Difluprednate versus prednisolone acetate for inflammation following cataract surgery in pediatric patients: a randomized safety and efficacy study.

PurposeTo evaluate safety and efficacy of difluprednate 0.05% ophthalmic emulsion for treatment of postoperative inflammation after cataract surgery in pediatric patients.MethodsThis was a phase 3B, multicentre, randomized, double-masked, active-controlled study of patients aged 0-3 years who underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery in one eye, with/without intraocular lens implantation. Patients were randomized to receive difluprednate 0.05% four times daily or prednisolone acetate 1% for 14 days post surgery, followed by tapering for 14 days. Safety included evaluation of adverse events. Primary efficacy was the proportion of patients with an anterior cell grade of 0 (no cells) at day 14; secondary efficacy was a global inflammation score.ResultsForty patients were randomized to each treatment group. Adverse drug reactions included corneal oedema (difluprednate 0.5%, n=1; prednisolone acetate 1%, n=0) and increased intraocular pressure or ocular hypertension (n=2/group). Mean intraocular pressure values during treatment were 2-3 mm Hg higher with difluprednate 0.05% compared with prednisolone acetate 1%; mean values were similar between groups by the first week after treatment cessation. At 2 weeks post surgery, the incidence of complete clearing of anterior chamber cells was similar between groups (difluprednate 0.05%, n=30 (78.9%); prednisolone acetate 1%, n=31 (77.5%). Compared with prednisolone acetate 1%, approximately twice as many difluprednate 0.05%-treated patients had a global inflammation assessment score indicating no inflammation on day 1 (n=12 (30.8%) vs n=7 (17.5%) and day 8 (n=18 (48.7%) vs n=10 (25.0%).ConclusionsDifluprednate 0.05% four times daily showed safety and efficacy profiles similar to prednisolone acetate 1% four times daily in children 0-3 years undergoing cataract surgery.

Bilateral idiopathic Brown's syndrome with delayed onset in the second eye.

PURPOSE: We describe 6 cases of a previously unreported variation of bilateral Brown's syndrome that presented in congenital form in one eye and developed later in the fellow eye with no underlying cause. METHODS: We reviewed the clinical records of 6 patients from 6 separate practices to determine whether there were any common clinical features on presentation or in their clinical courses. RESULTS: All 6 patients were diagnosed with unilateral congenital Brown's syndrome at the first ophthalmologic assessment but showed no evidence of the syndrome in the fellow eye. In 5 cases the contralateral syndrome developed in the second eye after surgery was performed on the first eye, and in 1 case it developed before any surgery was done. The ages at onset of the syndrome in the second eye ranged from 2 to 8 years. None of the children had any evidence of systemic illness or local orbital disease to explain an acquired Brown's syndrome. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the first reported series of cases of bilateral Brown's syndrome that manifested sequentially in the eyes with no known causes for an acquired syndrome in the second eye. This finding supports the premise that congenital and acquired Brown's syndrome are on a continuum with a common pathophysiology of restriction of free movement of the superior oblique tendon in the trochlea.

Ocular manifestations of frontonasal dysplasia.

The ophthalmologic findings associated with frontonasal dysplasia have not been defined previously in a large series of untreated children. We reviewed the ophthalmic manifestations of a series of patients with frontonasal dysplasia who were seen as part of their craniofacial evaluation. All had undergone a complete ophthalmologic examination before any manipulation of either the orbits or the soft tissues of the orbital contents. From 1986 to 1991, 23 patients with frontonasal dysplasia were seen; ophthalmologic abnormalities were found in 20 (87 percent). Abnormalities included significant refractive errors, strabismus, nystagmus, and eyelid ptosis. Three patients had amblyopia, a treatable cause of visual loss, from strabismus or anisometropia. Ten eyes in seven patients (30 percent) had severe structural anomalies, such as optic nerve hypoplasia, optic nerve colobomas, microphthalmia, cataract, corneal dermoid, or inflammatory retinopathy, that resulted in an acuity of 20/100 or worse. The high incidence of ocular abnormalities indicates that early assessment by an ophthalmologist should be part of the initial evaluation of patients with frontonasal dysplasia to detect treatable visual or ocular problems.

Long-term visual morbidity of cytomegalovirus retinitis in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Patient survival with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is increasing because of earlier diagnosis and improved medical therapy. Visual morbidity that occurs with prolonged survival has not been well described. METHODS: To evaluate the progression of retinitis, ocular complications, and visual morbidity, the authors retrospectively reviewed the records of 22 patients who had tested positive for human immunodeficiency virus since December 31, 1987. Each patient had an ophthalmologic diagnosis of CMV retinitis and had survived for a minimum of 6 months after diagnosis of retinitis. Patients were treated with intravenous ganciclovir alone, ganciclovir followed by foscarnet, or foscarnet alone (1 patient). RESULTS: Mean survival was 16.7 months after the diagnosis of retinitis. The retinitis progressed in 74% of eyes during therapy. Visual acuity of 20/70 or worse occurred in 79% of eyes at a mean of 7.6 months from diagnosis of CMV retinitis. No light perception occurred in 49% of eyes after a mean of 15 months patient survival. Eleven patients with visual acuity of 20/70 or worse in both eyes survived a mean of 11 months. In 39 eyes with CMV retinitis, the following complications occurred: retinal detachment (33%), papillitis (32%), branch retinal artery occlusion (10%), persistent iritis (5%), and cataract (2.5%). CONCLUSION: Improved modalities of therapy will continue to increase the survival of patients with AIDS and CMV retinitis. Progression of the retinitis occurs with current therapeutic regimens in the majority of patients. As survival increases, significant visual loss and ocular complications may compromise patient care and quality of life.

Asymptomatic uveitis in children with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.

Uveitis may be an asymptomatic ocular process when it occurs in association with chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the frequency of uveitis in pediatric IBD is not known, as few patients have eye examinations on a routine basis. Experience with a child with Crohn's disease, who had asymptomatic uveitis identified by routine screening initiated because of associated arthritis, prompted us to undertake this evaluation. The purpose of this cross-sectional prospective study was to ascertain the point-prevalence of uveitis in pediatric IBD patients, including 97 with Crohn's disease and 50 with ulcerative colitis. Each child underwent an ophthalmologic assessment, including slit-lamp examination. In Crohn's disease, inflammatory cells and/or flare were observed in the anterior chamber of six (6.2%) patients. These changes were mild in all six patients and required no treatment. In the group with ulcerative colitis, there were no cases of asymptomatic uveitis. There was a higher frequency of asymptomatic transient uveitis in patients with Crohn's colitis (four of 22, 18.2%) than in those of other anatomic subgroups (two of 75, 2.7%; p < 0.05). Frequency of uveitis was also higher in IBD patients having other extraintestinal manifestations (15.0%) than in those without (3.1%; p < 0.10). There was no relationship observed between the activity of bowel disease and presence of ocular inflammation.

Improvement of compensatory head postures after strabismus surgery.

PURPOSE: To determine the incidence and relative frequencies of orientations of compensatory head postures (CHP) and success in surgically treating the CHP seen in patients with pure lateral rectus paresis (group I), superior oblique paresis (group II), Duane syndrome (group III), Brown syndrome (group IV), and congenital motor nystagmus (group V). METHODS: The authors retrospectively reviewed all patients assessed and treated between 1985 and 1991 with these five conditions. Frequencies and orientations of the CHP were determined in all patients in each group. The success of surgery in eliminating the CHP in the subgroups of patients who underwent surgery to treat the CHP also was determined. RESULTS: The frequencies of CHP were 29.0% of 93 group I cases, 71.2% of 139 group II cases, 68.1% of 91 group III cases, 17.4% of 35 group IV cases, and all 23 group V cases, for an overall incidence of 56.7% of 381 patients. For patients who underwent surgery to eliminate a CHP, success rates were 85.7% of 21 group I cases, 75.6% of 41 group II cases, 87.2% of 47 group III cases, 100% of 5 group IV cases, and 78.3% of 23 group V patients, for an overall success rate of 82.5% of 137 surgical cases. CONCLUSION: Because CHP is seen frequently in strabismus and nystagmus disorders, ocular causes must be ruled out in any case of an anomalous head posture. Appropriately planned surgery for CHP caused by incomitant strabismus or eccentric nystagmus null zones has a high rate of success in eliminating CHP.

Normal pupil size and anisocoria in newborn infants.

The incidence of anisocoria in the newborn period is not well described. Additionally, the normal range of infant pupil size is not well defined. Eight-eight healthy newborns were evaluated. Pupil size and color were obtained from photographs. The mean (+/- SD) pupil size was 3.8 +/- 0.8 mm. There was no statistical difference between right and left eyes. A statistically significant difference in pupil size was found between blue and brown eyes. The incidence of anisocoria was found to be 21%. No difference was greater than 1.0 mm. The incidence of anisocoria was no different on the basis of eye color.

Incidence of second neoplasms in patients with bilateral retinoblastoma.

The cumulative incidence of second neoplasms in 215 patients with bilateral retinoblastoma was calculated using the life-table method. Second tumors developed in 4.4% of the patients during the first 10 years of follow-up, in 18.3% after 20 years, and in 26.1% after 30 years. The 30-year cumulative incidence was 35.1% for the 137 patients who received radiation therapy compared with an incidence rate of 5.8% for the 78 patients who did not receive radiation. In the 137 patients who received radiation, second tumors developed both inside and outside the field of therapy. There was a 30-year incidence rate of second tumors of 29.3% within the field of irradiation and 8.1% outside the field. The rate outside the field of irradiation (8.1%) was similar to that observed in nonirradiated patients (5.8%). Our findings indicate that carriers of the retinoblastoma gene have an increased incidence of second tumors, and that the incidence rate is further increased in patients who receive radiation therapy.