Long-term outcomes of the intravitreal injection of ranibizumab for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathologic myopia.

PURPOSE: To analyze the long-term outcomes and safety of intravitreal ranibizumab injections in myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV). METHODS: A retrospective non-randomized analysis of consecutive cases included 17 eyes from 17 patients with subfoveal myopic CNV, treated with intravitreal ranibizumab with at least 30-month follow-up. The patients received three injections monthly, followed by pro re nata regimen. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement, optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography were carried out at the baseline and at monthly intervals thereafter. RESULTS: Mean follow-up period was 51 months (range 30-98 months). In 12 patients (70.6%), BCVA improved by at least 1 Snellen line, with at least 3-line improvement observed in the case of 8 eyes (47%). Mean central foveal thickness (CFT) decreased from 384.65 ± 103.3 µm at the baseline to 264 ± 86.2 µm at the last follow-up examination (p < 0.001). The final OCT examination revealed 59% (10/17) eyes with CNV-related macular atrophy. Mean number of injections over the follow-up period was 4.82 ± 2.04 per person. Nine patients (53%) required re-injection of the anti-VEGF agent; the mean number of re-injections in this group was 3.44 ± 1.34 per person (range 2-6). No significant adverse events were recorded during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal ranibizumab is an effective and safe treatment for CNV secondary to pathologic myopia, contributing to long-term vision improvement and CFT reduction.

The Effectiveness of Ultrasound Biomicroscopic and Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography in the Assessment of Anterior Segment Tumors: Long-Term Follow-Up.

BACKGROUND: Differential diagnosis and follow-up of small anterior segment tumors constitute a particular challenge because they determine further treatment procedures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the UBM (ultrasound biomicroscopy) and AS-OCT (anterior segment optical coherent tomography) in distinguishing different types of anterior segment lesions. METHODS: It was a retrospective, noncomparative study of case series of 89 patients with the suspicion of anterior segment tumor referred to the Ophthalmology Clinic, Medical University of Bialystok, Poland, between 2016 and 2020. UBM was used to assess tumor morphology including height, location, and internal and external features. In cases in which UBM did not provide enough data, the AS-OCT images were analyzed. The data on demographics, best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and rate of complications were also collected. Patients were followed up from 1 to 48 months. RESULTS: The mean observation period was 26.61 ± 16.13 months. Among the patients, there were 62 women and 27 men at a mean age of 55.59 ± 19.48 (range: from 20 to 89 years.) The types of tumors were cysts (41%), solid iris tumors (37.1%), ciliary body tumors (7.9%), peripheral anterior synechiae (PAS 3.4%), corneal tumors (4.5%), and others (5.6%). Patients with cysts were younger than patients with solid iris tumor (p=0.002). Women had a cyst as well as solid iris tumor more frequently than men, but less often a ciliary body tumor (p < 0.05). The horizontal size of tumor was positively correlated with patients' age (r s = 0.38 and p=0.003) and negatively correlated with visual acuity (r s = -0.42 and p=0.014). During the 4 years of diagnosis, only 2.2% of lesions exhibited growth (growth rate of 0.02 mm per year). Among 15 cases in which visualization with UBM was not satisfactory (mostly iris nevi), AS-OCT was helpful in diagnosis of 13 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Both UBM and AS-OCT are effective methods in detection and diagnosis of tumors of the anterior eye segment, but in some cases, AS-OCT adds additional value to the diagnosis. Many lesions can be managed conservatively because they did not demonstrate growth during 4 years of the follow-up period.

The implantation of the scleral-fixated posterior chamber intraocular lens with 9/0 polypropylene sutures - Long-term visual outcomes and complications.

PURPOSE: To analyze long-term visual outcomes and complications of the implantation of a scleralfixated posterior chamber intraocular lens (PC-IOL) in patients with the lack of adequate capsular support, and to verify if the procedure can be performed with 9-0 polypropylene sutures. METHODS: The study was designed as a long-term retrospective analysis. Patients after the implantation of a scleralfixated PC-IOL were evaluated for the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure and occurrence of postoperative complications. RESULTS: The analysis included 29 eyes from 28 patients. Indications for the IOL implantation included ocular trauma (89.7%) and previous complicated cataract surgery (10.3%). A postoperative improvement of BCVA was observed in 25 eyes (86.2%). Mean follow-up time was 63.9 months (range 50-83 months). During this time, six patients (21.4%) were diagnosed with glaucoma (21.4%), and retinal detachment was found in one eye (3.4%). A total of six suture breakages were recorded in four eyes from four patients (13.8%); one breakage was precipitated by a trauma, and another five, involving three eyes from three patients, were spontaneous. Mean time to the spontaneous suture breakage was 40.8 months. CONCLUSIONS: Scleral fixation of the PC-IOL provides satisfactory visual outcomes. However, this procedure is associated with a considerable risk of postoperative complications. The incidence of postoperative suture breakage in our series was similar as in previous studies in which the PC-IOL was fixated with 10-0 polypropylene suture. A superiority of 9-0 polypropylene suture needs to be verified in larger series of consecutive patients.