Balloon dacryoplasty in internal ostium stenosis after endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy.

PURPOSE: To determine the effectiveness of balloon dacryoplasty in the treatment of internal ostium stenosis after endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (EnDCR). METHODS: A retrospective, noncomparative interventional case series of patients who underwent balloon dacryoplasty for post-EnDCR internal ostium stenosis were included. A balloon catheter was used in all procedures, with bicanalicular silicone intubation. Patient records were reviewed and data analyzed. Anatomical success was defined by functional endoscopic dye test, and functional success was defined as a subjective improvement in symptoms at last follow up. RESULTS: Nineteen lacrimal systems of 18 consecutive patients were studied between July 2007 and September 2012. At a mean follow up of 20 months (range, 3-53 months), anatomical success rate was 84% (16/19 systems), whereas functional success was 74% (14/19 systems). No major complication was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Balloon dacryoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure in the treatment of post-EnDCR internal ostium stenosis. It is a simple, safe procedure and can provide symptomatic relief to some of these patients. It can be considered as a treatment option for patients demonstrated with internal ostium stenosis after EnDCR.

Regional variations in the relationship between macular thickness measurements and myopia.

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between myopia and macular thickness, as measured by optical coherence tomography. METHODS: A total of 143 normal subjects comprising 80 eyes with high myopia (spherical equivalent [SE] < -6.0 D), 37 eyes with low to moderate myopia (SE between -6.0 and -0.5 D), and 26 nonmyopic eyes (SE > -0.5 D) were analyzed in this cross-sectional study. Total average, foveal, and inner and outer average macular thicknesses measured by the StratusOCT (Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc., Dublin, CA) were compared among the three diagnostic groups. Associations between macular thickness and refractive error/axial length were evaluated by linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The minimum foveal and average foveal (1-mm ring on the OCT retinal thickness map) thicknesses were significantly greater, and the outer ring macular (3-6-mm) thicknesses significantly lower in the high myopic eyes than in the low to moderate myopic and nonmyopic eyes. No significant difference was found in the inner ring (1-3-mm) macular thickness measurements among the groups. There was a positive correlation between the axial length and the average foveal thickness (r = 0.374, P < 0.001). Negative correlations were found between axial length and the average outer ring macular thickness (r= -0.471, P < 0.001) and total average macular thickness (r= -0.311, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Retinal thickness is related to refractive error/axial length in normal subjects with regional variations in correlation within the 6-mm macular region. Analysis of macular thickness in the evaluation of macular diseases and glaucoma should be interpreted only in the context of refractive errors and the location of measurement.