Sutureless Amniotic Membrane Transplantation Using Pediatric Nasogastric Tube for Patients With Acute Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

PURPOSE: Evaluation of the results of sutureless amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) using a pediatric nasogastric tube (NGT) for patients with acute Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN) was aimed. METHODS: Twenty-six eyes of 13 patients with SJS/TEN with ocular involvement at a single tertiary care hospital between May 2020 and January 2022 were included in the study. An amniotic membrane was implanted to the ocular surface and conjunctival fornix using a modified symblepharon ring (MR) created by inserting NGT end-to-end. Patients were followed for at least 6 months. The mean duration of the surgery was recorded. The presence of corneal epithelial defect and vascularization, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) grade, conjunctival scarring, eyelid margin keratinization, symblepharon, and trichiasis were recorded. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 38.4±17.6 years. Amniotic membrane transplantation was performed only once for eight patients and twice for five patients. The mean duration of the surgery was 3.2±0.4 min. The modified symblepharon ring was removed 28 days after its application. At the first examination, 20 eyes (76.9%) had a corneal epithelial defect and 6 (23.1%) had early symblepharon. At the postoperative 6 months, although seven eyes (26.9%) had conjunctival scarring and 5 (19.2%) had eyelid margin keratinization, all patients were without any corneal defect, corneal vascularization, or symblepharon. Only 11 eyes (42.3%) showed MGD, and 1 eye (3.8%) showed trichiasis. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that sutureless AMT using pediatric NGT could be a potentially fast and inexpensive treatment option for the treatment of SJS/TEN with ocular involvement at the bedside without the need for general anesthesia.

Conjunctival Microbiota and Blepharitis Symptom Scores in Patients With Ocular Rosacea.

PURPOSE: Investigation of the relationship between blepharitis-related symptom scores, tear film functions, and conjunctival microbiota in patients with ocular rosacea (OR) compared with healthy controls was aimed. METHODS: Consecutive 33 eyes of 33 patients with OR who were admitted from the dermatology clinic and age-matched and gender-matched 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Tear breakup time (TBUT), Schirmer score, and blepharitis symptom score (BLISS) were recorded for each patient. For the bacteriological examination, bacterial culture was obtained by inoculating the samples on chocolate agar, blood agar, and fluid thioglycollate medium. The growth of different colonies of bacteria was identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption or ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. RESULTS: Bacterial culture positivity was observed in 13 eyes (39.4%) in the patients with OR and 10 eyes (33.3%) in the controls ( P =0.618). Patients with OR showed worse TBUT and Schirmer scores, and higher BLISSs ( P =0.005, P =0.007, and P =0.001, respectively). Patients with OR with conjunctival culture-positive results showed higher BLISSs (8.0±4.7) compared with those with negative results (4.7±2.3; P <0.001). The most frequent bacteria was Micrococcus luteus (18.2%) in patients with OR and Staphylococcus epidermidis (20.0%) in the controls. CONCLUSION: This pilot study showed that patients with OR had similar conjunctival culture positivity compared with healthy controls. However, the observation of different dominant bacterial species in conjunctival microbiota and the observation of worse BLISSs in patients with OR with positive culture might suggest a potential role of conjunctival microbiota in the pathogenesis of OR.

Swabs Containing Tea Tree Oil and Chamomile Oil Versus Baby Shampoo in Patients With Seborrheic Blepharitis: A Double-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: The comparison of the efficacy of swabs containing tea tree oil and chamomile oil and baby shampoo (BS) in the treatment of seborrheic blepharitis was aimed. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, active control, multicenter clinical trial included patients with seborrheic blepharitis using block randomization (BS, n=23; swabs, n=26). Patients were treated with BS or swabs for 8 weeks followed by 4 weeks of treatment withdrawal. Change in Blepharitis Symptom measure (BLISS), Demodex count, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score, Schirmer test, tear breakup time (TBUT), noninvasive TBUT (NI-TBUT), corneal staining, and meibography at different visits (baseline, fourth, , and 12th week) were the main outcome measures. RESULTS: Patients in both groups showed similar baseline parameters (P>0.05). Patients using swabs showed significantly lower BLISS scores compared with patients using BS at the 4th, 8th, and 12th week visits (3.6±6.1 vs. 6.3±4.5 P=0.011; 1.1±2.8 vs. 6.6±6.7, P<0.001; 0.9±2.8 vs. 5.7±6.6, P=0.002, respectively). Patients using swabs showed improvement in OSDI scores after 8 weeks of treatment compared with the baseline visit (P<0.001). Despite a similar Demodex reduction effect in both treatment arms even after 4 weeks of treatment (P<0.001), both treatment modalities did not show any effect on the other parameters. CONCLUSION: Although both swabs and BS showed efficacy for the treatment of seborrheic blepharitis in terms of the Demodex reduction and symptomatic improvement, swabs may provide better symptomatic improvement. Four weeks of treatment discontinuation may not cause any recurrence in the symptoms or Demodex infestation.

The Impact of Bilateral Subepithelial Corneal Infiltrates on Tear Film After Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of corneal subepithelial infiltrates (SEIs) on tear film function and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after persistent epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) and to compare the findings with controls. METHODS: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, 38 patients with EKC and 42 healthy volunteers were enrolled. While patients with SEIs after EKC made up groups 1a (first involved eye) and 1b (second involved eye), healthy controls made up group 2. Best-corrected visual acuity, corneal subepithelial infiltrate scoring (CSIS), Fantes score, tear breakup time (TBUT), Schirmer test, and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores were measured. The Oxford grading system was used to score corneal staining. RESULTS: The mean Fantes score was 1.8±0.8 for group 1a and 1.3±1.1 for group 1b (P=0.03). The mean CSIS was 2.9±1.3 for group 1a and 1.9±1.7 for group 1b (P=0.005). But there was no significant difference in terms of the mean BCVA, TBUT, Schirmer, OSDI, and Oxford grading (P=0.66, 0.9, 0.9, 0.9, and 1.0, respectively) between group 1a and group 1b. The mean BCVA, TBUT, Schirmer, and OSDI values were worse in group 1a and group 1b in comparison to group 2 (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We showed that the first involved eyes of patients with SEIs may be affected more significantly, but this difference may not have a clinical reflection on the difference in tear film functions between two eyes. However, compared with the healthy eyes, tear film function and BCVA were equally compromised in both eyes of the patients with SEIs irrelevant to the involved eye.

Investigation of vascular endothelial dysfunction in the patients with age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate the association between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cardiovascular disease by using the noninvasive flow-mediated dilation (FMD) test to show endothelial dysfunction as an indicator of subclinical atherosclerosis. METHOD: Participants in this study included 30 dry AMD patients, 30 wet AMD patients, and 30 healthy controls without any systemic disease, including AMD. FMD and the intima media thickness (IMT) of the carotid artery were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Comparison of FMD between the groups showed a 10.96% brachial artery dilation in the healthy controls, 3.99% in the dry AMD group, and 5.03% in the wet AMD group. While a significant difference was not observed between the wet and dry AMD groups, comparison of the control group to the wet and dry AMD groups yielded a significant difference. When brachial artery dilation below 7% was accepted as an abnormal FMD, 26.7% of the healthy controls, 66.7% of the dry AMD patients and 76.7% of the wet AMD patients were found to be abnormal. Similarly, while no significant difference was observed between the wet and dry AMD groups, comparison of the control group with the wet and dry AMD patients yielded a significant difference. When an IMT below 0.7 mm was accepted as abnormal, 26.7% of the healthy controls, 33.3% of the dry AMD, and 43.3% of the wet AMD were found to have an abnormal IMT. However, differences between the groups did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, use of the FMD test showed endothelial dysfunction among AMD patients. No significant differences were found between the dry and wet AMD patient groups.

The safety of intraocular usage of aspirin.

PURPOSE: To determine the effects of intravitreally injected aspirin on normal ocular tissues. METHODS: Six eyes of 3 rabbits as a control group, 18 eyes of 9 albino rabbits which were injected aspirin intravitreally were studied. In the control group, the same volume of balanced salt solution (BSS) as in drug groups were injected. Clinical examination methods including biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, and Schiotz tonometry, electrophysiological test including ERG, and histopathological examination including light microscopy were used to evaluate the ocular effects after drug injections. All the study tests were performed before the injections and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after the injections as well. RESULTS: No significant toxicity was determined after injection in terms of the clinical examination methods in all eyes. Cataracts were observed in 27.7% (5/18) of the eyes in the study group. All cataracts in 5 eyes disappeared at the end of three months. In tonometry, no value out of the normal range of rabbits (17.5 ± 3.1 mmHg) was observed. No toxicity sign was observed at electrophysiological and histopathological evaluations. CONCLUSION: After intravitreal injection of aspirin, no significant toxicity sign was observed other than a reversible cataract. Thus, intravitreal aspirin injections may be an additional or alternative treatment option for several anterior or posterior segment ocular diseases in addition to their topical utilization.

Efficacy of fixation of the amniotic membrane on a symblepharon ring with continuous suturing in acute ocular chemical burn patients.

PURPOSE: To describe a modified non-traumatic amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) technique and evaluating its efficiency for the ocular surface injury after chemical burn were aimed. METHODS: Twenty eyes of 20 patients (F: 6, M: 14) with acute chemical burn for whom modified non-traumatic AMT was utilized were evaluated retrospectively. In this technique, amniotic membrane (AM) was fixated onto a symblepharon ring with continuous suturing. The healing time of the corneal epithelial defect due to ocular surface chemical injury and melting duration of AM were evaluated. Development of infection or symblepharon, recurrence or persistence of epithelial defect, corneal perforation and the ring falling out with AM were evaluated as complications. RESULTS: Mean age of the patients was 24.7 ± 11.7 years old (14 months-40 years). Mean duration of applying the non-traumatic AMT after contact with the chemical agent was 8.4 ± 6.2 days (2-21 days). The mean duration of the epithelial defect healing was 27.8 ± 8.8 days (11-40 days) in the grade II, III, and IV (n = 12) cases, while in the grade V and VI (n = 8) cases, a persistent epithelial defect developed, and the mean duration of the epithelial defect healing was 83 ± 23.1 days (42-120 days) (p = 0.0002). The mean melting duration of the AM was 22.7 ± 10 days (10-42 days). CONCLUSION: By using this modified AMT technique, AM can be utilized efficiently, easily, and non-traumatically in every center for the treatment of the ocular surface injury due to chemical burn.

Intraoperative relaxed muscle positioning technique results in a tertiary Center for Thyroid Orbitopathy Related Strabismus.

BACKGROUND: Previous techniques resulted with low rates of successful fusion after the surgeries and high necessity of additional surgeries in the treatment of thyroid orbitopathy related strabismus. In this study, reviewing the results of our patients who had surgical correction with relaxed muscle positioning technique due to thyroid orbitopathy related strabismus to evaluate the effectiveness of the surgery was aimed. METHODS: The medical records of 8 patients who had surgical correction with intraoperative relaxed muscle positioning (IRMP) technique were studied retrospectively. The extent of strabismus was determined with prism cover test both at near and distance. The extent of recession was determined by marking the natural place of the released tendon during the primary position. The muscle then sutured to the globe at this precise point. RESULTS: Seven eyes (87.5%) of 8 patients had orthophoria after the surgery and they reported no diplopia in primary and reading gaze. The mean age of the patients was 51 ± 8.8 years. The mean follow-up time was 32.7 ± 18.5 months. Three patients had inferior rectus recession (IRR), 3 had bilateral medial rectus recession (MRR), 1 had only right MRR and 1 had combined MRR with IRR during the surgical correction of the strabismus. The mean amount of recession for IR was 7.5 ± 1.34 mm and it was 6.75 ± 0.95 mm for the MR muscles. The mean prism diopter before the surgery was 37.8 ± 23.3 and it was 0 after surgery except only one of the patients who had > 60 prism diopter (PD) left esotropia (ET) before surgery and had 30 PD left ET after surgery (3.3 ± 9.4). CONCLUSION: IRMP technique is a unique option for the surgical correction of thyroid orbitopathy related strabismus. By showing a dramatic increase in the quality of life of the patients, our surgical results are promising despite limited number of patients.

Ring Keratitis From Topical Anesthetic Abuse After Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis.

A 28-year-old man underwent laser epithelial keratomileusis for the correction of myopia in both eyes. The patient subsequently had delayed corneal epithelial healing in both eyes and ring infiltrate in the left eye (LE). Corneal scrapings were obtained from the ocular surface and subjected to microscopic examination and culture. On identifying and preventing the use of topical proparacaine, the corneal epithelium healed in both eyes after the use of eye pressure patches. The ring infiltrate resolved in the patient's LE, leaving minor opacity at the inferior cornea. Refractive surgeons should consider the possibility of topical anesthetic abuse in cases of corneal ring infiltrates. The resulting prognosis can be excellent after the rapid removal of inciting agents and the application of appropriate treatments.

Effect of the Rigid Gas-Permeable Contact Lens Use on the Endothelial Cells in Patients With Keratoconus.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the changes in the corneal endothelial cells of both the patients with keratoconus who use rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lens and who do not use any contact lens with healthy population. METHODS: Thirty-three patients with keratoconus who use RGP contact lenses (group 1), 20 patients with keratoconus who do not use any contact lens (group 2), and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. Changes in the corneal endothelial cells of all patients were evaluated using a noncontact specular microscope. Endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variability (CV), hexagonal cell percentage (%HEX), and central corneal thickness (CCT) of the patients were evaluated in the study. RESULTS: In the groups 1, 2, and 3, the mean ECD was 2,420.8±247, 2,579.5±240, and 2,589.5±271 cells/mm, the mean CV was 357±9, 34±7, and 34±6, the mean %HEX was 54.3±13, 59.1±14, and 57.4±10, and the mean CCT was 508±33, 504±43, and 561±34 µm, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of ECD, CV, and %HEX. Although significant differences between the groups 1 to 3 and groups 2 to 3 in terms of CCT were detected (P=0.001 and P=0.004, respectively), no significant difference was observed between the groups 1 and 2. CONCLUSIONS: Although significant difference was found between the groups 1 to 2 and normal population in terms of CCT, no difference was detected between all the groups in terms of the other parameters. In this study, we report that long-term use of RGP contact lens in patients with keratoconus had no effect on the corneal endothelial cells.

The Effect of Conjunctiva-Müller Muscle Resection on Tear Oxidative Stress Levels in Patients with Blepharoptosis

Objectives: To examine changes in tear oxidative stress levels and tear film functions in patients with blepharoptosis and dermatochalasis following conjunctiva-Müller muscle resection (CMMR) and blepharoplasty surgeries. Materials and Methods: This prospective study included 32 healthy controls and 62 patients with blepharoptosis or dermatochalasis. CMMR surgery was performed in 20 eyes and upper blepharoplasty was performed in 42 eyes. Tear oxidative stress markers (8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine [8-OHdG] and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal [4-HNE]) were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and tear film functions were evaluated preoperatively and at 1 and 6 months postoperatively. The same assessments were performed in the control group at the same time points. Results: Preoperative tear 8-OHdG and 4-HNE levels were lower in healthy controls (52.8±13.5 ng/mL and 27.8±6.4 ng/mL, respectively) compared to patients with dermatochalasis (86.1±37.2 ng/mL and 29.8±11.1 ng/mL, respectively) and blepharoptosis (90.4±39.3 ng/mL and 43.1±4.2 ng/mL, respectively) (p<0.001). 8-OHdG levels were increased at 1 month after CMMR, while both markers were decreased 1 month postoperatively in the blepharoplasty group (p=0.034). Schirmer 1 and OSDI scores did not change throughout the visits in both patient groups, but a temporary decrease in tear break-up time (TBUT) was observed after CMMR (p=0.017). Conclusion: Dermatochalasis and blepharoptosis were associated with higher tear oxidative stress levels. CMMR surgery caused a temporary decrease in TBUT scores and an increase in oxidative stress in the first postoperative month.

Altered Corneal Biomechanics According to the Biomechanical E-Staging in Pellucid Marginal Degeneration.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate corneal biomechanics in pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD) compared with healthy controls using Corvis ST (Oculus, Germany) by using the new biomechanical E-staging (based on the Corvis Biomechanical Factor, the linearized Corvis Biomechanical Index) together with tomographic parameters. METHODS: Corneal biomechanical and topographic data of 75 eyes of 75 patients with PMD and 75 eyes of 75 age-matched and sex-matched healthy controls were investigated. Topographic parameters (K1, K2, Kmax, central corneal thickness (CCT), and Belin/Ambrósio Deviation Index (BAD-D) were evaluated in dependence of and correlated with the biomechanically defined E-stages. Biomechanical parameters were also recorded for the 2 groups. RESULTS: Patients with PMD showed higher K2, Kmax, BAD-D, and Corvis Biomechanical Factor values and a lower CCT compared with healthy controls ( P < 0.001). The E-stage was positively correlated with K1, K2, Kmax, BAD-D, and intraocular pressure difference and negatively correlated with CCT. Stage-dependent analysis revealed a significant increase in K1, K2, Kmax ( P < 0.001), and BAD-D ( P = 0.041) in stage E3 compared with E0 and a significant decrease in stage E2 in CCT ( P = 0.009) compared with E0. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that patients with PMD may have a reduced corneal stiffness compared with healthy controls which worsens with increasing E-stage. Significant changes in topographic parameters were observed at stage E2 for CCT and at stage E3 for K1, K2, Kmax, and BAD-D when compared with stage E0.

Improvement of Clinical Findings, Meibography and Tear Film Parameters in Pediatric Ocular Rosacea Patients After a Standard Treatment Protocol.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to illustrate the changes in ocular findings, meibography, and tear break-up time (TBUT) values in pediatric patients with ocular rosacea following a standardized treatment. METHODS: The study included consecutive patients diagnosed with ocular rosacea, referred to a tertiary hospital between 2021 and 2023. Each patient underwent biomicroscopic examinations, non-invasive TBUT assessments, corneal fluorescein staining (evaluated using the Oxford scoring system), and meibography. The standard treatment protocol involved warm compresses, eyelid hygiene, preservative-free sodium hyaluronate eye drops (administered four times daily), topical azithromycin 1.5% (twice daily for 3 days), topical steroids (loteprednol 0.5%, four times daily for 2 weeks), and either doxycycline 100 mg/day for 14 days or oral suspension of azithromycin 10 mg/kg for 3 days followed by an additional three-day course of treatment administered 10 days later (for patients above and below 14 years of age, respectively). RESULTS: The study included 18 patients, with 10 (55.5%) being female and 8 (44.4%) being male, with a mean age of 9.7 ± 4.5 years (range: 3-18). Four patients displayed cutaneous involvement. The treatments resulted in significant improvements in the Oxford scores, reduction in corneal neovascularization, and increased TBUT (p < 0.001, p = 0.016, p < 0.001, respectively). Meibomian gland loss area also significantly improved post-treatment (27.4 ± 6.7% vs 39.2 ± 13.4%, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that pediatric ocular rosacea patients may exhibit improved meibomian gland function, regression of corneal neovascularization, and enhanced tear film parameters following a standardized treatment protocol that includes both topical and systemic approaches.

Effect of Ptosis Surgery on Tear Oxidative Stress Levels in Patients with Blepharoptosis and Pseudoptosis.

Objectives: Investigation of the surgical correction effect on tear film functions and tear oxidative stress levels in patients with blepharoptosis and pseudoptosis. Methods: Sixty patients with blepharoptosis or pseudoptosis due to dermatochalasis and 30 healthy controls were included in the study. Forty eyes underwent upper blepharoplasty and 20 eyes underwent levator surgery. The tear oxidative stress levels (8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine [8-OHdG] and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal [4-HNE]) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and tear film functions were evaluated pre-operatively and at the post-operative 1st and 6th months. Results: 8-OHdG and 4-HNE levels in tears were found higher in patients with dermatochalasis (86.3±38.2 ng/mL; 29.8±11.4 ng/mL, respectively) and blepharoptosis (95.3±43.8 ng/mL; 40.8±3.8 ng/mL, respectively) compared to healthy controls (52.9±14.0 ng/mL; 27.8±6.6 ng/mL, respectively). Both levels decreased 1 month after blepharoplasty surgery. The 8-OHdG level in tears of patients who underwent levator surgery increased 1 month after the surgery (p=0.008). No change was detected in tear function tests findings between visits in any patient group. Conclusion: Dermatochalasis and blepharoptosis may lead to an increase in the tear oxidative stress levels. Contrary to a decrease in these levels after blepharoplasty, they may increase in the early period after levator surgery followed by a return to normal levels at the 6th-month visit.

Comparison of Endoscopically Assisted Primary Probing and Bicanalicular Silicone Intubation for Congenital Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction in Children Aged 4 to 7 Years.

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical outcomes of primary nasolacrimal duct probing and primary bicanalicular intubations with endoscopic assistance for congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) in children aged 4 to 7 years. METHODS: Forty-three eyes of 43 children (25 boys and 18 girls) with congenital epiphora who underwent primary unilateral probing and bicanalicular intubation were evaluated retrospectively. The tubes were removed 3 to 4 months after their placement, and the children were followed up for another 6 months after their removal. Treatment success was defined as the normal result of the fluorescein dye disappearance test and complete resolution of the lacrimal symptoms and signs of patients. The success rates were compared between the two groups (bicanalicular intubation vs probing). Type of CNLDO (membranous, incomplete complex, and complete complex) was determined with an endonasal endoscope. RESULTS: The mean age was 63.3 ± 11.1 months (range: 48 to 84 months) for the probing group and 64.4 ± 12.1 months (range: 48 to 84 months) for the bicanalicular intubation group (P = .915). The bicanalicular intubation group showed significantly greater treatment success (21 of 24, 87.5%) compared to the probing group (11 of 19, 57.9%; P = .038). Bicanalicular intubation provided higher treatment success among patients with complex CNLDO compared to probing (80.0% vs 11.1%, P = .002). There was no difference in mean age between the patients with successful and failed treatment in both groups (P = .631 and .137, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Bicanalicular intubation was associated with a higher success rate than probing under nasal endoscopic visualization for the treatment of CNLDO in children aged 4 to 7 years. The type of CNLDO might be the primary factor for the treatment success. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2023;60(2):101-107.].

Anterior chamber intraocular lens removal combined with triple DMEK: Quadruple DMEK for bullous keratopathy.

PURPOSE: To present the outcomes of a patient with anterior chamber intraocular lens (ACIOL) related endothelial decompensation who underwent Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in the capsular bag (so-called triple DMEK) combined with ACIOL removal (quadruple DMEK) in both eyes. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 58-year-old female patient was referred due to decreased visual acuity within the last 18 months. She had a history of iris-claw ACIOL implantation 17 years before. The corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) was 20/40 in both eyes. Due to low endothelial cell density and increased corneal thickness, ACIOL removal combined with triple DMEK (as quadruple DMEK) was performed for both eyes. Despite a graft detachment that was successfully managed with re-bubbling in the first eye, both eyes showed an increase in the CDVA (20/25 and 20/32, respectively) without any other significant complications in the follow-up of the patient. The corneas of both eyes were clear postoperatively. CONCLUSION: This case report demonstrated that quadruple DMEK may provide feasible management for chronic endothelial cell decompensation secondary to iris-claw ACIOL implantation.

Detecting the corneal neovascularisation area using artificial intelligence.

AIMS: To create and assess the performance of an artificial intelligence-based image analysis tool for the measurement and quantification of the corneal neovascularisation (CoNV) area. METHODS: Slit lamp images of patients with CoNV were exported from the electronic medical records and included in the study. An experienced ophthalmologist made manual annotations of the CoNV areas, which were then used to create, train and evaluate an automated image analysis tool that uses deep learning to segment and detect CoNV areas. A pretrained neural network (U-Net) was used and fine-tuned on the annotated images. Sixfold cross-validation was used to evaluate the performance of the algorithm on each subset of 20 images. The main metric for our evaluation was intersection over union (IoU). RESULTS: The slit lamp images of 120 eyes of 120 patients with CoNV were included in the analysis. Detections of the total corneal area achieved IoU between 90.0% and 95.5% in each fold and those of the non-vascularised area achieved IoU between 76.6% and 82.2%. The specificity for the detection was between 96.4% and 98.6% for the total corneal area and 96.6% and 98.0% for the non-vascularised area. CONCLUSION: The proposed algorithm showed a high accuracy compared with the measurement made by an ophthalmologist. The study suggests that an automated tool using artificial intelligence may be used for the calculation of the CoNV area from the slit-lamp images of patients with CoNV.

Endoscopic Endonasal Optic Nerve Decompression in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: When to Implement Optic Nerve Sheath Fenestration.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a syndrome characterized with increased intracranial pressure and normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition. Treatment is mainly conservative, whereas CSF diversion surgery is the most frequently used surgical intervention. Endoscopic endonasal optic nerve decompression (EOND) is a newer surgical treatment of this patient group. This study presents a single clinic's case series with comparative results of unilateral an bilateral EOND with or without optic nerve fenestration. METHODS: Sixteen patients with IIH syndrome who underwent 18 EOND procedures by a single neurosurgeon were evaluated with MRI and digitally subtracted angiography preoperatively. Both preoperative and postoperative visual acuity and perimetry and fundoscopy examinations were routinely performed. All patients underwent sphenoidotomy using the endoscopic binostril approach; however, unilateral or bilateral optic nerve decompression and accompanying optic sheath fenestration was determined on a case-by-case basis, after which all patients were also evaluated for the outcome of headaches. RESULTS: Most of the patients were female, and the mean age was 30.28 ± 9.78 years. CSF pressure was increased in all patients (406.43 ± 112.91 mm of H 2 O), and the follow-up period was 61.72 ± 21.67 months. In patients with unilateral EOND, visual fields improved in 83%, visual acuity in 70%, headache in 75%, and papilledema in 27% of cases. In patients with bilateral EOND, perimetry improved in 86%, visual acuity in 43%, headache in 50%, and papilledema in 57% of cases. CONCLUSION: EOND is an effective surgical option in the treatment of IIH. Bilateral decompression is preferable in patients with bilateral visual involvement, and optic nerve fenestration may prove to be helpful in patients with IIH whose primary complaint is headache.

Evaluation of the impact of subepithelial corneal infiltrates on corneal biomechanics after epidemic keratoconjunctivitis.

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of subepithelial corneal infiltrates on corneal biomechanical properties after epidemic keratoconjunctivitis compared to that in healthy controls. METHODS: The cross-sectional study included consecutive patients with bilateral subepithelial corneal infiltrates after epidemic keratoconjunctivitis and healthy controls. Best corrected visual acuity corneal subepithelial infiltrate scoring Fantes grading scale, and central corneal thickness were measured. Corneal hysteresis corneal resistance factor Goldmann correlated intraocular pressure and corneal compensated intraocular pressure were assessed using an ocular response analyzer. RESULTS: This study included 66 eyes of 33 patients with subepithelial corneal infiltrates following epidemic keratoconjunctivitis and randomly selected 37 eyes of 37 healthy volunteers. The mean Fantes and CSIS scores were 1.8 ± 0.8 and 2.9 ± 1.3, respectively, in the first involved eyes and 1.3 ± 1.1 and 1.9 ± 1.7, respectively, in the fellow eyes (p=0.009 and p=0.002, respectively). The first (526.1 ± 28.1 µm; p=0.005) and second involved eyes (523.4 ± 38.1 µm; p=0.044) had significantly thinner corneas compared to that in healthy controls (557.0 ± 38.1 µm). While best-corrected visual acuity showed a positive correlation with corneal resistance factor (r=0.363, p=0.045) and corneal hysteresis (r=0.414, p=0.021), corneal subepithelial infiltrate scoring showed a negative correlation with Goldmann correlated intraocular pressure (r=-0.479, p=0.006) and corneal compensated intraocular pressure (r=-0.413, p=0.021). CONCLUSION: Eyes with subepithelial corneal infiltrates had significantly thinner corneas compared to that in healthy controls. A positive correlation of the corneal resistance factor and corneal hysteresis with best-corrected visual acuity and a negative correlation of the Goldmann correlated intraocular pressure and corneal compensated intraocular pressure with corneal subepithelial infiltrate scoring should be taken into account when measuring intraocular pressure values in patients with subepithelial corneal infiltrates.