Endogenous fungal endophthalmitis following intensive corticosteroid therapy in severe COVID-19 disease.

Purpose: To report endogenous fungal endophthalmitis, postrecovery from severe COVID-19 infection in otherwise immunocompetent individuals, treated with prolonged systemic steroids. Methods: Retrospective chart review of cases with confirmed and presumed fungal endogenous endophthalmitis, following severe COVID-19 disease, treated at two tertiary care referral eye institutes in North India. Results: Seven eyes of five cases of endogenous fungal endophthalmitis were studied. All cases had been hospitalized for severe COVID-19 pneumonia and had received systemic steroid therapy for an average duration of 42 ± 25.1 days (range 18-80 days). All the cases initially complained of floaters with blurred vision after an average of 6 days (range 1-14 days) following discharge from hospital. They had all been misdiagnosed as noninfectious uveitis by their primary ophthalmologists. All eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with intravitreal antifungal therapy. Five of the seven eyes grew fungus as the causative organism (Candida sp. in four eyes, Aspergillus sp. in one eye). Postoperatively, all eyes showed control of the infection with a marked reduction in vitreous exudates and improvement in vision. Conclusion: Floaters and blurred vision developed in patients after they recovered from severe COVID-19 infection. They had received prolonged corticosteroid treatment for COVID-19 as well as for suspected noninfectious uveitis. We diagnosed and treated them for endogenous fungal endophthalmitis. All eyes showed anatomical and functional improvement after PPV with antifungal therapy. It is important for ophthalmologists and physicians to be aware of this as prompt treatment could control the infection and salvage vision.

Modified transscleral external drainage of subretinal fluid in high bullous exudative retinal detachment due to Coats' disease.

Surgical management of advanced coats' disease has always been a challenge to a surgeon. Various different techniques have been tried. With the advancement in surgical instruments and machines, surgeons are now modifying older surgical techniques. We have tried a novel minimally invasive surgical technique for the management of advanced coats' disease patient having high bullous exudative retinal detachment. Intravitreal injection of Bevacizumab at the end of the surgery has a role in such cases.

Prevention and management of postoperative endophthalmitis: A case-based approach.

Endophthalmitis following intraocular surgery is a disastrous complication and can lead to poor visual outcomes and loss of globe integrity. It should be differentiated from toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) where management differs drastically. This article presents basic knowledge about postoperative endophthalmitis and describes nine different real-world scenarios ranging from TASS to milder forms of endophthalmitis responding to intravitreal antibiotics alone and more complicated forms associated with corneal involvement, fungal endophthalmitis and cases requiring intraocular lens removal, radical vitrectomy with hyaloid peeling, base dissection, and silicone oil. A case-based approach is followed where practical considerations have been adopted with each case such that it facilitates the readers' ability to apply theoretical knowledge to real-life clinical situations.

Aditya Jyot-Diabetic Retinopathy in Urban Mumbai Slums Study (AJ-DRUMSS): study design and methodology - report 1.

PURPOSE: To describe the methodology of Aditya Jyot-Diabetic Retinopathy in Urban Mumbai Slums Study (AJ-DRUMSS), which was designed (i) to estimate the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a general population, (ii) to study the risk factors associated with DR in those with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and (iii) to create awareness for early detection and develop timely interventional management for DR. METHODS: AJ-DRUMSS is an ongoing population-based cross sectional study conducted in seven wards of slums in Mumbai, India, wherein eligible subjects from the general population were screened for DR and profiled for their demographic, social and biochemical parameters to study the associations of these factors. RESULTS: To date, nearly 54,000 households have been enumerated for both awareness and DR prevalence in five study areas (out of seven) during 17 awareness campaigns and 78 DR screening camps. Of these, 4295 households were included in AJ-DRUMSS. Nearly 15,000 camp subjects (including subjects from awareness-focused areas who also turned up for the screening camps) were screened from the total enumerated households, of which 16.1% were diagnosed with type 2 DM. A total of 14.5% of these had evidence of DR and 3.5% had sight-threatening DR. CONCLUSIONS: A detailed study design of AJ-DRUMSS is described. In the screening camps nearly 3.5% of the diabetic population had sight-threatening DR, which needed an active interventional strategy. This study will help in formulating efficient eye care policies, making optimum use of available resources, reorienting healthcare providers and the ignorant within the population regarding the need for periodic ophthalmic surveillance and timely intervention.

One day wonder: fast resolution of macular edema following intravitreal ranibizumab in retinal venous occlusions.

Macular edema is a significant cause of vision loss in patients with central retinal vein occlusions and branch retinal vein occlusions. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) appears to be a key factor in the pathogenesis of this disease. Anti-VEGF therapy, such as intravitreal ranibizumab provides an effective treatment against vision-threatening macular edema. We report three patients of retinal vein occlusion with macular edema who demonstrated overnight resolution of macular edema following treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab (0.5 mg). 3D optical coherence tomography (Optovue) was used as a tool for comparison of the macular thickness before and after treatment. The significant reductions in the central foveal thickness demonstrated in these patients one night after intravitreal injections could have significant influence on modifying current treatment protocols. Early treatment of macular edema related to retinal venous occlusive disease with anti-VEGF injections could result in faster visual rehabilitation in these patients.