Management of patients with ocular manifestations in vesiculobullous disorders affecting the mouth

Pemphigoid and pemphigus diseases as well as Stevens-Johnson syndrome present as vesiculobullous disorders of the skin and may additionally involve both the oral cavity and the ocular surface. Ocular involvement ranges from mild irritation and dry eye disease to chronic conjunctivitis, symblepharon, eyelid malposition, ocular surface scarring and severe visual loss. In addition to diagnostic assessments, ophthalmologists must treat the dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction components of these diseases using a stepladder approach, including eyelid hygiene and lubricants. Topical anti-inflammatory therapy is used to treat acute inflammatory exacerbations of the ocular surface, but it cannot prevent scarring alone. Intralesional antimetabolite therapy can cause regression of conjunctival pathology in selected cases. Hence, patients with vesiculobullous disorders should be managed by a multidisciplinary team representing ophthalmology, dermatology, otolaryngology, oral medicine and pathology, internal medicine and intensive care. Systemic treatments including corticosteroids, azathioprine, cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil help control inflammation. Intravenous immunoglobulins, plasmapheresis and targeted antibody therapy can be used in selected, severe and treatment-resistant cases. Local surgical management may include debridement of pseudomembranes, lysis of symblepharon, amniotic and mucous membrane grafting as well as reconstructive procedures. Prospective, multicentre, international studies are recommended to further support evidence-based practice.

Postoperative increase in grey matter volume in visual cortex after unilateral cataract surgery

PURPOSE

The developing visual cortex has a strong potential to undergo plastic changes. Little is known about the potential of the ageing visual cortex to express plasticity. A pertinent question is whether therapeutic interventions can trigger plastic changes in the ageing visual cortex by restoring vision.

METHODS

Twelve patients aged 50-85 years underwent structural high-resolution T1-weighted MRI of the whole brain 2 days and 6 weeks after unilateral cataract surgery. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) based on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was employed to test whether cataract surgery induces a regional increase in grey matter in areas V1 and V2 of the visual cortex.

RESULTS

In all patients, cataract surgery immediately improved visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and mean sensitivity in the visual field of the operated eye. The improvement in vision was stable throughout the 6 weeks after operation. VBM revealed a regional expansion of grey matter volume in area V2 contralateral to the operated eye during the 6-week period after surgery. Individual increases in grey matter were predicted by the symmetry in visual acuity between the operated eye and nonoperated eye. The more symmetrical visual acuity became after unilateral cataract surgery, the more pronounced was the grey matter increase in visual cortex.

CONCLUSION

The data suggest that cataract surgery triggered a use-dependent structural plasticity in V2 presumably through improved binocular integration of visual input from both eyes. We conclude that activity-dependent cortical plasticity is preserved in the ageing visual cortex and may be triggered by restoring impaired vision.