Saudi Arabia Guidelines for diabetic macular edema: A consensus of the Saudi Retina Group.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and its complications are major public health burdens in Saudi Arabia. The prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is 19.7% and the prevalence of diabetic macular edema (DME) is 5.7% in Saudi Arabia. Diabetic macular edema is a vision-threatening complication of DR and a major cause of vision loss worldwide. Ocular treatments include retinal laser photocoagulation, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents, intravitreal corticosteroids, and vitreoretinal surgery when necessary. The present consensus was developed as a part of the Saudi Retina Group's efforts to generate Saudi guidelines and consensus for the management of DME, including recommendations for its diagnosis, treatment, and best practice. The experts' panel stipulates that the treatment algorithm should be categorized according to the presence of central macula involvement. In patients with no central macular involvement, laser photocoagulation is recommended as the first-line option. Patients with central macular involvement and no recent history of cardiovascular (CVS) or cerebrovascular disorders can be offered anti-VEGF agents as the first-line option. In the case of non-responders (defined as an improvement of <20% in optical coherence tomography or a gain of fewer than 5 letters in vision), switching to another anti-VEGF agent or steroids should be considered after 3 injections. Within the class of steroids, dexamethasone implants are recommended as the first choice. In patients with a recent history of CVS events, the use of anti-VEGF agents is not recommended, regardless of their lens status. The experts' panel recommends that a future study be conducted to provide a cut-off point for early switching to steroid implants in pseudo-phakic eyes.

Incidence of retinopathy of prematurity at two tertiary centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

PURPOSE: To review the incidence and risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) King Faisal Specialist Hospital and King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, preterm infants who were admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit from 2012 to 2013 were evaluated for ROP. Inclusion criteria were, preterm infants with gestational age <32 weeks and/or birth weight <1500 g. The risk factors that were assessed were intraventricular hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), sepsis and hydrocephalus. The relative risk was used to measure the risk and logistic regression was used to adjust for confounding factors. Statistical significance was indicated by p < 0.05. RESULTS: Thirty-one of 92 (33.7%) preterm infants had unilateral or bilateral ROP. The mean gestational age was 26.7 weeks (range, 24-29 weeks) and mean birth weight was 0.843 kg (range, 0.606-1.450 kg). There were 7 infants with stage 1 ROP, 10 infants with stage 2, 14 infants with stage 3 and no cases of stage 4 or 5. Twelve (13%) infants had plus disease and received laser therapy within 72 h of diagnosis. Statistically significant risk factors for ROP were PDA (p = 0.0005) and intraventricular hemorrhage (p = 0.0005). CONCLUSION: The incidence of ROP was 33.7% and risk factors were PDA and intraventricular hemorrhage. Laser therapy was very effective for the treatment of plus disease and preventing progression of ROP. Clinicians should assess for potential risk factors when monitoring premature infants.

Leber's miliary aneurysms.

Leber's disease is a form of primary retinal telangiectasia characterized by the presence of abnormalities in the retinal vasculature. It is an idiopathic, unilateral condition with male predilection. It is not associated with any other systemic or ocular disease. The disease has a very slow progression and can be complicated by vascular dilatations, neovascularizations, thromboses, retrovitreal hemorrhages, and macular changes. We present a case of Leber's miliary aneurysms in an asymptomatic 22-year-old male patient. His fundus examination showed aneurysmal dilatations with lipid exudation. Intravenous fluorescein angiography showed early and late leakage as well as capillary dropout with late hypofluorescence. In this case, the patient was treated with laser photocoagulation of the retina.

Autozygome-guided exome sequencing in retinal dystrophy patients reveals pathogenetic mutations and novel candidate disease genes.

Retinal dystrophy (RD) is a heterogeneous group of hereditary diseases caused by loss of photoreceptor function and contributes significantly to the etiology of blindness globally but especially in the industrialized world. The extreme locus and allelic heterogeneity of these disorders poses a major diagnostic challenge and often impedes the ability to provide a molecular diagnosis that can inform counseling and gene-specific treatment strategies. In a large cohort of nearly 150 RD families, we used genomic approaches in the form of autozygome-guided mutation analysis and exome sequencing to identify the likely causative genetic lesion in the majority of cases. Additionally, our study revealed six novel candidate disease genes (C21orf2, EMC1, KIAA1549, GPR125, ACBD5, and DTHD1), two of which (ACBD5 and DTHD1) were observed in the context of syndromic forms of RD that are described for the first time.

Topical anesthesia in phacoemulsification.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of topical anesthesia; topical Benoxinate 0.4% (Oxybuprocaine) and Xylocaine (Lidocaine) gel, in selected cataract patients as an alternative to peribulbar or retrobulbar block anesthesia during cataract surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective non-comparative evaluation of patients' and surgeon's satisfaction at the end of the procedure. Three hundred patients (300 eyes) were included in the study. The procedure was explained to patients with details regarding what will happen and what to expect during surgery. All patients received topical anesthesia with Benoxinate 0.4% eye drops and Xylocaine gel 2%. All surgeries were done by the same surgeon using the same machine (updated LEGACY phacoemulsifier, Alcon) and approach (clear corneal incision) and followed by a foldable intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. RESULTS: None of the patients had severe pain during the procedure; only 2% (six of 300) required use of intravenous sedation (Propofol), both the surgeon's and the patients' satisfaction were high. Eye movements and blepharospasm were not significant problems, and no serious complications occurred. Rate of vitreous loss due to posterior capsule tear/rupture was within literature reported range and not different from our previous experience. CONCLUSION: Topical anesthesia is a satisfactory and safe alternative to retrobulbar and peribulbar anesthesia for clear corneal phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation in selected cataract patients in the hands of experienced cataract surgeon.

Idiopathic choroidal neovascular membrane in a young female.

A case of idiopathic choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) is described in a 17-year-old female patient. On initial examination her vision was counting fingers at one meter in the left eye (OS) and Fluorescein angiography showed a well-defined hyperfluorescent area corresponding to the CNVM. Intravitreal bevacizumab was injected into OS, and at a five-week follow-up visit, visual acuity improved to 20/100 OS. This case is unusual, in that the CNVM developed in a young lady with no significant past medical history and with the absence of a choroidal or retinal pigment epithelial disease process that may be associated with a CNVM.