Is diabetic retinopathy screening worthwhile among people first diagnosed with diabetes at older ages? A cohort study of Norfolk diabetic retinopathy screening programme.

AIMS: England's Diabetic Eye Disease Screening Programme offers screening to every resident over age 12 with diabetes, starting as soon as possible after diagnosis and repeated annually. People first diagnosed with diabetes at older ages have shorter life expectancy and therefore may be less likely to benefit from screening and treatment. To inform decisions about whether diabetic eye screening policy should be stratified by age, we investigated the probability of receiving treatment according to age at first screening episode. METHODS: This was a cohort study of participants in the Norfolk Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme from 2006 to 2017, with individuals' programme data linked to hospital treatment and death data recorded up to 2021. We estimated and compared the probability, annual incidence and screening costs of receiving retinal laser photocoagulation or intravitreal injection and of death, in age groups defined by age at first screening episode. RESULTS: The probability of death increased with increasing age at diagnosis, while the probability of receiving either treatment decreased with increasing age. The estimated cost of screening per person who received either or both treatments was £18,608 among all participants, increasing with age up to £21,721 in those aged 70-79 and £26,214 in those aged 80-89. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic retinopathy screening is less effective and less cost-effective with increasing age at diagnosis of diabetes, because of the increasing probability of death before participants develop sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy and can benefit from treatment. Upper age limits on entry into screening programmes or risk stratification in older age groups may, therefore, be justifiable.

Topical prostaglandin analogue use and cystoid macular oedema following uneventful cataract surgery: a randomised control trial.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The association between the development of cystoid macular oedema (CMO) following uneventful cataract surgery and prostaglandin analogue (PGA) therapy has not been fully determined. The study aim was to investigate whether discontinuation of PGA therapy following uneventful cataract surgery affected the incidence of postoperative CMO. METHODS: A prospective randomised controlled trial of 62 eyes of 62 participants with ocular hypertension (OH) or primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) treated with PGAs prior to cataract surgery. Participants were randomised to continue with PGA therapy after cataract surgery (CPGA) (n=31) or to discontinue PGA therapy (n=31). The primary outcome measure was the development of CMO at 1-month postoperatively, determined by a masked observer assessment of optical coherence tomography scans. The secondary outcome measure was change from baseline intraocular pressure (IOP). RESULTS: The incidence of CMO was identical in both groups at 12.9% (4 of 31 eyes) at the 1-month postoperative visit (OR 1.000; 95% CI 0.227 to 4.415). At 1-month postoperatively, the IOP was significantly lower in the CPGA group compared with baseline IOP. CONCLUSION: Continuation of PGA therapy following uneventful cataract surgery in eyes with normal macular morphology did not increase the incidence of CMO. Continuation of PGA therapy significantly reduced IOP at 1-month postoperatively suggesting that, when indicated, it might be beneficial to continue PGA therapy in patients with POAG or OH after uneventful cataract surgery in the absence of other risk factors for developing CMO.

Validating a diagnostic GCA ultrasonography service against temporal artery biopsy and long-term clinical outcomes.

Currently, there is no mechanism for service validation of diagnostic ultrasonography (US) for giant cell arteritis (GCA). Temporal artery biopsy (TAB) and classification criteria are poor benchmarks. We validated our service against physician-verified diagnosis at 100 weeks (100wD). Twenty-five patients underwent US within 7 days, and TAB within 28 days, of commencing prednisolone. US, TAB and baseline diagnosis (bD) were all compared with 100wD using Cohen's kappa. Fourteen US and 8 TABs were positive. Twenty at baseline and 14 at 100 weeks had diagnosis of GCA. The kappa (95% CI) were 0.4 (0.1, 0.7) for US vs. TAB; 0.5 (0.2, 0.8) for US vs. bD and 0.2 (0.0, 0.4) for TAB vs. bD. Versus 100wD, the kappa (95% CI) were 0.8 (0.6, 1.0) for US; 0.4 (0.1, 0.7) for TAB and 0.6 (0.3, 0.9) for bD. Seven cases were US+/TAB-. Four had alternate confirmation: 18FDG-PET (n = 1), CT Aorta (n = 1) and US at relapse (n = 2). At 100 weeks, 4 cases (all US-/TAB-) with bD of GCA had alternative diagnoses including cancer (n = 2). This is the first study validating US service provision for GCA. Twenty-five US with a robust kappa on comparison with long-term diagnosis validates our service. A diagnosis of GCA should be made with extreme caution for US-/TAB- cases.Key Points• This is the first study offering a way to validate a new diagnostic US service by validation against TAB and long-term physician-verified diagnosis.• US has substantial to near-perfect agreement with long-term physician-verified diagnosis and is more reliable than TAB in our hands.• Alternative diagnoses should be sought in patients with dual negativity for US and TAB.

Development of an evidence-based regimen of prednisolone to treat giant cell arteritis - the Norwich regimen.

We have reviewed the literature to form a bespoke regimen for daily oral prednisolone (DP) in GCA. Initial DP in clinical trials is 40-60 mg daily, but relapse rates are 67-92%. Cumulative prednisolone (CP) of 3.2 and 3.9 g (at 6 months) resulted in a relapse rate of 83 and 67%, respectively; and 3 and 3.9 g (at 12 months) resulted in 92 and 82% relapse, respectively. CP was 6.2-7.1 g in the first year. Mean DP was 18.8 mg at 3 months and 6.6-7.4 mg at 12 months. The duration of treatment with prednisolone for GCA was 22-26 months. The CP to achieve discontinuation was 6.5-12.1 g. Using these data, the Norwich regimen starts DP at 1 mg/kg/day of lean body mass, discontinuing over 100 weeks. For the average UK woman, initial DP is 45 mg daily, reaching 21 mg daily by 12 weeks and 6 mg daily by 52 weeks. The CP for the average UK woman would be 6.5 g at 52 weeks and 7.4 g to discontinuation.

Incidence of intraoperative complications during phacoemulsification in vitrectomized and nonvitrectomized eyes: prospective study.

PURPOSE: To compare the incidence of intraoperative complications during phacoemulsification surgery in patients with and without prior pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology, Norfolk, and Norwich University Hospital, Norwich, United Kingdom. METHODS: Prospective collection of operative complications in 2000 consecutive cataract extractions performed by 1 surgeon (R.L.B.). Details of all patients who had intraoperative complications including age at operation and sex were recorded. It was also noted whether the eye previously PPV. Complications recorded were posterior capsule rupture (PCR) with and without vitreous loss, iris trauma, loss of nuclear fragment into vitreous, and choroidal hemorrhage. RESULTS: Of 2000 eyes, 117 had previous PPV. Of these, there were 2 (1.70%) cases of PCR. There were no cases of iris trauma, choroidal hemorrhage, or dropped nucleus fragments into the posterior chamber. Nonvitrectomized eyes totaled 1883. Rates of complications were as follows: PCR without vitreous loss, 0.16%; PCR with vitreous loss, 0.53%; iris trauma, 0.16%; choroidal hemorrhage, 0.16%; and dropped nucleus fragment in the vitreous, 0.11%. CONCLUSION: Despite well-known difficulties encountered in vitrectomized eyes such as zonular damage, increased mobility of the lens-iris diaphragm, and altered intraocular fluid dynamics, the incidence of intraoperative complication rates is similar to nonvitrectomized eyes in the hands of an experienced surgeon.

Neonatal hyphema in precipitous delivery with dinoprostone.

Few cases of isolated hyphema in the newborn have been reported. Spontaneous hyphema in a neonate has been associated with juvenile xanthogranuloma, leukaemia, and retinoblastoma. We report a case and review the literature of neonatal hyphema associated with precipitous vaginal delivery induced with dinoprostone.

Paediatric choroidal osteoma treated with ranibizumab.

An 11-year-old patient presented with blurred vision in both eyes resulting from bilateral choroidal osteoma. The patient was treated with a course of monthly intravitreal injections of ranibizumab for 3 months and this led to improvement of visual acuity. This effect was sustained without the need for further injections over a 2-year period of follow-up.

Atypical central serous retinopathy in a patient with latent tuberculosis.

A 32-year-old Afro-Caribbean male presented with a 4 month history of blurred vision and distortion in his right eye. Fundus examination showed multiple pigment epithelial detachments which progressed over 2 months of observation to a large serous detachment of the macula. Fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) showed multi-focal hyperfluorescence in the early phase which increased in the later stages. A diagnosis of multi-focal central serous retinopathy (CSR) was made. Due to the size of CSR and atypical findings on FFA further investigations including a T-spot test were performed. The T-spot test was reported as strongly positive and following discussion with the respiratory physicians he was started on empiric antituberculous therapy. Over the next 6 weeks, the patient had a significant visual improvement to 6/9 with resolution of the serous detachment.

Incidence and progression of diabetic retinopathy during 17 years of a population-based screening program in England.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence of diabetic retinopathy in relation to retinopathy grade at first examination and other prognostic characteristics. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a dynamic cohort study of 20,686 people with type 2 diabetes who had annual retinal photography up to 14 times between 1990 and 2006. Cumulative and annual incidence rates were estimated using life tables, and risk factors for progression were identified using Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: Of 20,686 patients without proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) or sight-threatening maculopathy at their first retinal examination (baseline), 16,444 (79%) did not have retinopathy, 3,632 (18%) had nonproliferative retinopathy, and 610 (2.9%) had preproliferative retinopathy. After 5 years, few patients without retinopathy at baseline developed preproliferative retinopathy (cumulative incidence 4.0%), sight-threatening maculopathy (0.59%), or PDR (0.68%); after 10 years, the respective cumulative incidences were 16.4, 1.2, and 1.5%. Among those with nonproliferative (background) retinopathy at baseline, after 5 years [corrected] 23% developed preproliferative retinopathy, 5.2% developed maculopathy, and 6.1% developed PDR; after 10 years, the respective cumulative incidences were 53%, 9.6%, and 11%. Patients with nonproliferative retinopathy at baseline were five times more likely to develop preproliferative, PDR, or maculopathy than those without retinopathy at baseline (adjusted hazard ratio 5.0 [95% CI 4.4-5.6]). CONCLUSIONS: Few patients without diabetic retinopathy at the initial screening examination developed preproliferative retinopathy, PDR, or sight-threatening maculopathy after 5-10 years of follow-up. Screening intervals longer than a year may be appropriate for such patients.

Nonischemic central retinal vein occlusion in an adolescent patient with ulcerative colitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can present with extraintestinal manifestations occasionally involving the eye. Retinal vein occlusions are rarely seen and have never been reported in the pediatric population though vascular thrombosis can be associated with IBD. Here, we present a case of what we believe is the youngest reported patient with nonischemic central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).

Registration of visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy in a subpopulation of Cambridgeshire.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) has set 18 standards for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening services in England and Wales, the first of which is to reduce new visual impairment (VI) due to DR by 10% within 5 years. This study examined the incidence of VI due to DR in Cambridgeshire (City, South, and Huntingdonshire) in order to establish a baseline rate of VI registration. METHODS: A retrospective review of all certificates of visual impairment (CVI) for 2004 and 2005 was conducted. Hospital records of patients registered due to DR were reviewed to ascertain conformity to NSC Standards. The incidence of VI registration due to DR was calculated. RESULTS: The number of registrations predominantly due to DR was 18; 13 visually impaired and 5 with severe VI. The rates of VI and severe VI predominantly due to DR were 17.1 and 6.5 per million per year, respectively. The VI and severe VI registration rates in the diabetic population were 600 and 230 per million per year, respectively. CONCLUSION: The severe VI registration rate due to DR lies within the national standard. The VI registration rate exceeds 1990-1991 national standards but lies within 1999-2000 national figures.