MICROBIAL BIOBURDEN OF ORTHOKERATOLOGY AND HYDROGEL CONTACT LENSES AND STORAGE CASES USING A HYDROGEN-PEROXIDE DISINFECTING SYSTEM

Background and objective: The fitting of orthokeratology (ortho-k) and multifocal soft contact lenses (SCL) is becoming increasingly popular worldwide for reducing the rate of myopia progression. However, overnight wear use of lenses and microbial contamination of contact lenses and storage vials has been shown to increase the risk of corneal inflammatory and infiltrative events (CIEs). Therefore, we conducted a pilot study to compare the rate, level, and type of microbial contamination of contact lenses and storage vialswhen participants wear ortho-k and SCL in combination with a hydrogen-peroxide disinfecting system. Material and Methods: A prospective, single-centre, randomized, crossover study was conducted to evalu-ate the rate and level of contact lens and storage vials contamination during the use of ortho-k and SCL along with a hydrogen-peroxide disinfecting solution over two 10 day wearing periods. Ocular signs and symptoms were assessed during lens wear at baseline and after each wearing period. In addition, contact lens and storage vials were collected, and the type and amount of microbial contamination were evaluated using viable culture and standard identification methods.Results: Twenty-five adults were enrolled, and 21 completed the study. One (5%) ortho-k lens, five (24%) ortho-k storage vials, one (5%) SCL and one (5%) SCL storage vial were contaminated (P > 0.05), predominantly with Gram-positive bacteria. None of the participants had contamination with both ortho-k and SCL. No significant differences were found between the ocular signs, including conjunctival redness and roughness, or conjunctival or corneal staining (all P > 0.05), irrespective of using ortho-k or SCL. Conclusion: This study provides the first data that directly compares microbial contamination of ortho-K versus SCL in patients using a hydrogen-peroxide disinfection system. However, the overall microbial contamination rate of contact lens storage vials was much lower (30%) than the previously reported study with ortho-k lens wear. The results support conducting a larger clinical trial designed to understand differences in microbial contamination with different lens materials and modalities.

Corneal Nerve Abnormalities in Painful Dry Eye Disease Patients

This study aimed to compare the corneal nerve structural abnormalities detected using in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) in patients with neuropathic corneal pain (NCP) secondary to primary meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) or autoimmune dry eye (AIDE). Methods: A two-stage retrospective nested case–control study was conducted. First, data from patients with either MGD or AIDE were assessed, selecting only cases with no corneal pain (VAS = 0) or severe pain (VAS ≥ 8). Ocular signs and symptoms of the 238 selected patients were compared between painful and painless cases. Next, painful patients with no corneal damage (Oxford score ≤ 1) were selected within each study group, defining the cases with NCP (i.e., “pain without stain”). IVCM images from all groups were compared with prospectively-recruited healthy controls, focusing on dendritiform cell density and nerve abnormalities (density, tortuosity, microneuromas). Results: AIDE patients had more ocular signs/symptoms than MGD patients. Compared with healthy controls, AIDE-related NCP patients showed increased nerve tortuosity and number of neuromas, whereas MGD-related NCP patients had reduced nerve density and increased number, perimeter, and area of microneuromas. Microneuromas were also observed in healthy controls. Furthermore, a higher number of microneuromas was found in MGD-related NCP compared to AIDE-related NCP or painless MGD. Conclusions: MGD-related NCP was associated with significantly more corneal nerve abnormalities than AIDE-related NCP or healthy controls. Although IVCM can be useful to detect NCP-related corneal nerve changes in such patients, the diagnosis of dry eye disease-related NCP will require an association of several IVCM-based criteria without relying solely on the presence of microneuromas.

Aproximación Diagnóstica De Las Enfermedades Sistémicas De Los Pacientes Con Signos Y Lesiones Oculares Atendidos En La Consulta Externa Del Hospital Veterinario De Animales De Compañía De La Universidad De San Carlos De Guatemala

The goal of this article is to show the most frequent types of differential diagnoses of systemic diseases in canines with ocular signs and lesions. For this purpose, a retrospective study was conducted on 510 medical records from patients of the Companion Animal Veterinary Hospital (HVAC) of the University of San Carlos (USAC) of Guatemala, from August to November 2017. The inclusion criteria were: canine species, having a differential diagnosis established list of possible systemic diseases and an eye examination by specialist. Through a descriptive analysis of the data, it was established that, of the 510 canines examined, 212 (42%) presented signs and ocular alterations, of these there were 550 differential diagnosis, which were categorized using the acronym DAMNIT V; from which it was determined that 40% are infectious / inflammatory, neoplasic (19%) followed by metabolic processes (13%), allergic / autoimmune (10%), degenerative (7%), idiopathic (5%), traumatic / toxic 4% and finally vascular (2%).

Symptoms and signs of conjunctivitis as predictors of disease course in COVID-19 syndrome

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can induce conjunctivitis signs and symptoms. However, limited information is available on their impact on COVID-19 disease phenotype. Quantification of ocular signs/symptoms can provide a rapid, non-invasive proxy for predicting clinical phenotype. Moreover, the existence and entity of conjunctival viral shedding is still debated. This has relevant implications to manage disease spread. The purpose of this study was to investigate conjunctivitis signs and symptoms and their correlation with clinical parameters, conjunctival viral shedding in patients with COVID-19. Methods Fifty-three patients hospitalized between February 25th and September 16th, 2020 at the San Raffaele Hospital, in Milan, Lombardy, Italy with a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 were evaluated. Presence of interstitial pneumonia was confirmed with computed tomography scan imaging. Ocular signs and symptoms, anosmia/ageusia, clinical/laboratory parameters, and reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from nasopharyngeal and conjunctival swabs for COVID-19 virus were analyzed. Results Forty-six out of 53 patients showed a positive nasopharyngeal swab for SARS-CoV-2 infection at the time of conjunctival evaluation. All the conjunctival swabs were negative. Conjunctivitis symptoms were present in 37% of patients. Physician-assessed ocular signs were detected in 28% of patients. Patients with ocular symptoms or signs tended to be older: 76.8 years (62.4–83.3) vs 57.2 years (48.1–74.0), p = 0.062 and had a longer hospitalization: 38 days (18–49) vs. 14 days (11–21), p = 0.005. Plasma levels of Interleukin-6 were higher in patients with signs or symptoms in comparison with those without them: 43.5 pg/ml (19.7–49.4) vs. 8 pg/ml (3.6–20.7), p = 0.02. Red cell distribution width was also significantly higher: 15 (14.3–16.7) vs 13.2 (12.4–14.4), p = 0.001. Conclusions We found that over a third of the patients had ocular signs or symptoms. These had higher prevalence in patients with a more severe infection. No viral shedding was detected in the conjunctiva. Our results suggest that prompt detection of conjunctivitis signs/symptoms can serve as a helpful proxy to predict COVID-19 clinical phenotype.

A monoklonális gammopathia szemészeti jelei és szövődményei.

Összefoglaló. Célkitűzés: A monoklonális gammopathia szemészeti jeleinek és szövődményeinek vizsgálata. Betegek és módszerek: Két nagy budapesti hematológiai ellátóhely 1999 és 2020 között diagnosztizált és/vagy kezelt, monoklonális gammopathiát mutató betegeit vizsgáltuk (42 beteg 84 szeme, 42,86% férfi; átlagéletkor 63,83 ± 10,76 év). A hematológiai diagnózis 3 esetben bizonytalan jelentőségű monoklonális gammopathia, 34 esetben myeloma multiplex, 3 esetben parázsló myeloma, 1-1 esetben Waldenström-macroglobulinaemia és amyloidosis voltak. Kontrollcsoportként véletlenszerűen kiválasztott, hasonló korcsoportú, hematológiai betegség nélküli egyéneket vizsgáltunk (43 beteg 86 szeme, 32,56% férfi; átlagéletkor 62,44 ± 11,89 év). A szemészeti vizsgálat előtt minden személy kitöltötte a Szemfelszíni Betegség Index (OSDI-) kérdőívet. A szemészeti vizsgálat során a látóélesség vizsgálata mellett pupillatágítást követően réslámpás vizsgálatot végeztünk. Eredmények: Monoklonális gammopathiában az OSDI-érték szignifikánsan magasabb volt, mint a kontrollokban (p = 0,002). Gammopathiában 3 beteg 5 szeménél (5,95%) találtunk potenciális szaruhártya-immunglobulinlerakódást. Gammopathiában szárazszem-betegség 66,67%-ban, szürke hályog 55,95%-ban, Meibom-mirigy-diszfunkció 20,24%-ban, hátsó kérgi szürke hályog 19,05%-ban, egyéb szaruhártyahegek és -homályok 17,86%-ban, krónikus szemhéjgyulladás 14,29%-ban, szemészeti eltérés hiánya 11,90%-ban, macula- és/vagy retinadrusen 9,52%-ban, szaruhártya-immunglobulinlerakódás 5,95%-ban, epiretinalis membrán 5,95%-ban, korábbi szürkehályog-műtét 5,95%-ban, glaucoma 4,76%-ban, Fuchs-dystrophia 2,38%-ban, perifériás retinadegeneráció 2,38%-ban, chorioidea naevus 2,38%-ban, diabeteses retinopathia 1,19%-ban, arteria centralis retinae elzáródás 1,19%-ban, vena centralis retinae ágelzáródás 1,19%-ban, amblyopia 1,19%-ban volt kimutatható. A szárazszem-betegség (p = 0,002), a hátsó kérgi szürke hályog (p = 0,001), a szürke hályog (p<0,00001) és az egyéb szaruhártyahegek és -homályok (p = 0,01) szignifikánsan magasabb arányban fordultak elő a monoklonális gammopathiát mutató betegekben, mint a kontrollokban. Következtetés : Monoklonális gammopathiában a szárazszem-betegség és a szürke hályog a leggyakoribb szemészeti eltérés. A monoklonális gammopathia potenciális szemészeti jelei és szövődményei miatt javasoljuk a betegek évenkénti szemészeti ellenőrzését, életminőségük javítása érdekében. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(38): 1533–1540. Summary. Objective: To examine ocular signs and ocular comorbidities in monoclonal gammopathy. Patients and methods: We analyzed patients from two large referral hematology centers in Budapest, who were diagnosed and/or treated with monoclonal gammopathy between 1997 and 2020 (84 eyes of 42 patients, 42.86% male, mean age 63.83 ± 10.76 years). Before the ophthalmic examination, the subjects filled in the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire. Ophthalmic examination included visual acuity test and slit-lamp examination following dilation of the pupil. Results: OSDI scores were significantly higher in subjects with monoclonal gammopathy than in controls (p = 0.002). Among gammopathy subjects, we observed potential corneal immunoglobulin deposition in 5 eyes of 3 patients (5.95%). In gammopathy subjects, there was dry eye disease (66.67%), cataract (55.95%), Meibomian gland dysfunction (20.24%), posterior cortical cataract (19.05%), corneal scars and degenerations (17.86%), chronic blepharitis (14.29%), absence of ocular complaint (11.90%), macular or retinal drusen (9.52%), corneal immunoglobulin deposition (5.95%), epiretinal membrane (5.95%), previous cataract surgery (5.95%), glaucoma (4.76%), Fuchs dystrophy (2.38%), peripheral retinal degeneration (2.38%), chorioideal naevus (2.38%), diabetic retinopathy (1.19%), central retinal artery occlusion (1.19%), central retinal vein branch occlusion (1.19%) and amblyopia (1.19%). The proportion of dry eye disease (p = 0.002), posterior cortical cataract (p = 0.001), cataract (p<0.00001), and corneal scars and degenerations (p = 0.01) were significantly higher in gammopathy subjects than in controls. Conclusion: Dry eye disease and cataracts are the most common ocular comorbidities in patients with monoclonal gammopathy. Therefore, due to the potential ocular signs and comorbidities of monoclonal gammopathy, we suggest a regular, yearly ophthalmic checkup of these patients to improve their quality of life. Orv Hetil. 2021; 162(38): 1533–1540.

Efficacy of fipronil/(S)-methoprene/eprinomectin/praziquantel (Broadline®) against Thelazia callipaeda in naturally infected cats

Background The present clinical field trial was conducted to assess the efficacy of a broad-spectrum parasiticide spot-on formulation containing eprinomectin (Broadline®) against Thelazia callipaeda eyeworm in naturally infected cats. Methods Fifteen privately owned cats harboring at least one live adult T. callipaeda were included in the study. Cats were randomly allocated to an untreated control group of seven cats or to a Broadline®-treated group of eight cats. Cats were treated on Day 0; ocular examinations were performed at inclusion and on Days 7 and 14; eyeworms were recovered and counted on Day 14. The primary efficacy assessment was based on group comparison of number of T. callipaeda on Day 14. Results Seven days after treatment, six of eight treated cats were negative for eyeworm infection per visual examination, and on Day 14 no eyeworms were found in the treated cats while the seven untreated cats were still infected (geometric mean: 1.97). All cats had inflammatory ocular signs at inclusion; on Day 14, five of eight treated cats had recovered while all untreated control cats were still symptomatic. All collected parasites were confirmed to be T. callipaeda by morphology and molecular characterization. Conclusions A single treatment with Broadline® provided 100% efficacy against feline thelaziosis and improved related ocular inflammation signs. Graphical abstract

Endogenous Endophthalmitis and Liver Abscess: A Metastatic Infection or a Coincidence?

<i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> is a gram-negative pathogen that is a common cause of severe infections, including pyogenic liver abscess. Dissemination of <i>K. pneumoniae</i> to other organs, including the eye, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In the particular case of endogenous endophthalmitis (EE) by <i>K. pneumoniae</i> the prognosis is poor. We report the case of a middle-aged female with <i>K. pneumoniae</i> liver abscess. The patient developed metastatic endophthalmitis that was aggressively treated with systemic antibiotics. The liver abscess resolved with antimicrobials and percutaneous transhepatic drainage, but regarding the endophthalmitis she was discharged from our hospital without recovery of her eyesight. Metastatic spread to the eye should be considered in all patients with liver abscesses who experience ocular signs and symptoms in order to establish a timely diagnosis of EE.

Carotid Cavernous Sinus Fistula with Contralateral Feed Not Diagnosed by Virtual Assessment or by Non-Invasive Vascular Imaging

A 67-year-old woman had delayed initial diagnosis of her right low flow carotid cavernous fistula (CCF) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic due to difficulty detecting ocular signs via online virtual examinations. Her right eye conjunctival erythema and proptosis with medial rectus enlargement on computed tomography scan was initially misdiagnosed as euthyroid thyroid-associated orbitopathy without lid retraction. She developed vision loss, and increasing episcleral venous congestion and CCF was suspected. Computed tomographic angiography did not show an obvious fistula. Digital subtraction angiography revealed the right-sided low flow CCF, which was fed from vessels from the contralateral side.