Efficacy and safety of UT-DSAEK combined with Carlevale's sutureless scleral fixation IOL.

PURPOSE: To evaluate a novel surgical combination of ultrathin Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (UT-DSAEK) and sutureless scleral fixation for Carlevale intraocular lens (SSF-Carlevale IOL) implantation to manage corneal endothelial decompensation when there is a concomitant need for secondary IOL fixation. METHODS: Clinical data collected from 10 eyes of 9 patients with bullous keratopathy (BK) who underwent combined UT-DSAEK and SSF-Carlevale IOL implantation in a single procedure were retrospectively analyzed. Anterior chamber IOL (4 cases), aphakia (4 cases, 1 of which associated with PEX), and previous trauma (2 cases) were the conditions responsible for BK. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), endothelial cell density (ECD), central corneal thickness (CCT), graft thickness (GT) and complications were recorded over a 12-month follow-up period. RESULTS: In 90% (9/10) of eyes graft clarity was maintained during follow-up. The mean CDVA improved significantly (p < 0.0001) from 1.78 ± 0.76 logMAR preoperatively to 0.53 ± 0.3 logMAR at 12 months. ECD on average decreased from 2575 ± 125.3 cells/mm2 (donor tissue) to 1697 ± 133.3 cells/mm2 in 12 months. The mean CCT decreased from 870 ± 200 µm to 650 µm ± 9 at 12 months (ANOVA, p = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Combined UT-DSAEK and SSF-Carlevale IOL implantation was associated with good corneal graft survival and IOP control, with few complications. These findings suggest that this surgical approach is a practical option for patients requiring both treatment for corneal endothelial dysfunction and secondary IOL implantation.

Accuracy of IOL Power Calculation Using the New Carlevale Sutureless Scleral Fixation Posterior Chamber IOL.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the refractive outcomes of the new Carlevale foldable sutureless scleral fixation intraocular lens (SSF-IOL) (Soleko in eyes without capsular support. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center, noncomparative interventional case series included 25 consecutive eyes of 25 consecutive patients with either aphakia or lens/IOL dislocation due to capsular or zonular defects. The Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, and SRK/T formulas, which do not need measurements of the anterior chamber depth to predict the IOL position, were used to calculate the IOL power. Constant optimization was performed to zero out the mean prediction error (PE). The main outcome measures were mean PE ± standard deviation, median absolute error (MedAE), mean absolute error (MAE), and percentage of eyes with a PE within ±0.50 and ±1.00 diopters (D). RESULTS: Mean axial length was 24.09 ± 2.09 mm (range: 21.85 to 32.17 mm). No statistically significant differences were found among the three formulas for any parameter. The PE was zero due to constant optimization and its standard deviation ranged between 0.89 and 0.95 D. The MedAE ranged between 0.30 and 0.34 D, whereas the MAE ranged between 0.62 and 0.67 D. The percentage of eyes with a PE within ±0.50 D was between 56% and 64% and the percentage of eyes with a PE within ±1.00 D was between 69% and 72%. CONCLUSIONS: Reasonably good refractive outcomes can be obtained when implanting SSF-IOLs in eyes with no capsular support, although the accuracy is lower than what is reported for normal in-the-bag IOL implantation. [J Refract Surg. 2021;37(7):472-476.].

Long-term Outcomes and Complications of the New Carlevale Sutureless Scleral Fixation Posterior Chamber IOL.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the visual outcomes and possible complications of a new foldable sutureless scleral fixation intraocular lens (SSF-IOL), the Carlevale IOL (Soleko). METHODS: The SSF-IOL, which has two T-shaped self-blocking plugs on each haptic, was inserted into the posterior chamber. Both haptics was grabbed through two sclerotomies and the two short arms were blocked under the scleral flap, without any suture. A complete clinical evaluation was done preoperatively and at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 54 eyes of 50 consecutive patients were retrospectively analyzed. The mean corrected distance visual acuity was 0.93 ± 0.61 logMAR preoperatively and improved to 0.42 ± 0.34 logMAR at 3 months, 0.42 ± 0.37 logMAR at 6 months, and 0.38 ± 0.38 logMAR at 12 months postoperatively (all P < .0001). The mean corneal endothelial cell density decreased from 1,725.37 ± 528.06 to 1,612.81 ± 522.91 cells/mm2 at 12 months postoperatively (P < .0001). The mean IOL tilt value was 3.1 ± 1.1° at 12 months postoperatively. The authors observed 6 cases (11.1%) of intraoperative rupture of the IOL haptics, 4 cases (7.4%) of early hyphema, 4 cases (7.4%) of macular cystoid edema, 2 cases (3.7%) of haptic exposure under the conjunctiva, and 1 (1.8%) late retinal detachment. CONCLUSIONS: This newly introduced surgical technique provided promising results regarding efficacy and safety. Complications occurred in a few cases and were successfully managed. The Carlevale IOL seems to be a surgical solution combining the advantages of an easy and minimally invasive implantation with a good functional recovery with minimal complications. [J Refract Surg. 2021;37(2):126-132.].

Pediatric Use of Recombinant Human Nerve Growth Factor 20 µg/mL Eye Drops (Cenegermin) for Bilateral Neurotrophic Keratopathy in Congenital Corneal Anesthesia.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to present the efficacy and safety of cenegermin eye drop (Oxervate; Dompè Farmaceutici, Milan, Italy) treatment in a pediatric patient affected by neurotrophic keratopathy (NK) with Goldenhar syndrome. METHODS: This case reports an infant presenting ulceration and a small central opacity in the cornea of the right and left eyes, respectively. The NK bilaterally worsened despite the use of therapeutic contact lenses and temporary partial tarsorrhaphy. Magnetic resonance imaging showed absence and hypoplasia of the right and left trigeminal nerves, respectively. Cenegermin eye drops were administered 1 drop/each eye, 6 times daily for 8 weeks to promote corneal healing. RESULTS: Complete healing was achieved in both eyes after treatment. During the 16-month follow-up period, no epithelial defect, recurrence, or complications were noticed, whereas corneal opacities progressively became clearer, although insignificant improvements in corneal sensitivity or in the reflex tearing were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Cenegermin was effective in treating NK in an infant with Goldenhar syndrome.

Oral azithromycin and oral doxycycline for the treatment of Meibomian gland dysfunction: A 9-month comparative case series.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety profile of oral azithromycin with that of doxycycline over 9 months in patients experiencing failure with conservative and topical treatment for Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), to assess recurrence of MGD, and to determine the number of treatments required. Methods: This is a randomized controlled trial with a cross-over design at a tertiary care center. In all, 115 consecutive patients underwent a complete ophthalmological examination before being randomly assigned to oral treatment with doxycline (4 g for 30 days) or azithromycin (1.25 g for 5 days). Patients were evaluated at 3, 6, and 9 months. Therapy was switched or conservative management maintained according to signs and symptoms. Results: In the azithromycin group, 83.25% of the patients were stable after one treatment, 16.5% needed a further one or two treatments (some had previously been switched to doxycycline), and 5.77% did not improve despite treatment. In the doxycycline group, 33.79% of patients were stable after one treatment, 66.21% needed a further one or two treatments (some had previously switched to azithromycin), and 29.41% did not improve despite treatment (P < 0.05). Minimal gastrointestinal adverse effects (nausea, diarrhea, abdominal cramp, and decreased appetite) were reported, mostly unchanged at the follow-up visits. At the first visit, more adverse effects were reported in the doxycycline group (14/51, 24%) than in the azithromycin group (3/52, 6%; P < 0.005). Conclusion: Both antibiotics were effective and safe for treating patients with persistent MGD, although azithromycin was superior when the reduced dose and the shorter course of therapy (5 days vs. 4 weeks) were taken into consideration. Given the chronic nature of the disease and the improvement in some signs with minimal adverse effects, a shorter therapy seems a safer and more logical alternative to longer regimens.

ULTRASOUND MEASUREMENTS OF THE DISTANCE BETWEEN LIMBUS AND RETINAL BREAK IN EYES WITH MEDIA OPACITIES.

PURPOSE: To assess the reproducibility and accuracy of ultrasound (US) measurements in determining the distance between corneoscleral limbus and retinal break and its relation with the distance measured by indirect ophthalmoscopy, in patients undergoing a laser retinopexy procedure. METHODS: Forty-four patients with a single retinal break, scheduled for laser a retinopexy procedure (26 phakic patients and 18 pseudophakic patients), underwent 5 repeated measurements by high-resolution US and 3 measurements (at the time of the laser procedure, 1 and 3 months) by indirect ophthalmoscopy with scleral indentation of the corneoscleral limbus-retinal break distance with a caliper. RESULTS: In the phakic patients group, measurements ranged from 8.75 mm to 14.45 mm (12.56 ± 1.24, mean ± SD) and from 9.5 mm to 15 mm (12.35 ± 1.32) with US and indirect ophthalmoscopy, respectively. In the pseudophakic patients group, measurements ranged from 9.04 mm to 13.95 mm (11.88 ± 1.33) and from 8.5 mm to 13.2 mm (11.93 ± 0.99) with US and indirect ophthalmoscopy, respectively. The correlation coefficient was greater than 0.97. Measurement variability was very small. In phakic eyes, it was 0.13 ± 0.08 mm and 0.13 ± 0.07 mm with US and indirect ophthalmoscopy, respectively. In pseudophakic eyes, it was 0.12 ± 0.05 mm and 0.14 ± 0.05 mm with US and indirect ophthalmoscopy, respectively. US and indirect ophthalmoscopy measurements were not statistically different (Student's t-test, P = 1.71). The analysis of the variance among phakic and pseudophakic patients confirmed that measurements of the two groups do not differ significantly (Fisher's exact test, P = 0.16). The univariate analysis showed no significant difference in both US and indirect ophthalmoscopy measurements (ANOVA, P = 0.09) and between the two types of measurements and patient groups (ANOVA, P = 0.38). CONCLUSION: This study suggests relevant accuracy and reliability of US readings and provides the possibility of using this technique for localizing tears in eyes with media opacities by identifying the meridian and corneoscleral limbus-retinal break distance.

Combined deep sclerectomy and descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate a novel surgical combination of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and deep sclerectomy (DS) for the management of concomitant corneal endothelial decompensation and uncontrolled glaucoma. METHODS: This retrospective case series noncomparative study included 9 eyes of 6 consecutive patients with coexistence of corneal edema resulting from Fuchs dystrophy or pseudoexfoliation keratopathy and medically uncompensated glaucoma; these patients underwent combined DSAEK and DS with mitomycin C and an absorbable collagen implant. Corneal graft clarity, endothelial cell density, visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), and identification of complications were assessed over a 2-year follow-up. RESULTS: All eyes obtained graft clarity throughout the follow-up, with a final average endothelial cell decrease of -36% from baseline, and showed improved vision and good IOP control without hypotensive therapy. Measured at 3 and 24 months postoperation, the mean visual acuity improvement was 154% and 372% and IOP decrease was 51.1% and 46.4%, respectively. Two anterior segment complications occurred in 2 (22%) patients' eyes. This consisted of a graft dislocation and a modest IOP elevation, treated successfully. CONCLUSIONS: Combined DSAEK and DS was longitudinally associated with good corneal graft survival and IOP control, with few complications. These findings suggest that this surgical approach is a viable option for patients with coexisting glaucoma and corneal endothelial dysfunction. Our study should stimulate a multicenter, randomized, controlled trial of our technique.