The impact of visual symptoms on the quality of life of patients with early to moderate glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To investigate the visual symptoms and to determine the impact of visual symptoms on vision-related quality of life (QoL) in patients with early to moderate glaucoma. METHODS: A retrospective, hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from July 1 to August 31, 2014, at a university referral center. A total of 176 patients with early to moderate glaucoma underwent a comprehensive ocular examination, including Humphrey visual field testing. The patients were divided into six groups based on visual symptoms that could be verified by forced-choice questions. Vision-related QoL was assessed by the Korean version of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 25 (K-NEI-VFQ-25). We compared the mean deviation (MD) and questionnaire scores among the groups. RESULTS: Of 352 eyes, 107 (30.4%) were symptomatic. The most common visual symptoms were partial blurring (15.91%), followed by a missing part (7.67%) and a black part (5.97%) of the image. The symptomatic groups (blurred part and missing part) had a significantly worse MD than the asymptomatic group. The symptomatic groups tended to have more visual field defects than the asymptomatic group. The overall NEI-VFQ-25 score in the symptomatic group (black part) was significantly lower than that in the asymptomatic group. Similar effects were observed for other subscale scores, including social functioning, mental health, role difficulties, dependency, and peripheral vision. CONCLUSIONS: Vision-related QoL may be severely compromised in glaucoma patients with visual symptoms. Patients with visual disorders should be evaluated for glaucoma and QoL.

Serratia marcescens endophthalmitis after pterygium surgery: a case report.

BACKGROUND: To report a case of Serratia marcescens endophthalmitis after pterygium surgery using the bare sclera technique with mitomycin C (MMC). CASE PRESENTATION: A 69-year-old male patient underwent pterygium excision surgery using the bare sclera technique and 0.02% MMC. The patient presented with decreased visual acuity and pain from the day after the operation. Trans pars plana vitrectomy was performed and intravitreal antibiotics were administered. Cultures from the aqueous humor and intraocular lens were all positive for S. marcescens, which was sensitive to an empiric antibiotic regimen. The best corrected distant visual acuity, 1 month after treatment, was a finger count/50 cm, but the retinal layer structure and the vasculature were relatively well preserved. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first reported case of S. marcescens endophthalmitis after pterygium surgery. Endophthalmitis caused by S. marcescens has a devastating visual prognosis and may show a high clinical risk-benefit ratio for the application of MMC in pterygium surgery.

Asymmetry of Preoperative Incision Design Markings for Upper Blepharoplasty.

PURPOSE: To compare preoperative incision design markings between both eyelids in upper blepharoplasty. METHODS: This retrospective study examined 22 patients who underwent bilateral upper blepharoplasty surgery resulting from senile dermatochalasis and/or blepharoptosis. The initial preoperative incision design markings were drawn with the patient sitting upright. Then, with the patient in a supine position, preoperative design photographs were taken. The authors measured medial canthal excision angle, maximal lid excision height, maximal lid excision width, peak point angle, and peak point distance and compared measurements between both upper eyelids designs using Image J software. RESULTS: The mean medial canthal excision angle, maximal lid excision height, and maximal lid excision width for the right side (30.68°â€Š±â€Š10.16°, 1.17 ±â€Š0.24 cm, and 0.72 ±â€Š0.19 cm) were significantly different from those for the left side (35.39°â€Š±â€Š13.82°; P < 0.001, 1.24 ±â€Š0.25 cm; P = 0.002, and 0.77 ±â€Š0.21 cm; P = 0.011). The mean peak point angle and peak point distance for the right side (15.67°â€Š±â€Š5.09°, 2.41°â€Š±â€Š0.31°) were significantly different from those for the left side (18.11°â€Š±â€Š5.49°; P = 0.001, 2.22 ±â€Š0.28 cm; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In upper blepharoplasty, the preoperative incision marking design measurements of the left side were significantly greater than those of the right side. The symmetry can therefore be maximized by including the asymmetries in the preoperative design.