Lateral tarsal strip through osteotomies for recurrent ectropion and eyelid laxity correction

Objective to present a surgical technique for treating patients with recurrent ectropion and severe lower eyelid laxity. Methods Lateral tarsal strip and canthal fixation by osteotomy was performed in 6 patients with recurrent ectropion and 1 patient with extreme lower eyelid laxity secondary to an anophthalmic socket. Preoperative and postoperative photographs were evaluated in order to assess the outcomes of the procedure. Patients were followed up 4 weeks, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months of the postoperative period. The initial symptoms of the patients were eye redness, epiphora, foreign body sensation, aesthetic complaints, and facial asymmetry. Symptoms and aesthetic results were assessed by questioning, photographs, and fluorescein and lissamine green stains taken in each visit. Results No postoperative complications were observed. No recurrence episodes were reported during the follow-up period and physical appearance improvement and symptom severity reduction were maintained during the observation. Conclusion Lateral tarsal strip through osteotomies is an effective surgical procedure for treating severe recurrent ectropion cases or lower eyelid laxity and could be considered as an alternative treatment option or even a primary surgical technique in selected difficult cases.

Should we care about the ocular surface in the anophthalmic patient?

Purpose: To assess clinical and biomolecular changes of the conjunctival epithelium in anophthalmic patients wearing an ocular prosthesis. Methods: Thirty-five unilateral anophthalmic patients were enrolled. Patients with blepharitis, lid abnormalities, and topical/systemic medication affecting the ocular surface were excluded. Symptom Assessment in Dry Eye (SANDE) questionnaire and tear function test (Schirmer Test Type I) were recorded. Conjunctival inflammation and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) were graded in the anophthalmic side and fellow eye. Impression cytology sampling of the upper, lower tarsal, and posterior/bulbar conjunctiva from the anophthalmic socket were collected and compared to healthy controls. Results: Patients had significantly higher SANDE ( p < 0.001), Schirmer I test ( p = 0.004), conjunctival inflammation ( p < 0.001), and MGD scores ( p < 0.001) on the anophthalmic side compared to the fellow eye. Mucin 5AC, inflammatory markers (MMP-9, ICAM-1) expression ( p < 0.001), and response to oxidative stress (NRF2-KEAP1 signaling pathway) ( p < 0.05) were significantly upregulated in the posterior conjunctival surface in the anophthalmic socket. Conclusions: Anophthalmic patients complained of more pronounced dry eye symptoms and presented more significant signs of inflammation and MGD on the anophthalmic side. The bulbar conjunctiva, behind the prosthesis, showed more significant hyperexpression of mucins, markers of inflammation, and increased response to oxidative stress compared to the tarsal conjunctiva. Patients wearing ocular prosthesis had signs of inflammation resembling dry eye disease.

Conjunctival Epithelial Inclusion Cyst following Evisceration with Primary Orbital Implantation

A 29-years-old Turkish man who had undergone evisceration with primary orbital implantation 20 months prior complained of difficulty wearing his artificial eye. Slit-lamp examination revealed a conjunctival cyst in the center of the anophthalmic socket, with no evidence of scleral or orbital implant exposure. The cyst was completely excised under general anesthesia and did not require use of any sclerosing substance or dye. At 6 months postoperatively, there was no recurrence of the cyst or exposure of the sclera or orbital implant. As the upper and lower fornices were sufficiently deep, the patient could wear his artificial eye.

Very late orbital recurrence of choroidal melanoma four decades post enucleation

Orbital recurrence of malignant choroidal melanoma is quite uncommon, occurring in about 3% of patients undergoing enucleation for large tumors. Orbital recurrences after more than 10 years from enucleation are even rarer. In literature, only few reports described orbital recurrence that occurred between 10 and 40 years after primary diagnosis. Herein we report a very late choroidal melanoma recurrence, 40 years post enucleation, of a 52 year-old female who had undergone left enucleation at the age of 12. She presented to our clinic for consultation in 2017, complaining of difficulty to contain the prosthesis, as well as, presence of small pigmented palpable nodules inferiorly in her anophthalmic socket. The patient was not aware of the medical condition which had lead to the enucleation. We requested her medical reports and detailed history through her family. We realized after reviewing her charts 40 years back, that her enucleation was due to malignant choroidal melanoma (CMM). Full screening was performed. After magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), that showed the presence of nodular masses in the anophthalmic socket, an excisional biopsy was performed. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of CMM (epithelioid and spindle cell type), supporting the hypothesis that residual melanoma cells may remain clinically dormant for long periods, even for decades. A literature review was performed in order to review similar cases and to understand and discuss multiple factors, which may explain this extremely delayed recurrence. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third case to be reported in the literature.