Uveal effusion and transient myopia as the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus patient with pulmonary arterial hypertension: case report.

We reported uveal effusion and transient myopia as the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Choroidal retinopathy is rare but extremely destructive to visual function. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and effective treatments will result in complete resolution of the uveal effusion and functional restoration of vision.

Retrospective, controlled observational case study of patients with central retinal vein occlusion and initially low visual acuity treated with an intravitreal dexamethasone implant.

BACKGROUND: Patients with initially low visual acuity were excluded from the therapy approval studies for retinal vein occlusion. But up to 28 % of patients presenting with central retinal vein occlusion have a baseline BCVA of less than 34 ETDRS letters (0.1). The purpose of our study was to assess visual acuity and central retinal thickness in patients suffering from central retinal vein occlusion and low visual acuity (<0.1) in comparison to patients with visual acuity (≥0.1) treated with Dexamethasone implant 0.7 mg for macular edema. METHODS: Retrospective, controlled observational case study of 30 eyes with macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion, which were treated with a dexamethasone implantation. Visual acuity, central retinal thickness and intraocular pressure were measured monthly. Analyses were performed separately for eyes with visual acuity <0.1 and ≥0.1. RESULTS: Two months post intervention, visual acuity improved only marginally from 0.05 to 0.07 (1 month; p = 0,065) and to 0.08 (2 months; p = 0,2) in patients with low visual acuity as compared to patients with visual acuity ≥0.1 with an improvement from 0.33 to 0.47 (1 month; p = 0,005) and to 0.49 (2 months; p = 0,003). The central retinal thickness, however, was reduced in both groups, falling from 694 to 344 µm (1 month; p = 0.003,) to 361 µm (2 months; p = 0,002) and to 415 µm (3 months; p = 0,004) in the low visual acuity group and from 634 to 315 µm (1 month; p < 0,001) and to 343 µm (2 months; p = 0,001) in the visual acuity group ≥0.1. Absence of visual acuity improvement was related to macular ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with central retinal vein occlusion and initially low visual acuity, a dexamethasone implantation can lead to an important reduction of central retinal thickness but may be of limited use to increase visual acuity.

Generalized lymphadenopathy and 18-fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography: targeting diagnostic intervention, characterizing disease extent, and assessing treatment efficacy in syphilis.

18-Fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been shown to have use in the diagnosis of inflammatory and infectious diseases in addition to its primary use in cancer. We describe a case of early neurosyphilis that initially presented as symmetric, generalized lymphadenopathy on PET/CT. We conclude that PET/CT may play a role in evaluating targeted diagnostic interventions, disease extent, and treatment efficacy for disseminated syphilis.

ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR THERAPY FOR NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION: Outcomes in Eyes With Poor Initial Vision.

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment on visual acuity outcome in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration presenting with very low vision. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of electronic patient care record of 420 eyes treated with ranibizumab between March 2010 and June 2013. The authors classified the extracted sample into 3 categories based on the initial best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) as measured on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study charts: 0 to 35 letters, 36 to 69 letters, and ≥ 70 letters. Best BCVA achieved in Year 1, and average BCVA over 36 months was computed. The neovascular lesion type, area of lesion, the presence or absence of hemorrhage, retinal pigment epithelium tear, and atrophy were systematically graded as was extent of fibrosis on a categorical scale of 0 to 4. Regression analysis was performed with the best BCVA achieved in Year 1 as the outcome variable and initial BCVA, person, and lesion characteristics as explanatory variables. RESULTS: The mean change in BCVA from the initial visit to the best-attained BCVA during Year 1 was highly statistically significant with an improvement of 9.95 letters. The improvement from initial BCVA to average BCVA over 36 months was 4.01 letters. Regression analysis identified atrophy and fibrosis as predictors of best BCVA, with the model having an r of 0.71. CONCLUSION: Our study supports the use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents even in eyes with low visual acuity particularly when fibrosis and atrophy are absent and suggests algorithms to predict outcome for combinations of visual acuity and lesion characteristics across the full visual acuity range.

Rapid improvement in visual loss with cabergoline treatment in a giant prolactinoma case: 5 years survey.

Giant prolactinoma is a rare subset of macroadenomas. Limited studies demonstrated which therapy could be successfully used in the first-line therapy of giant prolactinoma. We presented a case with a 54 × 40 × 40 mm pituitary adenoma and optic chiasmatic compression with left sphenoid sinus invasion. The tumor caused a loss of visual field of the right side. Cabergoline treatment was started with dose of 1.5 mg/week. Fifteen days later, the clinical visual acuity examination showed a significant improvement in the patient with visual field defect. After the five years follow-up magnetic resonance imagining showed reduction of the adenoma size (17 × 12 mm) was significant. Our findings suggest that, cabergoline can be used as a first-line therapy in giant prolactinomas because tumoral shrinkage without a surgical procedure and rapid improvement in visual field defect is achieved with this medical treatment.

Aflibercept (Eylea) and diabetic macular oedema. A first-choice VEGF inhibitor in case of marked visual loss.

Overall, VEGF inhibitors administered by intravitreal injection have a similar harm-benefit balance. However, a publicly funded trial has shown that aflibercept is more effective than ranibizumab and bevacizumab in patients with marked loss of visual acuity.

Is intravitreal bevacizumab an effective treatment option for nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy?

Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) causes sudden profound loss of vision with no known cause or cure. Various treatment modalities, both surgical and pharmacologic, have been tried without success. The purpose of our retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) as a treatment option for NAION. We evaluated demographics of 5 patients and compared visual acuity and automated visual fields prior to and following intravitreal bevacizumab injection. Visual acuity at presentation was 20/20 in 4 of 5 patients and 20/150 in 1. Visual acuity improved to 20/40 in the patient who presented with decreased acuity and decreased slowly in 3 patients and rapidly in 1. All patients presented with variable visual field defects: 1 improved slightly, 3 progressed, and 1 remained stable. One patient subsequently developed NAION in the fellow eye. These results are consistent with the natural course of the disease, and bevacizumab did not appear to have a dramatic effect on the clinical outcome in this small series of patients with NAION.

Clinical profile and demographic distribution of band shaped keratopathy in India: A study of 8801 patients.

Purpose: To describe the clinical profile and demographic distribution of band-shaped keratopathy (BSK) in patients presenting to a multitier ophthalmology hospital network in India. Methods: This cross-sectional hospital-based study included 2,664,906 new patients presenting between January 2011 and January 2021 (10-year period). Patients with a clinical diagnosis of BSK in at least one eye were included as cases. The data were collected using an electronic medical record system. Results: Overall, 8801 (0.33%) patients were diagnosed with BSK. The prevalence rates were 0.47% in children (age: <16 years) and 0.31% in adults. The majority of patients were males (62.87%) with unilateral affliction (85.21%). The mean age of the patients was 40.43 ± 23.14 years. The majority (16.93%) of the patients were in the age bracket of 11-20 years. A larger proportion of the patients were from higher socioeconomic status (60.46%) and the urban region (45.9%). Of the 10,103 eyes affected with BSK, the common ocular comorbidities were status post-vitreoretinal surgery (20.55%) and uveitis (12.7%) in children and corneal scar (41.23%) and spheroidal degeneration (13.7%) in adults. Most of the eyes had mild or no visual impairment (24.74%). Among the eyes that needed surgical intervention, chelation with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) was the most performed surgical procedure (1.68%) along with phototherapeutic keratectomy (0.32%). Conclusion: BSK commonly affects adult males and is unilateral in nature. The majority of the patients in this cohort belonged to higher socioeconomic strata and urban geography. At initial presentation, visual impairment was mild to moderate in a vast majority of the patients, and the most common surgical intervention performed was chelation with EDTA during the study period.

Central retinal artery occlusion and recurrent papillitis in a patient with incomplete Behçet disease.

A 40-year-old man presented with painless sudden visual loss due to a central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) in his right eye. Three months later, he had painless acute visual loss in his left eye with visual acuity of 20/100 and a swollen optic disc. After oral prednisone treatment, the disc swelling resolved and acuity recovered to 20/20. Five months later, the patient experienced another episode of vision loss in the left eye associated with optic disc edema. With steroid therapy, he regained 20/20 acuity once again. With a history of recurrent oral ulcers, fluorescein angiography showing obliterative retinal vasculitis in the right eye, and steroid responsive optic neuropathy in the left eye, we made the diagnosis of incomplete Behçet disease.

Bullous central serous chorioretinopathy and retinal pigment epithelium sequelae postblunt trauma.

A 68-year-old man presented with diminution of distance and near vision in the right eye for a duration of 1 month postblunt trauma with a stick. On examination, his visual acuity in the right eye was 20/320 and near vision was

Patterns of referral of retinal patients for low vision intervention in the anti-VEGF era.

PURPOSE: The goal of this study was to see how the availability of ranibizumab affected the referral patterns for low vision (LV) evaluation. METHODS: This study used a retrospective review and a comparison of all patients newly referred from retinal Practice 1 (J.T.T., R.N.S.) for LV consultation, from July 2005 to June 2006 (Year 1, preranibizumab) and from July 2006 to June 2007 (Year 2, ranibizumab available), and a retrospective review of patients referred by retinal Practice 2 (M.J.E.) since February 2007. RESULTS: Practice 1: In Year 1, 24 patients with choroidal neovascularization were referred for LV, and in Year 2, only 12 were referred. There was a trend for those patients referred in Year 2 to have worse visual acuity and Pelli-Robson contrast sensitivity than those in Year 1. In Years 1 and 2, 18 and 11 patients with other conditions were referred for LV consultation, respectively. For these patients without choroidal neovascularization, there was no significant difference between groups for visual acuity or contrast sensitivity. Practice 2: The mean best-corrected visual acuity of patients with bilateral choroidal neovascularization referred was 20/145, and no patient had visual acuity > or =20/100. CONCLUSION: Although the use of antivascular endothelial growth factor agents puts visual acuity in a zone more favorable for successful LV intervention, patients with better acuities may not be referred for LV evaluation despite their residual visual impairments and their scotomas, and despite the fact that without LV intervention, they are having difficulty with reading and other activities of daily living. The frequent visits required for monthly injection, the tendency to wait until a course of therapy is complete before referring patients, and a lesser appreciation for the need for LV intervention in patients with only moderate visual loss may be factors in explaining this.

Outcome of bevacizumab (Avastin) injection in patients with age-related macular degeneration and low visual acuity.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab for the treatment of long-standing exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and low visual acuity. METHODS: Forty-seven patients (48 eyes) aged 57 to 90 years with AMD for 5 months or more and visual acuity of 20/150 or less were treated with one or more injections of bevacizumab 1.25 mg/0.05 mL between December 2005 and March 2007. The files were reviewed for background data, visual acuity, fluorescein angiography, retinal thickness, and complications. RESULTS: Thirty-two eyes were treated previously with photodynamic therapy. Mean duration of symptoms was 17.9 +/- 17.5 months; mean number of bevacizumab injections was 3.41 +/- 2; and mean follow-up was 27 +/- 15 weeks. Snellen visual acuity improved from 20/150 to hand movements (mean logMAR 1.34 +/- 0.29) to 20/50 to counting fingers (mean logMar 1.2 +/- 0.42) (P = 0.003, paired t-test). Visual acuity improved by> or =3 lines in 12 eyes (25%); showed no change in 9 eyes (19%); and deteriorated by > or =3 lines in 4 eyes (8.3%). Visual acuity was at least 20/150 in 16 eyes (33.3%) at the end of follow-up compared with 4 eyes (8.3%) before treatment (P = 0.02, McNemar test). Mean central retinal thickness (measured in 22 eyes) decreased from 324 +/- 121 mum to 264 +/- 65 mum (P = 0.02, paired t-test). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with chronic exudative AMD and low visual acuity may benefit from intravitreal bevacizumab injections.

Acute painless monocular visual loss due to central retinal artery occlusion in a patient with Churg-Strauss vasculitis.

Ocular involvement in Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) is infrequent. We describe a case of a 50-year-old woman, with blood eosinophilia, involvement of the respiratory tract, skin, and peripheral nervous system, fulfilling the American College of Rheumatology criteria for CSS, who presented with left foot drop followed by left acute painless visual loss. Central retinal artery occlusion was diagnosed by fundoscopic findings (retinal whitening with a cherry-red spot). CSS was confirmed by sural nerve biopsy. Despite treatment with high-dose corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, and anticoagulant therapy, visual acuity was not substantially improved. Acute blindness in CSS has been rarely described. Even more rarely, central retinal artery occlusion has been found to be the underlying cause of this infrequent clinical manifestation in CSS.

Improvement in visual fields in a patient with melanoma-associated retinopathy treated with intravenous immunoglobulin.

Melanoma-associated retinopathy (MAR) is a rare disorder characterized by photopsias, shimmering vision, nyctalopia, and dysfunction of rod photoreceptor cells. We describe a 56-year-old man with metastatic cutaneous melanoma to the lymph nodes and MAR. He underwent resection of the metastasis followed by radiation therapy. Over the ensuing 2 months, visual function worsened so he was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg). Visual fields, but not electroretinography, improved steadily over the next year. No evidence of recurrence or metastatic disease has been found. Our patient indicates that even after a reduction or elimination of melanoma tumor burden and presumably the attenuation of the antigenic stimulus driving MAR, this disorder can continue to progress. In this setting, IVIg therapy should be considered a viable treatment option.

Idiopathic bilateral central artery occlusion in a young woman.

Central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) is uncommon among children and young adults. Bilateral CRAO before the age of 18 years are extremely rare. We present a case of an idiopathic bilateral CRAO in a young healthy female.

[Punctate Inner Choroidopathy]. / Vnitrní teckovitá choroidopatie.

UNLABELLED: Punctate Inner Choroidopathy (PIC) is a rare idiopathic ocular inflammatory disease. It occurs mostly in young, myopic, otherwise healthy women. Symptoms of the disease include acute vision decrease associated with central and paracentral scotoma. In 80% of cases PIC occur bilaterally. We report the case of a woman at the age of twenty-five, who was treated for PIC. Due to the finding of active inflammatory deposit in the retina of the left eye and low visual acuity was recommended corticosteroid therapy with a good therapeutic effect. KEY WORDS: Punctate Inner Choroidopathy (PIC), white dot syndromes.

Progressive Susac syndrome with bilateral visual loss and disability.

Susac syndrome (SS) is a rare retinal-cochlear-cerebral disease with an unclear etiology. A 35-year-old man presented with sudden painless vision loss in the right eye and 2 months later in the left eye with hemiparesis, behavioral changes, and hearing loss. Ophthalmic examinations revealed multiple branch retinal artery occlusions (BRAOs) in both eyes. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed inflammatory changes with multiple "punched-out" lesions in the corpus callosum which confirmed the diagnosis of SS. Despite intravenous and oral corticosteroid therapy, the disease progressed with the development of new BRAOs, low vision in both eyes, and disability. Prompt diagnosis and early treatment may save the vision and even patient's life.

Reversal of Visual Impairment Associated with Vasospasm After Resection of Sphenoclinoidocavernous Meningioma with Intra-Arterial Verapamil.

BACKGROUND: Visual loss can be encountered in the immediate, early, or even delayed postoperative period after resection of skull base meningiomas involving the optic apparatus. Various mechanisms for visual loss can include mechanical injury, vascular insult, optic nerve and chiasm edema, and vasospasm of the blood supply to the visual apparatus. CASE DESCRIPTION: In this article, we describe a patient who developed unilateral visual worsening in the early postoperative period after skull base resection of a sphenoclinoidocavernous meningioma that was compressing the ipsilateral optic nerve. After implementing hyperdynamic therapy and high-dose corticosteroids, catheter angiography showed severe vasospasm of the ipsilateral ophthalmic artery with delayed filling of the choroidal blush. Intra-arterial chemical angioplasty with verapamil was administered that resulted in angiographic improvement and clinical restoration of vision back to preoperative baseline. Vision remained stable in the postoperative course and continued to improve after discharge from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful reversal of postoperative unilateral visual loss related to vasospasm after resection of a skull base sphenoclinoidocavernous meningioma. This may be a useful strategy to diagnose and treat possible vasospasm-induced visual loss after resection of skull base meningiomas involving the optic apparatus.

Do complaints of amaurosis fugax and blurred vision after transcatheter device closure of atrial septal defect indicate microemboli to retinal vessels?

Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a common diagnosis in adults undergoing surgical repair. The aim of the study was to determine if ocular symptoms following treatment are due to microemboli. The study group included 20 adult patients (9 men, 11 women, mean age 57.2 years) with ASD who had undergone successful closure with the Amplatzer occluder. Patients were treated with aspirin or warfarin during the 6 months after the procedure. All were evaluated neurologically and an ocular medical history was obtained. Ocular examination included the 120-point Humphery visual field. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) was performed to monitor the middle cerebral artery. Two patients complained of amaurosis fugax at 1 and 3 months after the procedure, and two patients complained of blurred vision at 3 and 4 months after the procedure. TCD performed within 24 h of the complaints revealed no abnormalities. In all patients, the neurological and ocular examinations, including the visual field test, were normal. In conclusion, microembolic events do not appear to be the cause of the ocular complaints in patients with ASD treated with Amplatzer occluder. Further studies in larger samples are needed to confirm these results.