Thyroidopathy and Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Is There Any Correlation

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether inherent sociodemographic parameters, lifestyle features, as well as medical data may be potential risk factors for the presence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods

Participants in our study were 114 patients with AMD, 63 males and 51 females, and 100 control subjects without any ocular disease. Demographic data, lifestyle data, medical history, and comorbidities were recorded and analyzed as potential risk factors for the presence of AMD.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference between patients and controls regarding age, gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, walking, exercise, presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, myoskeletal problems, migraine, and cancer. Marital status, higher educational level, cardiovascular disorders, and thyroidopathy were found to be significantly associated with AMD.

Conclusions

Apart from already reported risk factors for AMD, thyroidopathy was associated with AMD.

Intravitreal Ranibizumab for the Treatment of Irvine-Gass Syndrome

PURPOSE

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the potential efficacy and safety of intravitreal ranibizumab in patients with pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (CME).

METHODS

This retrospective study comprised 7 eyes with CME treated with intravitreal ranibizumab. Patients were examined at 1 week and 1 month after injection and monthly thereafter. Main outcome measures included changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT). Safety was assessed by ophthalmic examination and report of systemic adverse effects.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant difference on BCVA (p < 0.001) and CRT (p < 0.001) before and after the ranibizumab injection. One injection appeared to be sufficient for the resolution of CME, while recurrence was observed in 1 patient, in a long-term follow-up. No observable ocular or systemic side effects were found.

CONCLUSIONS

Intravitreal ranibizumab seems to be effective and safe for the treatment of pseudophakic CME, demonstrating a statistically significant difference in BCVA as well as CRT.

Spontaneous Resolution of Long-Standing Macular Detachment due to Optic Disc Pit with Significant Visual Improvement

Purpose

To report a case of spontaneous resolution of a long-standing serous macular detachment associated with an optic disc pit, leading to significant visual improvement.

Case Presentation

A 63-year-old female presented with a 6-month history of blurred vision and micropsia in her left eye. Her best-corrected visual acuity was 6/24 in the left eye, and fundoscopy revealed serous macular detachment associated with optic disc pit, which was confirmed by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The patient was offered vitrectomy as a treatment alternative, but she preferred to be reviewed conservatively. Three years after initial presentation, neither macular detachment nor subretinal fluid was evident in OCT, while the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junction line was intact. Her visual acuity was improved from 6/24 to 6/12 in her left eye, remaining stable at the 6-month follow-up after resolution.

Conclusion

We present a case of spontaneous resolution of a long-standing macular detachment associated with an optic disc pit with significant visual improvement, postulating that the integrity of the IS/OS junction line may be a prognostic factor for final visual acuity and suggesting OCT as an indicator of visual prognosis and the probable necessity of a surgical management.

Toric intraocular lens implantation for correction of astigmatism in cataract patients with corneal ectasia

Our purpose was to examine the long-term efficacy of toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in cataract patients with high astigmatism due to corneal ectasia, who underwent phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Five eyes of 3 cataract patients with topographically stable keratoconus or pellucid macular degeneration (PMD), in which phacoemulsification with toric IOL implantation was used to correct high astigmatism, are reported. Objective and subjective refraction, visual acuity measurement and corneal topography were performed in all cases before and after cataract surgery. In all cases, there was a significant improvement in visual acuity, as well as refraction, which remained stable over time. Specifically, in subjective refraction, all patients achieved visual acuity from 7/10 to 9/10 with up to −2.50 cyl. Corneal topography also remained stable. Postoperative follow-up was 18–28 months. Cataract surgery with toric IOL implantation seems to be safe and effective in correcting astigmatism and improving visual function in cataract patients with topographically stable keratoconus or PMD.

Branch retinal vein occlusion: treatment modalities: an update of the literature

BACKGROUND

Retinal vein occlusion is the second most common retinal vascular disorder after diabetic retinopathy and is considered to be an important cause of visual loss. In this review, our purpose is to update the literature about the treatment alternatives for branch retinal vein occlusion.

METHODS

Eligible papers were identified by a comprehensive literature search of PubMed, using the terms "branch retinal vein occlusion," "therapy," "intervention," "treatment," "vitrectomy," "sheathotomy," "laser," "anti-VEGF," "pegaptanib," "bevacizumab," "ranibizumab," "triamcinolone," "dexamethasone," "corticosteroids," "non-steroids," "diclofenac," "hemodilution," "fibrinolysis," "tPA," and "BRVO." Additional papers were also selected from reference lists of papers identified by the electronic database search.

RESULTS

Treatment modalities were analyzed.

CONCLUSIONS

There are several treatment modalities for branch retinal vein occlusion and specifically for its complications, such as macular edema, vitreous hemorrhage, retinal neovascularization, and retinal detachment, including anti-aggregative therapy and fibrinolysis, isovolemic hemodilution, vitrectomy with or without sheathotomy, peripheral scatter and macular grid retinal laser therapy, non-steroid agents, intravitreal steroids, and intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGFs).

Bilateral Multifocal Chorioretinitis and Optic Neuritis due to Epstein-Barr Virus: A Case Report

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a DNA virus that mainly causes infectious mononucleosis. Ocular manifestations are rare and typically mild. Only a few cases of EBV involving the retina or the optic nerve have been reported. Herein, we report the case of a 67-year-old man with bilateral chorioretinitis and optic neuritis due to EBV. The patient had no previous ocular history and presented with decreased vision in both eyes. His past medical history included EBV encephalopathy, which was confirmed serologically, a few months before. Ophthalmological examination revealed bilateral chorioretinitis and optic neuritis, confirmed by fluorescein angiography as well as electrophysiological tests (visual evoked potentials and electroretinogram). It is very important to include EBV in the differential diagnosis of chorioretinal atrophic lesions. Clinicians should be aware of ocular manifestations of EBV, in order to suggest ophthalmological examination and start treatment promptly before irreversible damage to the optic nerve or retina occurs.

Chronic Postoperative Endophthalmitis Caused by Actinomyces meyeri

We report a female patient who developed chronic endophthalmitis after an uneventful cataract surgery. Cultures of aqueous humor and a vitreous sample showed positivity for Actinomyces meyeri. Intense anterior segment inflammation and a less evident impairment of the patient's posterior segment led us to treat her vigorously with pars plana vitrectomy combined with intraocular and topical antibiotics. The patient achieved a good recovery of vision without the need to remove the intraocular lens and to add systemic drugs. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an intraocular infection caused by A. meyeri after small-incision clear corneal phacoemulsification.