram-positive bacteria by a factor of 4 for up to 26 hours postoperatively. No adverse event or reaction was noted. CONCLUSION: Following bolus intracameral injection at the end of cataract surgery the concentration of vancomycin in the anterior chamber vastly exceeds its MIC for at least 24 hours but is predicted to fall below the MIC after 33 hours.

Treatment of refractory vernal ulcers with large-diameter bandage contact lenses.

PURPOSE: To report two cases of refractory vernal ulcers in which the fitting of a large-diameter (22 mm) hydrogel (Contaflex T75) bandage contact lens (BCL) ameliorated the signs and symptoms of the condition. METHODS: Two patients with refractory vernal ulcers are described. Mechanisms of the effect of a large-diameter lens across the ocular surface are discussed in this condition. RESULTS: The first patient is a 10-year-old boy who had been treated unsuccessfully for a left vernal corneal ulcer with topical prednisolone 0.5% and olopatadine. The vernal ulcer resolved 2 weeks after the fitting of a large-diameter BCL. The second patient is a 4-year-old boy who had been intolerant of all his previous topical medications partly because of his ocular discomfort in association with the right vernal ulcer. A large-diameter BCL was fitted in his right eye. The BCL was removed 2 weeks later with complete healing of the corneal vernal ulcer. Owing to his improved comfort, the patient was able to tolerate topical prednisolone 0.5% drops. CONCLUSIONS: Large-diameter BCLs may be a useful treatment option in the management of refractory vernal ulcers.

Presymptomatic diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma associated with bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferation.

A 62-year-old man presented with bilateral diffuse uveal melanocytic proliferations (BDUMP) and painful flexor contractures of the fingers of both hands. All these features were considered paraneoplastic but extensive and repeated investigations revealed no underlying malignancy. Oral steroids and orbital radiotherapy were ineffective. The diagnosis was confirmed by trans-scleral biopsy of the right choroid. Rapidly progressive cataracts were treated by phacoemulsification. Severe exudative retinal detachment with rubeosis and neovascular glaucoma in the left eye were treated successfully by partial choroidectomy. Fifteen months after presentation, investigations detected a 22 mm, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma, which was resected without complication. The ocular tumours in both eyes regressed, without improvement in vision of Light Perception, and the palmar fasciitis also improved. The patient remained free of tumour recurrence until sudden death from myocardial infarction five years after he first presented.

Binocular visual field changes after surgery in esotropic amblyopia.

PURPOSE: To determine binocular visual field (BVF) changes after strabismus surgery in children with large angle esotropia, and whether these changes can be predicted, using a prism to correct the preoperative angle of deviation. METHODS: Monocular visual field (MVF) and BVF were measured by Goldmann perimetry in healthy adults (n = 6) using a range of prisms. Visual fields were then measured in normal children (n = 19) and in children with large angle esotropic amblyopia (n = 28). The visual field was measured preoperatively with and without a prism equal to the angle of esotropia. A further evaluation was made at 2 and 18 months postoperatively. RESULTS: In healthy adults, prisms had no significant effect on the extent of MVF or BVF. There was no significant difference in the MVF in children with and without strabismus. There was a significant reduction in the BVF and in the ratio of the BVF to MVF between normal children (138 degrees, 0.59; P = 0.01) and children with esotropic amblyopia (120 degrees, 0.57; P = 0.02). Postoperatively, there was a significant improvement in the BVF (P = 0.02), which was maintained at 18 months. The increase in BVF was significantly greater than the variation in repeat fields (P = 0.04), with 8 of 13 children showing an increase in the BVF above the 95% CI of the repeatability measurements. There was a good linear correlation between the size of the preoperative BVF in the presence of a prism and the postoperative BVF (r = 0.90 P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Children with esotropic amblyopia demonstrate a significant reduction in their BVF. Prisms correcting the preoperative angle could be used to predict the potential increase in the BVF after surgery. Patients with a BVF/MVF approaching that found in normal children, however, may not show an improvement in the size of their BVF after surgery.