The Effect of Anti-Autotaxin Aptamers on the Development of Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy.

This study investigated the effect of anti-autotaxin (ATX) aptamers on the development of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) in both in vivo and in vitro PVR swine models. For the in vitro study, primary retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells were obtained from porcine eyes and cultured for cell proliferation and migration assays. For the in vivo study, a swine PVR model was established by inducing retinal detachment and injecting cultured RPE cells (2.0 × 106). Concurrently, 1 week after RPE cell injection, the anti-ATX aptamer, RBM-006 (10 mg/mL, 0.1 mL), was injected twice into the vitreous cavity. Post-injection effects of the anti-ATX aptamer on PVR development in the in vivo swine PVR model were investigated. For the in vitro evaluation, the cultured RPE cell proliferation and migration were significantly reduced at anti-ATX aptamer concentrations of 0.5-0.05 mg and at only 0.5 mg, respectively. Intravitreal administration of the anti-ATX aptamer also prevented tractional retinal detachment caused by PVR in the in vivo PVR model. We observed that the anti-ATX aptamer, RBM-006, inhibited PVR-related RPE cell proliferation and migration in vitro and inhibited the progression of PVR in the in vivo model, suggesting that the anti-ATX aptamer may be effective in preventing PVR.

Comparison of Postoperative Stability of Intraocular Lenses after Phacovitrectomy for Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment.

We retrospectively compared the stability of intraocular lenses (IOLs) routinely used at our institution by measuring IOL position after phacovitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD). Patients with RRD who underwent phacovitrectomy with gas tamponade received one of three IOLs: 6-mm, single-piece NS-60YG (NIDEK, 15 eyes); 6-mm, single-piece XY1 (HOYA, 11 eyes); or 7-mm, three-piece X-70 (Santen, 11 eyes). Various parameters associated with the anterior chamber, lens, and IOL were measured by swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography (CASIA2; Tomey Corp) before and 1 week and 1 month after surgery. IOL position was determined as follows: IOL position = (postoperative aqueous depth [AQD] − preoperative AQD)/lens thickness. We found no significant difference in axial length between the IOLs (p = 0.97). At 1 week, IOL position was as follows: NS-60YG, 0.32; XY1, 0.24; and X-70, 0.26 (p < 0.05). The respective IOL positions at 1 month were 0.35, 0.27, and 0.28 (p < 0.01). These results indicated the smallest anterior shift with NS-60YG. To replicate the anterior shift of IOL position ex vivo, biomechanical measurement was performed. NS-60YG resisted more displacement force than the other IOLs. Thus, in eyes undergoing phacovitrectomy for RRD, NS-60YG was the most stable of the three IOLs studied.

Role of ICAM-1 in impaired retinal circulation in rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Many studies have demonstrated that rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) leads to impaired retinal circulation. However, the involvement of inflammation in the RRD-induced worsening of retinal circulation was obscure. This retrospective observational study included 150 patients with primary RRD (macula-on, n = 63; macula-off, n = 87) who underwent 25-gauge microincision vitrectomy surgery (25G MIVS). Total retinal blood flow was represented by the mean blur rate (MBR) of the optic nerve head vessel, measured by laser speckle flowgraphy preoperatively and until 6 months postoperatively. Aqueous humor samples were obtained during surgery to determine cytokine concentrations by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. At 3 and 6 months postoperatively, there were no significant differences between eyes with macula-on RRD and fellow eyes. However, in macula-off RRD, MBR remained significantly lower in RRD eyes 6 months postoperatively (P < 0.05). Log-transformed levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) were negatively correlated with relative MBR (r-MBR, RRD eye/fellow eye) before surgery (r = - 0.47, P = 0.01) in macula-on, but not macula-off, RRD. Six months postoperatively, r-MBR correlated significantly with sICAM-1 levels (r = - 0.36, P = 0.02) in macula-off RRD. ICAM-1 may play a role in RRD-induced deterioration of retinal circulation.

Development of Stage 4 Macular Hole after Spontaneous Closure in a Patient with Stage 2 Macular Hole and a Lamellar Macular Hole-Associated Epiretinal Proliferation.

Herein, we report the longitudinal observation of a case with reopening of the macular hole associated with a lamellar macular hole-associated epiretinal proliferation (LHEP) followed by spontaneous closure in patients with stage 2 idiopathic macular hole. A 64-year-old woman was referred for the decreased visual acuity (VA) and acute anorthopia in the right eye. Funduscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) showed stage 2 full-thickness macular hole without posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and operculum formation. Her best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/32. One month later, the diameter of the macular hole was getting small and VA improved. Six months later, the macular hole was treated spontaneously with the attached hyaloid membrane to the macula by OCT and the BCVA improved to 20/20. Fourteen months after the first visit, the BCVA decreased to 20/50 and the patient was diagnosed with stage 4 macular hole with complete PVD. OCT showed full-thickness macular hole with a LHEP in the right eye. After 25G-gauge vitrectomy with the peeling of internal limiting membrane (ILM) and LHEP, the macular hole was closed and BCVA finally improved to 20/25. Spontaneous macular hole closure without PVD may rarely occur in patients with LHEP. The surgical removal of ILM and LHEP may contribute to the successful macular hole closure after vitrectomy.

The kebab technique uses a bipolar pencil to retrieve a dropped nucleus of the lens via a small incision.

We developed a new method to retrieve a dropped nucleus of the lens via a small incision using bipolar pencils, the kebab technique, to solve the lack of small-gauge fragmatomes, and the expense and toxicity of perfluorocarbon liquids (PFCL). A total of 8 eyes in 6 patients underwent this technique and were reviewed. After vitrectomy, the dropped nucleus of the lens was lifted from the retina by adhesion with a bipolar pencil, and phacoemulsification was performed while rotating the lens. The outcome measures were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and corneal endothelial cell density before and after surgery. Surgical indications included zonular weakness, trauma, acute angle closure attack, and phacolytic glaucoma. At 1 month, BCVA improved from a mean (standard deviation, SD) 1.67 logMAR (0.90) to 1.14 logMAR (1.01). The mean preoperative IOP was 24.5 (16.8) mmHg and postoperative IOP was 11.0 (2.8) mmHg. The mean preoperative corneal endothelial cell count was 2600 (322) cells/mm2 (one eye was unmeasurable) and postoperative corneal endothelial cell count was 2387 (431) cells/mm2. There were no postoperative complications. The retrieval of a dropped nucleus of the lens using a bipolar pencil enables small incisions without using PFCL.

Evaluation of ocular blood flow over time in a treated retinal arterial macroaneurysm using laser speckle flowgraphy.

PURPOSE: To report the changes over time in ocular blood flow quantified by laser speckle flowgraphy (LSFG) in a treated large retinal arterial macroaneurysm (RAM). OBSERVATIONS: A 72-year old female presented with sudden decreased vision in the left eye. Fundus examination revealed a RAM and vitreous hemorrhage (VH), which worsened over one month. A vitrectomy was performed to remove the VH, with 20% sulfur hexafluoride injected into the vitreous cavity. The VH recurred two weeks later and the RAM was found to have enlarged from one-quarter disc diameter (DD) to three DDs during a second vitrectomy. The RAM subsequently shrunk spontaneously to one DD without recurrent VH during the following 2 weeks. Beginning 4 weeks after the second vitrectomy we performed serial LSFG examinations of the RAM and found that the mean blur rate (MBR) of the RAM and retinal flow volume (RFV) in both the feeding arteriole and draining venule decreased as the RAM continued to involute. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: MBR and arteriolar and venular RFV measured by LSFG decreased with RAM involution. Longitudinal followup of blood flow by LSFG may be useful for noninvasive evaluation of the stability of RAMs.