Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Association Between Diabetes Mellitus and Dry Eye Disease.

Purpose:To examine the association between dry eye and diabetes mellitus among a large North Carolina patient population. Methods:A retrospective cross-sectional study of patients seen within the University of North Carolina medical system between July 1, 2008, and September 1, 2017, was performed. De-identified medical records contained within the Carolina Data Warehouse of adult patients who have had an ocular evaluation were studied. Four categories of disease states were identified by ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes. Patients were grouped based on being diagnosed with Dry Eye Disease (ICD-9: 375.15, 370.33, and ICD-10: H04.12, H16.221), Diabetes Mellitus (ICD-9: 250.00-250.93 and ICD-10: E08-E11, E13), neither, or both diseases. Odds ratios of the association between diabetes and dry eye were calculated for the following racial/ethnic groups: Non-Hispanic White, Non-Hispanic Black/African American, Asian, and Hispanic. Results:A total of 81,480 patients were included in the analysis; of those, 8978 patients had dry eye disease and 18,361 patients had diabetes. The remaining 54,141 patients had neither disease. Dry eye prevalence among patients with diabetes was 14.39% (95% CI: 13.89-14.91%) and 10.11% (95%CI: 9.88-10.35%) among patients without diabetes. The odds of a patient with diabetes having dry eye are 1.15 (95% CI: 1.09-1.21) times that of a patient without diabetes. Asian patients with diabetes demonstrated the highest odds of having dry eye at 1.49 (95% CI: 1.12-1.98). Conclusions:Dry eye is common among patients with diabetes, and the association between these diseases is strongest among Asian patients. Race and ethnicity are important demographic factors that may guide providers in the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye in the setting of diabetes.

Factors associated with multiple recurrences of nonspecific orbital inflammation aka orbital pseudotumor.

OBJECTIVE: To assess clinical characteristics of patients at risk for recurrent nonspecific orbital inflammation (NSOI). METHODS: This was a retrospective comparison study with a 24-month follow-up, in a clinic-based population in rural India. The medical records at two eye care centers were searched from March 2001-2014. A total of 153 patients with recurrent NSOI, 107 of whom had a single recurrence (Group 1) and 46 of whom had multiple recurrences (Group 2). Clinical and demographic data were compared between both groups. Comparisons of mean values were done with multiple 2-tailed independent T tests, and differences in proportions were compared using Chi-squared tests. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine which factors were predictive of patients having multiple recurrences. RESULTS: Several factors were independently related to multiple recurrences (P < 0.05 for all): age ≤16 years (2.5 OR, 95% CI 1.3-3.6), bilateral disease (3.2 OR 95% CI 1.4-5.1), presence of optic disc edema or T-sign on B-scan ultrasonography (3.9 OR 95% CI 1.8-6.2), sclerosing variant (8.5 OR 95% CI 5.4-11.3), corticosteroid taper <4 weeks long (2.8 OR 95% CI 1.1-4.2), autoimmune disease among 1st degree relatives (2.2 OR 95% CI 1.2-3.3). In patients with recurrent disease, the interval between the initial episode and the first recurrence was predictive of further recurrences: ≤3 months (3.2 OR, 95% CI 2.0-4.5) and ≥12 months (0.21 OR, 95% CI 0.01-0.39). CONCLUSION: Younger patients and those with bilateral disease are more apt to have recurrences of NSOI. Other factors that increase the risk of multiple recurrences include a T-sign, optic disc edema, poor initial response to steroids, a sclerosing variant, a recurrence within 3 months, and those who underwent a rapid steroid taper.

Isolated Neurofibroma of the Orbit: Case Report and Literature Review.

PURPOSE: To summarize the clinical, radiographic, and intraoperative characteristics of isolated neurofibromas of the orbit (INFO) in the literature and report a case of INFO. METHODS: Case report and a systematic review of the literature. RESULTS: A total of 45 patients were identified from 18 previous studies. There was no sex predilection and mean ages were between 32.3 and 40.0 years with a standard deviation of 9.8 to 19.5 years, median age was 32 to 38 years with a range of 1.5 to 82 years. On CT imaging, INFO reveals homogeneous precontrast radiodensity similar to that of extraocular muscles. On MR imaging, INFO appears hypointense to orbital fat and isointense to brain on precontrast T1-weighted images. On T2-weighted images, they have been described as being predominantly hyperintense with possible hypointense intralesional islands. To the best of our knowledge, our case identifies the youngest patient with the myxoid histologic variant of INFO. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with orbital neurofibromas should be evaluated for the presence of systemic neurofibromatosis, and the plexiform variant is a commonly associated subtype. The myxoid variant can be part of a lesser known condition called NAME syndrome (nevi, atrial myxoma, myxoid neurofibroma, and ephelides) which may warrant echocardiography in patients to evaluate for associated cardiac tumors.