Evaluation of Anxiety Levels in Patients Undergoing Intravitreal Injections and Associated Risk Factors Related to the Disease.

PURPOSE: To analyze patients' anxiety levels using the Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety (VASA), in regard to intravitreal injection treatment and to determine possible associated risk factors related to the disease and treatment characteristics. METHODS: Cross-sectional observational study with consecutive sampling of patients who were going to receive an intravitreal injection. Subjects completed the VASA prior to the procedure, and afterwards, their data were collected from the electronic medical history. Analysis was performed through a linear regression model. RESULTS: Fifty-five men and forty-seven women were enrolled. The mean age was 73.9 ± 12.4 years (mean ± standard deviation (SD)), and the mean ± SD of previous injections was 12.8 ± 12. The most frequent pathologies found were age-related macular degeneration with 46.1% and diabetic macular edema with 36.3%. The median of anxiety levels measured in millimeters (mm) was 16 (interquartile range: 0-48). In univariate models, women presented a mean of 10.8 mm of anxiety more than men (p=0.03). The adjusted multivariate analysis demonstrated that younger patients declared higher anxiety levels (p=0.036). No significant association was found between the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) on the day of the injection, the change in BCVA since the beginning of the treatment or the number of injections received, and the registered anxiety levels. CONCLUSIONS: Sex and age may have an influence on anxiety levels. BCVA and the number ofinjections received did not seem to have an influence on our patients anxiety levels.

Assessment of macular ganglion cell complex using optical coherence tomography: Impact of a paediatric reference database in clinical practice.

IMPORTANCE: Optical coherence tomography software classifies abnormality of macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness and macular retinal nerve fibre layer thickness based on adult series. BACKGROUND: We assessed the impact of using paediatric reference macular ganglion cell complex values instead of adult reference values. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. Primary and tertiary health-care setting. PARTICIPANTS: Out of 140 healthy participants aged 5 to 18 years, 90% were eligible. METHODS: Following a dilated eye examination and cycloplegic refraction, participants underwent optical coherence tomography ganglion cell scans (Topcon 3D OCT-2000; Topcon Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). Right eye measurements for superior, inferior, and total layer thickness and spherical equivalent were reported, together with age, sex and origin. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Paediatric reference values by age and spherical equivalent were produced, and the specific agreement between paediatric and adult ganglion cell complex reference values below or equal to percentile 5 was estimated. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis confirmed a positive association between spherical equivalent and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness, and between age and macular retinal nerve fibre layer (five out of six regression coefficients P values were ≤ 0.03). Specific agreement was 25% for ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness and > 80% for macular retinal nerve fibre layer. Adult-based software identified low ganglion cell values in one in seven children compared to paediatric reference values (0.8% vs 5.5%, P = 0.031). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The availability of optical coherence tomography ganglion cell complex reference values for paediatric age and spherical equivalent groups can be used to improve detection of children with low cell layer thickness.

A Second New Choroidal Osteoma in the Same Eye: Differences between Them with New Imaging Techniques.

The authors introduce a 42-year-old woman with a choroidal osteoma. After 10 years the patient presented a second choroidal osteoma in the same eye; this osteoma has been growing in the last years. New tests that were unavailable during the first diagnosis were performed such as Fundus Autofluorescence or Enhanced Depth Imaging-Optical Coherence Tomography (EDI-OCT). These tests show characteristics of the tumors and allow us to realize a visual prognosis for the patient.