Adult gonococcal conjunctivitis: Prevalence, clinical features and complications.

Introduction. Gonorrhoea is a sexually transmitted disease whose incidence has increased in recent years and adult gonococcal conjunctivitis (AGC) is a relatively uncommon complication.Hypothesis/Gap Statement. AGC is associated with increased incidence of genital gonorrhoea and must be treated correctly to avoid serious corneal complications.Aims. To report the prevalence, clinical features, and complications of AGC in a tertiary ophthalmology centre in Barcelona, Spain. Present epidemiological data, clinical features, ocular complications, and antibiotic susceptibility. Design: Single-centre, descriptive, retrospective case series.Methodology. Systematic case-defined search in medical records and further retrospective chart review study of microbiologically confirmed AGC attending outpatient clinic and/or emergency room from 2012 to 2020. We analysed the clinical presentation, treatments, antibiotic susceptibility, complications and ocular sequelae.Results. Thirteen patients were diagnosed of AGC. Eleven patients had unilateral presentation. Two patients had bilateral presentation. In ten cases there was abundant mucopurulent discharge, three cases presented periocular pain and periocular inflammation requiring a CT scan to rule out post-septal cellulitis. The diagnosis was confirmed by culture. In total, 100 % of strains were susceptible to ceftriaxone, 58 % were ciprofloxacin resistant and no beta-lactamase production was detected. Three patients required hospital admission. One patient developed a complication presenting with ptosis caused by superior symblepharon.Conclusion. AGC is a rare disease which is difficult to diagnose as it requires a high index of suspicion to prevent corneal perforation but in an important number of cases it may mimic orbital cellulitis. It is crucial that treatment starts as soon as possible to avoid serious corneal damage. Patients should promptly receive complete and correct treatment when admitted to the emergency room since an elevated number of patients do not attend their medical follow-up visit. Azithromycin or aminoglycoside eye drops are probably the best option to complete the treatment, due to high quinolone resistance.

Surgical Management for Refractory Bleb Dysesthesia.

PURPOSE: To present long-term results of modified bleb-limiting conjunctivoplasty as a successful treatment for intractable bleb dysesthesia and to review the literature on the surgical management of dysesthetic bleb. METHODS: Consecutive case series and literature review. We present four cases of surgically reduced painful blebs. Our technique consisted of the following steps: (1) conjunctival, radial incision to the bare sclera in the desired limit of the bleb; (2) suturing with buried, interrupted sutures at the nearest edge of the filtering bleb; (3) lower limbal peritomy including unwanted area of the extended bleb; (4) dissection and removal of the underlying fibrous tissue when present; (5) conjunctival and resorbable sutures. In addition, a systematic literature review was performed. Only reports presenting outcomes of surgical treatment of bleb dysesthesia after filtering procedure were included in review. RESULTS: Four eyes were included consecutively in the study in a period of 4 years. On average, they developed circumferential bleb dysesthesia 9.3 ± 4.7 months after uneventful combined phacotrabeculectomy with Mitomycin C as primary procedure. Surgical reduction was decided after failure of lubricants in controlling ocular discomfort. Two cases showed a dense fibrous tissue beneath the conjunctiva that was excised to ensure filtration. In all cases, a rapid disappearance of symptoms with very good aesthetic and functional outcome was observed. After 12-month follow-up, patients remained asymptomatic and maintained intraocular pressure of 10.7 ± 1.2 mmHg without treatment. A systematic review of the literature obtained 15 eligible case series (n = 123) with rates of success within 46-100%, favoring less aggressive approaches to reduce bleb size. CONCLUSION: Bleb dysesthesia is a rare complication of filtering glaucoma surgery. This modified bleb-limiting conjunctivoplasty technique (with removal of subjacent fibrous tissue if present) is able to target the underlying etiology providing ocular discomfort relief while maintaining bleb function and may be considered as first-choice surgical treatment.