Dystrophic Calcification in a 3-Piece Silicone Intraocular Lens.

This case report describes a diagnosis of dystrophic calcification of a silicone intraocular lens implant in a patient who presented with foggy vision and glare.

Indocyanine Green Angiography of Optic Disc Granuloma in Ocular Sarcoidosis.

PURPOSE: To report novel indocyanine green angiography (ICG) findings of optic disc granulomas secondary to sarcoidosis. METHODS: Observational case report. RESULTS: A 36-year-old white male, who had previously been evaluated for birdshot chorioretinopathy and tested HLA-A29 negative, was referred for evaluation of choroidal lesions in both eyes. Fundus examination revealed ovoid choroidal lesions bilaterally in the posterior pole. Optical coherence tomography demonstrated bilateral focal choroidal elevations in the posterior pole and optic discs consistent with granulomas. ICG revealed diffuse choroidal hypocyanescent spots with late-phase focal hypercyanescence of the optic discs in both eyes corresponding to the granulomas. After three months of prednisone and immunomodulatory treatment, the granulomas improved and the optic disc hypercyanescence resolved. CONCLUSION: We describe a case of ocular sarcoidosis mimicking birdshot-like lesions, and ICG findings revealed late hypercyanescence, which resolved with treatment.

Fixed High Energy Versus Standard Titrated Energy Settings for Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty.

PRCIS: Fixed high-energy selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is associated with a greater reduction in intraocular pressure (IOP) compared with the standard titrated approach at up to 36 months postprocedure. PURPOSE: There is no consensus on ideal SLT procedural laser energy settings. This study aims to compare fixed high-energy SLT to the standard titrated-energy approach within the setting of a residency training program. PATIENTS: Patients over the age of 18 years received SLT between 2011 and 2017, a total of 354 eyes. Patients with a prior history of SLT were excluded. METHODS: Retrospective review of clinical data from 354 eyes that underwent SLT. Eyes that underwent SLT using fixed high energy (1.2 mJ/spot) were compared with those with the standard titrated approach starting at 0.8 mJ/spot and titrating to "champagne" bubbles. The entirety of the angle was treated using a Lumenis laser set to the SLT setting (532 nm). No repeat treatments were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: IOP and glaucoma medications. RESULTS: In our residency training program, fixed high-energy SLT was associated with a reduction in IOP compared with a baseline of -4.65 (±4.49, n = 120), -3.79 (±4.49, n = 109), and -4.40 (±5.01, n =119) while standard titrated-energy was associated with IOP reduction of -2.07 (±5.06, n = 133), -2.67 (±5.28, n = 107), and -1.88 (±4.96, n = 115) at each respective postprocedural time point (12, 24, and 36 months). The fixed high-energy SLT group had significantly greater IOP reduction at 12 months and 36 months. The same comparison was performed for medication naïve individuals. For these individuals, fixed high-energy SLT resulted in IOP reductions of -6.88 (±3.72, n = 47), -6.01 (±3.80, n = 41), and -6.52 (±4.10, n = 46) while standard titrated-energy had IOP reductions of -3.82 (±4.51, n = 25), -1.85 (±4.88, n = 20), and -0.65 (±4.64, n = 27). For medication naïve individuals, fixed high-energy SLT resulted in a significantly greater reduction in IOP at each respective time point. Complication rates (IOP spike, iritis, and macular edema) were similar between the two groups. The study is limited by overall poor response to standard-energy treatments, whereas high-energy treatments showed similar efficacy to those in literature. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that fixed-energy SLT produces at least equivalent results compared with the standard-energy approach, without an increase in adverse outcomes. Particularly in the medication naïve subpopulation, fixed-energy SLT was associated with a significantly greater IOP reduction at each respective time point. The study is limited by overall poor response to standard-energy treatments, with our results showing decreased IOP reduction compared with those of previous studies. These poor outcomes of the standard SLT group may be responsible for our conclusion that fixed high-energy SLT results in a greater reduction in IOP. These results may be useful when considering optimal SLT procedural energy in future studies for validation.

Resident Vitreoretinal Procedure Volume: Effect of Intravitreal Injections, Region, Program Size, and Vitreoretinal Fellowship and Veterans Affairs Affiliation.

Purpose To analyze resident vitreoretinal procedure volume across Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited ophthalmology residency programs. We assessed the effect of the increase in intravitreal injections (IVI), geographic region, program size, and Veterans Affairs (VA) and vitreoretinal fellowship affiliation on vitreoretinal procedures. Methods A request was sent to all residency programs in 2018 for their graduating residents' ACGME case logs. Vitreoretinal procedures were defined by ACGME case log categories and included vitreoretinal surgery, peripheral retinal lasers, and IVI. Procedures were categorized by Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code. Programs were studied by geographic region, program size, and by VA and vitreoretinal fellowship affiliation. Results A total of 38 of 115 (33.0%) programs responded, and 167 residents logged 32,860 vitreoretinal procedures. The median number of retina procedures per resident was 146 (range 36-729). Programs with a vitreoretinal fellowship had a higher average number of vitreoretinal procedures per resident (208.3 vs. 125.0; p = 0.002), but there was no difference between the average number of non-IVI vitreoretinal procedures (60.0 vs. 64.2; p = 0.32). For IVI, VA affiliation (146.6 vs. 71.1; p = 0.02) and vitreoretinal fellowship (149.4 vs. 60.8; p < 0.001) were associated with a greater number. More IVI strongly correlated with a larger total volume of retinal procedures ( r = 0.98), and there was no difference across programs for total retinal procedures when IVI was removed. Conclusions The presence of a vitreoretinal fellowship at a residency program had a positive effect on resident total vitreoretinal case volume, but their residents performed more IVI. Programs without vitreoretinal fellowships completed on average more non-IVI procedures.

Risk Factors for Failure of Final Anatomic Surgical Reattachment in Retinal Detachments From Combat Ocular Trauma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine the anatomic outcome of traumatic retinal detachment (RD) from combat ocular trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective study of patients sustaining a traumatic RD in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom who were evacuated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center from 2001 to 2011. The Fisher exact test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, and Agresti and Coull methods were used for analyses. RESULTS: There were 143 eyes of 134 patients in which a traumatic RD developed, of a total of 890 eyes of 652 patients in the Walter Reed Ocular Trauma Database. Based on our results, predictors for failure to reattach the retina include maculaoff status (P = .0002), open-globe injury (P = .03), proliferative vitreoretinopathy postoperatively (P = .002), and presence of hyphema (P = .02). Intraocular foreign body and time to initial retinal surgery did not increase risk for failure. Thirty-four percent (34%) of eyes failed to be reattached. CONCLUSIONS: Traumatic RD due to injury sustained in a combat zone resulted in poor prognosis, with 82.09% of eyes with RD having a best-corrected visual acuity worse than 20/200. The anatomic success of RD repair was shown to be 65.71%, likely owing to the severity of the injuries, concomitant systemic injuries, and delayed surgical intervention. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2022;53:493-501.].

Correlative Factors for Traumatic Brain Injury in Combat Ocular Trauma.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of disability for active duty service members in both deployed and training settings as well as those who have left active service. Service members with ocular trauma are at risk for a TBI and should be screened appropriately. Early detection results in treatment to minimize long-term sequelae which can often be debilitating. This study is the first to evaluate different combat-related ocular injuries and their associations with TBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A secondary analysis of existing data was conducted from a prospective study of patients who sustained combat ocular trauma (COT) during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) between 2006 and 2020. Clinical data of a total of 88 participants were gathered and each case reviewed, including patient demographics, injury-related factors, history of TBI, and treatments rendered. All cases were then categorized to compare COT (n = 13) versus COT-T (Combat Ocular Trauma associated with TBI; n = 75). The Fisher's exact test was completed for each category to assess for predictive factors of TBI within the ophthalmic trauma cohort. Odds ratios were calculated with their 95% CI. RESULTS: When compared to COT, COT-T was significantly associated with closed globe injuries (56%; OR 4.24, 95% CI 1.08-16.67), blast injuries (89.3%; OR 3.72, 95% CI 0.93-14.9), multiple surgeries (89%; OR 2.51, 95% CI 0.57-11.08), anterior segment injuries (69.3%; OR 1.41, 95% CI 0.42-4.79), optic nerve injuries (24%; OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.26-4.25), orbital fractures (48%; OR 2.08, 95% CI 0.59-7.34), enucleation (17.3%; OR 2.52, 95% CI 0.300-21.08), the use of eye protection (68.6%; OR 2.18, 95% CI 0.57-8.32), and the need to undergo plastic surgery (78.7%; OR 2.30, 95% CI 0.66-8.02). Significant factors associated with COT included penetrating injury (30.8%; OR 0.027, 95% CI 0.07-1.08), posterior segment injuries (92%; OR 0.264, 95% CI 0.032-2.17), bilateral injuries (76.9%; OR 0.678, 95% CI 0.17-2.69), and bilateral blindness (7.7%; OR 0.857, 95% CI 0.092-7.99). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who have sustained combat-related ocular injuries, specifically blast injury, anterior segment injury, or an orbital fracture, were noted to be more likely to have also sustained a TBI. However, of the evaluated variables in predicting the co-occurrence of TBI, only closed globe injury was identified as statistically significant. Service members with injuries requiring multiple surgical procedures, reconstructive plastic surgery, or enucleation of an eye were also more likely to be diagnosed with a TBI, but these variables were not found to be predictive of TBI among ocular trauma patients. The presence of eye protection was not protective against TBI. Further studies are needed to find significant predictors of TBI in combat ocular trauma patients to assist in the early and accurate detection of TBI.

Ghost and Honorary Authorship in Ophthalmology: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the rates of ghost and honorary authorship in ophthalmology and to determine risk factors associated with ghost and honorary authorship. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. METHODS: Corresponding authors of articles published in Ophthalmology, JAMA Ophthalmology, and the American Journal of Ophthalmology from June 2019 to December 2020 were emailed an electronic survey. The rates of ghost and honorary authorship, demographic characteristics of the corresponding authors with and without ghost and honorary authorship, and risk factors for ghost and honorary authorship were evaluated. RESULTS: Corresponding authors (n = 830) were emailed a survey and 278 total responses (34.1%) were received; 227 responses (27.9%) were complete and included for analysis. Most respondents (n = 206, 90.7%) believed that the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines for authorship adequately address criteria for authorship. Twenty-seven corresponding authors (11.9%) reported characteristics of their articles that indicated the presence of both ghost and honorary authorship (95% CI, 7.7%-16.1%). One hundred fifteen (50.7%) reported honorary authorship (44.2%-57.2%), and 37 (16.3%) indicated ghost authorship (11.5%-21.1%). Being a resident or fellow corresponding author increased the risk of honorary authorship (OR 11.75; 1.91-231.57; P = .03). There were no factors that predicted articles having ghost authors. CONCLUSIONS: While many authors believe the ICMJE guidelines for authorship comprehensively delineate fair authorship practices, listing authors on scientific publications honorarily and excluding authors who qualify for authorship are relatively common practices in ophthalmological research. Further investigation into the drivers of honorary and ghost authorship practices in ophthalmology, and the effectiveness of preventive measures are needed to ensure fair authorship attributions.

Ophthalmic trauma: the top 100 cited articles in Ophthalmology journals.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the top 100 cited papers on ophthalmic trauma. METHODS: A literature search of Ophthalmology journals within the ISI Web of Science database for the most cited papers related to ophthalmic trauma. RESULTS: The most cited articles were published between 1943 and 2013, the greatest number being published in 2000. Ophthalmology (45), Archives of Ophthalmology (17), and the American Journal of Ophthalmology (15) published most of the articles. The institutions with the highest number of publications were Wilmer Eye Institute (10) and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (7). Sixty-seven percent of the articles originated from the USA. The most common type of trauma studied was non-open-globe injuries and the most frequent topic studied were pathological conditions secondary to trauma (34), particularly endophthalmitis (8), and optic neuropathy (6). Articles presenting a standardized classification system for eye injury received the highest average of citations per publication. Types of research most frequently cited were observational clinical studies (62) and epidemiological studies (30); the least frequent were clinical trials (2). CONCLUSION: This bibliographic study provides a historical perspective of the literature and identifies trends within the most highly influential papers on ophthalmic trauma. Many of these articles emerged within the past three decades and came from Ophthalmology journals that remain high impact to this day. Clinical trials have been difficult to conduct and are lacking, reflecting a critical need in ophthalmic trauma research, as most of our understanding of ophthalmic trauma comes from observational and epidemiological studies.

Novel treatment of recurrent orbital venolymphatic malformation with sirolimus and rivaroxaban.

Orbital venolymphatic malformations are rare vascular malformations that typically appear early in life and harbor acute and chronic threats to vision. Historically, there are four categories of management: observation, medication, sclerotherapy, and surgery. Currently, there is neither a gold standard for treatment nor randomized control trials comparing treatments.The authors present a 20-year-old male who presented with spontaneous hemorrhage of an orbital venolymphatic malformation occurring with increased frequency and involving more of the posterior orbit. Surgery and sclerotherapy were not feasible options due to the extensive intraorbital and intracranial involvement of the venolymphatic malformation. Systemic steroids treated symptoms but was not curative. To this end, a combination of sirolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, and rivaroxaban, a factor Xa inhibitor, were used to reduce the size of the lesion and minimize the risk of thromboembolic events. This treatment has successfully kept the patient's symptoms in remission for greater than 2 years.

Cataract Surgery Numbers in U.S. Ophthalmology Residency Programs: An ACGME Case Log Analysis.

PURPOSE: To describe and assess the cataract experience of ophthalmology residents throughout the United States (U.S.). METHODS: Cataract procedures logged by graduating ophthalmology residents nationwide and published by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) from 2009 to 2020 were analyzed using linear regression on log-transformed response variables with robust variance. RESULTS: As primary surgeon, average numbers logged for phacoemulsification increased yearly by an average of 4.1% prior to 2019 and then decreased by 22.1% in 2019 for an overall average yearly increase of 2.9% (95% CI: 0.5, 5.4%, p = .03), non-phacoemulsification extracapsular extraction decreased yearly by an average of 4.6% (95% CI: -7.7, -1.5%, p = .01), other cataract/intraocular lens surgeries decreased yearly by an average of 8.4% (95% CI: -10.1, -6.6%, p < .001), anterior vitrectomies decreased yearly by an average of 12.5% (95% CI: -14.9, -10.1%, p < .001), and laser capsulotomies increased yearly by an average of 6.0% prior to 2019 and then decreased by 3.0% for an overall average yearly increase of 5.3% (95% CI: 4.5, 6.2%, p < .001). As assistant, average numbers logged in all ACGME minimum categories showed decreasing trends. CONCLUSIONS: Over the last decade, the average numbers of phacoemulsification and laser capsulotomies logged by residents as primary surgeon increased while other ACGME cataract minimum procedures decreased. Surgical volume in 2019-20 was lower due to the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic but higher than from 2009 to 2013.

Endophthalmitis: a bibliographic review.

PURPOSE: To analyze the 100 most cited articles pertaining to endophthalmitis using bibliometric analysis. METHODS: An all-time Web of Science literature search and refined to peer-reviewed articles in the field of ophthalmology with the keyword "endophthalmitis" was completed. Total citation count of articles published pertaining to endophthalmitis, topic, incidence rate, publishing journals, year published, language, country of origin, number of authors, names of the first and last authors, study type, and number of patients/eyes studied. RESULTS: The top 100 most cited articles pertaining to endophthalmitis had a mean citation count of 362.92, with a range of 175 to 3583. They were published in 20 peer-reviewed journals, with Ophthalmology publishing the most (n = 42). Thirteen different countries were represented, with the majority (n = 77) originating from the USA. The most common study type was clinical experiences (n = 52), though eight of the top ten were clinical trials. The number of patients varied widely, represented by a mean of 9680, but with a median of only 229. The majority (n = 67) examined the incidence of endophthalmitis which included 24 articles after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections, 18 after ocular surgeries/procedures, 15 after intraocular steroid injections, eight after chemotoxic drug use, and three after ocular injuries. CONCLUSION: This bibliographic study serves as a unique historical analysis of the top 100 cited scholarly articles pertaining to endophthalmitis with many of the articles related to post-procedural endophthalmitis.

Assessment of Corneal Haze After PRK and the Effect of Sutureless Amniotic Membrane Graft by Corneal Densitometry.

PURPOSE: To assess whether densitometry analysis appropriately monitors the development of haze in myopic patients after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) when compared to subjective slit-lamp haze grade examinations, and whether sutureless cryo-preserved amniotic membrane reduced postoperative haze development when compared to the standard bandage contact lens. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort at the Center for Refractive Surgery, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data was performed. In the prospective study, participants underwent PRK for myopia. Postoperatively, a standard bandage contact lens was applied to the dominant eye and a sutureless cryo-preserved amniotic membrane graft to the nondominant eye. Participants were evaluated at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively for haze formation and corneal densitometry using slit-lamp biomicroscopy and Scheimpflug imaging, respectively. RESULTS: Densitometry measurements at 6 months postoperatively were positively and significantly associated with the presence or absence of haze as assessed by slit-lamp examination in 39 patients (78 eyes; age range: 21 to 44 years). Eyes with increased densitometry measurements had 2.3 to 3.4 times the odds (P ⩽ .014) of having clinical haze on slit-lamp examination. Eyes with the amniotic membrane graft showed a positive correlation with increased corneal densitometry throughout most layers of the cornea. CONCLUSIONS: Densitometry analysis appears to be a useful tool to supplement slit-lamp examination in monitoring haze development after PRK. The amniotic membrane failed to show a reduction in corneal densitometry in myopic eyes after PRK. [J Refract Surg. 2020;36(5):293-299.].

A Rare Case of Tubulointerstitial Nephritis and Uveitis Syndrome Treated with a Multi-Specialty Approach.

BACKGROUND It is important for an ophthalmologist and nephrologist to look for hidden causes of uveitis and nephritis, respectively. Delay in diagnosis leads to increased morbidity and failure to systemically manage the patient results in future recurrence of disease. It is likely that TINU remains underdiagnosed and could potentially account for some of the cases of idiopathic uveitis, especially when greater than 50% of uveitis cases have no identifiable cause. Fewer than 300 cases of tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome have been reported. In TINU syndrome, inflammation affects the renal tubules, interstitial tissue, and uveal tract. Its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. CASE REPORT We report a rare case of TINU syndrome in a 23-year-old female who was treated using a multispecialty approach. Her primary care physician diagnosed her with proteinuria and acute kidney injury and referred her to the nephrologist, who later referred her to the ophthalmologist. A left kidney biopsy confirmed acute interstitial nephritis. Following the discovery of a "pink eye", the patient was referred to ophthalmology and diagnosed with anterior uveitis, confirming TINU syndrome. Without the additional findings of uveitis, the diagnosis would have been missed. Resolution was obtained through steroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS Correctly diagnosing TINU syndrome requires a multispecialty approach and may not be obvious upon initial presentation. Therefore, the ophthalmologist needs to consider TINU in the differential diagnosis for a patient with bilateral uveitis and evaluate a urinalysis for proteinuria as part of the work up.