[White dot syndromes : Principles, diagnostics, and treatment]

Acute Idiopathic Blind Spot Enlargement Syndrome (AIBSES) in the Era of OCT - a Review

There are only about 100 case reports on the Acute Idiopathic Blind Spot Enlargement Syndrome (AIBSES). This is characterised by the eponymous visual field loss in the blind spot area, acute onset photopsia, and funduscopically little or no change in the optic disc area, with conspicuous outer retinal bands on optical coherence tomography (OCT). Typical is the unilateral occurrence. Predominantly young women are affected. While previous reviews of AIBSES either predate the introduction of OCT or focus on differentiation from potentially related outer retinal conditions (e.g., multiple evanescent white dot syndrome and acute zonal occult outer retinopathy), the present review will concentrate on the current perspective and treatment strategies that have been developed and will aim to help increase awareness. Since the first description of AIBSES in the late 1980s, the introduction of OCT has simplified the diagnosis and characterisation of AIBSES as a disease of the outer retina. Nevertheless, misdiagnosis remains common in the spectrum of optic neuritis, as AIBSES may be ignored in differential diagnosis.

[Noninfectious posterior uveitis : Clinical aspects, diagnostics, management and treatment]

Noninfectious posterior uveitis (NPU) comprises a heterogeneous group of vision-threatening, immune-mediated ocular and systemic diseases. It is predominantly bilateral and recurrent and, if not treated properly, leads to severe tissue damage that threatens the eyesight. In industrialized countries ca. 10-20% of all cases of blindness are caused by NPU. An NPU can occur at any age but is most common between the ages of 20 and 50 years. Laboratory diagnostic and imaging procedures enable an increasingly better differentiation of the disease spectrum. This makes it possible to better assess the course and prognosis of individual disease entities. An increasing repertoire of systemic and intravitreal forms of treatment has already led to more favorable long-term treatment outcomes. It can be expected that further progress can be achieved with better knowledge of the pathophysiology of the different clinical disorders and appropriate, targeted treatment.

Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy (AZOOR) Results from a Clinicopathological Mechanism Different from Choriocapillaritis Diseases: A Multimodal Imaging Analysis

Background and aim: AZOOR is a rare disease characterized by loss of zones of outer retinal function, first described by J Donald Gass in 1993. Symptoms include acute onset photopsias and subjective visual field losses. The syndrome is characterized by a normal fundus appearance, scotomas and electroretinographic changes pointing towards outer retinal dysfunction. Evolution, response to immunosuppressive treatment and outcome are difficult to predict. The aim of this small case series was to identify the morphological changes and sequence of events in AZOOR thanks to multimodal imaging. Methods: Charts of AZOOR patients seen in the Centre for Ophthalmic Specialized care (COS, Lausanne, Switzerland) were analyzed by multimodal imaging including fundus photography, fluorescein angiography (FA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), blue light fundus autofluorescence (BL-FAF) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in addition to a complete ophthalmological examination including visual field testing and microperimetry, as well as OCT angiography (OCT-A) and ganglion-cell complex analysis when available. Cases and Results: Three AZOOR patients with a mean follow-up of 47 ± 25.5 months were included following the clinical definitions laid down by J Donald Gass. The primary damage was identified at the level of the photoreceptor outer segments with an intact choriocapillaris and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer, these structures being only secondarily involved with progression of the disease. Conclusion: Although AZOOR has often been included within white dot syndromes, some of which are now known to be choriocapillaris diseases (choriocapillaritis entities), our findings clearly commend to differentiate AZOOR from entities such as MEWDS (Multiple evanescent white dot syndrome), APMPPE (Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy), MFC (Multifocal Choroiditis) and others, as the damage to photoreceptors is primary in AZOOR (a retinopathy) and secondary in choriocapillaritis (a choriocapillaropathy).

Structural Endpoints and Outcome Measures in Uveitis

Most uveitis entities are rare diseases but, taken together, are responsible for 5-10% of worldwide visual impairment which largely affects persons of working age. As with many rare diseases, there is a lack of high-level evidence regarding its clinical management, partly due to a dearth of reliable and objective quantitative endpoints for clinical trials. This review provides an overview of available structural outcome measures for uveitis disease activity and damage in an anatomical order from the anterior to the posterior segment of the eye. While there is a multitude of available structural outcome measures, not all might qualify as endpoints for clinical uveitis trials, and thorough testing of applicability is warranted. Furthermore, a consensus on endpoint definition, standardization, and "core outcomes" is required. As stipulated by regulatory agencies, endpoints should be precisely defined, clinically important, internally consistent, reliable, responsive to treatment, and relevant for the respective subtype of uveitis. Out of all modalities used for assessment of the reviewed structural outcome measures, optical coherence tomography, color fundus photography, fundus autofluorescence, and fluorescein/indocyanine green angiography represent current "core modalities" for reliable and objective quantification of uveitis outcome measures, based on their practical availability and the evidence provided so far.

Choriocapillaris Involvement in Acute Syphilis Posterior Placoid Chorioretinitis is Responsible for Functional Impairment and Points towards an Immunologic Mechanism: A Comprehensive Clinicopathological Approach

Purpose

To evaluate the multimodal imaging of acute syphilitic posterior placoid chorioretinitis (ASPPC) lesions in order to elucidate their pathophysiology which seems to resemble choriocapillaritis as in primary inflammatory choriocapillaropathies such as multifocal choroiditis (MFC) and acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE).

Methods

Charts of patients with ASPPC seen in the Centre for Ophthalmic Specialised Care, Lausanne, Switzerland, were retrieved. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF), spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), fluorescein angiography (FA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), and when available, OCT angiography were analyzed and compared to a case of MFC.

Results

One woman aged 58 and 2 men aged 50 and 31 with unilateral ASPPC were analyzed. All had positive syphilis serologies (venereal disease research laboratory [VDRL] and treponema Pallidum hemagglutination assay [TPHA]). Two were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive. Mean best corrected visual acuity was 0.2 ± 0.1 at presentation and 1.0 for all patients 6 weeks later, after antibiotic treatment for neurosyphilis. All had central scotomata with a mean defect (MD) of 12.2 ± 2.6. Six weeks later, MD values were 3.9 ± 1.7. Microperimetry had a mean score of 25/560 at presentation and recovered to a mean of 444/560 6 weeks later. Multimodal imaging features consisted of FA tissue staining, ICGA hypofluorescent choriocapillaris non-perfusion, FAF hyperautofluorescence, and loss of the ellipsoid line in the diseased areas. The findings were consistent and identical in ASPPC and a case of MFC and pointed toward the involvement of the choriocapillaris.

Conclusions

Similarities seen in multimodal imaging features in ASPPC and choriocapillaritis highlight the role of the choriocapillaris in the pathophysiologic mechanism of both conditions. Inflammatory choriocapillaris non-perfusion triggered by infectious agents seems to be the common pathway through which the eye is reacting.

Acute idiopathic blind spot enlargement syndrome following influenza vaccination

Purpose

To report a case of acute idiopathic blind spot enlargement syndrome (AIBSES) following influenza vaccination.

Observations

A 57-year old woman presented with a one-month history of photopsia, temporal visual field disturbance on the right eye, 11 days following the administration of the influenza virus vaccine. Visual acuity was 20/30, and color vision remained normal. Examination revealed mild venular dilation at the edge of the right optic disk and was otherwise unremarkable. Visual field testing revealed enlargement of the right physiological blind spot. Medical workup, including brain CT scan, brain MRI, RPR, Treponema pallidum antibodies, Chest X-Ray, ANA, and PPD testing, was found within normal limits. Ancillary testing was compatible with an assessment of AIBSES secondary to influenza virus vaccination.

Conclusions and Importance

Although direct causation may not be absolutely established by a single report, our case suggests that the influenza virus vaccine may serve as an immunological trigger for some cases of AIBSES. Thoughtful vaccination history is of the utmost importance when evaluating patients with AIBSES, as it may help elucidate the underlying precipitating factor. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of AIBSES following influenza virus vaccination.