Diagnostic Performance of the Tear Meniscus Osmolarity Measurement for Dry Eye Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to evaluate the diagnostic capacity of the tear meniscus osmolarity measurement for dry eye disease (DED) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using a portable osmometer based on electrical impedance and an integrated circuit technology (TearLab® (Escondido, CA, USA)). METHODS: We included 101 RA patients, 81 patients with DED and 20 without DED (controls). We measured tear osmolarity and assessed other clinical diagnostic tests as suggested by the TFOS DEWS II composite reference standard diagnostic criteria for DED using Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), Five-item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5), fluorescein tear break-up time (F-TUBT), ocular surface staining (SICCA score), and other clinical parameters to classify DED subtypes. We analyzed the agreement between osmolarity and the TFOS DEWS II composite reference standard for DED diagnosis. We conducted receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses using the DED variable and its subtypes as dependent variables and the continuous variable for osmolarity or the inter-eye difference in osmolarity as independent variable. Sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve for all potential cut-off points were obtained and reported from ROC curves. RESULTS: We found that tear meniscus osmolarity had a low diagnostic capacity for DED (AUC = 0.57). Tear meniscus osmolarity measurement had a sensitivity of 35% and a specificity of 80% with a kappa level of agreement of 0.08 compared to the TFOS DEWS II composite reference standard. The low diagnostic capacity of the tear meniscus osmolarity was similar for aqueous-deficient DED and for evaporative DED, being only fair for severe DED with a 57% sensitivity and 80% specificity and a kappa level of agreement of 0.36. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that in patients with RA, tear meniscus osmolarity measured by the TearLab® showed low sensitivity, low specificity, and limited agreement with the TFOS DEWS II composite reference standard for DED diagnosis.

Association of high-risk human papillomavirus with ocular surface squamous neoplasia: a case-control study in Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of high-risk hu-man papilloma virus (HR-HPV) and other risk factors with ocular surface squamous cell neoplasia (OSSN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We obtained DNA from 22 fresh frozen OSSN tissues and 22 pterygia as controls, we used a broad-spectrum HPV DNA amplification short PCR fragment to identify HPV infection in all specimens and then genotyped HPV by a reverse hybridization line probe assay. We also obtained demographic, sun exposure, and tobacco consump-tion information. RESULTS: HR-HPV frequency was 40.9% in the OSSN group and 4.5% in the pterygia group (p=0.009). After covariate adjustment, OSSN was associated with HR-HPV (OR=16.3, 95%CI=1.2,218.1, p=0.03) and sunburn (OR=10.8, 95%CI=1.8,86.0, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Ocular surface squamous cell neoplasia is a multifactorial disease. The strong association between HR-HPV and OSSN, suggests that HR-HPV could play an etiological role in OSSN development.

Ocular Surface Characteristics and Colonization in a Burn Center: A Prospective Cohort Study.

We aimed to evaluate the characteristics and colonization by pathogenic microorganisms of the ocular surface in patients in a burn center and to determine their association with sedation, mechanical ventilation, and periocular burn. We prospectively evaluated 40 patients during an 8-mo period. Five evaluations where performed, at baseline and weekly on four more occasions or until hospital discharge or death. On each visit, we assessed periocular burn, lid position, Bell's phenomenon, Schirmer's test, presence of chemosis, conjunctival hyperemia, and exposure keratopathy; conjunctival fornix swabs were taken for microbiology culture. Also, we documented the level of sedation, mechanical ventilation status, and systemic and ocular treatment. Absent Bell's phenomenon and chemosis were significantly different at baseline in patients under mechanical ventilation, sedation, and in those with a periocular burn. The cumulative incidence of exposure keratopathy was 22.5% and the cumulative incidence of ocular surface colonization by pathogenic microorganisms was 32.5%. Both outcomes were associated with mechanical ventilation and periocular burn. The most frequent pathogenic microorganisms on the ocular surface were Candida parapsilosis, Acinetobacter baumanii, and Pseudomonas aeuroginosa. We did not observe any case of a persistent epithelial defect, infectious keratitis, corneal perforation or corneal opacity in this cohort. Results from our study may benefit future patients by allowing better risk stratification and treatment strategies for the ocular surface care in burn units.

Prevalence of Ocular Surface Disease Symptoms in High School Students in Monterrey, Mexico.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of dry eye disease symptoms and contact lens wear in Mexican high school students. METHODS: A cross-sectional association study included a group of high school students who were selected from a random sampling of classrooms. The authors used the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire as a surrogate measure for dry eye disease symptoms, and contact lens wear was also investigated. RESULTS: Seven hundred fifty-nine students with a mean age of 16.12 ± 0.96 years were surveyed and 55.7% of the students were girls (423 of 759). The average OSDI score was 25.11 ± 20.61 points. Girls had higher scores (28.25 ± 21.48 points) than boys (21.14 ± 18.74 points), and the difference was statistically significant (P < .001). Forty-three students (6.1%) wore contact lenses and had higher OSDI scores (34.26 ± 23.13 and 24.51 ± 20.31 points, respectively) and the difference was also statistically significant (P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms of mild and moderate dry eye disease are prevalent in high school students and, as reported in previous studies, girls are more affected than boys. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2021;58(5):287-291.].

Translation and validation of the contact lens dry eye questionnaire-8 (CLDEQ-8) to the Spanish language.

PURPOSE: To present the process of cultural and psychometric adaptation, and clinical validation of a new version in the Spanish language of the Contact Lens Dry Eye Questionnaire-8 (CLDEQ-8). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The translation-retro-translation method was applied to the CLDEQ-8 questionnaire. Two independent native Spanish-speaking translators adapted the questionnaire from English to Spanish, and then a committee of experienced clinicians (CE) evaluated the semantic equivalence and designed a Spanish version of the CLDEQ-8 questionnaire. The resulting translated version was tested conducting a pilot study in contact lens users and assessing their perception and overall understanding of the terminology. The results were analyzed and a final version was designed. The final version was retro-translated to English by a native English-speaking translator and compared with the original CLDEQ-8 version to confirm there were no meaningful differences. To clinically validate the new instrument, a prospective study was conducted to apply the new Spanish CLDEQ-8 to 50 contact lens users. RESULTS: Fifty patients were studied with an average age of 21.50 ± 1.66 years. The average CLDEQ-8 score was 13.28 ± 6.81 points (range 1-31). The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.89, with a corrected index of homogeneity >0.50 for all evaluated items. CONCLUSIONS: The process of trans-cultural adaptation of the questionnaire CLDEQ-8 resulted in the elaboration of a reliable and much needed instrument capable of measuring frequency and intensity of dry eye symptoms in Spanish-speaking contact lens users.

Outcomes of cataract surgery in graft-versus-host disease.

PURPOSE: To study the outcomes of cataract surgery in patients with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). METHODS: Retrospective review of 72 eyes of 41 patients (age, 17-69 years at the time of surgery) with chronic GVHD after HSCT, who underwent cataract surgery between 2008 and 2012 at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, W. K. Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan. Ophthalmic data collected included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), responses to Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, dry eye severity, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: BCVA improved from 20/49 to 20/25 (P < 0.0001) after surgery. Eight patients (20%) had pretransplantation total body irradiation and 39 patients (95%) received systemic corticosteroids for the treatment of GVHD. Postoperative complications included cystoid macular edema (4 eyes), corneal ulceration with perforation (2 eyes: 1 infected and 1 sterile), and band keratopathy (1 eye). After surgery, subjective OSDI responses and dry eye disease (DED) did not change significantly from before cataract surgery, although OSDI showed a trend toward worsening. CONCLUSIONS: With careful monitoring and management of DED and concurrent ocular surface disease, cataract surgery generally has good visual outcomes in patients with GVHD. However, aggravation of the preexisting ocular surface disease is frequent, and despite meticulous postoperative maintenance therapy, vision-threatening complications may occur.

Dry Eye Disease Incidence Associated with Chronic Graft-Host Disease: Nonconcurrent Cohort Study (An American Ophthalmological Society Thesis).

PURPOSE: To determine if chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is associated with stable or progressive dry eye disease and to determine the true incidence in patients with no prior history of dry eye disease. METHODS: A nonconcurrent cohort study at a single institution with 136 patients who had no previous history of dry eye disease before HSCT. Survival analysis was used to estimate dry eye disease incidence. The incidence rate was calculated using life tables as the number of observed dry eye disease cases divided by the person-time at risk accumulated by the cohort. Transition probabilities were calculated from time of transplant to time of diagnosis, and then to last recorded visit. RESULTS: Incidence rate was 0.8 cases of dry eye disease per person-year, and half of the population at risk developed dry eye disease during the first 10 months post transplant. Time to develop dry eye disease was 2.5 months for mild dry eye disease, 9.6 months for moderate dry eye disease, and 13.2 months for severe dry eye disease. In terms of cumulative incidence, 73% of subjects developed dry eye disease (50% mild, 16% moderate, and 7% severe) at the time of diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that dry eye disease associated with cGVHD is an extremely frequent event and shows a wide spectrum of severity, with a mild form presenting early and a moderate to severe form presenting later after HSCT. These findings need to be studied further to elucidate if these are two different pathophysiological entities or just different expressions of the same pathology.

Repeatability and comparability of anterior segment biometry obtained by the Sirius and the Pentacam analyzers.

To assess the repeatability and comparability of six anterior segment biometry parameters obtained with a novel Scheimpflug camera with a Placido disc topographer (Sirius) and slit-scanning tomography with a Scheimpflug camera (Pentacam), in a sample of 16 unoperated eyes of healthy subjects. The anterior segment was analyzed by a single examiner using the Sirius and the Pentacam analyzers. Mean simulated keratometry (Sim K), flat and steep axis keratometry (K f and K s ), central and thinnest corneal thicknesses (CCT and TCT), and anterior chamber depth (ACD) measurements were evaluated. Repeatability of three sets of measurements from each device was assessed using the coefficient of variation (CV), within-subject standard deviation, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Bonferroni-adjusted t-tests, and Bland and Altman plots were used to establish agreement between devices. For both devices the CV of repeated measurements was <0.79 %. The ICC was >0.95 in all measurements except for Sirius K s (ICC = 0.869). For all parameters evaluated, the Pentacam systematically yielded higher values, although differences were statistically significant in only three parameters-0.31 diopters for K s , 10.1 µm for CCT and 12.4 µm for TCT. In the assessment of normal corneas both devices showed overall high repeatability. Although good agreement was found in three parameters (Sim K, K f and ACD) these devices do not seem to be interchangeable for pachymetric determination.

Axial length's role in intraocular lens power calculation error in X-linked megalocornea: a case-series analysis.

PURPOSE: To retrospectively analyze the potential sources of error for IOL power calculation in patients with X-linked related megalocornea (XLMC). METHODS: Case report and comparative analysis of refractive outcomes in previously reported phacoemulsification procedures in XLMC cases. RESULTS: A 52-year-old patient with XLMC and cataracts underwent bilateral clear corneal phacoemulsification, capsule tension ring (CTR) insertion, and in the bag intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Two years after the procedure the IOL remained centrally located and stable in both eyes. In the postoperative refraction, the patient had a large hyperopic refractive error in the right eye, and a moderate hyperopic refractive error in the left eye. A similar pattern was observed in previously reported cases. Pooling all cases together we observed that the Holladay II formula produced more accurate IOL power calculations than the SRK-T formula. Still, both formulas diverged from the ideal IOL power by approximately 1 diopter per mm of axial length in subjects with axial lengths larger than 24 mm. CONCLUSION: Axial length seems to be the main source of IOL power calculation error in XLMC patients. Compared to SRK-T the Holladay II formula provides better refractive results, yet both formulas may require further adjustment depending on the axial length.

Medical treatment of crystalline lens dislocation into the anterior chamber in a patient with Marfan syndrome.

We report the case of a 32-year-old male with spontaneous crystalline lens dislocation into the anterior chamber with corneal touch and increased intraocular pressure. The case was handled in a conservative way: before bringing the patient to supine position, pharmacological pupil dilation with tropicamide plus phenylephrine was performed. One drop was instilled every 15 min for 1 hour. Once the posterior displacement of the lens behind the iris was confirmed, 2 % pilocarpine was used to reverse pupil dilation. The patient remained on topical 2 % pilocarpine and 5 % sodium chloride solution.