Vitreous microparticles contain apoptotic signals suggesting a diabetic vitreopathy

AIM: To evaluate differences in microparticle profiles in vitreous samples between diabetic and non-diabetic eyes undergoing vitrectomy. METHODS: Un-masked cross-sectional series of 34 eyes undergoing vitrectomy. Vitreous specimens were collected and processed to evaluate for membrane integrity (DAPI), apoptosis (Annexin-V), and endothelial-cell origin (V-Cadherin). A BD LSR II flow cytometer was used for analysis and standardized sub-micron-sized beads were used for size comparison. RESULTS: Thirty-four specimens underwent analysis. Greater levels of Annexin-V were found on microparticles from specimens in which blood had entered the vitreous (n=12) compared to those without blood (n=22; 52.3%±30.7% vs 19.6%±27.2%, P=0.002). Patients with diabetes having surgery with hemorrhage (n=7) had greater expression of Annexin-V than those without hemorrhage (n=8; 62.1%±31.7% vs 18.9%±20.9%, P=0.009). However, in patients with non-diabetic vitreous hemorrhage, the level of Annexin-V expression was not significantly different compared to other disease processes (38.6%±25.7%, n=5 vs 20.0%±30.9%, n=14, P=0.087). CONCLUSION: Increased expression of the apoptotic marker, Annexin-V is detected on vitreous microparticles in diabetes-related vitreous hemorrhage. When evaluating vitreous hemorrhage in patients without diabetes, the apoptotic signal is not significantly different. Vitrectomy in patients with diabetes, and improvement in visual outcomes, may be related to the removal of a serum-derived, pro-apoptotic vitreous. Further investigation is warranted in order to identify the molecular characteristics of microparticles that regulate disease.

Role of B-scan in management of ocular trauma

The present study aimed to study the effectiveness of B scan in assessing the posterior segment in patients with ocular trauma, so that further treatment plan can be decided and prognosis can be improved. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study at tertiary care centre during the study period of 1 year on 42 patients presenting with history of ocular trauma. Patients were subjected to detailed history and ocular examination followed by B scan ultrasonography for ruling out posterior segment pathology. Mean age of 42.7±20.2 years and 45.2% patients belonged to 41 to 60 years of age. About 54.8% cases were females. About 50% cases had one or the other posterior segment finding. Retinal detachment followed by vitreous hemorrhage were the most common findings, observed in 19% and 11.9% cases respectively. Avulsion of optic nerve was the least common finding (2.4%). B scan ultrasonography plays an important role in management of patients with ocular trauma for the detection of hidden posterior segment lesions. B scan must be performed routinely in all the cases of ocular trauma for early diagnosis and appropriate management of each case and to reduce the ocular morbidities.

Eales’ disease: epidemiology, diagnostic and therapeutic concepts

Background To describe the epidemiological traits, clinical characteristics, diagnostic procedures, therapeutic interventions and evolution in a large series of patients with diagnosis of Eales’ disease. Methods A clinical retrospective review of patients with Eales’ disease, evaluated and treated between April 2009 and April 2018, with a 1-year minimum follow-up. Thirty patients (59 eyes), were included. Age, sex, laboratory results (CBC, glycemia, protein electrophoresis, ACE levels) immunological profile and a Quantiferon-TB Gold Plus test were recorded. The patients were divided into groups according to their evolution, medical or surgical treatment, and visual outcomes. Results Seventeen male patients and 13 female patients were included, and their ages ranged from 14 to 35 years. The Quantiferon-TB Gold Plus test was positive in 25 patients. Twenty-eight patients had unilateral vitreous hemorrhage, 10 of whom presented with vasculitis and non-perfusion areas in the contralateral eye, 9 presented contralateral peripheral neovascularization and 9 had contralateral fibrovascular proliferation. The remaining 2 patients presented with a rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. In 6 patients, conservative treatment with intravitreal anti-VEGF injections and photocoagulation was performed after the hemorrhage cleared. Twenty-two patients, required vitrectomy, with good visual outcomes. Macular edema was found in 16 eyes, which responded to periocular and/or systemic corticosteroid therapy, except for 9 eyes that required intravitreal bevacizumab, with complete resolution in 7 eyes and partial resolution in 2 eyes. Conclusions Eales’ disease is a pathology of significant prevalence in our country. The distribution according to sex, tends to be equivalent. The etiology, even when it is not specifically determined, according to laboratory tests, confirms the probable immunologic response in the presence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens. This is still a diagnosis of exclusion, and therefore, it is advisable to perform a complete laboratory work-up in each case. Timely application of laser and other medical treatments, help to avoid progression to more advanced stages and their complications. The surgical treatment of vitrectomy for vitreous hemorrhage, and/or tractional vitreous detachment yields good primary anatomical and functional outcomes. Secondary macular edema responds to periocular and intravitreal corticosteroids, and in refractory cases, the use of anti-VEGF therapy leads to an effective resolution.

Hemophthalmia after surgical treatment of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background. In patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and diabetic retinopathy (DR), vitreous hemorrhage is one of the most common complications after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and ranges from 12 to 63 %. The study was aimed to analyze the frequency and causes of the development of hemophthalmia after surgical treatment of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods. The study involved 118 patients (118 eyes) with type 2 diabetes mellitus and DR, who were divided into three groups: the first group — with initial non-proliferative DR (NPDR; 28 eyes), the second group — with moderate to severe NPDR (49 eyes) and the third group — with proliferative DR (РDR; 41 eyes). The age of patients ranged from 44 to 84 years, men — 52 (44.1 %), women — 66 (55.9 %). The study did not include the patients with severe PDR and tractional retinal detachment or massive hemorrhage that required silicone oil tamponade of the vitreal cavity. All patients underwent closed subtotal vitrectomy 25G with panretinal laser photocoagulation and tamponade with an air-gas C3F8 mixture or the operation was completed with BSS plus solution injected into the vitreal cavity. Patients were examined based on a standard protocol of clinical and ophthalmological studies. Results. Within three months after vitrectomy, 33.1 % of patients developed postoperative hemophthalmia, which happened more often in РDR (39.0 %). In most cases (71.4 %), the preoperative hemophthalmia in РDR was accompanied by the development of postoperative hemophthalmia. Gender did not significantly impact the incidence of postoperative hemophthalmia. Patients with hemophthalmia were 9.3 years older than patients without hemophthalmia (p < 0.001), which affected both men and women equally. Patients with hemophthalmia had a longer history of type 2 diabetes mellitus compared to those wi­thout it (three years; p = 0.007), which was confirmed for men: men with hemophthalmia had a longer history of type 2diabetes mellitus than those without hemophthalmia (seven years; p = 0.026). Elevated blood levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and a high score on the ETDRS scale are the risk factors for the development of postoperative hemophthalmos in patients with РDR. Conclusions. A study within three months after PPV in patients with DR and type 2 diabetes mellitus found that 33.1 % of patients developed postoperative hemophthalmia, which occurred more often in РDR (39.0 %). In most cases (71.4 %), the preoperative hemophthalmos in РDR was accompanied by the development of postoperative hemophthalmia. The risk factors for postoperative hemophthalmia after vitrectomy in type 2 diabetes mellitus and DR were age and diabetes duration, and for РDR — the presence of preoperative hemophthalmia, increased blood glycated hemoglobin, and a high score on the ETDRS scale.

Ocular ultrasonography for detection of posterior segment pathology in adult patients presenting with blurred vision

Background and objective: Ocular posterior segment lesions can affect individuals of both sexes at all ages. Such lesions can lead to serious manifestations such as retinal detachment and retinal hemorrhage, leading to permanent loss of eyesight. This study aimed to determine the association between age and gender and changes in ocular posterior segment based on ultrasonography findings. Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study included 50 patients with blurry vision who had been referred from ophthalmology outpatient clinics to the radiology department of Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil, Kurdistan region in Iraq. Required data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire, and the patients were examined using a high resolution 7.5-10 MHz linear array ultrasound transducer. Results: The most frequent complications associated with ocular posterior segment pathologies were old vitreous hemorrhage (72%), posterior vitreous detachment (36%), and retinal detachment (34%). Diabetes and hypertension were the most frequent diseases associated with ocular posterior segment pathology. A significant association was seen between the patients' age with old vitreous hemorrhage (P = 0.003). A significant association was seen between the patients’ medical conditions with old vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment. There was no significant correlation between the patients’ gender and the studied ocular posterior segment pathologies. Conclusion: Age has a strong correlation with old vitreous hemorrhage, chronic medical conditions such as diabetes, and hypertension correlated with old vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment. Keywords: Ocular ultrasonography; Posterior segment pathology; Blurred vision; Age; Gender.

Fireworks Ocular Injury in Saudi Children; Profile and Management Outcomes

Background: To explore the demographic profiling, causes, types, complications, management outcomes, and severity of fireworks- inflicted ocular injuries and traumas in children in KSA.Methods: This is a retrospective study of 115 cases with eye injuries managed at the Emergency Department, of our institution between 2003 and 2019. Demography, clinical features at presentation, mode of management and the Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) were evaluated at the last follow up. Results: The study included 117 eyes of 115 children [median age: 9 years; 96 (83.5%) boys; 19(16.5%) girls]. Fifty-six (48.7%) participants were bystanders. The injuries were caused mainly due to bangers (n=47; 40.9%), rockets in bottle (n=28; 24.3%), firecrackers (n=27; 23.5%), and nonspecific reasons (n=13; 11.3%). The children had presented with various severity levels: corneal abrasion (n=52; 44.4%); cataract (n=47;40.2%); penetrating injury (n=40; 34.2%); secondary glaucoma (n=22;18.8%); subluxated lens (n=19;16.2%); limbal stem cell deficiency (n=14;12.0%); Iridodialysis (n=12;10.3%), and vitreous hemorrhage (n=11;9.4%). Management interventions of the eyes under study included: penetrating injury repair (n=40; 34.2%), lens removal plus intraocular lens implantation (n=26; 22.2%), removal of foreign body (n=9; 7.7%). The BCVA after six months was 20/20- 20/60 in 49(41%) cases; 20/70 - 20/200 in 27 (23.1%) cases; <20/200-20/400 in 7 (6%) cases, and <20/400 in 34(29.1%) of the cases. Out of 51.3% eyes with <20/200 before management, only 35% recorded severe visual impairment.Conclusion: Fireworks-related eye injuries were mainly observed in boys primarily due to the use of bangers . Visual disability remained in one-third of the managed cases.

Ocular Trauma in Pediatric Population

Pediatric ocular trauma is the main challenge for ophthalmologists. It is the most crucial cause of monocular blindness. Thus, it is the main problem in public health management. This study is aimed to determine the clinical characteristics and visual consequences of ocular trauma. The ocular trauma with further complications can result in blindness. An immediate evaluation of the potential damage may be impossible because of vitreous hemorrhage or may be ill-advised because of hyphema or damage to other ocular or orbital structures. Books like Comprehensive Ophthalmology by Dr. A K Khurana and various articles, WHO (World Health Organization) website, etcetera were referred for this review article. Trauma in pediatric age groups is more prevalent than that in adult age groups. The so, the male gender is more prone to such injuri females. This study concludes that trauma to eyes the is the leather dying cause of ocular morbidity, which can be avoided by simple measures. First aid and early treatment can cause a significant decrease in loss of vision due to ocular trauma. Thus, a little awareness in parents and guardians can help decrease loss and blindness in the pediatric population. Eye injury, if occurred in a closed eye, causes contusion or lamellar laceration, and if that happens in an open eye, then it can lead to rupture, perforation, or penetrating injury to the eyeball. Troma to the eyes is the leading cause of ocular morbidity, which simple measures can avoid. First aid and early treatment can cause significant decrease in loss of vision due to ocular trauma. Thus, a little awareness in parents and guardians can help decrease loss and blindness in the pediatric population.

Establishment of a prediction tool for ocular trauma patients with machine learning algorithm

AIM: To predict final visual acuity and analyze significant factors influencing open globe injury prognosis. METHODS: Prediction models were built using a supervised classification algorithm from Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio. The best algorithm was selected to analyze the predicted final visual acuity. We retrospectively reviewed the data of 171 patients with open globe injury who visited the Pusan National University Hospital between January 2010 and July 2020. We then applied cross-validation, the permutation feature importance method, and the synthetic minority over-sampling technique to enhance tool performance. RESULTS: The two-class boosted decision tree model showed the best predictive performance. The accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.925, 0.962, 0.833, 0.893, and 0.971, respectively. To increase the efficiency and efficacy of the prognostic tool, the top 14 features were finally selected using the permutation feature importance method: (listed in the order of importance) retinal detachment, location of laceration, initial visual acuity, iris damage, surgeon, past history, size of the scleral laceration, vitreous hemorrhage, trauma characteristics, age, corneal injury, primary diagnosis, wound location, and lid laceration. CONCLUSION: Here we devise a highly accurate model to predict the final visual acuity of patients with open globe injury. This tool is useful and easily accessible to doctors and patients, reducing the socioeconomic burden. With further multicenter verification using larger datasets and external validation, we expect this model to become useful worldwide.

Sickle Cell Trait Presenting as Unilateral Proliferative Retinopathy and Macular Thinning in a Pregnant Woman

Background. To report a case of a pregnant woman with sickle cell trait (SCT) who presented with unilateral proliferative sickle cell retinopathy. Case Presentation. A 26-year-old otherwise healthy pregnant woman presented with the complaint of visual loss in her left eye. The funduscopic examination showed vitreous hemorrhage, sea fan neovascularization, and pale optic disc. Optical coherence tomography revealed macular inner retinal layer thinning and foveal splaying (saucerization of the foveal pit). The investigations, including hemoglobin electrophoresis, verified the diagnosis of sickle cell trait. Blood pressure, fasting blood glucose tests, and tuberculin skin tests were normal. We treated the patient by peripheral retinal photocoagulation over the area of nonperfusion. Conclusion. Even though the sickle cell trait is generally considered as a milder form of sickle cell disease without severe retinal manifestations, pregnancy should be considered as a trigger that can induce proliferative changes and foveal splaying in this group of patients.

Surgical Management of Paediatric Aphakia in the Absence of Sufficient Capsular Support

There are several available options for the demanding surgical correction of paediatric aphakia without sufficient capsular support. The literature suggests the implantation of a transscleral fixated posterior chamber-intraocular lens (PCIOL), an intrascleral fixated PCIOL, an iris-sutured intraocular lens (IOL), or an anterior chamber iris-claw IOL. We searched for reports on the management of paediatric aphakia in case of inadequate capsular support that delineated the diverse surgical approaches and their postoperative results. Analysis demonstrated that different complications can be encountered depending on IOL placement technique, such as suture rupture, IOL dislocation, secondary glaucoma, endophthalmitis, vitreous hemorrhage, and endothelial cell loss. However, it was shown that various IOL designs have similar visual outcomes. Taking into consideration the advantages and disadvantages of each surgical technique, ophthalmic surgeons can determine the safest and most efficient approach for paediatric aphakic patients.