Corneal sensitivity and morphology of the corneal subbasal nerve plexus in primary congenital glaucoma.

BACKGROUND: To quantify the corneal subbasal nerve density and the total number of nerve fibers in primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) and to evaluate their impact on corneal sensitivity. METHODS: Forty eyes of 26 PCG patients were compared with 40 eyes randomly selected from 40 non-glaucoma patients who populated the control group. Central corneal sensitivity (CCS) was assessed by means of Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometry. The mean subbasal nerve density and the total number of nerve fibers were quantified by laser-scanning confocal microscopy. Normality of data was assessed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov testing. Differences in parameters were assessed with Student's t-test, while correlations with CSS were assessed with Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: Significant differences were identified in the mean subbasal nerve density (2108 ± 692 µm in PCG, 2642 ± 484 µm in controls, P = 0.003) and in the total number of nerve fibers (12.3 ± 4.2 in PCG, 15.4 ± 3.1 in controls, P = 0.02). Both groups presented comparable mean CCS and tortuosity. Both groups presented strong correlations between CCS and mean nerve density (r = 0.57 in PCG, r = 0.67 in controls, all P < 0.05), and between CCS and total number of nerve fibers (r = 0.55 in PCG, r = 0.56 in controls, all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PCG exerts significant changes in both the mean subbasal nerve density and the total number of nerve fibers. However, these changes do not appear to affect central corneal sensitivity.

[Delayed course of Acanthamoeba keratitis]. / Protrahierter Verlauf einer Akanthamöbenkeratitis.

A 35-year-old male presented with corneal ulceration on the left eye with a history of treatment over several months. At the first visit in our department we saw an elliptically shaped ulcerative stromal keratitis with circular peripheral neovascularization. There was organized hypopyon with hyphemia. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was light perception. The patient had used contact lenses for many years. Under the suspicion of herpetic keratitis due to a positive "dendrite" the patient had undergone antiviral therapy for 6 months in a different department. Our diagnosis was Acanthamoeba keratitis. We performed penetrating excimer laser keratoplasty-à-chaud (8.0 × 7.0 mm/8.1 × 7.1 mm) with simultaneous cryotherapy of the mid-peripheral cornea. The topical therapy was polyhexamethylene biguanide, propamidine isoethionate, neomycin and steroids in intervals. A repeat penetrating excimer laser keratoplasty (8.5 × 7.5 mm/8.6 × 7.6 mm) with simultaneous amniotic membrane patch and lateral tarsorrhaphy was performed 2 months later due to melting of the graft with positive Seidel test. After successful surgery of the mature cataract the BCVA was 20/25. In a patient with a positive contact lens history acanthamoeba keratitis should always be considered as a differential diagnosis to herpes simplex keratitis in the early course of the disease.

[Sudden papilledema of unclear origin]. / Plötzliches Papillenödem unklarer Genese.

A 44-year-old patient with a known history of Crohn's disease come to our clinic with unilateral vision impairment, orbital pain, and papillary swelling. The patient was treated with methylprednisolone for 5 days. Differential diagnosis excluded ischemic, inflammatory, and tumor-related causes of the papillary swelling, which was more likely to be due to papillitis associated with the known presence of Crohn's disease. Under steroid treatment visual acuity increased from 0.1 to 0.5, and an evident improvement of the ophthalmological and neurological findings was observed. Papillitis in conjunction with Crohn's disease is a rare cause of papillary swelling and should be taken into consideration during differential diagnosis. The disorder responds to steroid therapy but does not avoid irreversible damage.

[Delayed loss of vision after hammer and chisel injury]. / Verzögerte Visusminderung nach Hammer-Meissel-Verletzung.

Eye injuries caused by foreign bodies are a common diagnosis in many patients with an ocular emergency. A high percentage of foreign bodies are located in the cornea and are easily removed, but an intralenticular foreign body after eye injury is very rare. A 28-year-old man referred to our department with increasing loss of vision in the right eye 1 month after an accident with a hammer and chisel. At the time of admission the patient complained of a significant loss of vision and a traumatic cataract was diagnosed. The examination showed a deep stromal corneal scar and an anterior subcapsular cataract with posterior contusional rosette. Slit-lamp examination in mydriasis aroused the suspicion of an intralenticular foreign body. An X-ray examination of the right orbit was performed, but apart from a shadow, which was interpreted by the radiologists as a "pixel artefact", it revealed no presence of a foreign body. A computed tomography examination was also undertaken and confirmed the suspicion of an intralenticular foreign body, which was confirmed by an ultrasound scan. The intralenticular foreign body was removed during cataract surgery and an IOL was successfully implanted in the intact capsular bay. The day after the surgical intervention BCVA was 1.0. Every ocular trauma with a foreign body should be examined in mydriasis in order to exclude an intralenticular foreign body. Conventional X-ray images may not always be efficient enough to detect a foreign body. If an intraocular foreign body is suspected a thin-slice computed tomography examination of the orbit should be performed.

[Comparison of different methods for pupillometry for mesopic and scotopic conditions]. / Vergleich verschiedener Pupillometrieverfahren unter mesopischen und skotopischen Bedingungen.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to compare different methods for pupillometry, namely the Goldmann perimeter (gp), the Colvard pupillometer (cp) and the Procyon Video pupillometer (pvp). For the pvp three different illuminations were available: mesopic high, mesopic low, and scotopic. PATIENTS: The size of the pupil was measured in 100 eyes (50 healthy subjects) with the three different methods. We examined 29 females (58 %) and 21 males (42 %) with an average age of 25.16 years, ranging from 18 to 30 years. RESULTS: For the Goldmann perimeter, a mean pupil diameter of 4.39 mm +/- 0.62 mm was found under mesopic conditions (1.40 lux). For the Colvard pupillometer for scotopic conditions (0 lux), a mean pupil diameter of 6.80 mm +/- 0.81 mm was found. For pvp the pupil diameter ranged from 7.06 mm +/- 0.71 mm for scotopic (0.04 lux), over 6.24 mm +/- 0.80 mm for mesopic low (0.40 lux) to 4.65 mm +/- 0.73 mm for mesopic high conditions (4.00 lux). CONCLUSION: The comparison of the results showed a high correlation between the Goldmann perimeter and the Procyon Video Pupillometer for mesopic high with a minimum difference of 0.25 +/- 0.69 mm. By addition of 2.67 mm to the mesopic measurement of the Goldmann perimeter, the results for the Procyon Video pupillometer at the scotopic level, by addition of 2.4 mm the scotopic measurement of the Colvard pupillometer could be achieved.