Changes in symptoms of dry eyes in health professionals with increased duration of wearing the mask

: In normal population and patient, the significant increase in dry eyes manifestations have been observed. Similarly, aggravated symptoms and complaints of dryness have also been observed in clinical and hospital staff by using a face mask for an extended time period. The purpose of the study was to observe the association between symptoms of dry eyes and the duration of using masks in health professionals.: An unspecified questionnaire was distributed using Google Forms through different social media platforms, asking each respondent to contribute to the survey. Data were collected from December 2021 to January 2021. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Statistical significance was considered if p-value was less than 0.05. A total of 39 responses was included for analysis in the study. There was a positive correlation between the frequency of the symptoms of dryness and the duration of using the mask. Similarly, the severity of the symptoms for dry eyes was strongly correlated with an increase in the frequency of symptoms for dry eyes.The finding reflects that the frequency of the dryness along with the severity will increase with the increase in the duration of wearing a mask. Moreover, it also suggests that cloth mask is the probable predisposing factor for the increase in the dry eye symptoms in this study.

Pearls of plastics in ENT practice that Conceals & Camouflages the Camber, Contour & Cosmesis in Facial Trauma

Facial trauma can involve soft tissue injuries such as burns, lacerations, bruises and even fractures of the facial bones such as nasal fractures and fractures of the jaw as well as injury to the eye. Symptoms are specific to the type of injury that can be either signs of inflammation or changes in facial definition. Facial injuries have the potential to cause temporary deviations in facial delineation to permanent disfigurement of facial structures.

A Three-Generation Muckle-Wells Syndrome Family: Detailed Family History, Physical Examination, and Inter-Departmental Collaboration

Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS) is a rare inherited autoinflammatory disease caused by gain-of-function mutations in the NLRP3 gene, with a genotype-phenotype correlation. The clinical presentation of each mutation has been previously studied. However, very few studies have reported on the clinical characteristics and treatment effectiveness across different generations within a family with the same mutation. A detailed investigation of family members of patients with CAPS may help in the appropriate diagnosis and treatment of undiagnosed CAPS. Herein, we report a 2-year-old boy (proband), his father, and his grandmother who presented with several symptoms of CAPS, such as persistently positive inflammatory reactions and hearing impairment. All three patients had the same pathogenic mutation in the NLRP3 gene (c.1049C>T (p.Thr350Met) heterozygous mutation) and were diagnosed with CAPS. With canakinumab treatment, the laboratory data of all three patients improved, the proband and father’s skin rash disappeared, and his grandmother’s arthropathy improved. The proband’s hearing also showed slight improvement, but not in his father or grandmother. Among the various non-specific symptoms associated with CAPS, chronic ocular hyperemia is a finding that can be easily identified by non-ophthalmologists. Diagnosis of CAPS should be considered when eye symptoms are present in a combination of hyperinflammatory response, arthropathy, or skin symptoms. Thorough family history records, physical examinations, and close collaboration between pediatricians and adult rheumatologists are important for prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment of inherited autoinflammatory diseases.

An unusual presentation of thymoma: dysgeusia, ulcerative colitis, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, autoimmune retinopathy and myasthenia gravis

A 41-year-old female presented with dysgeusia, dry eyes, nyctalopia with progressive visual field constriction (due to autoimmune retinopathy) and gastrointestinal symptoms (due to ulcerative colitis). She was subsequently admitted to intensive care with a myasthenic crisis, and CT of the thorax demonstrated a thymoma.Following thymectomy and adjuvant radiotherapy, she has remained in complete remission from her ulcerative colitis and myasthenia gravis, her retinopathy has stabilised and there has been no thymoma recurrence over a 10-year postoperative period. There was a brief relapse of her dysgeusia (causing weight loss) and dry eye symptoms 3 years after her surgery, which resolved 8 months later. While the association of thymomas with paraneoplastic syndromes (PNS) is well established, it is unusual to present with multiple PNS, and some of these have only been documented in sparse case reports to date. Thymectomy played a crucial role in improvement and stabilisation of her PNS.

A case of tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome after suspected drug-induced acute interstitial nephritis

Distinguishing between late-onset TINU syndrome and drug-induced AIN remains difficult given that patients with TINU syndrome may develop uveitis long after the onset of AIN. Therefore, ophthalmic examination is required not only upon diagnosis but also continuously or when eye symptoms, and relapse of urinary findings are observed.

Dry eye disease and psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The association between dry eye disease (DED) and psychiatric conditions is a highly researched topic. This work reviews the literature on this relationship, examining the prevalence and correlations of depression and anxiety with dry eye signs and symptoms. A comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and gray literature was conducted, with keywords for dry eye and mood disorders, depression, anxiety, and suicide. Eligible studies underwent quality assessment using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analysis was performed using STATA 15.0. Fixed- and random-effects models were computed based on the presence of heterogeneity. Thirty-two studies were included, with 31 reporting on depression and 19 on anxiety. Meta-analysis results found a depression prevalence of 40% (CI: [0.29, 0.52]) in DED patients, with 1.81 times higher odds of prevalence compared to controls (CI: [1.61, 2.02]). Prevalence of anxiety was 39% (CI: [0.15, 0.64]), with 2.32 times higher odds of prevalence compared to controls (CI: [1.67, 3.23]). Depression scores were significantly higher in patients with DED in all studies. Anxiety scores were significantly higher in DED patients in studies using all scales except the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety Subscale. DED symptom scores were significantly associated with depression (ES = 0.43; CI: [0.31, 0.55]) and anxiety (ES = 0.41; CI: [0.32, 0.50]) scores. In conclusion, depression and anxiety are more prevalent and severe in DED patients and are correlated with dry eye symptoms but not signs. These findings highlight the interrelationship between these disorders and have important implications for providing appropriate care to these patients.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Dry Eye Symptoms after Successful Dacryocystorhinostomy for Patients with Lacrimal Passage Obstruction

Purpose To investigate the prevalence of dry eye symptoms after successful dacryocystorhinostomy and explore the potential risk factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 565 patients with lacrimal passage obstruction (LPO) who underwent external dacryocystorhinostomy. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) total score of 13 or more was regarded as presence of dry eye symptoms. OSDI total score greater than 22 combined with self-reported dry eye was defined as symptomatic dry eye. Logistic regression and linear regression were used to examine the associations between OSDI scores and its potentially predictive factors. Results: Of the 565 patients, 344 completed the questionnaire, among which 101(29.4%) patients presented with dry eye symptoms, including 53(15.4%) mild, 14(4.1%) moderate and 34(9.9%) severe, and 48(14.0%) patients can be defined as symptomatic dry eye. Univariate logistic regression revealed that age, educational levels, income levels, and hypertension were significantly correlated with the presence of dry eye symptoms ( P < 0.05). After multivariate adjustment, lower income levels were found significantly associated with dry eye symptoms ( P < 0.05). Univariate linear regression demonstrated that age, lower educational levels, surgery history, and hypertension were significantly associated with OSDI total score ( P = 0.037, 0.012, 0.022, 0.029 respectively). Multivariate stepwise linear regression manifested that educational levels and the surgery history influenced the OSDI total score mostly ( P = 0.021, 0.036 respectively). Conclusions: Dry eye problem of LPO patients after successful dacryocystorhinostomy cannot be ignored. In the preoperative evaluation, we should pay special attention to the elderly patients with lower educational levels, lower income levels or systemic diseases.