Occam versus Hickam.

A 23-year-old man presented with new onset horizontal diplopia 5 months after a left orbital floor fracture. Examination revealed bilateral abduction deficits and disc swelling. Urgent MRI and MRI showed no significant abnormalities in the CNS. Lumbar puncture revealed a minimally elevated opening pressure and significant leukocytosis. Additional CSF testing revealed probable Lyme meningitis. The patient responded to a course of oral doxycycline, with rapid resolution of his diplopia, abduction deficits, and disc edema.

Suspected orbital myositis associated with COVID-19.

A 44-year-old male patient developed proptosis, edema, and erythema progressing to complete ptosis and supraduction deficit 2 days after positive COVID-19 test. He failed to improve on systemic antibiotics. MRI showed thickening and T2 enhancement of the superior rectus/levator complex consistent with orbital myositis. He improved on intravenous corticosteroids and experienced continued gradual improvement on oral steroids.

Pediatric Eye Emergency Department Visits: Retrospective Review and Evaluation.

PURPOSE: To assess the epidemiology of pediatric ocular conditions presenting to an ophthalmic emergency department and analyze the incidence of ocular trauma and other ophthalmic diagnoses. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all patients seen in an urban eye emergency department over a 1-year period. The following variables were examined: visit date, demographics, diagnosis, mechanism of injury, and level of patient care. RESULTS: Analysis was performed on 1,136 pediatric visits spanning 1 year. Trauma was the most common etiology, seen in 44.4% of patients, followed by infection in 19.3%. The largest volume of pediatric use was in the spring and early summer, with the peak of trauma in the spring. Most admissions of pediatric patients were due to trauma (76.4%), of which the most common diagnoses were ruptured globe (27.3%), eyelid laceration (18.2%), and orbital fracture (10.9%). Sporting activities were the most frequent broad cause of trauma seen in pediatric patients, accounting for 30.9% of all trauma, whereas the highest singular cause of trauma was injury by air guns (9.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric ophthalmic emergency department visits in this urban setting are most often due to trauma, with increased use in the spring and early summer. A majority of the more serious conditions leading to admission can be attributed to trauma, which is often preventable. Knowledge of patterns of visits could improve planning of ophthalmology physician coverage. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2021;58(2):84-92.].

Prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors in an urban, ophthalmic population.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms in an adult ophthalmic patient population and to delineate correlates. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients (⩾18 years) were approached in general and sub-specialty cornea, retina, and glaucoma ophthalmic clinics. A total of 367 patients from the four clinics were enrolled. METHODS: Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. A cut-off score of ⩾10 was used to indicate clinically significant depressive symptoms. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 scores were used to evaluate bivariate relationships between depressive symptoms and distance visual acuity, ocular diagnosis, diabetes status, smoking status, demographic information, and medications. RESULTS: The majority of patients were female (52.9%) and Caucasian (48.6%). The mean age was 52.0 years (standard deviation: 16.7). Clinically significant depressive symptoms were present in 19.9% of patients overall; this rate varied slightly by clinic. Patients with low vision and blindness (visual acuity worse than 20/60) were more likely to have depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 2.82; 95% confidence interval: 1.90-4.21). Smoking and diabetes were also associated with depressive symptoms (odds ratio = 3.11 (2.66-3.64) and 3.42 (1.90-6.16), respectively). CONCLUSION: In a sample of urban ophthalmic adult patients, depressive symptoms were highly associated with low vision, smoking, and diabetes. This information can be used to target interventions to those at greatest risk of depressive symptoms.

Monocular visual loss as the presenting symptom of COVID-19 infection.

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE: Additional time is needed to determine the exact impact of COVID-19 on acute cerebrovascular disease incidence, but recently published data has correlated COVID-19 to large vessel occlusion strokes. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report the first case of central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) as the initial manifestation of COVID-19 infection. Subsequent neuroimaging revealed a large thrombus extending into the internal carotid artery. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates the need to suspect COVID-19 infection in patients presenting with retinal arterial occlusion, including individuals who are asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic for COVID-19 infection.

A lot of nerve.

A 71-year-old woman with a history of acute lymphoblastic leukemia presented with unilateral optic disc edema. Laboratory evaluations for infectious, inflammatory, and neoplastic etiologies were negative. Magnetic resonance imaging of the orbits with and without contrast demonstrated enhancement and thickening of the right optic nerve with mild stranding of the intraconal fat. She underwent three large-volume lumbar punctures, all of which were negative for malignancy. An optic nerve biopsy was ultimately performed, demonstrating malignant cells on immunohistochemical staining. This case illustrates a rare case of biopsy-proven leukemic infiltration of the optic nerve head as the presenting sign of leukemic relapse despite a negative systemic workup. Leukemic infiltration should be considered in the differential diagnosis for cases of acquired disc edema, especially in patients with a past medical history of leukemia.

Philadelphia Telemedicine Glaucoma Detection and Follow-up Study: confirmation between eye screening and comprehensive eye examination diagnoses.

AIMS: To evaluate agreement between ocular findings of a telemedicine eye screening (visit 1) with diagnoses of a comprehensive eye examination (visit 2). METHODS: A primary care practice (PCP)-based telemedicine screening programme incorporating fundus photography, intraocular pressure (IOP) and clinical information was conducted. Eligible individuals were African American, Hispanic/Latino or Asian over the age of 40; Caucasian individuals over age 65; and adults of any ethnicity over age 40 with a family history of glaucoma or diabetes. Participants with abnormal images or elevated IOP were invited back for a complete eye examination. Both visit 1 and visit 2 were conducted at participants' local PCP. Ocular findings at visit 1 and eye examination diagnoses at visit 2 are presented, including a cost analysis. RESULTS: Of 906 participants who attended visit 1, 536 were invited to visit 2 due to ocular findings or unreadable images. Among the 347 (64.9%) who attended visit 2, 280 (80.7%) were diagnosed with at least one ocular condition. Participants were predominately women (59.9%) and African American (65.6%), with a mean age (±SD) of 60.6±11.0 years. A high diagnostic confirmation rate (86.0%) was found between visit 1 and visit 2 for any ocular finding. Of 183 with suspicious nerves at visit 1, 143 (78.1%) were diagnosed as glaucoma or glaucoma suspects at visit 2. CONCLUSIONS: This screening model may be adapted and scaled nationally and internationally. Referral to an ophthalmologist is warranted if abnormal or unreadable fundus images are detected or IOP is >21 mm Hg. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02390245.

Prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors among school-age children in the School District of Philadelphia.

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence and severity of uncorrected refractive errors in school-age children attending Philadelphia public schools. METHODS: The Wills Eye Vision Screening Program for Children is a community-based pediatric vision screening program designed to detect and correct refractive errors and refer those with nonrefractive eye diseases for examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist. Between January 2014 and June 2016 the program screened 18,974 children in grades K-5 in Philadelphia public schools. Children who failed the vision screening were further examined by an on-site ophthalmologist or optometrist; children whose decreased visual acuity was not amenable to spectacle correction were referred to a pediatric ophthalmologist. RESULTS: Of the 18,974 children screened, 2,492 (13.1%) exhibited uncorrected refractive errors: 1,776 (9.4%) children had myopia, 459 (2.4%) had hyperopia, 1,484 (7.8%) had astigmatism, and 846 (4.5%) had anisometropia. Of the 2,492 with uncorrected refractive error, 368 children (14.8%) had more than one refractive error diagnosis. In stratifying refractive error diagnoses by severity, mild myopia (spherical equivalent of -0.50 D to < -3.00 D) was the most common diagnosis, present in 1,573 (8.3%) children. CONCLUSIONS: In this urban population 13.1% of school-age children exhibited uncorrected refractive errors. Blurred vision may create challenges for students in the classroom; school-based vision screening programs can provide an avenue to identify and correct refractive errors.

A Proposed Intervention to Decrease Resident-Performed Cataract Surgery Cancellation in a Tertiary Eye Care Center.

BACKGROUND: Cataracts are the leading cause of preventable blindness globally. As a result, competence in cataract surgery is an important component of ophthalmology residency training. Residency programs must optimize the number of cataract surgery cases to train proficient physicians. However, the rate of cataract surgery cancellations is high, and some are canceled because of preventable causes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of mandatory on-site preadmission testing, including having a physical examination, on resident-performed cataract surgery cancellation rates. METHODS: For this study, patients scheduled for cataract surgery at the Wills Eye Hospital resident cataract clinic between January 2015 and November 2015 were enrolled and randomized into 2 groups: usual care or intervention. The patients randomized to the usual care group were instructed to complete preadmission testing and to have a physical examination with their primary care physician. The patients randomized to the intervention group were escorted to a Wills Eye Hospital-affiliated cardiologist to complete preadmission testing and to have a physical examination. Patients in both groups received a reminder call before the cataract surgery. RESULTS: A total of 441 patients were included in the study-240 patients in the usual care group and 201 patients in the intervention group. The overall cataract surgery cancellation rate was 14.5%; the rate was 12.4% in the intervention group and 16.3% in the usual care group (P = .28). The patients receiving the intervention were more likely to have preadmission testing and a physical examination than the patients in the usual care arm (P <.001). CONCLUSIONS: Facilitating the completion of preadmission testing for patients decreased the rates of resident-performed cataract surgery cancellation at a Wills Eye Hospital resident clinic and has the potential to improve patient outcomes and prevent blindness.

Evaluation of a Web-Based Training in Smoking Cessation Counseling Targeting U.S. Eye-Care Professionals.

BACKGROUND: Smoking causes blindness-related diseases. Eye-care providers are uniquely positioned to help their patients quit smoking. AIMS: Using a pre-/postevaluation design, this study evaluated a web-based training in smoking cessation counseling targeting eye-care providers. METHOD: The training was developed based on the 3A1R protocol: "Ask about smoking, Advise to quit, Assess willingness to quit, and Refer to tobacco quitlines," and made available in the form of a web-based video presentation. Providers ( n = 654) at four academic centers were invited to participate. Participants completed pretraining, posttraining, and 3-month follow-up surveys. Main outcomes were self-reported improvement in their motivation, confidence, and counseling practices at 3-month follow-up. Generalized linear mixed models for two time-points (pretraining and 3-month) were conducted for these outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 113 providers (54.0% males) participated in the study (17.7% response rate). At the 3-month evaluation, 9.8% of participants reported improvement in their motivation. With respect to the 3A1R, 8% reported improvement in their confidence for Ask, 15.5% for Advise, 28.6% for Assess, and 37.8% for Refer. Similarly, 25.5% reported improvement in their practices for Ask, 25.5% for Advise, 37.2% for Assess, and 39.4% for Refer to tobacco quitlines ( p < .001 for all except for Refer confidence p = .05). DISCUSSION: Although participation rate was low, the program effectively improved providers' smoking cessation counseling practices. CONCLUSIONS: Including training in smoking cessation counseling in ophthalmology curriculums, and integrating the 3A1R protocol into the electronic medical records systems in eye-care settings, might promote smoking cessation practices in these settings.

Spheno-Orbital Meningiomas: An Analysis Based on World Health Organization Classification and Ki-67 Proliferative Index.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical behavior of spheno-orbital meningiomas with regard to World Health Organization (WHO) tumor grade and Ki-67, a cellular marker of proliferation. METHODS: A retrospective review over a 16-year period of the demographic, clinical, radiographic, and surgical data of all patients with spheno-orbital meningioma who underwent surgical resection. Tumor specimens were examined histologically using the current WHO 2016 classification and immunohistochemically using Ki-67/MIB-1 monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients met all inclusion criteria: 78.9% of tumors were WHO grade I with a mean Ki-67 of 3.76, and 93% of patients were clinically stable at last follow up; 10.5% of lesions were WHO grade II (atypical) with a mean Ki-67 of 14.93, and 10.5% of lesions were WHO grade III (anaplastic) with a mean Ki-67 of 58.3. All grade II and III meningiomas exhibited an aggressive clinical course. There were statistically significant correlations between disease clinical progression and WHO tumor grade (p < 0.001), between disease clinical progression and Ki-67 (p < 0.001), and between increasing Ki-67 index and higher WHO grade (p < 0.001). For WHO grade I lesions, a Ki-67 of ≥3.3 correlated with recurrence (p = 0.0256). Overall, disease-specific mortality occurred in 5 (13%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Ki-67 index is a valuable marker to use in conjunction with WHO grade to predict meningioma behavior, particularly in histologically borderline lesions, and possibly to identify a subset of WHO grade I tumors at risk of recurrence. This combination of methods can aid in tailoring treatment and surveillance strategies.

Non-adherence to eye care in people with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate individual factors that impact adherence to eye care follow-up in patients with diabetes. DESIGN AND METHODS: A 4-year retrospective chart review was conducted for 1968 patients with diabetes over age 40 from an urban academic center. Data collected included demographics, insurance, visual acuity, smoking status, medications, dates of dilated fundus examinations (DFE), and reported hemoglobin A1C and blood glucose levels. The primary outcome was timely DFE follow-up adherence following the initial eye exam visit. RESULTS: Overall, 41.6% of patients adhered to initial follow-up eye care recommendations. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that patients with severe diabetic retinopathy (DR) were more adherent than patients with mild DR (OR 1.86). Other variables associated with increased adherence were visual impairment and reported A1C or blood glucose. Smoking was associated with decreased adherence. Ethnicity and insurance were also significantly associated with adherence. Longitudinal follow-up rates were influenced by additional factors, including ethnicity and neighborhood deprivation index. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with moderate to severe DR and/or visual impairment were more likely to adhere to timely DFE follow-up. This could relate to the presence of visual symptoms and/or other systemic manifestations of diabetes. Smokers were less likely to adhere to timely DFE follow-up. One hypothesis is patients who smoke have other symptomatic health problems which patients prioritize over asymptomatic ocular disorders. In order to reduce vision loss from DR, practitioners should be aware that patients with mild and moderate DR, patients with normal vision, and smokers are at greater risk for poor follow-up eye care adherence.

Philadelphia Telemedicine Glaucoma Detection and Follow-up Study: Methods and Screening Results.

PURPOSE: To describe methodology and screening results from the Philadelphia Telemedicine Glaucoma Detection and Follow-up Study. DESIGN: Screening program results for a prospective randomized clinical trial. METHODS: Individuals were recruited who were African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or Asian over age 40 years; white individuals over age 65 years; and any ethnicity over age 40 years with a family history of glaucoma or diabetes. Primary care offices and Federally Qualified Health Centers were used for telemedicine (Visit 1). Two posterior fundus photographs and 1 anterior segment photograph were captured per eye in each participant, using a nonmydriatic, autofocus, hand-held fundus camera (Volk Optical, Mentor, Ohio, USA). Medical and ocular history, family history of glaucoma, visual acuity, and intraocular pressure measurements using the ICare rebound tonometer (ICare, Helsinki, Finland) were obtained. Images were read remotely by a trained retina reader and a glaucoma specialist. RESULTS: From April 1, 2015, to February 6, 2017, 906 individuals consented and attended Visit 1. Of these, 553 participants were female (61.0%) and 550 were African-American (60.7%), with a mean age of 58.7 years. A total of 532 (58.7%) participants had diabetes, and 616 (68%) had a history of hypertension. During Visit 1, 356 (39.3%) participants were graded with a normal image. Using image data from the worse eye, 333 (36.8%) were abnormal and 155 (17.1%) were unreadable. A total of 258 (28.5%) had a suspicious nerve, 62 (6.8%) had ocular hypertension, 102 (11.3%) had diabetic retinopathy, and 68 (7.5%) had other retinal abnormalities. CONCLUSION: An integrated telemedicine screening intervention in primary care offices and Federally Qualified Health Centers detected high rate of suspicious optic nerves, ocular hypertension, and retinal pathology.

Reaching the Unreachable: Novel Approaches to Telemedicine Screening of Underserved Populations for Vitreoretinal Disease.

Telemedicine involves electronic communication between a physician in one location and a patient in another location to provide remote medical care. Ophthalmologists are increasingly employing telemedicine, particularly in retinal disease screening and monitoring. Telemedicine has been utilized to decrease barriers to care and yield greater patient satisfaction and lower costs, while maintaining high sensitivity and specificity. This review discusses common patient barriers to eye care, innovative approaches to retinal disease screening and monitoring using telemedicine, and eye care policy initiatives needed to enact large-scale telemedicine eye disease screening programs.

Improving Follow-Up Adherence in a Primary Eye Care Setting.

Lack of patient adherence with eye appointments can decrease ocular outcomes. This prospective, randomized, single-blinded controlled study assessed the effectiveness of multiple interventions in improving follow-up adherence to recommended eye appointments. Patients due for follow-up appointments were randomly assigned to usual care, automated intervention, or personal intervention. Automated-intervention patients and personal-intervention patients received a call one month prior to the recommended follow-up date, and a mailed appointment reminder letter. The call was automated for automated-intervention patients and personalized for personal-intervention patients. The primary outcome was adherence to the follow-up appointment. The secondary outcome was rate of appointment scheduling. Patients in the personal-intervention group had greater adherence to follow-up recommendations (38%) than patients in the usual care group (28%) and the automated-intervention group (30%). Personal intervention significantly increased appointment scheduling (51%) over usual care (32%) and automated intervention (36%). These results support systems-level changes to improve patient follow-up adherence in urban primary eye care settings.

Laboratory Investigations for Diagnosis of Autoimmune and Inflammatory Periocular Disease: Part II.

PURPOSE: To review the important laboratory serological investigations routinely performed for the diagnosis of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases of the orbit and ocular adnexa. METHODS: Review of the literature as well as personal clinical experience of the authors. Due to the extensive nature of the topic, the review has been split into 2 parts. Part I covers thyroid eye disease, IgG4-related disease, and myasthenia gravis. In part II of the review, sarcoidosis, vasculitis, Sjögren syndrome, and giant cell arteritis will be discussed. RESULTS: Several relatively specific serologic tests are available for the diagnosis of a variety of inflammatory and serologic diseases of the orbit. CONCLUSION: In cases of limited orbital or sino-orbital disease, serologic testing may be negative in a significant number of patients. Specifically, the clinician should be wary of ruling out limited orbital sarcoid or sinoorbital granulomatosis with polyangiitis based on serologic testing alone. Part I of this review has covered serologic testing for thyroid eye disease, IgG4-related disease, and myasthenia gravis. In part II, the authors discuss serologic testing for sarcoidosis, vasculitis, Sjögren syndrome (SS), and giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Orbital Compartment Syndrome Following Post-Traumatic Subgaleal Hematoma.

Orbital extension of subgaleal hematoma is rare. This report describes the case of an otherwise healthy 10-year-old girl who developed delayed contralateral proptosis and external ophthalmoplegia after relatively minor right-sided forehead trauma. She was found to have bilateral subgaleal hematomas communicating with a left superior subperiostial orbital hematoma. Over the course of 2 days, she developed an orbital compartment syndrome requiring emergent canthotomy and cantholysis, followed by surgical incision and drainage of her scalp hematoma without orbitotomy. Hematologic work-up revealed heterozygous factor VII deficiency.

The Utility of Color Duplex Ultrasonography in the Diagnosis of Giant Cell Arteritis: A Prospective, Masked Study. (An American Ophthalmological Society Thesis).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic yield and concordance of color duplex ultrasound (CDU) of the superficial temporal artery (STA), temporal artery biopsy (TAB), and American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA). METHODS: Prospective, masked study of all patients evaluated in one institution suspected of having GCA. All patients with a suspected diagnosis of GCA were admitted for pulsed intravenous corticosteroids. Patients underwent serologic work-up and ACR criteria were documented. All patients had a CDU and TAB performed within 3 days of initiation of systemic corticosteroid therapy. Main outcome measure: Concordance of CDU and TAB. Secondary outcome measures: Concordance between unilateral and bilateral CDU and TAB by side and segment, concordance between TAB and ACR criteria, and statistical analysis of serologic markers for GCA. RESULTS: The diagnosis of biopsy-proven GCA was found in 14 of 71 (19.7%) patients. The sensitivity of CDU compared to the reference standard of TAB ranged between 5.1% and 30.8% depending on the signs studied on CDU and correlation of specific TAB parameters. Of the serologic studies, a platelet count threshold of 400,000µL had the highest positive (18.32) and lowest negative (0.37) likelihood ratios for a diagnosis of GCA. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, CDU showed minimal value in diagnosing GCA compared to TAB. There was poor correlation between CDU results and ACR criteria for GCA. The threshold platelet count had higher positive and negative predictive values for GCA than CDU and is a useful serologic marker for GCA.