The profile of patients attending to the general emergency department with ocular complaints within the last year: is it a true ocular emergency?

PURPOSE: Ocular emergencies require immediate intervention to prevent rapid vision loss or functional impairment. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of true ocular emergencies among patients who presented to the general emergency department with ocular complaints and were referred to the Eye Clinic. METHODS: In a retrospective cross-sectional study in a tertiary hospital in Istanbul, patients aged 0-100 years who presented to the general emergency department with ocular complaints between January and December 2022 were included. Inconclusive diagnoses and incomplete records were excluded. Patients were divided into three groups: top eye emergencies (TE), relative eye emergencies (REE), and non-emergency eyes (NEE). RESULTS: Among the 652,224 individuals seeking care, 9,982 (1.5%) were referred to the Eye Emergency Clinic. Of these, 2,788 (27.9%) were female, and 7,194 (72.1%) were male, with ages ranging from 0 to 98 years. TopEye Emergencies (TEE), Relative Eye Emergencies (REE), and Non-Eye Emergencies (NEE) accounted for 13%, 60%, and 27% of the cases, respectively. Common top-eye emergencies (TEE) include chemical injuries, orbital-preseptal cellulitis, and orbital fractures. Relative eye emergencies (REEs) commonly feature corneal foreign bodies, corneal erosion, and conjunctivitis. Nonemulsion eye (NEE) methods involve simple eye redness, trauma without eye involvement, and subconjunctival haemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with the literature, 1.5% of patients presenting to the general emergency department had eye complaints.However, 27% of those referred to the ophthalmological clinic did not have an urgent eye condition. This is partly due to the high proportion of patients presenting to the emergency department with ocular complaints and the lack of knowledge of ophthalmological diseases by emergency physicians, leading to unnecessary referrals to the ophthalmology clinic, resulting in a loss of the workforce and reduced time allocated to patients with true ocular emergencies.

The Role of Systemic Inflammation in Acquired Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the influence of systemic inflammation on adult patients with acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (ANLDO). Methods: Peripheral venous blood analysis was performed on adult patients who underwent dacryocystorhinostomy for ANLDO between June 2020 and December 2022, during their remission period just before the surgery. Platelet, Neutrophil, Lymphocyte, Monocyte, White Blood Cell (WBC) count, Platelet/Lymphocyte ratio (PLR), Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio (NLR), Monocyte/Lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and systemic inflammatory index (SII) (calculated as platelet × (neutrophil/lymphocyte)) were compared with a volunteer control group. Results: The study included 54 adult patients with ANLDO and 54 individuals in the control group. The mean age was 42.5±14.4 years in the ANLDO group and 37.8±12.3 years in the volunteer control group. There was no significant difference in age between the groups (p=0.064). Platelet value (295.9±70.9→254.7±43.9), PLR value (143.8±77.7→119.0±36.1), and SII value (534.7±192.0→442.6±212.2) in the ANLDO group were significantly higher compared to the Control group (p=0.000, p=0.023, p=0.020, respectively). Neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, NLR, MLR, and WBC values did not exhibit significant differences between the case and control groups (p=0.299, p=0.469, p=0.125, p=0.419, p=0.143, and p=0.465, respectively). Conclusion: The study revealed elevated systemic platelet counts in ANLDO patients, resulting in higher PLR and SII values. The authors suggest that a histopathological examination to assess the local impact of platelets or other inflammatory processes in nasolacrimal duct obstruction could offer valuable insights into the etiopathology of ANLDO.

A New Approach: Determination of the Safe Surgical Margin in Pterygium Surgery.

PURPOSE: In this retrospective study, we aimed to determine the safe surgical limit for excision of pterygium tissue. Therefore, we aimed to prevent excessive or incomplete normal conjunctival tissue excision during surgery in the coming years. METHODS: Autografted pterygium surgery was performed between January 2015 and April 2016, and the excised pterygium tissue was examined histopathologically. The files of 44 patients, who had not previously undergone any ocular surgery, who did not have an inflammatory disease and who continued to be checked for at least 1 year, were retrospectively examined. The distance (P-DSEM) from the excised pterygium tissue to the surgical excision margin was measured by a pathologist. Postoperative recurrence rates were evaluated according to this value. In this way, the clean surgical margin was determined. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 44.77 ± 12.70, and the mean follow-up time was 55.61 ± 16.38 months. Recurrence developed in 5 out of 44 patients (11.4%). The average recurrence duration was 51 ± 13.87 days. Distance to the average surgical margin was 3.88 ± 0.91 mm. The surgical distances of 5 patients with recurrence were 2, 2.5, 2, 3, and 3 mm, respectively. It was determined that recurrence was less as the distance (P-DSEM) from the tissue to the surgical excision margin increased (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We found that the recurrence rate in pterygium surgery was linked to the clean surgical margin. When planning pterygium surgery, we believe that determining the amount of tissue to be excised before surgery will reduce recurrence rates.

Changes caused by fluorescein in the tear film evaluated with hybrid break-up time test as a new method - Part Two: Its effect on breakup locations and other quantitative values.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the changes caused by fluorescein in the tear film by analyzing the qualitative parameters such as breakup location and also detailed quantitative parameters. METHODS: After determining the break-up time (BUT) value and breakup locations by the Non-invasive break-up time (NI-BUT) method, we re-evaluated the changes in the tear film stained with fluorescein using the topographical method. We called the topographic evaluation of the tear film stained with fluorescein as the Hybrid-BUT test. The results for the parameters obtained for each participant by the NI-BUT and Hybrid-BUT tests were compared. RESULTS: Our study was conducted with 82 participants aged between 18 and 58 years (mean age 34.1 ± 11.1). The mean first break-up time value (BUT1) was 4.1 ± 2.7 s on the NI-BUT test versus 5.1 ± 3.2 s on the Hybrid-BUT test (p = 0.029). The mean average of all break-up time values (BUTAvg) for each participant was 7.2 ± 3.2 s on the NI-BUT test versus 8.4 ± 3.1 s on the Hybrid-BUT test (p = 0.004). After dividing the corneal surface into quadrants of 90°, there was no significant difference in the comparison of the locations of the first breakup (QUAD(First breakup)), the second breakup (QUAD(2nd breakup)) and the third breakup (QUAD(3rd breakup)) between the two tests (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Fluorescein affects quantitative values rather than qualitative parameters in tear film. We observed that the change caused by fluorescein in tear film break-up time could be detected objectively and in a documented manner using Hybrid-BUT test.

Evaluation of the Effect of Infection and Immunity on the Tear Film by Scheimpflug-Placido Disc Topography- A Case Control Study.

PURPOSE: We aimed to compare the tear film stability of individuals who had recovered from coronavirus disease (COVID-19), that of individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 and that of healthy individuals in a control group. METHODS: This study included 61 eyes of 61 post-COVID-19 patients, 63 eyes of 63 participants who had received at least two doses of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine, and 57 eyes of healthy individuals in a control group. We compared the groups' tear film stability. RESULTS: The mean non-invasive first tear break-up time (NIF-BUT) value was 4.1±2.7 seconds in the post-COVID-19 group, 4.7±2.9 seconds in the vaccinated group, and 5.8±2.8 seconds in the control group. This value was statistically significantly lower in the post-COVID-19 and vaccinated groups than in the control group (p= 0.007). The rate of superotemporal (ST) quadrant breakup, statistically significantly higher in the vaccinated group than in the other two groups (p=0.001). According to a qualitative examination of the results, at least one breakup occurred in 47 (77%) of the post-COVID-19 participants' eyes, 50 (79.4%) of the vaccinated group's eyes, and 33 (57.9%) of the control group's eyes. In terms of this qualitative value, the post-COVID-19 and vaccinated groups had significantly higher breakup rates than the control group (p=0.018). CONCLUSIONS: Destabilization in the tear film was more common in both the post covid group and the vaccinated group. In addition to individuals who have post-Covid, we think that post-vaccination individuals should be followed closely in terms of ocular surface diseases.

Changes caused by fluorescein in tear film by hybrid break-up time test- part one; on quantitative values.

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of fluorescein on the tear film by measuring tear break-up time (BUT). METHODS: In this prospective study, after determining the natural BUT value of the tear with the non-invasive break-up time (NI-BUT) method, we re-evaluated the changes in the tear film stained with fluorescein using the topographical method. The topographic evaluation of tears stained with fluorescein was called as Hybrid-BUT (H-BUT) test. The first BUT (BUT1), the second BUT (BUT2), the third BUT (BUT3), the fourth BUT (BUT4), and the fifth BUT (BUT5) values of each participant's NI-BUT and H-BUT tests were compared. RESULTS: The present study was conducted with 82 participants. Although the mean BUT1 value was 4.1 ± 2.7 s in the NI-BUT test, it was 5.1 ± 3.2 s in the H-BUT test (p = 0.029). The mean BUT2 value was 5.0 ± 3.0 s in the NI-BUT test, and 6.2 ± 3.3 s in the H-BUT test (p = 0.029). The mean BUT3 value in the NI-BUT test was 5.8 ± 3.4 s, and 7.2 ± 3.7 s in the H-BUT test (p = 0.021). The mean BUT4 value in the NI-BUT test was 6.2 ± 3.4 s and 7.9 ± 3.9 s in the H-BUT test (p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Fluorescein causes changes in the break-up time test, and depending on this, in the tear film pattern. These changes can be compared and detected quantitatively and objectively of the fluorescein-stained tear film with the NI-BUT test and the topographic devices by using the H-BUT test.

Cilioretinal artery: Vasculogenesis might be promoted by plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 5G allele.

BACKGROUND: Cilioretinal arteries (CAs) represent enlargements of microscopic and early established collaterals formed via vasculogenesis between choroidal and retinal circulations. We aimed to investigate whether genetic tendency to thrombosis due to well-known gene polymorphisms may induce CA vasculogenesis in embryonic life. METHODS: We assessed plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) 4G/5G, methylenetetrahydrofolatereductase (MTHFR), FACTOR V LEIDEN and PROTHROMBIN gene polymorphisms on 130 patients [82/48 females/males; Median age: 57 (18-84) with visible CAs and 100 (64/36: female/male; Median age: 55 (19-90)] without visible CAs. RESULTS: Using multiple logistic regression models, we found PAI-1 4G/5G; MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) polymorphisms to have significant effects on the probability of visible CAs, that having at least one 5G allele would increase the odds of having visible cilioretinal artery by 98.4% [Odds ratio: 1984 (95% CI: 1.320-3.000, p = 0.001)], and having at least one MTHFR C677T or A1298C allele would decrease the odds of having visible CAs by approximately 38% (OR = 0.618, 95% CI: 0.394-0.961, p = 0.035) or 44% (OR = 0.558, 95% CI: 0.354-0.871, p = 0.011), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to test the existence of significant association between presence of enlarged and visible CAs and genetic factors predisposing to thrombosis, according to the literature. Here we suggest that not only the lack of genetic predisposition to thrombosis by MTHFR gene polymorphisms, but also the PAI-1 5G allele might promote vasculogenesis of CAs.

An easy and practical method for toric intraocular lens implantation: marking corneal astigmatic axis at slit-lamp.

The objective of this study was to present a practical method of marking the corneal astigmatic axis for the patient sitting at the slit-lamp before toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Eighteen eyes of 18 patients, who underwent uncomplicated phacoemulsification, with an implantation of Acrysof toric IOL were included. We marked the astigmatic axis while the patient sitting at the slit-lamp before surgery. The patient was asked to look at a distant target at head height with the fellow eye. Using the rotator switch, the slit light of the slit-lamp was just turned on to the steep astigmatic meridian in the orthograde position. Then, two tips of the astigmatic meridian were marked with a marking pen, where the slit light crossed at the limbus 180° away. Preoperative corneal and postoperative refractive astigmatism values were compared. Uncorrected and corrected postoperative visual acuities (UDVA and BCVA) and IOL rotations at early and late periods were noted. The mean age and mean follow-up were 63.6 ± 14.6 years and 9.4 ± 5.3 months (range 3-16 months), respectively. Mean postoperative UDVA and BCVA at Snellen chart were 0.62 ± 0.21 and 0.82 ± 0.13, respectively. Mean preoperative keratometric and mean postoperative refractive astigmatism values were 2.48 ± 0.87 D and 0.66 ± 0.48 D, respectively. Reduction of astigmatism was significant (p < 0.01). The mean rotation at 1 week and that at last follow-up were 2.1° ± 3.1° and 2.3° ± 3.0°, respectively. Marking corneal astigmatic axis at slit-lamp is a simple and effective method in toric intraocular lens implantation. Surgeon does not need additional instrument except a slit-lamp and a marking pen, and can complete the marking task in just one setting.

Ocular surface findings in patients with rheumatoid arthritis under methotrexate or biological agent therapy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the ocular findings in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) such as methotrexate (MTX) or MTX with biological agents. METHODS: One hundred and twelve eyes of 56 patients with RA and treated with MTX or MTX with biological agents were included in the study. Patients were divided into two groups using DMARDs only (group 1) and patients using DMARDs and biologic agents together (group 2). In both groups; Schirmer's II test, tear film break-up time (tBUT), central corneal thickness (CCT), corneal volume (CV), intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement, and anterior segment and fundus examinations of the eye with slit lamp were carried out. Ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score questionnaire were performed. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients with a mean age of 53.00 ± 8.19 years were in group 1 and 18 patients with a mean age of 51.00 ± 9.54 years were in group 2. The mean duration of RA was 6.89 ± 7.96 years in group 1 and 5.70 ± 9.00 years in group 2. There was a statistically significant difference between two groups with tBUT, CCT, CV, IOP (p < 0.05) and there was no significant difference with age, sex, disease duration, disease activity, and Schirmer's II test (p > 0.05). The disease duration showed a significant moderate negative correlation with CCT and CV in group 2 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although tBUT values were significantly higher in the combination treatment group, CCT and CV values were significantly lower. Due to the decrease in corneal thickness, IOP was determined to be significantly lower.

Slanted medial rectus recession is effective in the treatment of convergence excess esotropia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the surgical outcomes of slanted medial rectus recession in patients diagnosed as having convergence excess esotropia. METHODS: Bilateral slanted recession of medial rectus muscles was performed in 16 patients with convergence excess esotropia. The lower margins of medial rectus muscles were recessed 1 to 2 mm more than the upper margins. Changes in near-distance disparity of the deviations were recorded. RESULTS: The mean preoperative near-distance disparity of 20.3±6.5 prism diopters (PD) decreased to 4.37±5.6 PD postoperatively. The amount of collapse was significant (mean: 16 PD; P<.005). Near-distance disparity of 10 PD or less was obtained in 14 patients after surgery (87.5%), except 2 patients who had 16 PD of disparity. The authors did not encounter overcorrection except in 1 patient in whom minimal exophoria at distance and near with the glasses was observed and reduced the prescription. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral slanted medial rectus muscle recession procedure effectively decreases the disparity between near and distance deviations in patients with convergence excess esotropia.

Medium-term outcomes of three horizontal muscle surgery in large-angle infantile esotropia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the medium-term motor outcomes of three horizontal muscle surgery in patients with large-angle infantile esotropia. METHODS: The charts of 18 patients with large-angle (> 55 prism diopters [PD]) infantile esotropia who underwent bilateral medial rectus muscle recession and one lateral rectus muscle resection were retrospectively reviewed. Preoperative and postoperative deviations at last examination, overcorrections and undercorrections, necessity of additional horizontal surgery, and follow-up durations were recorded. RESULTS: The median age of patients at surgery was 22 months (range: 10 to 168 months). Orthotropia to within 10 PD or less was achieved in 14 of 18 patients (78%) in a median follow-up of 32 months (range: 5 to 63 months). The mean preoperative deviation of 68.8 ± 9.54 PD decreased to a median of 1 PD (range: esotropia 30 to exophoria 4 PD) postoperatively (P < .005). Marked residual esotropia necessitating additional surgery occurred in 4 patients, but significant overcorrection was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: The success rate of the three horizontal muscle surgeries appears to be high enough in medium-term follow-up in patients with large-angle infantile esotropia. Overcorrection that necessitates additional horizontal muscle surgery does not seem to be significant in the medium term, according to this study.