[Creation and evaluation of a triage survey for ophthalmology emergencies]. / Élaboration et évaluation d'un autoquestionnaire de triage pour les demandes de soins non programmés en ophtalmologie.

PURPOSE: The demand for eye care is growing continuously. We created a triage survey system, based on categories of severity, to optimize first line patient care in an ophthalmology emergency department. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out from July 7th, 2021 to October 10th, 2021. During this period, a survey was taken by patients upon arrival to the emergency department. Patients completed the survey by ticking boxes that best fitted their situation. The survey classified patients into three categories of severity: GREEN, ORANGE and RED. A chart review was performed to record the final diagnoses. The severity of each diagnosis was rated according to the Base Score. This score was then compared to the level of severity as determined by our survey to calculate the agreement between the two methods. RESULTS: We collected 767 survey forms, with an 80% response rate. We noted 78 different diagnoses. We scored 564 patients as GREEN, 107 as ORANGE and 96 as RED. The sensitivity rates for the green, orange and red categories were 90%, 70% and 96% respectively. The specificity rates were 90% for the green category, 95% for orange and 94% for red, with good agreement (kappa coefficient=0.70). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that a self-administered survey could be useful as a triage tool for common ocular emergencies. This survey could be performed better if complete by the patients with the assistance of emergency staff. Potentially helpful for high flow structures such as university-based hospitals, this triage survey might also help in comprehensive clinics or emergency departments.

Epidemiological features of ophthalmic emergencies during the COVID-19 lockdown: Impact of the health crisis in a tertiary care center.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study is to examine changing patterns of ophthalmic visits in an emergency eye care unit of a tertiary referral center in Paris, France, during the Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic compared to a control period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective, observational, epidemiological study. We included all visits in the emergency eye care unit of the Quinze-Vingts National Ophthalmology Center, Paris, France, from March 17, 2020 to April 30, 2020, and a corresponding time period in 2016. We analyzed patients' demographic factors, chief complaints, referral patterns, examination findings, treatment provided, hospitalizations and surgical interventions. RESULTS: During the 6weeks of lockdown, 3547 emergency visits were recorded. The control group contained 2108 patients from June 6-19, 2016. There was a decrease of approximately 50% in the number of average daily visitations. The frequency of serious diagnoses (including severe eye inflammation, serious infections, retinal vascular pathologies, surgical emergencies, and neuro-ophthalmology), increased overall during the period (P=0.03). The proportion of low severity pathologies decreased (P<0.001) between the two periods. In addition, an increased amount of ancillary testing was performed (P<0.001). Finally, the rate of hospitalizations was significantly lower during the lockdown period (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: A significant reduction in total ophthalmic presentations in the emergency eye care unit was observed during the lockdown period. However, the proportion of emergencies requiring specialized treatments (surgical, infectious, inflammatory and neuro-ophthalmological pathologies) increased.

[Penetrating keratoplasty]. / Kératoplastie transfixiante.

Penetrating keratoplasty is a tissue transplant commonly performed around the world. For over a century, penetrating keratoplasty has been the standard method of treatment for many corneal diseases causing visual impairment. Recently, lamellar anterior keratoplasty (LAK) or lamellar endothelial (LEK) have become preferable options, resulting in fewer complications and faster functional rehabilitation. While penetrating keratoplasty is less frequently indicated, in favor of these lamellar grafts, it has not necessarily become obsolete, and its use remains appropriate for its chosen indications. Functional results are good if the indication for surgery is properly assessed, therapeutic precautions are taken in view of complications, and follow-up aims to improve initial refractive results as needed.

[Epidemiology of ocular emergencies in a non-university hospital: Clinical characteristics and severity grading according to the Base Score]. / Épidémiologie des urgences ophtalmologiques dans un centre hospitalier non universitaire : spécificités cliniques et sévérité selon le Base Score.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyse the epidemiological characteristics of ophthalmological emergencies at the Bourges Medical Center (CHB) and to identify factors associated with severity according to the Base Score in a region of France considered a healthcare desert. METHODS: All consecutive charts of patients seen for an eye-related condition between January 1 and April 30, 2019 in the ocular emergency department of the CHB were studied retrospectively. Seven demographic and nine medical variables were collected, and ocular severity was defined according to the Base Score. Linear regressions were performed to identify the factors associated with higher severity. RESULTS: 1809 patients were included (mean age: 53.3±22.7 years, 51.4% women), of whom 1619 (89.5%) were self-referred. Ocular surface disease (12.5%) was the most frequent diagnosis. The severity of the eye-related condition was significantly associated with the following factors: male gender, distance from home to the emergency department, presentation soon after the onset of symptoms, and referral from a physician (ophthalmologist or not). The regression coefficient was greater than 1 only for the patient referral pattern. CONCLUSION: The current study highlights that when patients with ocular emergencies can self-refer to an ocular emergency department within a French healthcare desert, 9 patients out of 10 self-refer. Referral from a physician is the main factor associated with ocular severity; thus, these cases should be considered severe until proven otherwise.

[Emergency eye care in French university hospitals]. / Urgences ophtalmologiques dans les centres hospitaliers universitaires français.

INTRODUCTION: The patient's request for urgent care in ophthalmology (PRUCO) at health care centers is constantly growing. In France, university hospitals are managing 75% of these cases. We sought to quantify PRUCO referred to French university hospital emergency units as well as to approach the structure and the territorial distribution of emergency eye care provided by French university hospitals. METHODS: We conducted a quick cross-sectional survey sent to the 32 metropolitan and overseas French university hospitals. It inquired for each hospital whether emergency eye care units were available, whether ophthalmologists were on duty or on call overnight and how many PRUCO were managed in 2016. RESULTS: The 32 university hospitals completed the survey. A total of 398650 PRUCO were managed in French university hospitals in 2016. The emergency unit was exclusively dedicated to eye care for 70% of the hospitals, with 47% (15/32) of them employing an ophthalmologist on duty overnight. Every hospital but one had at least one ophthalmologist on call. The city of Paris set aside, university hospitals took care of an annual mean of 9000 PRUCO (min=500; max=32,250). CONCLUSION: The 32 French university hospitals are actively responding to patient's requests for urgent care in ophthalmology with very heterogeneous patient volumes and organizational systems. Half of them employ ophthalmologists on duty.

[Corneal dystrophies]. / Les dystrophies de cornée.

Degenerative or hereditary corneal diseases are sometimes difficult to discriminate. Corneal dystrophies affect approximately 0.09 % of the population. They are identified by the IC3D classification based on their phenotype, genotype and evidence gathered for their diagnosis. Practically, the ophthalmologist manages functional symptoms, such as recurrent erosions, visual loss and amblyopia, photophobia, foreign body sensation, and sometimes pain and aesthetic concerns. Medical treatments consist of drops to promote healing, ointments, hyperosmotic agents and bandage contact lenses. Less invasive surgical treatments are used as second line therapy (phototherapeutic keratectomy, lamellar keratectomy). More invasive procedures may eventually be utilized (lamellar or penetrating keratoplasty). Anterior lamellar or endothelial keratoplasty are now preferred to penetrating keratoplasty, although the latter still remains the only possible option in some cases. Some rare dystrophies require coordinated and comprehensive medical care.

Corneal dystrophies.

Degenerative or hereditary corneal diseases are sometimes difficult to discriminate. Corneal dystrophies affect approximately 0.09% of the population. They are identified by the IC3D classification based on their phenotype, genotype and evidence gathered for their diagnosis. In practice, the ophthalmologist manages functional symptoms such as recurrent erosions, visual loss and amblyopia, photophobia, foreign body sensation, and sometimes pain and aesthetic concerns. Medical treatments consist of drops to promote healing, ointments, hyperosmotic agents and bandage contact lenses. Less invasive surgical treatments are used as second line therapy (phototherapeutic keratectomy, lamellar keratectomy). More invasive procedures may eventually be utilized (lamellar or penetrating keratoplasty). Anterior lamellar or endothelial keratoplasty are now preferred to penetrating keratoplasty, although the latter still remains the only possible option in some cases. Some rare dystrophies require coordinated and comprehensive medical care.

A genetic anomaly of oriented collagen biosynthesis and cross-linking: Keratoconus.

Oriented collagen biosynthesis is one of the major mechanisms involved in tissue and organ formation during development. Corneal biogenesis is one example. Defects in this process lead to anomalies in tissue structure and function. The transparency of cornea and its achievement are a good example as well as its pathological modifications. Keratoconus is one example of this type of pathologies, involving also inappropriate cross-linking of collagen fibers. Among the tentatives to correct this anomaly, the riboflavin-potentiated UV-cross-linking (CXL) of keratoconus corneas appears clinically satisfactory, although none of the experiments and clinical results published prove effective cross-linking. The published results are reviewed in this article.

[The irido-corneo-endothelial syndrome. The loss of the control of corneal endothelial cell cycle. A review]. / Le syndrome irido-cornéo-endothélial ou la perte du contrôle du cycle cellulaire de l'endothélium cornéen. Une revue.

The three major symptoms of the irido-corneo-endothelial syndrome are the alterations of the corneal endothelium and of the iris with a loss of the regulation of the cell cycle, and the progressive obstruction of the irido-corneal angle. This rare pathology attacks mainly young adult women. Most of the symptoms and complications originate from the excessive proliferation of the corneal endothelial cells accompanied by the evolution of their phenotype towards that of the epithelial cells. In normal conditions the corneal endothelial cells do not divide, they are blocked in the G1 stage of the cell cycle, mainly because of the action of the inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases. Still these cells retain a good capacity for proliferation, which can be induced by the down-regulation of the expression of the inhibitors of the cyclin-dependent kinases. This proliferative capacity declines with age and is also different according to the localization of the cells: it is more intense with those originating from the central area then in those from the peripheral area of the cornea. The age-related decline of the proliferative capacity is not due to the shortening of the telomers, but to the stress-induced accelerated senescence of the cells.

[Severe bacterial keratitis referred to ophthalmology emergency departments: a retrospective study of 268 cases]. / Kératites bactériennes sévères reçues aux urgences ophtalmologiques: analyse rétrospective de 268 cas.

PURPOSE: To investigate epidemiological, microbiological and clinical aspects of severe bacterial keratitis, in order to update current understanding of risk factors (RF) and prognosis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We conducted a monocentric retrospective study from January 2005 to January 2011, identifying and collecting data from inpatients admitted for severe documented bacterial keratitis. RESULTS: We found 268 unilateral corneal ulcers. At least one local or systemic risk factor was identified in 255/268 patients (95%). The leading risk factor was contact lens wear (129/268), followed by underlying corneal disease (50/268) and prior corneal surgery (47/268). Initial and final visual acuities were 0.06 and 0.2 (1.20 and 0.72 LogMAR) respectively. Contact lens wear was associated with better prognosis and shorter hospitalization (P<0.05). Corneal healing was obtained in 255/268 patients (95%), with adjuvant surgery for 33 patients. The most frequently isolated pathogens were Gram+ cocci, more commonly associated with degenerative keratopathy or prior corneal surgery, and Gram- bacilli, more commonly associated with contact lenses (P<0.05). Both demonstrated a similar prognosis. CONCLUSION: Specific risk factors should be investigated in cases of severe bacterial keratitis. Contact lens wear is the most frequent risk factor, but with a better prognosis than underlying corneal disease, prior corneal surgery or systemic risk factors. The specific bacterial pathogen no longer appears to dramatically influence the outcome of severe corneal ulcers.

Evaluation of the motion of surgical instruments during intraocular surgery.

PURPOSE: Robot assistance in ocular microsurgery could improve precision, dexterity, save time or prevent complications by task automation, and provide access to ocular surgery in undeserved countries by teleoperation. However, to design robotic devices, the range of motion of surgical instruments needs to be precisely quantified. METHODS: An electromagnetic tracking system was developed for intraocular surgery in order to quantify the movements of ophthalmic surgeons. Kinematics of surgical steps during phacoemulsification and pars plana vitrectomy procedures were determined by measuring the maximum translation and angular range of motion of intraocular surgical tools in the three planes. CONCLUSION: Important variations in amplitudes of rotation and translation were measured between both hands and between surgical tasks. These parameters may be used to develop a robotic intraocular surgical system or to improve training.

[Potential of liposomes for the intravitreal injection of therapeutic molecules]. / Potentiel des liposomes pour l'injection intravitréenne de molécules thérapeutiques.

Intravitreal administration has been widely used since 20 years and has been shown to improve the treatment of diseases of the posterior segment of the eye with infectious origin or in edematous maculopathies. This route of administration allows to achieve high concentration of drug in the vitreous and avoids the problems resulting from systemic administration. However, two basic problems limit the use of intravitreal therapy. Many drugs are rapidly cleared from the vitreous humor; therefore, to reach and to maintain effective therapy repeated injections are necessary. Repeated intravitreal injections increase the risk of endophthalmitis, damage to lens, retinal detachment. Moreover, some drugs provoke a local toxicity at their effective dose inducing side-effects and possible retinal lesions. In this context, the development and the use of new drug delivery systems for intravitreal administration are necessary to treat chronic ocular diseases. Among them, particulate systems such as liposomes have been widely studied. Liposomes are easily injectable and permit to reduce the toxicity and to increase the residence time of several drugs in the eye. They are also able to protect in vivo poorly-stable molecules from degradation such as peptides and nucleic acids. Some promising results have been obtained for the treatment of retinitis induced by cytomegalovirus in human and more recently for the treatment of uveitis in animal. Finally, the fate of liposomes in ocular tissues and fluids after their injection into the vitreous and their elimination routes begin to be more known.

[Advantages and limits of multiple grafts (third keratoplasty) under local cyclosporin 2%]. / Intérêt et limite de la greffe multiple (troisième kératoplastie) sous ciclosporine locale 2 %

INTRODUCTION: iterative penetrating keratoplasty procedures (PKPs) increase the risk of graft rejection. Surgeons are reluctant to perform a third procedure following two previous graft failures. We evaluated the outcomes of patients who had three successive PKPs treated with a local combination of cyclosporin 2% A and dexamethasone 0.1% eye drops. PATIENTS AND METHODS: this is a retrospective study of a series of cases including 15 eyes of 15 patients treated and followed in the ophthalmology unit at the Hôtel-Dieu Hospital in Paris (2006-2009). RESULTS: after an average follow-up of 20.5±2 months, the risk of transplant rejection was 13.33% and the duration of follow-up corresponded in all patients to the duration of treatment with cyclosporin eye drops. The treatment was not interrupted by any patient because of intolerance. CONCLUSION: in this study, we observed a success rate justifying the indication of the third keratoplasty under local cyclosporin 2% classically considered debatable.

'The Microhand': a new concept of micro-forceps for ocular robotic surgery.

PURPOSE: To test the feasibility of retinal manipulations using a new micromanipulator (Microhand) for ocular robotic microsurgery. METHODS: Pneumatically actuated four-finger microhands were developed at UCLA with micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) technology to mimic a human hand for small object manipulation. Microhands with four 4 mm finger lengths were used for this study to lift caliper weights and fresh retinal tissue of porcine cadaver eyes to find the maximum force at a given pressure and feasibility of the microhands for retinal manipulation in real surgery. RESULTS: A full closure of the microhand used for caliper weight lifting was achieved under 65 psi (448 kPa) of air pressure. The four-fingered microhand was able to develop about 20 mN of total lifting force and 5 mN per finger at 80 psi (551 kPa), and was strong enough to displace and lift the retina of pig eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The microhand is able to apply calibrated forces to ocular tissues and is suitable for ocular microsurgical procedures. This new tool would be useful in the development of robotic microsurgery.

Robotic microsurgery: corneal transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Robotic ocular microsurgery including corneal suturing has been proven to be feasible in porcine eyes. AIM: To determine whether or not bimanual teleoperated robotic penetrating keratoplasty (PK) can be performed in porcine and human eyes. METHODS: Three arms of the da Vinci surgical robot were loaded with a dual-channel video and two, 360 degrees -rotating, 8 mm, wrested-end effector instruments and placed over porcine eyes or over a human cadaver head. The surgeon remotely performed mechanical trephination, cardinal sutures, continuous 10.0 nylon sutures and suture adjustments on both eyes. The procedures were documented with still and video photography. RESULTS: Using the da Vinci robot, penetrating keratoplasty procedures were successfully performed on both porcine eyes and human eyes in natural anatomical conditions. The precise placement of continuous sutures was facilitated by the wrested-end forceps. Orbital rims and nose did not limit surgical motions. CONCLUSION: Teleoperated robotic penetrating keratoplasty is technically feasible in humans. Further studies are pending to implement the procedure with femtosecond laser and other automated steps.

[Corneal tattooing. A series of 14 case studies]. / De l'usage du tatouage cornéen. A propos de 14 cas.

AIMS: Evaluate the efficacy of a little-used surgical method: corneal tattooing, using a dermograph to hide unsightly corneal scars on nonfunctional eyes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of 14 eyes of 13 patients treated by tattooing the corneal surface, by directly introducing the pigments into the corneal stroma using a dermograph. The effectiveness of tattooing was evaluated by pigmentation homogeneity and patient satisfaction. Tolerance was evaluated by the scarring at the 7th day and ocular inflammation. The average follow-up was 18 months. RESULTS: Fourteen eyes presented an unaesthetic, neovascularized major corneal edema (79% traumatism). In 12 eyes, the treatment was homogeneous with a very satisfactory aesthetic result for the patient. One eye presented minor complications of pigmentary migration. One eye presented a corneal perforation 40 days after the procedure on a very pathological cornea. CONCLUSION: Corneal tattooing using a dermograph is a little-used technique since changes in corneal transplantation indications but is also a simple and inexpensive alternative for corneal scar treatment on nonfunctional eyes.

[Relevance of traditional hospitalizations in an ophthalmology department]. / Pertinence de l'hospitalisation traditionnelle dans un service d'ophtalmologie.

INTRODUCTION: Ophthalmological indications for traditional hospitalizations are not clearly established and should be updated with respect to both healthcare quality and economic considerations. We therefore analyzed the data of patients hospitalized in an ophthalmology department. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We prospectively analyzed the medical and socioeconomic charts of all patients hospitalized during a 2-month period (December 2006 and January 2007) in a single ophthalmology department. RESULTS: Over the 2 months, 349 patients were admitted (mean stay, 3 days), 324 of whom were operated. The main causes of admission were retinal detachments (n=103), injuries (n=33), endothelial cell failure (n=27), cataract (n=27), high ocular pressure (n=23), and corneal abscess (n=17). Admission was mainly guided by the surgeon's habits (n=135, 39%) and was not medically relevant but was generally motivated by financial considerations. Other hospital admissions were medically justified (intravenous injections, head positioning) but the hospitalization of patients living far from the hospital (n=46; 13%) could be limited by the development of housing made available to patients. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmological hospitalization is not always medically relevant and often is based on financial or housing constraints. More than half of the classical admissions should be switched to ambulatory patient care by adapting financial compensations to surgical costs or providing outpatient housing.