Unaccompanied Clinic Visits: Practical Consequences of a Stressor Imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

One of the restrictive measures of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic control is the prohibition of accompanied clinic visits. The specific features of ophthalmological patients imply different degrees of dependency that directly affect their response to such measures. This study aims to assess the effects of unaccompanied medical appointments on outpatients' stress levels and their retention of medical advice. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted at a large ophthalmic clinic in northern Greece during September 2020. Suitable subjects were asked to self-administer a 7-item questionnaire addressing their subjective perception of stress and their ability to fully understand and remember their doctor's instructions, given the fact that they would be alone during the consultation. The analysis was based on 200 patients who completed the survey. Sixty-three patients (31.5%) reported that unaccompanied clinic visits increased their stress, with a median value of 7.5 (mean 6.77 ± .2.7) on a scale from 1 to 10. A large number of the patients (30%) claimed it was difficult to remember the doctor's comments or instructions, and 24.6% indicated that they would not fully understand them if they were to attend the clinic unaccompanied. A marked impact on women and on the elderly (up to threefold) over 70 years of age was identified. This is the first study specifically addressing practical repercussions of unaccompanied clinic visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. A negative effect on patients' emotional status and on counseling effectiveness was demonstrated. Female gender and advanced age were found to be determinants of the highest vulnerability.

Chronic Macular Oedema as a Late MIRAgel-Related Complication.

BACKGROUND: MIRAgel® (MIRA, Waltham, MA, USA) is a hydrogel scleral buckle introduced in 1979 to treat rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. Its use was discontinued because late complications that require surgical removal were reported. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: We report a case of left eye MIRAgel® buckle surgery 28 years ago presenting with a tender palpable erythematous swelling at the lower lid, with marked conjunctival chemosis and progressive ophthalmoplegia. Imaging revealed a large, well-defined, horseshoe-shaped lesion in the extraconal space of the left orbit with globe distortion, with histological confirmation of an expanded hydrogel buckle. He recovered well following removal of the explant but developed chronic macular oedema a year later, which persisted despite sub-Tenon's triamcinolone injections. Repeat imaging demonstrated remaining hydrogel explant. Macular oedema settled well upon successful surgical removal with no recurrence to date. CONCLUSION: Our case is the first to describe macular oedema as a late MIRAgel-related complication, with complete removal of the explant being the definitive treatment. Macular oedema indicates postoperative inflammation secondary to the remaining explant fragments. Given the friability of hydrolysed MIRAgel®, we recommend ophthalmologists to warn patients regarding the possibility of further inflammation in the globe or the orbit in case of incomplete removal.

Bilateral acute iris transillumination following systemic administration of antibiotics.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the demographic characteristics, clinical features, and potential prognostic factors of bilateral acute iris transillumination (BAIT) following oral antibiotic uptake. METHODS: A retrospective study of 16 consecutive patients who developed BAIT following treatment with systemic antibiotics. Detailed past medical and ocular history was obtained, presenting signs and symptoms were documented and demographic characteristics were analyzed. All patients underwent a complete ocular examination and laboratory investigation. The course of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anterior chamber activity, and intraocular pressure (IOP) during the follow-up period were recorded and possible correlations with potential prognosticators were investigated. RESULTS: Fourteen females and two males were included in the present study. The mean age (SD) of the patients was 43 (14) years. All individuals presented conjunctival injection and photophobia and developed bilateral transillumination defects, fixed mid-dilated pupils and pigment dispersion in the anterior chamber. Systemic antibiotics were previously prescribed in all cases (13 patients with moxifloxacin and three patients with clarithromycin) and the mean (SD) interval between onset of symptoms and antibiotic administration was 17 (4) days. Ocular hypertension complicated all eyes and required antiglaucoma medication in 25 eyes. Severe anterior chamber pigment dispersion and higher IOP during the first week after presentation was significantly associated with longer duration of ocular hypertension (OHT) (p = 0.019). CONCLUSIONS: BAIT represents a rare clinical entity with characteristic features. Although etiopathogenesis of this condition remains unclear, a series of cases that indicate a strong correlation between systemic antibiotic administration and BAIT is herein presented.

Persistent Subretinal Fluid After Successful Full-Thickness Macular Hole Surgery: Prognostic Factors, Morphological Features and Implications on Functional Recovery.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to identify preoperative factors that predispose the development of subretinal fluid (SRF) following successful macular hole (MH) surgery. METHODS: Thirty-four eyes of 33 consecutive patients that underwent pars plana vitrectomy for idiopathic full-thickness MH surgery were included in this retrospective study. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (OCT) images were evaluated pre- and postoperatively in all cases. Patient's demographic characteristics, stage of MH, measurements of base diameter and minimum aperture diameter of the MH, preoperative foveal vitreomacular traction and selected intra-operative parameters were correlated with the development of postoperative SRF. RESULTS: Postoperative SRF was observed in 15 cases (48%). Total absorption of SRF was observed in 73% of affected eyes and was most commonly seen between the third and the fifth postoperative month. One patient developed lamellar hole leading to full-thickness MH. Postoperative BCVA was similar between the eyes that did and the eyes that did not develop postoperative SRF (0.31 ± 0.2 vs 0.35 ± 0.2; p ≥ 0.05). Development of postoperative SRF was significantly associated with the presence of preoperative foveal vitreomacular traction (p = 0.048), stage II MH (p = 0.017) and smaller size of the closest distance between the MH edges (p = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative SRF is a common occurrence following successful MH surgery. Meticulous evaluation of preoperative clinical and OCT findings may disclose risk factors associated with this condition. Based on our observations, idiopathic holes of early stage appear to be at a higher risk of developing postoperative SRF. This could be a point of interest with the advancing use of enzymatic proteolysis.