Enhancing Intermediate Vision in Patients Affected by Epiretinal Membrane Treated by Phaco-Vitrectomy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this research was to see if a refractive enhanced monofocal IOL (Eyhance IOL, IOL Abbott Medical Optics, Inc., Santa Ana, CA, USA) can provide better intermediate vision in patients undergoing phaco-vitrectomy due to cataract and epiretinal macular membrane (ERM). METHODS: A nonrandomized prospective observational comparative study enrolled patients affected by cataract and ERM undergoing phaco-vitrectomy. A follow up of 6 months was established. Corrected and uncorrected visual acuity of both monocular and binocular types were assessed regarding intermediate and far distances. The CATQUEST 9-SF questionnaire was administered preoperatively and at the last follow-up. RESULTS: Twenty-three eyes of twenty-three patients were enrolled, with 11 in the enhanced monofocal group. The uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity after 6 months was not statistically different. Both monocular and binocular uncorrected intermediate visual acuity after 6 months were higher in the enhanced monofocal group (p < 0.001). The corrected intermediate visual acuity after 6 months was higher in the enhanced monofocal group (p = 0.01). The CATQUEST-9SF questionnaire showed significant differences in the variation between the preoperative condition and six-month postoperative results (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This refractive enhanced monofocal IOL can provide better intermediate vision compared to a standard monofocal IOL in patients undergoing phaco-vitrectomy due to cataracts and ERM. Further studies are necessary to confirm these results.

Corneal Findings Associated to Belantamab-Mafodotin (Belamaf) Use in a Series of Patients Examined Longitudinally by Means of Advanced Corneal Imaging.

Belantamab mafodotin (belamaf) is a novel antibody-drug conjugate developed for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Although the drug has demonstrated a good efficacy, corneal adverse events have been reported. In this prospective study, consecutive patients with RRMM who received belamaf infusions were included. The standard ophthalmological visit was implemented with anterior segment (AS)-optical coherence tomography (OCT) and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). Five patients (three males, two females; mean age 66 ± 6.0 years) with MMRR and unremarkable ocular findings at baseline who received belamaf infusion were included. After a median time of 28 days from the first infusion, four of them developed corneal alterations with transient vision reduction to a variable extent. In particular, corneal deposits of microcyst-like epithelial changes (MECs) were detected centrally in one patient and peripherally in three patients. AS-OCT scans showed a bilateral heterogeneous increase in signal intensity, together with hyper-reflective lesions confined within the epithelium in all cases, except for one case in which they also involved the stroma. Corneal maps showed a transient increase in epithelial thickness in the first phase that was followed by a diffuse decrease in the subsequent phase. IVCM scans showed MECs as hyper-reflective opacities located at the level of corneal epithelium, largely intracellular. Multimodal corneal imaging may implement the current clinical scale, helping us to detect corneal abnormalities in patients under belamaf therapy. This workup provides useful data for monitoring over time corneal findings and for optimizing systemic therapy.