Analysis of 130 Cases of Sympathetic Ophthalmia - A Retrospective Multicenter Case Series

Objective: To analyze the demographic profile, treatment, and visual outcome of the patients with sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) in a multicenter collaborative retrospective cohort study.Methods: Medical records of the patients with SO from UK, Singapore, India were reviewed for history of ocular trauma or surgery and subsequent development of uveitis consistent with SO, presenting symptoms, treatment, and visual outcomes.Results: A total of 130 patients were diagnosed with SO during the study period. Eighty-one (62.3%) patients were men. The mean age was 48.4 ± 15.5 years. The most common presenting symptom was blurring of vision (89.2%), followed by pain (29.2%) and floaters (23.8%). Ninety-two (70.7%) required additional immunosuppressive therapy. Thirty-six (27.9%) patients underwent enucleation of the inciting eye.Conclusions: SO is a potentially sight-threatening disease with high rates of visual loss. It warrants prompt evaluation and treatment. With the advances and availability in immunotherapy, the visual prognosis is relatively good.

Topiramate-induced acute angle closure with severe panuveitis: A challenging case report

A 36-year-old female presented with the complaints of pain, photophobia, redness, and sudden diminution of vision in both the eyes following topiramate for migraine treatment. On examination, there was panuveitis with angle-closure glaucoma in both the eyes with fibrinous exudate with pigments in the anterior chamber of the left eye. B scan revealed increased choroidal thickness in both the eyes. Serial anterior segment optical coherence tomography scans were done in the left eye to demonstrate the gradual resolution of the fibrin material from the anterior chamber. There was complete resolution of inflammation in both eyes following discontinuation of topiramate and treatment with systemic and topical steroids. There was an improvement in visual acuity in the left eye following complicated cataract surgery.

Multimodal Imaging of the Normal Eye

Multimodal imaging is the concept of "bundling" images obtained from various imaging modalities, viz., fundus photograph, fundus autofluorescence imaging, infrared (IR) imaging, simultaneous fluorescein and indocyanine angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and, more recently, OCT angiography. Each modality has its pros and cons as well as its limitations. Combination of multiple imaging techniques will overcome their individual weaknesses and give a comprehensive picture. Such approach helps in accurate localization of a lesion and understanding the pathology in posterior segment. It is important to know imaging of normal eye before one starts evaluating pathology. This article describes multimodal imaging modalities in detail and discusses healthy eye features as seen on various imaging modalities mentioned above.

Increased Aqueous Humor CD4+/CD8+ Lymphocyte Ratio in Sarcoid Uveitis

Purpose: To determine aqueous humor CD4+/CD8+ T-lymphocyte ratio changes in sarcoid and non-sarcoid uveitis with anterior chamber involvement. Methods: The case-control study includes 61 patients with either anterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis with anterior spill, or panuveitis. A total of 21 of them were categorized as sarcoid uveitis and 40 as non-sarcoid uveitis according to diagnostic criteria. CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the aqueous humor was determined using flow cytometry. Results: Significantly higher CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the aqueous humor was observed in patients with sarcoid uveitis (6.3 ± 1.4; mean ± SEM) compared to non-sarcoid uveitis (1.6 ± 0.1; mean ± SEM). Whole blood CD4+/CD8+ ratio was not elevated in subjects with sarcoid and non-sarcoid uveitis. Aqueous humor CD4+/CD8+ ratio >3.5 was observed to be associated with sarcoid uveitis (OR 38, 95% CI 7.0-205.2). Conclusion: Increased aqueous humor CD4+/CD8+ ratio in sarcoid uveitis. Immunophenotyping of localized lymphocytosis in aqueous humor could be utilized as an additional confirmatory marker for ocular sarcoidosis.

Epidemic Retinitis

Purpose: To study demography, seasonal variation, clinical presentation, and treatment outcome of "retinitis post febrile illness." (RpFI) Method: Case records of patients diagnosed as RpFI, from July 2009 to May 2017 were studied retrospectively. Patients with complete follow up were evaluated for treatment and visual outcomes. Results: Two hundred and five eyes of 119 patients were studied. The peak incidence of RpFI was from November to March each year. Diagnosis of fever largely remained unknown. Chikungunya IgM, Dengue IgM, and Weil-Felix test was positive in 22.22%, 15.38%, and 39.75%, respectively, in investigated cases. The mean visual acuity at presentation and at resolution was 20/63 and 20/32, respectively, in 122 eyes with complete follow up. Conclusion: We suggest a term "Epidemic Retinitis" for RpFI due to its seasonal variation and to differentiate it from other sporadic forms of retinitis. Although RpFI has aggressive presentation, it resolves over 3-4 months and the overall visual outcome is satisfactory.

The Collaborative Ocular Tuberculosis Study (COTS)-1 Report 3: Polymerase Chain Reaction in the Diagnosis and Management of Tubercular Uveitis: Global Trends

Purpose: To analyze the role of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of ocular fluids in management of tubercular (TB) anterior, intermediate, posterior, and panuveitis. Methods: In Collaborative Ocular Tuberculosis Study (COTS)-1 (25 centers, n = 962), patients with TB-related uveitis were included. 59 patients undergoing PCR of intraocular fluids (18 females; 53 Asian Indians) were included. Results: 59 (6.13%) of COTS-1 underwent PCR analysis. PCR was positive for Mycobacterium TB in 33 patients (23 males; all Asian Indians). 26 patients were PCR negative (18 males). Eight patients with negative PCR had systemic TB. Anti-TB therapy was given in 18 negative and 31 PCR cases. At 1-year follow-up, five patients with positive PCR (15.15%) and three with negative PCR (11.54%) had persistence/worsening of inflammation. Conclusions: Data from COTS-1 suggest that PCR is not commonly done for diagnosing intraocular TB and positive/negative results may not influence management or treatment outcomes in the real world scenario.

Aqueous humor tyrosinase activity is indicative of iris melanocyte toxicity

Antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones (FQLs) are commonly used to treat ocular infections but are also known to cause dermal melanocyte toxicity. The release of dispersed pigments from the iris into the aqueous humor has been considered a possible ocular side effect of the systemic administration of FQLs such as Moxifloxacin, and this condition is known as bilateral acute iris transillumination (BAIT). Bilateral acute depigmentation of iris (BADI) is a similar condition, with iris pigment released into the aqueous, but it has not been reported as a side effect of FQL. Iris pigments are synthesized by the melanogenic enzyme tyrosinase (TYR) and can be detected but not quantified by using slit-lamp biomicroscopy. The correlation between dispersed pigments in the aqueous and the extent of melanocyte toxicity due to topical antibiotics in vivo is not well studied. Here, we aimed to study the effect of topical FQLs on iris tissue, the pigment release in the aqueous humor and the development of clinically evident iris atrophic changes. We evaluated this process by measuring the activity of TYR in the aqueous humor of 82 healthy eyes undergoing cataract surgery following topical application of FQLs such as Moxifloxacin (27 eyes, preservative-free) or Ciprofloxacin (29 eyes, with preservative) or the application of non-FQL Tobramycin (26 eyes, with preservative) as a control. In addition, the patients were questioned and examined for ocular side effects in pre- and post-operative periods. Our data showed a significantly higher mean TYR activity in the aqueous humor of Ciprofloxacin-treated eyes compared to Moxifloxacin- (preservative free, p < 0.0001) or Tobramycin-treated eyes (p < 0.0001), which indicated that few quinolones under certain conditions are toxic to the iris melanocytes. However, the reduced TYR activity in the aqueous of Moxifloxacin-treated eyes was possibly due to the presence of a higher drug concentration, which inhibits TYR activity. Consistently, immunoblotting analysis of the aqueous humor from both Ciprofloxacin- and Moxifloxacin-treated eyes showed the presence of soluble TYR enzyme, thus reflecting its toxicity to iris melanocytes and corresponding to its activity in the aqueous humor. Intriguingly, none of these patients developed any clinically appreciable ocular side effects characteristic of BAIT or BADI. Overall, our results suggest that topical antibiotics cause different levels of iris melanocyte toxicity, releasing dispersed pigments into the aqueous humor, which can be measured through TYR enzyme activity. Hence, we conclude that topical FQLs may cause subclinical toxicity to the iris melanocytes but may not be the sole cause of the development of BAIT or BADI.

Viral posterior uveitis

The causes of posterior uveitis can be divided into infectious, autoimmune, or masquerade syndromes. Viral infections, a significant cause of sight-threatening ocular diseases in the posterior segment, include human herpesviruses, measles, rubella, and arboviruses such as dengue, West Nile, and chikungunya virus. Viral posterior uveitis may occur as an isolated ocular disease in congenital or acquired infections or as part of a systemic viral illness. Many viruses remain latent in the infected host with a risk of reactivation that depends on various factors, including virulence and host immunity, age, and comorbidities. Although some viral illnesses are self-limiting and have a good visual prognosis, others, such as cytomegalovirus retinitis or acute retinal necrosis, may result in serious complications and profound vision loss. Since some of these infections may respond well to antiviral therapy, it is important to work up all cases of posterior uveitis to rule out an infectious etiology. We review the clinical features, diagnostic tools, treatment regimens, and long-term outcomes for each of these viral posterior uveitides.

Macular edema in Asian Indian premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity: Impact on visual acuity and refractive status after 1-year

Purpose:

To report the impact of transient, self-resolving, untreated “macular edema” detected on spectral domain optical coherence tomography in Asian Indian premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) on visual acuity (VA) and refraction at 1-year of corrected age.

Materials and Methods:

Visual acuity and refraction of 11 infants with bilateral macular edema (Group A) was compared with gestational age-matched 16 infants with ROP without edema (Group B) and 17 preterms infants without ROP and without edema (Group C) at 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of corrected age using Teller Acuity Cards and cycloplegic retinoscopy. Sub-group analysis of the previously described pattern A and B macular edema was performed.

Results:

Visual acuity was lower in infants with macular edema compared with the other two control groups throughout the study period, but statistically significant only at 3 months. Visual improvement in these infants was highest between the 3^rd and 6^th month and plateaued by the end of the 1^st year with acuity comparable to the other two groups. The edema cohort was more hyperopic compared to the other two groups between 3 and 12 months of age. Pattern A edema had worse VA compared to pattern B, although not statistically significant.

Conclusion:

Macular edema, although transient, caused reduced VA as early as 3 months of corrected age in Asian Indian premature infants weighing <2000 g at birth. The higher hyperopia in these infants is possibly due to visual disturbances caused at a critical time of fovealization. We hypothesize a recovery and feedback mechanism based on the principles of active emmetropization to explain our findings.

Look what else we found--clinically significant abnormalities detected during routine ROP screening

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to report the spectrum of anterior and posterior segment diagnoses in Asian Indian premature infants detected serendipitously during routine retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening during a 1 year period.

Methods:

A retrospective review of all Retcam (Clarity MSI, USA) imaging sessions during the year 2011 performed on infants born either <2001 g at birth and/or <34.1 weeks of gestation recruited for ROP screening was performed. All infants had a minimum of seven images at each session, which included the dilated anterior segment, disc, and macula center and the four quadrants using the 130° lens.

Results:

Of the 8954 imaging sessions of 1450 new infants recruited in 2011, there were 111 (7.66%) with a diagnosis other than ROP. Anterior segment diagnoses seen in 31 (27.9%) cases included clinically significant cataract, lid abnormalities, anophthalmos, microphthalmos, and corneal diseases. Posterior segment diagnoses in 80 (72.1%) cases included retinal hemorrhages, cherry red spots, and neonatal uveitis of infective etiologies. Of the 111 cases, 15 (13.5%) underwent surgical procedures and 24 (21.6%) underwent medical procedures; importantly, two eyes with retinoblastoma were detected which were managed timely.

Conclusions:

This study emphasizes the importance of ocular digital imaging in premature infants. Visually significant, potentially life-threatening, and even treatable conditions were detected serendipitously during routine ROP screening that may be missed or detected late otherwise. This pilot data may be used to advocate for a possible universal infant eye screening program using digital imaging.

Foveal Layer Morphology Detected on Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography and its Correlation with Visual Acuity in Asian Indian Premature Infants in their First Year of Life

PURPOSE

To report foveal microanatomy imaged on handheld spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) and correlate it with visual acuity in Asian Indian premature infants.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 32 Asian Indian premature infants, 10 with Type 2 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), were imaged between 3 and 12 months of corrected postmenstrual age (PMA) on the handheld SDOCT (Envisu 2300, Bioptigen, DNC, USA). The foveal findings on these images were correlated with visual acuity measured using Teller acuity cards. The study cohort was divided into three groups based on the corrected age, 3-<6 months, 6-<9 months, and 9-12 months. SDOCT images of the foveal center were analyzed for inner retinal layer (IRL) persistence or fusion and presence of the external limiting membrane (ELM), inner segment-outer segment or the ellipsoid zone (EZ), and the outer segment-retinal pigment epithelium (OS-RPE) layers.

RESULTS

The mean visual acuity of the three groups was 1.60, 1.63, and 1.23 logMAR, respectively (p < 0.001). Visual acuity significantly correlated with all four layers (IRL fusion, ELM, EZ, and OS-RPE in the 3-<6-month group [p < 0.001], IRL fusion only in 6-<9-month group (p < 0.001), and IRL fusion and EZ in the 9-12-month group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides insights into our understanding of a premature infant's foveal maturation in the first year. Inner retinal fusion or maturation is the most important event that correlates with better visual acuity throughout the first year. In addition, between 9 and 12 months PMA, the completion of the EZ at the foveal center positively influenced visual acuity. The presence of ROP did not influence development of the layers, but the sample size was small for subgroup analysis.

Personality and uveitis

Background

Psycho-immunology is an emerging branch of science which studies the interaction between the brain and the immune system. The purpose of this study is to identify the types of personality factors in patients with non-infectious uveitis and to find its association with a particular uveitic entity if any.

This is a prospective, observational, case-control study of 186 patients with non-infectious uveitis (group A) and controls from general ophthalmology outpatient department (group B). “Global 5/SLOAN” personality questionnaire was used which is based on the five-factor theory of personality which describes personality factors based on the presence or absence of five primary dimensions, viz extroversion, orderliness, emotional stability, accommodation, and intellectual curiosity. Personality factors of patients from groups A and B were compared. History of present illness, clinical diagnosis, details of systemic ailment, and demographic information were collected.

Results

Group A comprised HLA-B27-related uveitis (n = 30), uveitis due to sarcoidosis (n = 10), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome (n = 5), sclero-kerato-uveitis due to rheumatoid arthritis (n = 5), and idiopathic uveitis in rest. Forty-five patients with uveitis had associated systemic ailment. Uveitis patients (n = 56) showed positive personality trait: S (social), C (calm), O (organized), A (accommodative), and I (inquisitive). In contrast, the control group (group B) which mainly comprised patients with non-pathological refractive error and visually insignificant cataract showed more number of negative personality traits (n = 62): R (reserved), L (limbic), U (unstructured), E (egocentric), and N (non-curious). This difference between the uveitis and control group was found to be statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001). The difference was also statistically significant for O (p = 0.008), U (p = 0.004), and C (p = 0.022) with chi-square test. Calm personality was found to be significantly associated with HLA-B27-related uveitis (p = 0.002). N, S, and A traits were seen almost equal in numbers in both the groups. U trait was absent in group A, whereas I trait had negligible presence in group B.

Conclusions

Our finding of an association between organized personality type and uveitis and calm personality and HLA-B27-related uveitis warrants further studies to understand the complex mechanism of psycho-immunology in uveitis.

Choroidal Vascularity Index in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease: An EDI-OCT Derived Tool for Monitoring Disease Progression

Purpose

We assessed the application of the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in the follow-up of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (VKH) patients derived from image binarization of enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) images with Fiji software. Our secondary objective was to derive the retinochoroidal vascularity index based on en face fundus fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography (FFA and ICGA).

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, EDI-OCT scans of 18 eyes of 9 patients with VKH were obtained at baseline within 2 weeks of acute presentation, and again at 6 to 12 months. Images with poor quality were excluded. Choroidal thickness (CT) and CVI were analyzed and compared to 13 eyes of 13 healthy controls. En face FFA and ICGA obtained from 12 eyes of 7 patients were segmented to derive retinochoroidal vascularity index.

Results

There was no statistical difference in age or sex between the study group and controls. Choroidal thickness of patients with VKH was 359.23 ± 57.63 μm at baseline, compared to 274.09 ± 56.98 μm in controls (P = 0.003). Follow-up CT in VKH patients was 282.62 ± 42.51 μm, which was significantly decreased from baseline (P = 0.0001). Choroidal vascularity index in VKH patients was 70.03 ± 1.93% at baseline, compared to 64.63 ± 1.92% in controls (P < 0.001). Choroidal vascularity index was 66.94 ± 1.82% at follow-up, significantly reduced from baseline (P < 0.0001). Fundus fluorescein angiography and ICGA retinochoroidal vascularity indices at baseline were 70.67 ± 2.65% and 66.42 ± 2.16%, respectively.

Conclusions

In this small series of VKH patients, EDI-OCT–derived CVI had a statistically significant reduction over time, similar to CT. We propose that OCT, FFA, and ICGA-derived vascularity indices may be potential novel supportive tools in monitoring disease progression in VKH.

Translational Relevance

Choroidal vascularity index can be used potentially to study and analyze the structural changes in choroid. It can be a useful tool to explain the changes in the CT in different retinochoroidal disorders. Choroidal vascularity index also can be used for longitudinal follow-up in patients with VKH disease and other inflammatory disease involving the choroid.

Author's reply to 'Rickettsia retinitis cases in India: a few comments'

Diagnosis of rickettsial retinitis remains presumptive when gold standard tests are not available or not done due to financial constrains. History of tick bite followed by fever with skin rash particularly in winter and spring season may point towards Rickettsiosis. The absence of scarring post resolution of rickettsial retinitis suggests inner retinal involvement in contrast to toxoplasmosis. Bilaterality of the disease, 2–4 weeks of latent period, and multifocal nature of retinitis lesions (cotton wool spot-like lesions) especially around the disc and posterior pole may suggest an immune response to recent systemic infection. The use of only antibiotics or only steroids or both together for treatment of rickettsial retinitis is controversial and warrants randomized controlled trials.

Rickettsial retinitis-an Indian perspective

BACKGROUND

Though rickettsiosis is common in India, there is paucity of rickettsial retinitis (RR) reports from India. Moreover, rickettsial sub-types and their association with retinitis have not been studied. We are reporting a case series of presumed RR with their course of the disease, visual outcome, and association with rickettsial sub-type based on Weil-Felix test.

FINDINGS

This is a retrospective study of 19 eyes of 10 patients presented to a single institution. Cases diagnosed with presumed RR were identified from our database from March 2006 to October 2014 and studied retrospectively for patient's demography, clinical presentation, and treatment. Patients with history of fever, retinitis, and a positive Weil-Felix test and a negative chikungunya and dengue serology were diagnosed as presumed rickettsial uveitis. One patient was diagnosed to have epidemic typhus, and four were diagnosed to have Indian tick typhus. Nine patients had bilateral presentation. One patient had history of dog tick bite, and four patients had skin rashes. All the patients presented between 2 and 4 weeks after a fever.

CONCLUSIONS

Retinitis on posterior pole with recent history of fever with or without skin rash and a positive Weil-Felix test may suggest a rickettsial etiology. Its ocular manifestation could be an immune response to recent systemic rickettsial infection. Indian tick typhus and epidemic typhus could be the common sub-types seen in our population. Although it has aggressive presentation, it has a good visual prognosis.

Combined depth imaging of choroid in uveitis

Background

Understanding the changes that occur in the choroid is of paramount importance in various uveitis entities. B-scan ultrasonography and indocyanine green angiography can be used to study choroid. Currently, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography is used as the standard noninvasive technique to study the choroid by enhanced depth imaging.

Our aim was to study the structural visibility of the choroid using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in the same area of interest in patients with uveitis with posterior segment manifestations using conventional, enhanced depth imaging (EDI), and combined depth imaging (CDI) techniques.

Results

Fifty-eight (58) eyes of 48 patients between age group 9 and 82 years were confirmed cases of uveitis. Out of the 48 patients, 21 (43.75%) were males while 27 (56.25%) were females. Sixteen eyes (27.59%) had intermediate uveitis, 33 (56.9%) had posterior uveitis, and 9 eyes (15.51%) had panuveitis.

For posterior vitreous, there was substantial agreement for all the three groups (kappa value of 0.77, 0.73, and 0.72 in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively). For vitreo retinal interface and inner choroid, there was perfect interobserver agreement, and for outer choroid, there was substantial to almost perfect interobserver agreement (kappa value of 0.71, 0.81, and 0.86 in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively).

Chi-squared test was done to compare the three groups. The method of scanning had a significant effect on the visualization of posterior vitreous and the outer choroid (p < 0.01) and did not have an effect on the visualization of vitreoretinal interface, inner retina, outer retina, and inner choroidal layers (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

The CDI technique alone might provide a good structural visibility compared to normal and EDI scanning done separately in patients with uveitis with posterior segment pathology. CDI OCT technique is thus able to visualize all posterior structures in a single image in patients with uveitis with posterior segment manifestations.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12348-014-0018-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.