Corneal Endothelial Changes Following Early Capsulotomy Using Neodymium:Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet Laser

We aimed to survey whether the timing of neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser capsulotomy would alter the corneal endothelial morphology and density. A retrospective cohort study was conducted, and 48 patients with unilateral posterior capsular opacity (PCO) and Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy performance were enrolled. The participants were divided into the early Nd:YAG group (timing ≤ 12 months, n = 20) and late Nd:YAG group (timing > 12 months, n= 28) depending on elapsed months between phacoemulsification and Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy. Endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variant (CV), hexagonality (HEX), and central corneal thickness (CCT) between the two groups were collected. A generalized estimate equation was conducted to evaluate the corneal endothelial parameters between the two groups with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The CDVA was improved after treatment in both groups (both p < 0.001). Chronically, ECD in the early group was significantly decreased one week after treatment (2221.50 ± 327.73/mm2 vs. 2441.55 ± 321.80/mm2, p < 0.001), which recovered to 2369.95 ± 76.37/mm2 four weeks after the treatment but was still lower than the preoperative status (p < 0.001). In addition, the HEX percentage showed a significant reduction at four weeks after treatment (p = 0.028). The ECD in the early group was significantly lower than that in the late group (aOR: 0.167, 95% CI: 0.079–0.356, p = 0.003) in both week 1 (p < 0.001) and week 4 (p = 0.004) after laser treatment. In conclusion, the early application of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy within one year after cataract surgery may be the reason for postoperative ECD decrement without known etiology.

Case series: “Double arch” changes caused by capsule contraction syndrome after cataract surgery in highly myopic eyes

Background Capsule contraction syndrome (CCS) after cataract surgery causes intraocular lens (IOL) haptic flexion and IOL optic displacement in most former reports. However, there are few reports on CCS-induced deformation of the IOL optic. We report two cases of CCS after cataract surgery in highly myopic eyes and describe a previously unreported “double arch” complication. Case presentation Two patients with history of high myopia had cataract surgery with hydrophilic acrylic plate haptic IOLs implanted in their eyes. CCS with arch shape deformation of the pupil as well as the optic of the IOL were noticed in both cases after three months, which induced refractive changes and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) deterioration. Visual acuity of the patients was restored by replacing the IOL from the capsular bag to the ciliary sulcus and the following neodymium: YAG (Nd:YAG) laser capsulotomy. We propose that such “double arch” change brought by CCS is related to the plate-haptic design of the IOL and the incomplete overlap between the capsular opening and the IOL optic. Conclusions We recommend careful IOL selection and proper capsulorhexis in patients with high myopia or with other risk factors of CCS. Early diagnosis and timely treatment of CCS are critical to prevent visual symptoms and further ocular complications.

Lateral Decubitus Position for Pediatric Nd:YAG Laser Capsulotomy under General Anesthesia

Purpose: To report a successful case of neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser capsulotomy performed in a noncompliant pediatric patient using the lateral decubitus position and a conventional slit-lamp-based laser system under general anesthesia.Case summary: Progression of a thick posterior capsular opacity with associated vision loss (best-correct visual acuity of 0.1) was detected in a nine-year-old child with a past history of cataract surgery in his right eye. Diagnosed with pediatric uveitis at the age of five, he had been treated previously using a combination of topical and systemic corticosteroids, which led to the development of the cataract and subsequent surgery 16 months later. Severe photophobia prevented outpatient-based laser treatment, and the patient underwent our modified procedure. Under general anesthesia, the patient was placed in a lateral decubitus position with the use of a long intubation tube. The height of the bed and table-based laser system was adjusted so as to minimize strain when positioning the child’s head. Successful laser capsulotomy was performed within 10 minutes, and the entire anesthesia time was less than 30 minutes. The patient experienced immediate improvement in symptoms, showing a visual acuity of 1.0, which has been sustained as of his most recent visit, 3 months postoperatively. The patient experienced no ocular or anesthesia- related complications. Conclusions: Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy performed by careful positioning (lateral decubitus) under general anesthesia is a viable strategy for the safe and efficient removal of posterior capsular opacities in children with poor compliance.

Capsular Blockage Syndrome: Clinical and Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) Characteristics

Background:CBS is a rare phenomenon which is found during and after cataract surgery. The mechanism, OCT presentation and clinical characteristics are not well studied. Methods:Document patients with CBS who underwent examination, including refraction, best-corrected visual acuity, slit lamp, anterior segment OCT, and onset after cataract surgery. All patients underwent Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy and were prescribed a low-dose topical steroid for seven days. Post-capsulotomy refraction and visual acuity were recorded.Results:This study included 18 eyes. Patients’ mean age was 80 (range, 54–92). The duration between cataract surgery and CBS diagnosis ranged 15–136 months. According to anterior segment OCT findings, we subcategorized the patients into four types: minimally opaque (n=4, 22%), uniformly turbid (n=7, 39%), focally condensed (n=5, 28%), and diffused sparkling (n=2, 11%). After laser capsulotomy, mean visual acuity improved 0.18 ± 0.09 on the LogMar. A significant difference in absolute refraction changes between the groups was noted— maximum in the focally condensed and minimum in the uniformly turbid types. No patient developed complications or needed further treatment for CBS during mean follow-up of 80 months.Conclusion:High-resolution anterior segment OCT is useful for analyzing pathological changes in the CBS. Our study implies that these four types of CBS presentation indicate various causes of late-CBS formation, as well as distinct clinical presentation and post–laser capsulotomy outcome. In addition, YAG laser capsulotomy is a safe late-CBS treatment modality.

Clinical Study of Visual Outcome and Complications of Nd:YAG Laser Capsulotomy in Posterior Capsular Opacification Following Small Incision Cataract Surgery at a Tertiary Eye Care Centre in Rural Maharashtra - A Prospective Observational Study

BACKGROUND Posterior capsule opacification (PCO) is the most common delayed complication of cataract surgery. Nd:YAG (Neodymium yttrium aluminium garnet) laser posterior capsulotomy presents the advantages of a non-invasive, effective, relatively safe technique to manage intact posterior capsule that opacifies postoperatively. With this background we want to study the visual outcome and complications following Nd-YAG laser posterior capsulotomy in posterior capsular opacification following small incision cataract surgery (SICS). METHODS The study includes 64 patients attending outpatient department of a tertiary eye care hospital at Latur from June 2018 to May 2019 who have undergone SICS with PMMA PC IOL (polymethyl methacrylate posterior chamber intraocular lens) implantation and clinically diagnosed with posterior capsular opacification. 64 eyes with PCO were subjected to Nd:YAG laser posterior capsulotomy after detailed slit lamp bio microscopic examination pre- and post-capsulotomy. Follow-up was done at 1 hour, 1 week, 2 weeks and 4 weeks and patients were examined for visual outcome and any complications at each visit. RESULTS There were 16 males (25 %) and 48 females (75 %) with a mean age of 65 years. Posterior capsule opacification occurs within 3 years accounting for 46.9 % of the cases. Elschnig pearls type of PCO was more common when compared to fibrous type of PCO. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy was less than 6 / 60 in 35 patients (54.7 %) and within 6 / 60 to 6 / 24 in 23 patients (35. 9 %) with 6 patients (9.4 %) accounting for visual acuity between 6 / 24 to 6 / 18. After Nd - YAG Laser Capsulotomy, 46.9 % gained best corrected visual acuity of 6 / 18 or better, 39.1 % cases improved 6 / 12 and better and BCVA of 6 / 9, 6 / 6 was observed in 11 cases and 1 case respectively. Only 12 out of 64 patients had complications. Raised intraocular pressure (IOP) was found in 4 patients. Intraocular lens (IOL) pitting was found in 8 patients. CONCLUSIONS Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy is a safe, effective and a non-invasive procedure which avoids all the complications of surgical capsulotomy in patients of posterior capsule opacification. KEYWORDS Posterior capsule opacification (PCO), Nd:Yag Laser Capsulotomy, Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA), Central Subfield Macular Thickness (CSMT)

The effect of capsule tension ring on posterior capsule opacification: A meta-analysis

Background Posterior capsule opacification is one of the most common complications after cataract surgery. Studies have suggested that the introduction of a capsule tension ring might play a critical role in the prevention of capsule opacification, yet quantitative evidence is still lacking. This work consists of a meta-analysis on available data in order to explore the influence of a capsule tension ring on posterior capsule opacification. Methods A comprehensive review of the literature on capsule tension ring and posterior capsule opacification was carried out using the Embase, Pubmed, Web of Science, and Cochrane electronic databases. The selected studies included randomized controlled trials, retrospective studies and prospective studies published before June 2020. The studies of interest were selected by two reviewers independently from the included studies. Odds ratios (ORs) and standardized mean differences (SMD) were used in order to assess the association. A fixed-effects model or a random-effects model was applied to combine data according to heterogeneities. Sensitivity analysis was used to assess the heterogeneity of the studies. Publication bias was estimated using the Egger test. Statistical analysis was performed using the stata15.1 software. Results The meta-analysis included in total 8 studies involving 379 cases and 333 controls. There was a statistically significant difference of Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy rate (OR=0.241, 95% CI: 0.145, 0.400 I2=42.1%) between the capsule tension ring group and the control group, indicating that the tension ring reduced the Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy rate. Further studies with continuous data also revealed that the use of capsule tension ring was associated with a lower posterior capsule opacification score (SMD = -1.402, 95% CI: -2.448, -0.355 I2=95.0%). The sensitivity analysis suggested that the result of the re-combined analysis did not change notably, indicating that the result was reliable and stable. Both pooled analysis showed no evidence of publication bias. Conclusion The findings of this meta-analysis confirmed that capsule tension ring might reduce capsule opacification. Further studies should be made to validate the result.