Visual outcome and patient satisfaction in patients undergoing cataract surgery with premium intraocular lens implantation

Background: Cataract is a one of the leading cause of treatable visual impairment. Premium intraocular lens (IOL) implantation refers to the use of advanced and high-quality lenses during cataract surgery. Objective was to study the visual outcome with astigmatism correction in patients following multifocal, trifocal and EDOF IOL implantation. Methods: This hospital-based interventional study was carried on 33 patients who underwent cataract surgery with premium IOL implantation. Patients with astigmatism exceeding 1 dioptre who expressed willingness for premium IOL implantation were included in the study. Results: In the study, visual acuity and contrast sensitivity were assessed in patients who underwent Premium IOL implantation at 1 week, 6 weeks, and 3-months post-surgery. Results indicated a notable decrease in uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCDVA), uncorrected intermediate visual acuity (UCIVA), and uncorrected near visual acuity (UCNVA) compared to preoperative values across all premium IOL groups. However, contrast sensitivity exhibited a significant improvement at these specified time points after the premium IOL implantation. Conclusions: In our study, all premium IOLs effectively corrected astigmatism and met patient satisfaction needs. However, toric IOLs exhibited notably higher patient satisfaction compared to EDOF, multifocal, and trifocal IOLs.

Study on Pattern of Rainfall and its Effect in the Chhatarpur (M.P), India

Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy. It gives employment to more than 50 percent of India's population. This sector contributes more than 15 percent to the country's GDP, which signifies its importance in our economy. Though important, it is highly susceptible to losses due to its high dependence on various variable factors such as rainfall, soil fertility, temperature etc., which varies across the region. This article analyzes various literature to help us understand the trend, effects, and impact of rainfall in the Chhatarpur district. We analyze the effects of rainfall on groundwater, cropping patterns, and irrigation facilities in that region.

Teplizumab: a new glimmer of hope for type 1 diabetic patients

Teplizumab is the first monoclonal antibody used to delay the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). It is a highly selective, a CD3-directed monoclonal antibody, given parenterally that was approved in November 2022, for delaying the onset of Stage 3 type 1 diabetes in adults and paediatric patients aged 8 years and older with stage 2 type 1 Diabetes. It binds to the immune cells that destroy the insulin producing pancreatic beta cells and inactivates them thereby leading to decreased rate of reduction in insulin production and subsequently delay in the onset of stage 3 type 1 diabetes.

Outcome of therapeutic deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in advanced Acanthamoeba keratitis

Purpose: To report and analyze the outcomes of therapeutic deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) in patients with advanced Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK). Methods: Medical records of microbiologically confirmed AK, underwent DALK from 2004 to 2017, were reviewed and the data related to early and late outcome including complications were retrieved. Outcome of cases with largest diameter of infiltrate ?8 mm at the time of surgery (advanced keratitis) were analyzed and compared with those with less severe keratitis (infiltrate size less than 8 mm). Results: Out of 23 patients of AK in whom DALK was performed, ten (43.4%) patients had advanced keratitis. Mean age of these patients was 38.7 ± 8.6 years (range, 25 to 56). Median visual acuity at presentation was 2.78 (IQR, 1.79–3.0) that improved to 1.79 (IQR, 0.70–2.78) postoperatively. Early complications included recurrence of AK in 2 (20%), Descemet's membrane detachment in 5 (50%), and persistent epithelial defect in 3 (30%) cases. Overall, 6 (60%) grafts failed, whereas 4 (40%) patients had clear graft at their last follow-up. Median follow-up of these cases was 5 months (IQR, 1.4–11.4). One graft developed stromal rejection, which resolved with increased dose of corticosteroids. In comparison, DALK performed for less severe keratitis (N = 13) had 1 (7.6%) recurrence and 2 (15.8%) grafts failure (OR, 8.25). The probability of one-year graft survival and eradication of infection was 32% and 74.1%, respectively, in advanced cases compared to 91.6% and 83.9% in less severe cases. Conclusion: Outcome of DALK in advanced Acanthamoeba keratitis is less favorable compared to those carried out for less severe keratitis cases.

Internal Pudendal Artery Injury Following An Open Book Pelvic Fracture: A Case Report

@#Arterial haemorrhage is a potentially life threatening complication in severe pelvic ring injuries such as “open book” fractures. These injuries mostly implicate the posterior branches of the internal iliac artery. However, we report an unusual case wherein the source of bleeding was identified to be the internal pudendal artery and its branches. Patient was a 27-year-old male who presented to the emergency following an alleged history of road traffic accident and was diagnosed as a case of pelvic fracture (Young and Burgess Antero-Posterior Compression II) with sacral fracture (Denis type 2) with suspected urethral injury. Computerised Tomography (CT) angiogram revealed contrast extravasation from the right internal pudendal artery. However, digital subtraction angiography (DSA) was normal indicating spontaneous closure of the arterial bleeder. Surgical stabilisation of the fracture was carried out and subsequently, patient was discharged. This report serves to highlight that although uncommon, internal pudendal artery can be injured in hemodynamically unstable “open book” pelvic fractures and hence, must be always ruled out.

Procurement, storage and utilization trends of eye banks in India

Purpose: To study the trends in collection, storage and utilization of donor corneas in eye banks in India. Methods: The data was collected from 12 eye banks in India that collected more than 1000 corneas per year. The retrospective analysis of the parameters like characteristics of the donor and the host, storage media used, number of eyes collected, number of eyes utilized, causes of non-utilization of the tissue and the procedures performed was done. Results: A total of 20,564 eyes were collected by the 12 eye banks during the year 2013–2014. Voluntary eye donation (VED), and hospital cornea retrieval program (HCRP) contributed to 59.6% and 40.4% of tissue procurement respectively. Whole globe enucleation (52.3%) was more commonly performed as compared to in-situ excision of the donor corneas. The most commonly used storage media at all eye banks was McCarey-Kaufman (MK) media (83.3%). The utilization rate of the donor eyes was 50.5%. The most frequent indication for corneal transplantation was infection (active infection - 33.13%, healed infection - 10.78%) followed by Pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (PBK) (13.57%). Full thickness keratoplasty (optical penetrating keratoplasty - 47.23%, therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty - 31.74%) was performed most often followed by endothelial keratoplasty (12.41%) in the developing country. Conclusion: VED still contributes to majority of the donor tissue retrieval in India. The majority of the eye banks still utilize whole globe enucleation technique and store tissues in MK media. Trends from previous years showed a change towards HCRP, in-situ excision technique and preservation in the long-term storage media.

A comparative study of preoperative and postoperative changes in corneal astigmatism after pterygium excision by different techniques

Purpose: To study the changes in corneal astigmatism before and after pterygium excision as well as with differences between various surgical techniques (bare sclera, conjunctival autograft, amniotic membrane graft). Methods: The study population included 71 patients with primary pterygium who underwent surgery. The surgical techniques used differed among the study population. All the patients were preoperatively assessed for visual acuity, anterior and posterior segments, autorefraction, and autokeratometry. After surgery, the patients were assessed for visual acuity, autorefraction, and autokeratometry on day 5, 1 month, and 3 months and the results were analyzed. Paired and unpaired t-tests were used to compare the variables. The probability level of 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The reduction in the mean preoperative astigmatism of 3.47 ± 1.74 Diopters (D) to 1.10 ± 0.78 D 3 months after surgery was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Bare sclera, conjunctival autograft, and amniotic membrane graft techniques exhibited changes in astigmatism amounting to 1.85 ± 0.88 D, 2.55 ± 1.26 D, and 2.67 ± 1.44 D, respectively. Pterygium excision surgeries using amniotic membrane graft and conjunctival autograft techniques were more effective than pterygium excision surgery using bare sclera technique in reducing astigmatism. Conclusion: Pterygium excision results in significant reduction in astigmatism which leads to improvement in visual acuity. Amniotic membrane graft and conjunctival autograft are better surgical techniques than bare sclera as far as reducing astigmatism is concerned.

Primary graft failure after big bubble deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in macular corneal dystrophy

Macular corneal dystrophy is autosomal recessive dystrophy characterized by deposits of abnormal glycosaminoglycans in stromal lamellae and within endothelial cells. Deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty is successful in the management of this dystrophy. We herein describe three cases of primary graft failure after uneventful big bubble deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty for macular corneal dystrophy.

Current practice in handling and reporting needle biopsies: A hospital-based survey

Context: Core-needle biopsy (CNB) is a minimally invasive screening and diagnostic tool which provides intact tissue fragments for histopathological examination. Aims: This study was conducted to review the current practices of handling and reporting CNBs performed for core-needle biopsies from four organ systems which are frequently encountered in our institution. These include breast, prostate, soft tissues, and lymph nodes. Settings and Design: This was a retrospective study conducted at a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: CNB reports of breast, prostate, soft tissue, and lymph nodes were accessed and categorized based on the site of biopsy, number, and average length of the cores. The CNB reports were categorized into diagnostic or nondiagnostic. In case of diagnosis of malignancy, reports were recorded as structured or nonstructured reports. Statistical Analysis Used: Fisher's exact test and Chi-square tests were applied to check the significance of the results obtained on comparing the number of cores and size of cores with the outcome of report. Results: Out of 16,300 surgical pathology specimens received, 400 were CNBs comprising breast (n = 211), prostate (n = 108), soft tissue (n = 50), and lymph node (n = 31). Majority of the CNBs had 2–5 cores and the size of the core was ≥0.5 cm, which accounted for most of the reports which were diagnostic. There was a lack of clinical and radiological detail in many of the cases. Out of the malignant cases diagnosed, structured reports were given in 30% of breast, 79.3% of prostate, 41.7% soft tissue, and 60% of lymph node needle biopsies. Conclusions: The audit helped to identify areas of improvement in CNB services.

Outcomes of keratoplasty in lattice corneal dystrophy in a large cohort of Indian eyes

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of keratoplasty for lattice corneal dystrophy (LCD) performed at a tertiary eye care center. Methods: A retrospective review of medical records of those patients who were clinically diagnosed to have LCD (72 eyes of 57 patients) and underwent either penetrating keratoplasty (PK, 58 eyes of 46 patients) or deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK, 14 eyes of 13 patients) between the years 1987 and 2014 was performed. The main outcome measures included demographics, clinical features, and outcomes of keratoplasty. Results: The median follow-up after keratoplasty was 3.1 years (interquartile range [IQR], 9 months to 9 years). The median best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.18 (IQR, 0.10�48) (Snellen equivalent 20/30 [IQR, 20/25�/60]) at 4 years postoperatively and 0.65 (IQR, 0.18-0.95) (Snellen equivalent 20/89 [IQR, 20/30�/178]) at 10 years following surgery. DALK eyes had a significantly better BCVA than PK eyes at 2 years following keratoplasty. The median overall survival of grafts was 15.8 years. Late complications included recurrence of LCD (14 eyes), graft infiltrate (23 eyes), graft rejection (15 eyes), graft failure (16 eyes), and glaucoma (14 eyes). Conclusion: The outcomes of graft are similar following PK and deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty; however, the latter appears to provide slightly better visual outcome. Recurrence of dystrophy in the graft and graft infiltrates limit the overall graft survival in both the groups.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Pharmacovigilance among the Interns in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Northern India-A Questionnaire Based Study

Background: The use of drugs and occurrence of its ADRs go hand in hand. Spontaneous reporting of ADRs is an effective method and needs to be encouraged. Objective: The study was planned to know the perception of interns towards pharmacovigilance and to make them aware of the importance of ADR reporting. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional observational questionnaire based study conducted on 100 interns to gather information about the knowledge of Pharmacovigilance, attitude towards reporting and factors in practice which could act as a deterrent to the reporting of ADRs. Results: Out of the 100 interns, 90 responded. 50 % participants knew the purpose of PV. 67% agreed that it should be mandatory. 59% and 67% said that medical students and nurses have a role to play in PV. Half of the interns had seen an ADR, only 42% knew how and where to report. Very few (9%) were aware of what happens to the information submitted by them. Conclusion: There is a huge gap between knowledge of ADR reporting and pharmacovigilance and the practical reporting of ADRs. Our health care providers need to be well equipped to detect, manage, report ADRs. For this, educational intervention, regular training programmes are the need of the hour to create awareness and take care of the factors responsible for under reporting. Pharmacovigilance programme needs to be strengthened by increasing the rate of ADR reporting by active participation of health care providers.

Retinal nerve fibre layer analysis in primary open angle glaucoma

Background: POAG occurs in elderly, rarely seen earlier than 40 years of age and tends to run in families. Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the slow, progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells. Aim: To study the changes, in retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Materials and methods: The present cross sectional study was carried out at a tertiary care hospital in North India. 100 patients of primary open angle glaucoma were matched with 100 controls and evaluated with the aim to assess their RNFL thickness and compare with each other. Results: The data distribution analysis of retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in different optic nerve head quadrants in POAG group in relation to overall severity of glaucoma shows that in superior quadrant maximum number of patients in preperimetric group 6 (50%) cases, in mild 9 (45%) cases and in moderate group 25 (44.6%) were in the range 100±10μm. But in severe glaucoma cases majority 7 (58.3%) cases had the RNFL thickness in the range of 60±10 μm. The temporal quadrant RNFL thickness was least in all grades of severity of glaucoma i.e. preperimetric 6 (50%), in mild cases 9 (45%), in moderate 25 (44.6%) cases and in severe 8 (66.7%) cases. Conclusion: Overall RNFL thickness variation, regardless of severity of glaucoma, follow the normal pattern of thickness being thicker in superior and inferior quadrant compared to nasal and temporal quadrant. It was interesting to note that the RNFL thickness in all the quadrants of optic nerve head area continues to become thinner as the severity of glaucoma increases.

Microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis in an immunocompetent patient with a past history of laser in situ keratomilieusis surgery.

Ocular infection with microsporidia has been documented in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. Sources and mode of human infection with microsporidia have been difficult to ascertain although exposure to water may be an important risk factor. Of four genera that have been reported in human disease, only the genera Nosema, Encephalitozoon and Septata are documented to cause ocular infection. Here, in our case a healthy 30-year-old man who had undergone bilateral laser in situ keratomilieusis surgery two and half years back presented with a 10-day history of redness and 4-day history of blurring of vision in the right eye. On presentation, his best-corrected visual acuity was 20/20 partial in both eyes. Slit lamp examination revealed multiple pin head shaped infiltrates in the right cornea. Examination of the left eye was unremarkable. Based on microscopic demonstration of numerous microsporidial spores in the corneal scrapings, a diagnosis of microsporidial keratitoconjunctivitis was made. On treatment with oral albendazole, the cornea became clear with complete resolution of symptoms and signs within two weeks.

Wiedemann-Rautenstauch Syndrome.

Wiedemann-Rautenstauch (WR) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive neonatal progeroid syndrome with only few published case reports. We describe a neonate showing clinical features of WR syndrome with peeling of skin, and presented with weak cry and breathing difficulty since birth.