Duane's syndrome: surgical outcome and non ophthalmologic associations.

BACKGROUND: Duane retraction syndrome (DRS) is the most common of the ocular congenital cranial dysinnervation disorders .This study evaluates the types of Duane syndrome and its management in patients presenting to the paediatric and strabismus unit of a tertiary care eye hospital. METHODS: This case series study involved 41 patients diagnosed with Duane syndrome between January 2007 and December 2009. History of presenting complaints, past treatment and family history were recorded. Ocular examination and orthoptic assessment was carried out RESULTS: Forty one patients were included in this case series study. It involved 10 right eyes, 27 left eyes and both eyes of 4 patients. There were 26 females and 15 males. Type-1 Duane syndrome was present in 28 (68.3%), type 2 in 8 (19.5%), Type-3 in 4 (9.8%) and type-4 with synergistic divergence was present in 1 (2.4%) patient. Comorbidity was present in 6(14.6%) patients. Surgery was carried out in 26 (63.4%) patients either for  abnormal head posturing or significant upshoots or down shoots. Upshoots noted in 21 eyes, were completely or partially resolved in 15 cases. Among 4 patients with down shoots on adduction, complete resolution was seen in 1. The pre and post-operative measurements of horizontal deviation showed statistically significant difference in Duane type-1 and 2, where as in Duane type-3 it was not significant. One patient with type-4 Duane did not undergo surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Recession of the horizontal recti is more effective in treating the upshoot or down shoot associated with DRS as compared to recession and y-split of the horizontal muscle.

Contact lens-related visual loss--a case series from Karachi.

All cases of corneal ulcers, presenting at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi between January 2006 and December 2010 were reviewed. Information was obtained regarding socio-demography, the cause of ulcer, prior treatment and visual acuity. Afterwards, contact-lens specific information such as the type of lens and purpose and duration of lens usage was obtained from the participants by phone interviews. There were 59 persons with unilateral ulcers and 4 had bilateral presentation. The mean age of the study participants was 27.79 +/- 14.51 years while the median age as 24 years. Of these, 87 %had a visual acuity less than <3/60 at presentation. Even after rigorous treatment, the visual acuity remained poor. In all 41 (68.4%) of the 60 eyes, for which follow up data were available, had visual acuity of less than 3/60 at their last follow up visit.Contact lens accounted for the majority of ulcerative eyes among women while trauma among men. Contact-lens related corneal ulcers are resulting in serious visual disability. Targeted education is necessary to address this avoidable cause of visual loss.