EyeCee One preloaded intraocular lens: are patients with glaucoma more at risk?

OBJECTIVE: The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reported links of raised intraocular pressure (IOP) with recently implanted EyeCee One intraocular lens (IOL). This work investigates if glaucomatous eyes were more susceptible to these postoperative IOP rises and if they required more intensive management. METHODS: Retrospective observational study of all phacoemulsification surgery with implanted EyeCee One IOL, performed between 1 October 2022 and 26 January 2023 inclusive. ANALYSIS: A significant IOP elevation was defined as an IOP rise of 10 mm Hg or more from preoperative to maximal postoperative IOP reading. The management of all patients who had a significant IOP elevation was reviewed. Glaucoma/ocular hypertension cases were identified and analysed against non-glaucomatous eyes and statistical analysis performed. RESULTS: 112 glaucoma and 671 non-glaucoma cases identified; 19.6% of the glaucoma cohort had a significant postoperative IOP rise compared with 8.9% of patients without glaucoma (OR 2.49 (95% CI 1.45 to 4.20) p=0.0014). In the glaucoma cohort, 12.5% had an increase in the number of topical IOP-lowering agents (mean increase 1.65±1.58), 6.3% required systemic treatment and 2.7% surgical intervention. In the non-glaucoma group, 3.3% required topical treatment (mean number of agents 0.88±1.34), 0.8% required systemic treatment and 0.2% surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: This study shows that during the time frame in question, patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension who had an EyeCee One IOL were almost two and a half times more likely to have a postoperative rise of 10 mm Hg or more in IOP following routine cataract surgery, requiring more aggressive management.

Practice of immediate sequential bilateral cataract surgery (ISBCS): A teaching hospital experience in United Kingdom.

BACKGROUND / OBJECTIVES: Utilisation of ISBCS has been encouraged since COVID-19 in line with the RCOphth recommendations. This study aims to share experience from a UK teaching hospital on ISBCS and to evaluate pre-, intra- and post-operative outcomes from the ISBCS cohort. METHODS: Of 3402 cataract surgeries performed between July 2020 and July 2021 (1 year since the reopening of the cataract service from COVID-19), 208 eyes of 104 patients (6.1%) undergoing ISBCS were retrospectively studied on their demographics, biometry, surgeon grades, and pre-, intra- and post-operative data. RESULTS: The mean age was 74.5 ± 9.4 years and 62% were female. Eighty-nine percent of the eyes were performed under local anaesthesia and 70% were 'routine' cases. Other risk factors included: short eyes requiring pre-operative mannitol infusion (10%), high myopia (8%), poor dilation (2%) and a 'glaucoma' cohort [angle closure (2%) and prior trabeculectomy (1%)]. Three eyes (1%) had complications intra-operatively in second eye (1 case each: posterior capsule rupture, corneal oedema and zonular dehiscence). Two patients (1%) had complications in the first eye (1 case each: suprachoroidal haemorrhage, conjunctival & iris haemorrhage), hence had their second eye postponed. Twelve months post-operatively, 20 eyes (10%) had recorded post-op complications with cystoid macular oedema being the commonest (4.5%) and no endophthalmitis. Eighty-six percent were discharged with satisfaction. No significant differences were found in pre-operative features, complication rates and post-operative outcomes between consultant and non-consultant surgeons (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our experience which included a cohort of high-risk patients showed safe and successful practice of ISBCS without having a negative impact on training.

Sampling trabecular meshwork using TrabEx.

BACKGROUND: To report sampling of the trabecular meshwork using the TrabEx+ (MicroSurgical Technology, Redmond, Washington, USA) device in ab interno trabeculectomy. Specifically, this series focusses upon preservation of the trabecular meshwork architecture for assessment of glaucomatous features using common histopathological techniques. PATIENTS: This series features six glaucomatous eyes undergoing TrabEx+ with or without cataract surgery. Three patients had primary open angle glaucoma and the remaining had pigment dispersion glaucoma, ocular hypertension or uveitic glaucoma. Four eyes had simultaneous cataract surgery. METHODS: Trabecular meshwork was excised using the TrabEx+ device and retrieved using vitreoretinal forceps. The samples were then processed into formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded 4 micron tissue segments and stained with haematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid-Schiff and elastin Van Gieson. Collagen IV was labelled using immunohistochemistry for the purpose of identifying the basement membrane of trabecular beams. RESULTS: Presence of trabecular meshwork was confirmed in five of the six samples taken. One of six samples consisted of blood only, but this was expected following early termination of the procedure due to patient restlessness. In the five positive cases trabecular beams with associated trabecular meshwork cells were identified on hematoxylin-eosin and periodic acid-Schiff staining. The beams retained their lamellar structure. The basement membrane underlying the trabecular cells was evident in three specimens, whilst two specimens were of insufficient size for collagen IV labelling. CONCLUSIONS: This case series illustrates that TrabEx+ can be utilised to successfully retrieve trabecular meshwork samples with sufficient architectural perseveration of the tissue to enable histopathological and laboratory analysis.

A bandage contact lens prevents extrusion of ocular contents.

A 76 year old male presents with a corneal perforation in a phthisical eye. Definitive treatment in the form of an evisceration was delayed by 38 days. During this period a bandage contact lens prevented extrusion of ocular contents through an enlarging corneal perforation. This case demonstrates that a bandage contact lens can be effective in the immediate management of large corneal perforations whilst awaiting urgent definitive treatment.

Smells like a heart attack, but is it?

Methaemoglobinaemia is rare. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is common. The authors present a unique case of methaemaglobinaemia masquerading as an AMI. A middle-aged male was urgently referred to a tertiary cardiac centre for primary percutaneous coronary intervention with acute chest pain, cyanosis and tachycardia. However, on arrival, his ECG was felt to be within normal limits. Similarly unremarkable, were his echocardiogram and routine blood tests. Arterial blood gas analysis revealed a methaemaglobinaemia of 28.5% which normalised spontaneously. This was thought to be secondary to the use of smelling salts, inhaled earlier that day in the gymnasium. This is the first reported case of smelling salts inducing methaemaglobinaemia and of methaemaglobinaemia mimicking an AMI.