Co-management of cataract and glaucoma in the era of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review discusses the options available to be used in conjunction with phacoemulsification cataract surgery to control intraocular pressure. We present a strategy for planning which surgery should be performed based on goals of care. RECENT FINDINGS: New clinical evidence for using the CyPass, Kahook and Xen45 devices has been published recently and is summarized. SUMMARY: Cataract and glaucoma frequently exist together. Because the field of glaucoma surgical care is expanding and cataract surgery is becoming progressively safer, it is important to frequently re-evaluate our treatment paradigms. We review and evaluate current studies and treatment options.

Internuclear Ophthalmoplegia Secondary to Cocaine Abuse.

Purpose. To report a case of internuclear ophthalmoplegia (INO) caused by cocaine. Method. We report a case of a 54-year-old female who presented with a left INO three days after snorting cocaine, and we review the literature. Results. MRI of the brain demonstrated several small abnormal foci in the pons on FLAIR and diffusion weighted imaging consistent with ischemic infarction. The patient's symptoms remained stable throughout her hospitalization. She was sent to a rehabilitation facility and was lost to follow-up. Conclusion. In cases of extraocular movement abnormalities, it is important to inquire about recreational drug use.

A Case Report of Nystagmus with Acute Comitant Esotropia Secondary to Heroin Withdrawal: A Novel Presentation.

BACKGROUND: Acute comitant esotropia secondary to heroin withdrawal is a rarely reported phenomenon that has never been described with nystagmus. Adverse effects of heroin on eye alignment were first reported in soldiers returning from Vietnam, yet no theory is generally accepted as the cause of these abnormalities. METHOD: We present a case of a 22-year-old female who developed 40 prism diopters of alternating comitant esotropia with nystagmus 8 days after abrupt heroin cessation, review the existing literature, and propose a novel hypothesis for this phenomenon. RESULTS: After 76 days, her esotropia resolved, and she was left with 7 prism diopters of esophoria. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates that acquired nystagmus can present in addition to acute-onset esotropia after abrupt heroin cessation. We compare and contrast the theories of this mechanism and review the literature.

Angioarchitectural evolution of clival dural arteriovenous fistulas in two patients.

Dural arteriovenous fistulas (dAVFs) may present in a variety of ways, including as carotid-cavernous sinus fistulas. The ophthalmologic sequelae of carotid-cavernous sinus fistulas are known and recognizable, but less commonly seen is the rare clival fistula. Clival dAVFs may have a variety of potential anatomical configurations but are defined by the involvement of the venous plexus just overlying the bony clivus. Here we present two cases of clival dAVFs that most likely evolved from carotid-cavernous sinus fistulas.

Chronic oxidative stress upregulates Drusen-related protein expression in adult human RPE stem cell-derived RPE cells: a novel culture model for dry AMD.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to examine changes in the expression of transcripts and proteins associated with drusen in Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) after exposing human retinal pigment epithelium (hRPE) cells to chronic oxidative stress. METHODS: Primary adult human RPE cells were isolated from cadaveric donor eyes. The subpopulation of RPE stem cells (RPESCs) was activated, expanded, and then differentiated into RPE progeny. Confluent cultures of RPESC-derived hRPE and ARPE-19 cells were exposed to a regimen of tert-butylhydroperoxide (TBHP) for 1-5 days. After treatment, gene expression was measured by quantitative PCR (qPCR), protein expression was assessed by immunocytochemistry and transepithelial resistance and cell toxicity were measured. RESULTS: hRPE cells exposed to a regimen of TBHP for 5 days upregulate expression of several molecules identified in drusen, including molecular chaperones and pro-angiogenic factors. 5-day TBHP treatment was significantly more effective than 1-day treatment at eliciting these effects. The extent of hRPE response to 5-day treatment varied significantly between individual donors, nevertheless, 6 transcripts were reliably significantly upregulated. ARPE-19 cells treated with the same 5-day stress regime did not show the same pattern of response and did not upregulate this group of transcripts. CONCLUSIONS: RPESC-derived hRPE cells change significantly when exposed to repeated oxidative stress conditions, upregulating expression of several drusen-related proteins and transcripts. This is consistent with the hypothesis that hRPE cells are competent to be a source of proteins found in drusen deposits. Our results suggest that donor-specific genetic and environmental factors influence the RPE stress response. ARPE-19 cells appear to be less representative of AMD-like changes than RPESC-derived hRPE. This adult stem cell-based system using chronic TBHP treatment of hRPE represents a novel in vitro model useful for the study of drusen formation and dry AMD pathophysiology.