[Fitness to drive with glaucoma]. / Verkehrstauglichkeit beim Glaukom.

Glaucoma is one of the eye diseases that are particularly relevant to driving in old age. The ophthalmologist often has to take on the task of traffic medical consultation or medical appraisal. It is essential to distinguish between fitness to drive and driving ability or driving safety and driving capability. The medical examination of fitness to drive can only be carried out over long intervals and basically requires an ophthalmological examination in compliance with all the requirements of the driving license ordinance. This is not a healthcare task. In the case of clarification of the fitness to drive in people with known glaucoma on behalf of the test persons themselves or a driving license authority, visual field testing must be performed using manual kinetic perimetry according to Goldmann, especially for all borderline case decisions by traffic experts. The ophthalmologist faces the particular difficulty of maintaining a balance between the legal duty of care and patient-centered care in order not to strain the patient-physician relationship.

[Patient education before ocular surgery]. / Patientenaufklärung vor Augenoperationen.

Particular importance and diligence must be attached to patient information prior to ocular surgery. A surgical intervention performed without error according to the state of the art in medicine remains exempt from punishment according to § 228 German Criminal Code (StGB) only if effective consent to the treatment is given and only then is there no liability if a risk inherent to the intervention materializes. The patient's consent is only effective if the patient has been properly informed beforehand. In medical malpractice proceedings, a breach of the duty to inform is regularly alleged. From the outset, the physician bears the burden of proof that he has obtained consent in accordance with Section 630d of the German Civil Code (BGB) and provided information in accordance with the requirements of Section 630e of the BGB. The provisions of the Patients' Rights Act also contain formulations that regularly lead to a very detailed individual review of possible errors of disclosure in medical liability proceedings. Apart from the indispensable requirement of an oral clarification discussion by a physician qualified to do so, who informs about "all essential circumstances" of the planned eye operation, the adherence to formal requirements for the clarification discussion and a written documentation with the individual discussion contents are of decisive importance in a lawsuit in order to reduce possible liability risks from the outset. On the one hand, case law sets high requirements for information and on the other hand, every ophthalmologist should also be aware that this effectively counteracts a depersonalization of the physician-patient relationship.

[Fitness to drive and chronic eye diseases]. / Fahrtauglichkeit und chronische Augenerkrankungen.

For the participation of people with chronic eye problems in social life, the preservation of mobility is an important prerequisite. In the case of chronic illnesses they should also be given the opportunity, in accordance with the Patients Rights Act, to be able to make decisions in good time and independently on the further course of action to be taken in the event of a loss of mobility as a result of the inability to drive. In the case of a chronic progressive loss of visual acuity or loss of field of vision, the ophthalmologist should therefore initiate information and education of the patient at an early stage with respect to a possible impending inability to drive. The place, date and duration of the consultation must be documented. At the patient's request, a written evaluation report must be prepared by the examining ophthalmologist. In the daily medical routine of the clinic and practice, a distinction should be made between the medical consultation of a chronically ill eye patient on problems of driving safety and fitness to drive and the concerns regarding an assessment to determine fitness to drive in accordance with § 12, Annex 6 of the driving licence regulations.

[Management of anticoagulants in ophthalmic surgery-a survey among ophthalmic surgeons in Germany]. / Umgang mit gerinnungshemmenden Substanzen in der Ophthalmochirurgie ­ eine Umfrage unter Ophthalmochirurgen in Deutschland.

INTRODUCTION: As our population ages and comorbidities rise, ophthalmic surgeons are increasingly faced with patients on anticoagulant therapy or with clotting disorders. The ophthalmic surgeon has to weigh the perioperative risk of haemorrhage when anticoagulation continues against the risk of thromboembolism caused by discontinuation or changing the patient's medication (bridging, switching, cessation). There are currently no guidelines or recommendations. METHODS: A survey was sent to the DOG (German Ophthalmologic Society) divisions and associated surgical organizations to determine the status quo. A questionnaire was sent out and filled out by the different groups of specialists. RESULTS: All four divisions of the DOG and four associated organizations returned completed questionnaires. Surgical interventions were listed that are carried out during anticoagulant therapy without exceptions, as well as interventions that were classified to require medical adjustment. Although the assessments varied, general consensus was achieved regarding interventions not requiring adjustments due to anticoagulants (i. e., intravitreal injection, cataract surgery, laser and corneal operations, simple muscle surgery), and those interventions requiring adjustments in medications (glaucoma operations, complex retina surgery, eye socket surgery, complex surgery of the lid). CONCLUSION: Main result of this survey was the specification of serious bleeding complications which are permanent vision loss and re-operation. They could serve as endpoint parameters for essential future investigations. Nevertheless, this survey makes clear that the decision about an adjustment of anticoagulant medication in ophthalmic surgery is currently made individually and not based on established standards.

[Telematics services and telemedicine under ophthalmological legal aspects]. / Telematik und telemedizinische Leistungen unter rechtsophthalmologischen Aspekten.

Telemedical solutions are increasing with respect to diversity, frequency and scope. It should be part of medical practice to remind again and again that telemedicine does not represent a special medical field or even a subspecialty. The concept of telemedicine is more used as a superior term for different medical care concepts, provided across distance and time barriers. Telematic solutions implemented as a new field of service in ophthalmological practice or in hospitals must fulfill the following obligatory requirements in conformity with the law: patients must be informed about the range of telemedical solutions, operators must ensure medical specialist qualifications and all care responsibilities combined with the telemedical services must be guaranteed. The legal assessment standard is always the direct comparison between telemedical measures and the individual patient result of medical treatment in a face to face situation in an ophthalmologists practice as the gold standard. The court makes a targeted examination on whether the individual damage to health of a patient under telemedical care would also have normally occurred under medical treatment within the framework of regular care by a medical specialist in a practice or clinic. If the court has a well-founded doubt, the operator must be able to justify either constraints in individual cases or a better prognosis and success rate (reversal of burden of proof). Especially due to the latter aspect it is important for the operator that the standards for telemedical services of the specific medical fields are predefined by the specialist societies or that corresponding results from healthcare research projects are available.

[Discolouration of Upper Lid Skin - Prurigo nodularis]. / Hautverfärbung am Oberlid ­ Prurigo nodularis.

An abnormal change in skin colour is designated as discolouration of the skin. A 73-year-old male patient with circumscribed discolouration of the upper lid margin near the lacrimal pathway is presented. Slit lamp biomicroscopy showed no other signs of pathomorphological change. An excisional biopsy was performed. The whole abnormal area was removed. The oculoplastic procedure was the surest way to establish a definite diagnosis of Prurigo nodularis.

[Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery of Exposure Keratopathy in the Intensive Care Unit]. / Okuloplastische Chirurgie bei Expositionskeratopathie auf der Intensivstation.

Critically ill patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) may develop eye problems, due to impaired ocular protective mechanisms or direct involvement of the eye in severe systemic diseases. If eye infections or ocular surface disorders are not identified in time, endophthalmitis or corneal ulcer may develop and can cause permanent functional injuries of the eye. A retrospective analysis was performed and a total of 283 complete intensive care courses of treatment were evaluated, taking into account ophthalmic medical consultations for frequent cardinal symptoms. The most common cardinal symptoms were lagophthalmus (exposure keratopathy), chemosis, redness and periorbital haematoma. The following predisposing risk factors for the onset of ocular complications during intensive care treatment were detected: chemosis (p < 0.001), redness (p = 0.007), lagophthalmus (p = 0.001), ventilation (p < 0.001), use of muscle relaxants (p < 0.001), cardiovascular (p < 0.001), and neurological diseases (p < 0.001). In 71.7 % of ICU patients, additional treatment was prescribed during the eye consultation. This includes special eye care treatment (6.0 %) and/or drug therapy (64.0 %), as well as oculoplastic surgery in 4,3 % of critically ill patients. The most common oculoplastic-surgical procedure in the ICU was lid adhesion to achieve adequate protection of the corneal surface in patients with severe exposure keratopathy. Oculoplastic surgery is the method of choice for protecting the cornea in critically ill patients, when conservative options such as hypoallergenic adhesive tape or a moisture chamber are not sufficient to protect the ocular surface. The main challenges are to pay attention to the indication and performance in due time, and to avoid permanent loss of function through transparency reduction or irregular astigmatism in post-recovery patients.

Trends of barriers to eye care among adults with diagnosed diabetes in Germany, 1997-2012.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To study trends of barriers to receiving recommended eye care among subjects with diabetes aged 20-81 years in northeast Germany. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed population-based data from two repeated cross-sectional surveys conducted in 1997-2001 and 2008-2012 (Ns of 4308 and 4402). Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Utilization was used to identify individual-level demographic, financial and health-related barriers to annual eye-care utilization in subjects with a self-reported physician's diabetes and to examine population trends in these barriers. The prevalence of diabetes increased from 6.5% to 11.4%. The prevalence of annual eye-care utilization among persons with diabetes decreased from 69.4% to 56.0% (adjusted relative risk = 0.77, p < 0.001). The decline of eye care utilization over the past decade in eye-care use was more pronounced in groups at risk for diabetes-related complications (i.e., lower socio-economic status, >5 years since diagnosis of diabetes, poor glycemic control, obesity, smoking, lack of physical activity, co-existing diseases). We identified relevant predictors of missed annual eye-care use among diabetics. CONCLUSION: The increase of diabetes prevalence and downward trend of eye-care visits at the recommended level call for development, implementation and evaluation of continued efforts to improve access to eye specialists, particularly among those with poor diabetic control, co-existing diabetic complications, and comorbidities.

[Post-surgical management of split-thickness skin grafts in oculoplastic surgery]. / Operatives Management und Nachsorge freier Spalthauttransplantate in der okuloplastischen Chirurgie.

Malignant skin tumours in periocular regions often demand ophthalmo-surgical measures. Split-thickness skin grafts still represent an important treatment alternative when plastic-reconstructive covering through local tissue of the facial area is impossible. Essential technical steps to gain viable split-thickness skin grafts are introduced. Current standards in the after-treatment of split-thickness skin grafts at the receiving location as well as in the after-care of the donor area are presented from interdisciplinary points of view referring to the latest publications. Hydrocolloidal dressings are recommended for the after-treatment of removal areas such as the inside of the forearm since they improve post-surgical management for the ophthalmologist significantly and help in abbreviating healing duration. Pain sensation of the patient as well as the rate of infection are minimal. Throughout the early stages, split-thickness skin grafts at reception areas often demand an intensified local massage treatment with hydrocortisone 2.5 % ophthalmic cream. During the later stages follow-up measures should be stopped neither too soon nor abruptly. Ointments with polysiloxane and silicon dioxide preserve skin suppleness and prevent the occurrence of shrinkage as well as hypertrophic scars.

[Topical chemotherapy for conjunctival tumours - the medical and legal bearings of the case]. / Lokale Chemotherapie von Tumoren der Bindehaut - interdisziplinär medizinische und administrative Aspekte.

The treatment management of malignant tumours is characterised and limited by specific features of the topographical structure of the eye. The anatomic characteristics of the conjunctival sac, the movable tissue structures and the need to take care of corneal transparency and conjunctival stability are the main concerns of the experts. Clinical studies have revealed adjuvant chemotherapy to have a positive effect as a therapeutic treatment for neoplasia of the conjunctiva and cornea. Although mitomycin and interferon are widely used, there are no phase III studies on local adjuvant chemotherapy (interferon, mitomycin, 5-fluorouracil) that evaluate the proof of effectiveness, potential adverse effects or interactions with other drugs. For this reason, the currently available studies fail to comply with the jurisdiction of the German Federal Social Court. Hence, the Medical Service of the Health Insurance Funds (MDK) regionally does not accept the medical preconditions for reimbursement of the costs in adjuvant local chemotherapy. A doctor's unquestioned acceptance of such an MDK decision could have legal consequences. An off-label use is acceptable by law if there is no alternative treatment available with a higher evidence level that conforms to the medical standard. It is therefore recommendable for the Joint Federal Committee commissions the experts in ophthalmology and oncology on off-label use, to review the scientific evidence regarding adjuvant therapy of malignant tumours of the ocular surface. Only in this way can regional disparities in patient care, and intrusions on the doctor-patient relationship, be avoided.

[Essential aspects of ophthalmological expert assessment in private accident insurance]. / Wesentliche Aspekte der augenärztlichen Begutachtung für die private Unfallversicherung.

Commissions for an expert assessment place basically high demands on commissioned eye specialists because this activity differs from the normal routine field of work. In addition to assessing objective symptoms and subjective symptomatics in a special analytical manner, eye specialists are expected to have knowledge of basic legal terminology, such as proximate cause, evidence and evidential value. Only under these prerequisites can an ophthalmologist fulfill the function of an expert with a high level of quality and adequately adjust the special medical ophthalmological expertise to the requirements of the predominantly legally based clients commissioning the report and oriented to the appropriate valid legal norms. Particularly common difficulties associated with making an ophthalmological expert report for private accident insurance, e.g. determination of the reduction in functional quality, consideration of partial causality and assessment of diplopia are discussed.

[Study of health in Pomerania (SHIP-Trend): : Important aspects for healthcare research in ophthalmology]. / Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-Trend) : Wichtige Aspekte für die ophthalmologische Versorgungsforschung.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies continue to receive growing attention in health services research. OBJECTIVES: How can ophthalmological health services research benefit from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP)? METHODS: The SHIP is a population-based, epidemiological project conducted in the northeast of Germany. In 1997 a random sample of 6,265 eligible subjects was enrolled for the first SHIP cohort. Between 1997 and 2001 baseline examinations were performed, followed by 5-year follow-up from 2002 to 2006, from 2008 to 2012 and from 2014. A second independent sample of 8,016 eligible subjects was enrolled in 2008. Baseline examinations of this new cohort (SHIP-Trend) were conducted between 2008 and 2012 and the first follow-up is scheduled for 2015. Included in SHIP are a large variety of different assessments including eye examinations. All participants are subjected to non-mydriatic funduscopy and static vessel analysis (SVA). RESULTS: A total number of 4,420 subjects participated in the interdisciplinary baseline examinations of SHIP-Trend. Standardized fundus photography was performed with a non-mydriatic camera in 3,934 subjects. CONCLUSION: Estimations of the prevalence of major eye diseases may provide valid indicators for healthcare provision within healthcare research. New concepts of prevention with a strengthened integration of ophthalmological diagnostics can be identified from the widespread spectrum of different healthcare examinations. Regional differences in the efficiency of healthcare provision can be evaluated with comparative studies between different German populations.

[Demographic change : challenges to ophthalmological patient-centered care]. / Demografischer Wandel : Herausforderungen für die ophthalmologische Versorgung.

BACKGROUND: Demographic change not only affects patients with ophthalmological diseases but also ophthalmologists. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this article is to evaluate the consequences of an aging society on health care provision. How can these challenges be overcome? MATERIAL AND METHODS: Evaluation of publications from the German Federal Statistical Office about the current and projected population, analysis of own studies about health care provision, utilization, and delivery as well as the presentation and discussion of regulatory and organizational conditions. RESULTS: There is a continuous increase in chronic and age-related diseases. At the same time the prevalence of multimorbidity and the number of patients dependent on long-term care is rising, leading to an increase in the demand for ophthalmological care. Regarding health care providers we observed a cutback in qualified ophthalmological personnel, especially for remote areas thus causing difficulties in providing adequate eye care to the population. CONCLUSION: To deliver health care to a growing number of patients with a decreasing number of medical professionals is the major challenge of demographic change. This will have an enormous impact on ophthalmological health care in terms of maintaining high quality health services covering a nationwide area.

[Mason's lacing cord. Potential danger of severe open ocular injuries]. / Maurerschnüre. Potenzielle Gefahr für schwere offene Augenverletzungen.

BACKGROUND: Introduction of new working equipment or the modification of established working routines could induce new trauma mechanisms. In all of theses cases ophthalmologists are not only responsible for ocular treatment they also have to act as assessors. This might include legal aspects, e.g. to validate the circumstances of an accident. METHODS: We present a new trauma mechanism caused by a mason's lacing cord which was fixed with nails. In addition to two case studies we collected experimental data (maximum tension and maximum elongation of various mason's lacing cords) about the triggering event using standard test conditions. RESULTS: A tensile force of 96.2 N was needed to achieve maximum elongation of mason's lacing cords. With a cord length of 5 m, an elongation of 0.09 m was enough to cause penetrating injuries (for 10 m cord length the critical elongation was 0.13 m). Under these conditions a nail could be accelerated to a velocity of 18 m/s. This may lead to open eyeball injuries with severe visual loss. CONCLUSIONS: Nails fixed to elastic mason's lacing cords are potential risk factors for occupational ocular injuries and severe loss of vision. Caution labels should be attached to the work equipment and proper eye protection should be used to prevent severe occupational ocular injuries.