Optic nerve cavitations in glaucoma suspect and glaucoma patients.

Purpose: Glaucoma is associated with structural changes of the optic nerve head such as deformation, lamina cribosa defects, prelaminar schisis, and peripapillary retinal schisis. We describe optic nerve cavitations that were detected by routine spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Observations: OCT imaging showed cavitations in 5 eyes of 4 patients with an initial diagnosis of glaucoma or glaucoma suspect. The cavitations were seen as hyporeflective spaces that are sharply delineated from surrounding tissue. They were centered inferonasally, anterior to the lamina cribosa, and at least partially within the Bruch's membrane opening (BMO). They extended from 3 to 6 clock hours. Conclusion: AND IMPORTANCE: We describe a new OCT finding in patients with a diagnosis of glaucoma and glaucoma suspect. While previous reports describe cavitations in the choroid in patients with pathological myopia, our patients had minimal refractive error and the cavitations were located within the optic nerve. We will examine these patients over time to determine the impact of this finding on longitudinal changes in structure and function.

Improved refractive outcomes of postgraduate year 4 cataract surgery after implementing a stepwise biometry lecture series reinforced by self-assessment at a teaching program.

PURPOSE: To determine whether a structured biometry course improves refractive outcomes of resident phacoemulsification. SETTING: Northeast Veterans Administration Hospital, Northport, New York, USA. DESIGN: Retrospective case study. METHODS: Phacoemulsification surgeries performed by residents before and after a biometry curriculum were reviewed. The inclusion criterion was phacoemulsification performed by residents. Patients with fewer than 3 months of follow-up were excluded. The main outcome measure-the mean absolute difference between the target and final refraction-was compared using a linear mixed model. RESULTS: Phacoemulsification surgeries performed by 4 residents before (n = 223) and by 4 residents after (n = 242) a biometry curriculum was implemented were reviewed. All measured preoperative factors were similar in both groups, including age, visual acuity, axial length, steep and flat keratometry values, astigmatism, anterior chamber depth, and lens thickness. Before the biometry course was instituted, 10% of patients had a mean absolute difference of less than 0.25 diopter (D); the percentage was 35% afterward. The mean absolute difference was less than 0.50 D in 40% before the curriculum was initiated and 70% after. The mean absolute difference was less than 1.00 D in 75% before the curriculum was initiated versus 94% after (all P < .05). The corrected distance visual acuities were similar in both groups, with 83% and 80%, respectively, having an acuity of at least 20/25 (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Residents' refractive predictions significantly improved after a formal biometry curriculum, showing that improvements in resident surgical outcomes are possible with structured curriculums reinforcing outcome measures. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: None of the authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

Ganciclovir ophthalmic gel 0.15% for the treatment of acute herpetic keratitis: background, effectiveness, tolerability, safety, and future applications.

Eye disease due to herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a leading cause of ocular morbidity and the number one infectious cause of unilateral corneal blindness in the developed parts of the globe. Recurrent keratitis can result in progressive corneal scarring, thinning, and vascularization. Antiviral agents employed against HSV have primarily been nucleoside analogs. Early generation drugs included idoxuridine, iododesoxycytidine, vidarabine, and trifluridine. While effective, they tended to have low bioavailability and measurable local cellular toxicity due to their nonselective mode of action. Acyclovir 0.3% ointment is a more selective agent, and had become a first-line topical drug for acute HSV keratitis in Europe and other places outside of the US. Ganciclovir 0.15% gel is the most recently approved topical treatment for herpes keratitis. Compared to acyclovir 0.3% ointment, ganciclovir 0.15% gel has been shown to be better tolerated and no less effective in several Phase II and III trials. Additionally, topical ganciclovir does not cause adverse systemic side effects and is therapeutic at lower concentrations. Based on safety, efficacy, and tolerability, ganciclovir 0.15% gel should now be considered a front-line topical drug in the treatment of dendritic herpes simplex epithelial keratitis. Topics of future investigation regarding other potential uses for ganciclovir gel may include the prophylaxis of recurrent HSV epithelial keratitis, treatment of other forms of ocular disease caused by herpesviruses and adenovirus, and ganciclovir gel as an adjunct to antitumor therapy.