Efficacy of Vitrectomy and Macular Hole Repair in Eyes With Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-98
Author(s):  
Omar M. Ismail ◽  
Lauren Mason ◽  
John O. Mason

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the efficacy of macular hole repair in eyes with coexisting dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of charts of 25 patients (27 eyes) diagnosed with mild to moderate dry AMD who underwent macular hole repair via 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy between 2014 and 2016. Data of interest included anatomic failure rates, complication rates, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) preoperatively, and at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months postoperatively. When available, data at each patient’s most recent visit were also analyzed. Results: Macular hole repair resulted in a statistically significant ( P < .05) visual improvement postoperatively, with BCVA increasing from 20/141 preoperatively to 20/33 1 year postoperatively. Mean BCVA at most recent visit was 20/41. Mean duration of follow-up was 13 months (range, 1-39 months). One of 27 (3.7%) macular holes failed to close after vitrectomy. One of 27 eyes (3.7%) progressed from dry to wet AMD. Four of 27 additional eyes (18.5%) were noted to have worsening of their AMD on exam over the course of follow-up. Conclusions: Macular hole repair in patients with coexisting dry AMD leads to a significant improvement in visual performance and has a low risk of failure or complication.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Arrigo ◽  
Emanuela Aragona ◽  
Ottavia Battaglia ◽  
Andrea Saladino ◽  
Alessia Amato ◽  
...  

AbstractOuter retinal tubulations (ORT) are a relatively new finding characterizing outer retinal atrophy. The main aim of the present study was to describe ORT development in advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to assess its relationship with disease’s severity. Patients with advanced AMD characterized either by macular neovascularization or geographic atrophy, showing signs of outer retinal disruption or retinal pigment epithelium atrophy on structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) at the inclusion examination were prospectively recruited. All the patients underwent complete ophthalmologic evaluation, structural OCT scans and fundus autofluorescence imaging. The planned follow-up was of 3-years. Main outcome measures were ORT prevalence, mechanism of ORT formation, mean time needed for complete ORT formation, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), definitely decreased autofluorescence (DDAF) area, questionably decreased autofluorescence (QDAF) area, retinal layer thickness, foveal sparing, number of intravitreal injections. We also assessed the possible role of external limiting membrane (ELM) and Müller cells in ORT pathogenesis. Seventy eyes (70 patients) were included; 43 showed dry AMD evolving to geographic atrophy, while 27 displayed the features of wet AMD. Baseline BCVA was 0.5 ± 0.5 LogMAR, decreasing to 0.9 ± 0.5 LogMAR at the 3-year follow-up (p < 0.01). We detected completely formed ORT in 26/70 eyes (37%), subdivided as follows: 20 eyes (77%) wet AMD and 6 eyes (23%) dry AMD (p < 0.01). ORT took 18 ± 8 months (range 3–35 months) to develop fully. We described the steps leading to ORT development, characterized by progressive involvement of, and damage to the photoreceptors, the ELM and the RPE. Eyes displaying ORT were associated with a smaller QDAF area, less retinal layers damage and lower rate of foveal sparing than eyes free of ORT (p < 0.01). We also described pigment accumulations simulating ORT, which were detected in 16/70 eyes (23%), associated with a greater loss of foveal sparing, increased DDAF area and smaller QDAF area at the 3-year follow-up (p < 0.01). In conclusion, this study provided a description of the steps leading to ORT development in AMD. ELM and Müller cells showed a role in ORT pathogenesis. Furthermore, we described a subtype of pigment hypertrophy mimicking ORT, evaluating its clinical utility.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (20) ◽  
pp. 5049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibuki ◽  
Shoda ◽  
Miwa ◽  
Ishida ◽  
Tsubota ◽  
...  

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness and can be classified into two types called atrophic AMD (dry AMD) and neovascular AMD (wet AMD). Dry AMD is characterized by cellular degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium, choriocapillaris, and photoreceptors. Wet AMD is characterized by the invasion of abnormal vessels from the choroid. Although anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy has a potent therapeutic effect against the disease, there is a possibility of chorio-retinal atrophy and adverse systemic events due to long-term robust VEGF antagonism. We focused on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) regulation of VEGF transcription, and report the suppressive effects of HIF inhibition against ocular phenotypes in animal models. Many of the known HIF inhibitors are categorized as anti-cancer drugs, and their systemic side effects are cause for concern in clinical use. In this study, we explored food ingredients that have HIF inhibitory effects and verified their effects in an animal model of AMD. Methods: Food ingredients were screened using a luciferase assay. C57BL6/J mice were administered the Garcinia cambogia extract (Garcinia extract) and hydroxycitric acid (HCA). Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) was induced by laser irradiation. Results: Garcinia extract and HCA showed inhibitory effects on HIF in the luciferase assay. The laser CNV model mice showed significant reduction of CNV volume by administering Garcinia extract and HCA. Conclusions: Garcinia extract and HCA showed therapeutic effects in a murine AMD model.


2020 ◽  
pp. 112067212092137
Author(s):  
Zofia Michalewska ◽  
Jerzy Nawrocki

Purpose To present effects of the inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique in full-thickness macular holes coexisting with dry age-related macular degeneration. Methods Our database was retrospectively reviewed in order to spot patients with the simultaneous diagnosis of dry age-related macular degeneration and full-thickness macular hole. Vitrectomy with the inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique was performed. Inclusion criteria were full-thickness macular hole, drusen, vitrectomy performed, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (Copernicus HR, Optopol, Poland) or swept source optical coherence tomography (Triton, Topcon, Japan) before surgery, then 1 week (±3 days), 1 month (±1 week), 3 months (±1 month), 6 months (±1 month), 12 months (±2 months), and 18 months to 12 years after surgery. Main outcome measures Closure of macular hole and visual acuity at the final control. Results A total of 18 eyes of 12 patients (mean age: 68 years) were included. Mean minimum macular hole diameter was 493 μm. Mean maximum macular hole diameter was 1072 μm. Macular hole was closed in 16 eyes after first surgery and in all eyes after second surgery. Improvement of visual acuity was statistically significant ( P = 0.05), but there was no statistical significant correlation observed between initial macular hole diameters and final visual acuity ( P > 0.1). Conclusion The inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique improves anatomical and functional results in eyes with coexisting dry age-related macular degeneration and full-thickness macular holes. Final development of choroidal neovascularization or geographic atrophy is possible in rare cases.


Author(s):  
George W. Rozakis ◽  
Brian A. Bakke

The objective of the Hormones, Oxidative stress, Methylation, Inflammation and Gene expression (HOMING) trial was to assess the efficacy of personalized bio identical hormone, dietary supplement and nutritional care plans on dry and wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) outcomes.  We evaluated 220 Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) patients that followed a personalized clinical care plan for up to 9 months.   The care plans consisted of bio identical hormones, dietary supplements and nutrition recommendations with the objective to improve lab and clinical measurements linked to oxidative stress, inflammation and gene expression.  Serum concentrations of CRP, HbA1c and homocysteine responded favorably to the HOMING protocol with full program compliance. Sixty percent (42/70) of wet AMD patients reported improvement in visual acuity and/or a reduction in the frequency of anti-VEGF injections during the study period.  Forty eight percent (44/92) of dry AMD patients reported improvement in visual acuity during the study period.  Nine percent (4/45) patients reported improvement in visual acuity in the dry AMD control group and no (0/13) wet AMD patients in the control group reported improvement.  Six percent (4/70) of wet AMD patients reported that their vision declined and/or that their F frequency increased during the study period.  Five percent (4/92) of dry AMD patients reported that their vision was worse.  Keywords:  Bio identical Hormones, Oxidative stress, Methylation, Inflammation, Gene Expression, Nutrition and AMD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 12321
Author(s):  
Hanan ElShelmani ◽  
Ian Brennan ◽  
David J. Kelly ◽  
David Keegan

This study explored the expression of several miRNAs reported to be deregulated in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Total RNA was isolated from sera from patients with dry AMD (n = 12), wet AMD (n = 14), and controls (n = 10). Forty-two previously investigated miRNAs were selected based on published data and their role in AMD pathogenesis, such as angiogenic and inflammatory effects, and were co-analysed using a miRCURY LNA miRNA SYBR® Green PCR kit via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to validate their presence. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering indicated that AMD serum specimens have a different miRNA profile to healthy controls. We successfully validated the differentially regulated miRNAs in serum from AMD patients versus controls. Eight miRNAs (hsa-let-7a-5p, hsa-let-7d-5p, hsa-miR-23a-3p, hsa-miR-301a-3p, hsa-miR-361-5p, hsa-miR-27b-3p, hsa-miR-874-3p, hsa-miR-19b-1-5p) showed higher expression in the serum of dry AMD patients than wet AMD patients and compared with healthy controls. Increased quantities of certain miRNAs in the serum of AMD patients indicate that these miRNAs could potentially serve as diagnostic AMD biomarkers and might be used as future AMD treatment targets. The discovery of significant serum miRNA biomarkers in AMD patients would provide an easy screening tool for at-risk populations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Calvo ◽  
Beatriz Abadia ◽  
Antonio Ferreras ◽  
Oscar Ruiz-Moreno ◽  
Jesús Leciñena ◽  
...  

Purpose. To analyse the visual outcome in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients depending on the number of ranibizumab injections.Methods. 51 naïve wet AMD patients were retrospectively recorded. Visual acuity (VA), central retinal thickness (CRT) measured with spectral domain (SD) optical coherence tomography (OCT), and number of intravitreal injections were compared at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 months of follow-up. Kaplan-Meier survival rates (SRs) based on VA outcomes were calculated depending on the number of ranibizumab injections performed.Results. VA improved compared with baseline at 6 and 12 months (P<0.005). No differences were found at 18, 24, 30, and 36 months (P>0.05). CRT measured with Cirrus OCT decreased (P<0.001) at all time points analysed. The mean number of injections received was6.98±3.69. At 36 months, Kaplan-Meier SR was 76.5% (the proportion of patients without a decrease in vision of more than 0.3 logMAR units). VA remained stable (≤0.01 logMAR units) or improved in 62.7%. Within this group, SR was 92.9% in those who received 7 or more injections versus 51.4% receiving <7 treatments (P=0.008; log-rank test).Conclusion. Better VA outcomes were found in stable wet AMD patients after 3 years of follow-up if they received ≥7 ranibizumab injections.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-93
Author(s):  
Rami Gabriel ◽  
Jaime Toledo-Corral ◽  
Maria Cristina Kenney ◽  
Mitul Mehta

Purpose: This study employed a prospective survey to evaluate whether maternal family history or paternal family history is more likely to be found in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: Family history of AMD was ascertained through a survey questionnaire of 346 patients who were confirmed by an ophthalmologist to have AMD. To compare proportions of maternally and paternally transmitted disease, the data were treated as pair matched and analyzed using the modified chi-squared McNemar test. Probands with either parent deceased before age 60 were excluded. Further analysis was conducted by grouping wet-AMD and dry-AMD patients. Results: Of the 346 surveys conducted, 91 (26.3%) reported at least 1 parent affected with AMD. Probands were 65.9% women and 44.1% men. The mean ± SD age for men was 74.3 ± 6.3 years and for women 72.7 ± 7.7 years. The average age of proband fathers was 75.0 ± 6.9 years and of proband mothers 80.1 ± 6.0 years. Probands with AMD had a higher proportion of affected mothers than fathers with an odds ratio (OR) of 3.00 and a 95% CI of 1.73 to 5.44, P = .0001. For wet AMD, the OR was 4.0 (95% CI 1.46 to 13.6) and for dry AMD, the OR was 2.6 (95% CI 1.35 to 5.4). Conclusions: Our results indicate that individuals with maternal history of AMD may be at a significantly increased risk for developing AMD than if their father had the disease. Owing to limitations in sample size and discrepancies in lifespan between sexes, further studies will be needed to generalize results. The maternal proclivity in our study sample correlates with literature describing a mitochondrial component in the disease process, soliciting further exploration into mitochondrial etiology and larger hereditary studies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Rahmeh Othman ◽  
Simon Berbari ◽  
Elvire Vaucher ◽  
Réjean Couture

Kinins are vasoactive peptides and mediators of inflammation, which signal through two G protein-coupled receptors, B1 and B2 receptors (B1R, B2R). Recent pre-clinical findings suggest a primary role for B1R in a rat model of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The aim of the present study was to investigate whether kinin receptors are differentially expressed in human wet and dry AMD retinae. The cellular distribution of B1R and B2R was examined by immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization in post-mortem human AMD retinae. The association of B1R with inflammatory proteins (inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA)), fibrosis markers and glial cells was also studied. While B2R mRNA and protein expression was not affected by AMD, a significant increase of B1R mRNA and immunoreactivity was measured in wet AMD retinae when compared to control and dry AMD retinae. B1R was expressed by Müller cells, astrocytes, microglia and endothelial/vascular smooth muscle cells, and colocalized with iNOS and fibrosis markers, but not with VEGFA. In conclusion, the induction and upregulation of the pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic kinin B1R in human wet AMD retinae support previous pre-clinical studies and provide a clinical proof-of-concept that B1R represents an attractive therapeutic target worth exploring in this retinal disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Corazza ◽  
Francesco Maria D’Alterio ◽  
Jamil Kabbani ◽  
Mostafa Mohamed Ragheb Alam ◽  
Stefano Mercuri ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose To describe real-life data from wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and to compare our results with previous studies and clinical trials. Methods This retrospective monocentric cohort study analyzed 865 eyes of 780 wet-AMD patients treated with an anti-VEGF treat-and-extend regimen over a long-term follow-up period. Aflibercept and Ranibizumab were considered first-line agents whereas Bevacizumab was reserved for use on a compassionate basis in patients not meeting treatment criteria. All patients underwent a best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) assessment at each follow-up visit. Results One-year follow-up figures were available for 82.5% of patients, whilst follow-up data was recorded for 55.6%, 37.6%, 25.1%, and 15.0% of the cohort at years 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively. Patients treated with Bevacizumab received fewer yearly injections than those treated with Ranibizumab. However, no significant difference in the number of injections per year was detected in other comparisons between groups. Whilst our data showed no significant difference in mean BCVA between the three groups, there was a gradual deterioration of visual function over time for the patient cohort as a whole. Conclusion No significant differences between the 3 anti-VEGF molecules were recorded in wet-AMD patients in real-life conditions. Despite the long-term therapy, we found a slight reduction in visual function especially after the third year of treatment.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document