Management of complications of sutureless intrascleral intraocular lens fixation.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to report the complications of sutureless intrascleral (SIS) intraocular lens (IOL) fixation and its management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective, consecutive interventional case series of patients with intra or postoperative complications after SIS IOL fixation during the technical learning curve of vitreoretinal surgeons from three Taiwanese referral hospitals. The used surgical techniques were the Scharioth technique for intrascleral tunnel fixation, Yamane technique (double-needle scleral fixation), and modified Yamane technique (double-needle flanged haptic scleral fixation). The IOL models and surgical instruments used as well as each patient's ocular characteristics and complication management were recorded. RESULTS: Of the eight included patients, the complications of 3 (37.5%) and 5 (62.5%) were noted intraoperatively and postoperatively, respectively. Haptic-related complications, including haptic breakage, slippage, and haptic disinsertion, occurred in six eyes. Other complications included uveitis-glaucoma-hyphema syndrome, retinal detachment, and IOL tilt. For the two patients with haptic slippage, repositioning was achieved using a modified cow-hitch technique that resulted in favorable IOL centration and restored visual acuity. CONCLUSION: Most complications surgeons encountered during their early exposure to SIS IOL fixation were haptic related. Surgeons should be aware of such complications to prevent and manage them during surgery. Our modified cow-hitch technique could be used to reposition IOLs with unilateral haptic slippage.

Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome Following Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation COVID-19 Vaccination.

PURPOSE: To report a case of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 vaccination. STUDY DESIGN: Case report. RESULTS: A 36-year-old healthy Taiwanese female was presented with flashing lights in the right eye two days after the first dose of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corporation (MVC) coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) vaccine. Examination of the retina revealed multiple white dots in the posterior pole extending to the mid-periphery. Disruption of ellipsoid zone on optical coherence tomography, early hyperfluorescence on fluorescein angiography, late hypo-cyanescence on indocyanine green angiography, and paracentral scotoma on visual field test were consistent with MEWDS. At four-week follow-up, the patient's fundus lesions resolved, and symptoms subsided without treatment. CONCLUSION: Resembling previous post-vaccine MEWDs cases, the symptoms are self-limited, and the visual prognosis is excellent. The presented case demonstrates MEWDS following MVC COVID-19 vaccine and suggests the immune-mediated basis for MEWDS in predisposed patients.

Flow signal change in polyps after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a novel, non-invasive imaging tool used to detect vascular flow. The absence of a flow signal in OCTA in polyps revealed by indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) may indicate slow or compromised filling of blood flow from choroidal vessels. Naïve patients with PCV treated with intravitreal injections of aflibercept (IVI-A) were enrolled in this study to validate the hypothesis that baseline flow may affect the outcome of polyp regression in ICGA. The flow signal of polyps in OCTA was detected by manual segmentation in the corresponding location by ICGA. Polyps were defined as high-flow if both OCTA and ICGA showed positive findings, and low-flow if OCTA showed a negative flow signal in 3 consecutive horizontal scans at the polyp area shown in ICGA. A total of 24 polyps were identified in 13 PCV patients at baseline. Of these 24 polyps, 22 (91.7%) were high-flow and 2 (8.3%) were low-flow. After 3 monthly IVI-A, all low-flow polyps had complete regression in ICGA. Among 17 (77%) high-flow polyps at baseline that had regression after treatment, 10 (58.8%) became low-flow, while 5 (22.7%) persistent polyps remained high-flow. Flow signal of polyps as detected by OCTA could be a predictive factor for treatment response in patients with PCV. Monitoring changes in flow signal after treatment is clinically relevant.

pH-responsive polymeric micelles self-assembled from benzoic-imine-containing alkyl-modified PEGylated chitosan for delivery of amphiphilic drugs.

In order to efficiently promote loading efficiency and aqueous photostability of indocyanine green (ICG), an amphiphilic tricarbocyanine dye, the polysaccharide-based nanomicelles utilized as a vehicle for ICG were fabricated by self-assembly of the amphiphilic benzoic-imine-containing PEGylated chitosan/4-(dodecyloxy)benzaldehyde (DBA) conjugates in aqueous solution of pH 7.4. The resulting polymeric micelles were characterized to have a hydrophobic hybrid chitosan/DBA core surrounded by hydrophilic PEG shells. Importantly, the encapsulation of ICG into the hybrid chitosan/DBA core of polymeric micelles by the combined hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions not only promoted the ICG loading but also enhanced its aqueous photostability. With the pH of micelle suspension being reduced from 7.4 to 5.0, upon acid-triggered cleavage of benzoic-imine bonds between chitosan and DBA as well as the extending of the protonated chitosan segments from hybrid cores toward aqueous phase, the rather hydrophobic DBA-rich core was formed within micelles, thereby leading to shrinking of the polymeric micelles. The robust ICG-loaded polymeric micelles showed several superior properties including the inhibition of ICG leakage under the mimic physiological and acidic conditions, favorable biocompatibility and photo-activated hyperthermia effect. This work suggests that the pH-responsive ICG-carrying chitosan-based micelles display great potential in cancer theranostic.

Fourier analysis of circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in optical coherence tomography for differentiating myopia and glaucoma.

Differentiating glaucoma from myopic eye is a challenge to ophthalmologists. We try to develop a new discrete Fourier transform (DFT) model for analyzing optical coherence tomography data for the circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (cpRNFL), and investigate DFT as a new diagnostic tool for glaucomatous myopic eyes. The thicknesses of 12 equidistant cpRNFL points were transformed into 6 signals in the frequency domain, ranging from 1 to 6 Hz. In all 232 eyes, generalized linear model showed that 1 Hz, 2 Hz, and 4 Hz were associated with glaucoma, high myopia, and the interaction between glaucoma and high myopia. The 3 Hz signal was associated with glaucoma and high myopia exclusively. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the 3 Hz signals showed areas under the curves of 0.93 (95% CI 0.90-0.96) and 0.93 (95% CI 0.88-0.98), for diagnosing glaucoma in all subjects and in the highly myopic group, respectively. The DFT model is useful to differentiate glaucoma from non-glaucomatous change and showed potential as a diagnostic tool for glaucomatous myopic eyes.

Inner Nuclear Layer Microcyst Configuration, Distribution, and Visual Prognosis in Patients With Epiretinal Membrane After Vitrectomy and Membrane Peeling.

Inner nuclear layer(INL) microcysts at central macula are a common finding in patients with epiretinal membrane (ERM) after vitrectomy and membrane peeling. Using en face mode of optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography, patients with ERM after surgery were retrospectively reviewed to understand the configuration and distribution of microcysts as well as their impact on visual acuity. Forty-six eligible patients were enrolled and their baseline best-corrected visual acuities improved from 20/67 to 20/29 (P < 0.01) after surgery. Twenty-eight (60.9%) patients had microcysts that appeared at a median of 5 months after the surgery and persisted for mean 16 months follow-up. The microcyst appeared as spheroidal shape with length ranged from 20 to 80 µm and widths of 80 µm in average. They tend to group in cluster with a density of 245 microcysts per mm2. The frequency of microcyst distribution was 86%, 54%, 32%, 25% and 18% at the nasal, superior, inferior, temporal quadrants and central 1 mm, respectively. Linear regression analysis showed that INL microcysts at central and temporal quadrants were associated with poorer visual acuity (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively). The presence of INL microcysts in center subfield and involved wider area is a poor prognostic factor for visual outcomes.

Predictive factors of visual outcome in posterior segment intraocular foreign body.

BACKGROUND: To identify the predictive factors for visual outcomes of patients with posterior segment intraocular foreign body (IOFB) after open-globe injury. METHODS: A retrospective, interventional study was conducted to evaluate consecutive patients with retained posterior segment IOFB who underwent vitrectomy over a 10-year period from 2007 to 2016. Multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify the potential predictive factors for final visual outcomes. RESULTS: Forty-two patients were evaluated, with predominantly males (97.6%) and mean age 37.21 years. Hammering on metal (47.62%) was the major mechanism of injury. The majority of foreign bodies were metallic (95.24%) with a mean dimension of 4.3 mm. Twenty-four (57.14%) patients initially presented with a Snellen visual acuity <6/60. After surgery, 19 (45.24%) eyes had final visual outcomes of 6/12 or better; however, visual outcomes worse than 6/60 were documented in 17 (40.48%) eyes. Multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the occurrence of retinal detachment (RD; p<0.01) and larger IOFB dimension (p=0.02) independently predicted worse final visual outcomes after adjusting for age and initial VA. Eyes with entry wounds located posteriorly into the sclera significantly increased the risk of RD compared to eyes with entry wounds involving cornea only (p=0.03). There was no association between time interval for IOFB removal and development of endophthalmitis. CONCLUSION: RD and larger IOFB dimension are significant predictive factors associated with worse final visual outcomes. Increased time to IOFB removal is not associated with either a higher risk of endophthalmitis or worse visual outcomes.

Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome Following Acute Epstein-Barr Virus Infection.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) and Epstein-Barr (EB) virus infection. METHODS: A prospective, consecutive case series study was performed in patients with the characteristic findings of MEWDS. Patients received EB viral-specific antibody serologic tests. RESULTS: Five cases of MEWDS who had prodromal flu-like symptoms were enrolled, comprising 2 women and 3 men with a mean age of 34. Mean diopter of myopia was -7.5. During acute onset of MEWDS, EB virus infection was confirmed by positive EB virus serology test. One showed positive EB viral capsid antigen (EB-VCA) IgM, and the other four showed highly elevated titer of EB-VCA IgG more than 1:160. Two months later, paired serum virus serology data showed negative EB-VCA IgM, or prior EB-VCA IgG titer decreased four-fold in the recovery stage. CONCLUSION: MEWDS may be associated with acute systemic EB virus infection. Ocular symptoms might develop due to this infection or represent virus-induced autoimmune inflammatory retinitis.

PREDICTIVE FACTORS OF VISUAL OUTCOME FOR VITREOMACULAR TRACTION SYNDROME AFTER VITRECTOMY.

PURPOSE: To assess the long-term functional and anatomical outcomes for vitreomacular traction syndrome (VMT) after vitrectomy and to analyze the predictive factors regarding visual outcome. METHODS: A retrospective, consecutive case series of 22 eyes in 22 patients with VMT who underwent vitrectomy to relieve macular edema were studied. Eyes were classified into two groups according to the diameter of vitreomacular adhesion based on spectral domain optical coherence tomography: Group 1 (14 eyes) focal attachment ≤1,500 µm; and Group 2 (eight eyes) broad attachment >1,500 µm. RESULTS: Mean postoperative follow-up was 25.4 months (range, 6-68). The preoperative mean logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution visual acuity was 0.73 (20/107), which significantly improved to 0.49 (20/62) postoperatively (P < 0.01). Seventeen eyes (77%) had Snellen visual acuity improvement ≧ two lines, and nine eyes had improvement ≧ three lines. The improvement of visual acuity was significantly better in Group 1 than in Group 2 (2.7 lines vs. 0.8 lines) (P = 0.03). The preoperative mean central macular thickness was 563 µm ± 176 µm, which significantly improved to 298 µm ± 69 µm postoperatively (P < 0.01). In multivariate analysis, better final visual acuity was significantly associated with Group 1 VMT (P < 0.01) and with shorter symptom duration (P < 0.01). Greater improvement of visual acuity was also significantly associated with younger age of patients (P = 0.02) and with Group 1 VMT (P < 0.01). In linear regression analysis, patients with longer symptom duration had worse final visual acuity (ß = 0.02) and patients of younger age had greater visual acuity improvement (ß = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Most patients of VMT gained significant functional and anatomical improvements after vitrectomy. Group 1 optical coherence tomography pattern, shorter symptom duration, and younger age are significant predictive factors of better visual outcome.

Sensitivity, Specificity, and Limitations of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Diagnosis of Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in differentiating polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: Fundus color photographs, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography (step 1) and OCTA (step 2) of 50 eyes that had PCV or AMD were presented to two ophthalmologists. The final diagnoses of PCV were masked. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated and compared to the 2-step approach (before and after OCTA) in detecting PCV. The limitations were also evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 50 eyes, 31 were PCV and 19 were non-PCV. The sensitivity increased from 69.5% to 90% after OCTA; however, there was no significant improvement in specificity after OCTA. 70.9% of the eyes with PCV had clear or obvious branching vascular nets (BVNs) in OCTA with high sensitivity (97.5%) after OCTA. Contrarily, 29.1% had insignificant BVNs with a low sensitivity (72.5%) after OCTA. 27% of the occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) cases were overdiagnosed as PCV when OCTA was applied. CONCLUSIONS: OCTA based on clear BVNs at the choroidal level increased sensitivity of diagnosis of PCV by 20%. However, the false-positive rate also increased in occult CNV. Several limitations for a correct diagnosis of PCV were noted.

Association of refractive error with vision-related quality of life in junior high school students.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between refractive error and vision-related quality of life in 16-year-old students in Taiwan. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was designed for 16-year junior-high-school students in Taiwan. Myopia was defined as a spherical refractive error (SRE) < -0.50 D, hyperopia as SRE > +1.0 D, and emmetropia as SRE -0.5-+1.0 D in the better eye. Vision-related quality of life was assessed using the Taiwan Chinese version of the 25-Item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 688 participants, 466 (68%) had myopia and 22 (3%) had hyperopia. In logistic-regression models adjusted for gender, parents' education, family income, and parental refractive error, myopia was an independent risk factor of poorer vision-related quality of life for both near vision (odds ratio 1.73, 95% confidence interval 1.22-2.45) and distance vision (odds ratio 3.11, 95% confidence interval 2.23-4.35). Hyperopia was not associated with near- or distance-vision difficulty. CONCLUSION: In this study population, myopia was associated with difficulties in near and distance vision compared to emmetropia. Further studies are needed to confirm our findings in other populations.