Pars plana subcapsulotomy to remove condense subcapsular opacification in combined surgery of silicone oil removal and phacoemulsification.

PURPOSE: Because of the direct contact of intravitreal silicone oil (SO) with the subcapsular membrane, cataract is one of the main SO-related complications. In a group of patients, condense subcapsular opacification occurs, which adds difficulty and risk when having sequential treatment of it. The aim of the current study is to assess the long-term outcomes of pars plana subcapsulotomy to remove condense subcapsular opacification in combined surgery of SO removal and phacoemulsification. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study. Consecutive patients who were scheduled to have combined surgery of SO removal and phacoemulsification, and with condense subcapsular opacification were included. After phacoemulsification and SO removal, circular subcapsulotomy (diameter = 3-5 mm) was performed with a 23-/25-gauge vitrectomy probe on each subject during the combined surgery. Main outcomes were pre- and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intra- and postoperative complications. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty patients (120 eyes) were included. Postoperative logMAR BCVA at day 1, week 1, month 1, and final follow-up examinations was 1.0 ± 0.5, 0.7 ± 0.4, 0.6 ± 0.4, and 0.6 ± 0.3, respectively. Statistically significant median differences of logMAR BCVA occurred between the preoperative examination and each postoperative follow-up examination (all p < 0.001). The sharpest median increase in logMAR BCVA occurred between the day 1 and week 1 postoperative examinations (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: For condense subcapsular opacification caused by SO tamponade, pars plana subcapsulotomy with a 23-/25-gauge vitrectomy probe during combined surgery of SO removal and phacoemulsification is effective and safe to have surgical management of it. The systemic approach enables patients to experience rapid and long-lasting vision rehabilitation in a single procedure.

Mutation survey and genotype-phenotype analysis of COL2A1 and COL11A1 genes in 16 Chinese patients with Stickler syndrome.

PURPOSE: To identify mutations in COL2A1 and COL11A1 genes and to examine the genotype-phenotype correlation in a cohort of Chinese patients with Stickler syndrome. METHODS: A total of 16 Chinese probands with Stickler syndrome were recruited, including nine with a family history of an autosomal dominant pattern and seven sporadic cases. All patients underwent full ocular and systemic examinations. Sanger sequencing was used to analyze all coding and adjacent regions of the COL2A1 and COL11A1 genes. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification was performed to detect the gross indels of COL2A1 and COL11A1. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to evaluate the pathogenicity of the variants. RESULTS: Five mutations in COL2A1 were identified in six of 16 probands, including three novel (c.85C>T, c.3356delG, c.3401delG) mutations and two known mutations (c.1693C>T, c.2710C>T). Of the five mutations, three were truncated mutations, and the other two were missense mutations. Putative pathogenic mutations of the COL11A1 gene were absent in this cohort of patients. Gross indels were not found in COL2A1 or COL11A1 in any of the probands. High myopia was the most frequent initial ocular phenotype of Stickler syndrome. In this study, 12 Chinese probands lacked obvious systemic phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, three novel and two known mutations in the COL2A1 gene were identified in six of 16 Chinese patients with Stickler syndrome. This is the first study in a cohort of Chinese patients with Stickler syndrome, and the results expand the mutation spectrum of the COL2A1 gene. Analysis of the genotype-phenotype correlation showed that the early onset of high myopia with vitreous abnormalities may serve as a key indicator of Stickler syndrome, while the existence of mandibular protrusion in pediatric patients may be an efficient indicator for the absence of mutations in COL2A1 and COL11A1.

A SURGICAL APPROACH TO LARGE SUBRETINAL HEMORRHAGE USING PARS PLANA VITRECTOMY AND 360° RETINOTOMY.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the surgical approach of pars plana vitrectomy combined with 360° retinotomy and silicon oil tamponade in the treatment of patients with large subretinal hemorrhage. METHODS: Prospective, nonrandomized, and noncomparative case series study. Consecutive patients with breakthrough vitreous hemorrhage and massive subretinal hemorrahge were recruited to have combined surgery of pars plana vitrectomy with 360° retinotomy and silicone oil temponade. The main outcomes were best-corrected visual acuity, retina status, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (21 eyes) were included. The mean follow-up was 19.9 ± 7.4 months. The mean preoperative thickness of subretinal hemorrhage was 4.25 ± 0.69 mm. All the patients were observed to have choroidal neovascularization during the surgical procedure. The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best-corrected visual acuity (Snellen equivalent) significantly improved from preoperatively 2.64 (hand movement) to 1.73 (7/400), 1.50 (6/200), 1.51 (6/200), and 1.45 (7/200) at 1 month, 3 months, 6 months after the initial surgery, and final follow-up. Postoperative complications included temporary higher intraocular pressure, silicone oil emulsification, lens opacification, epimacular membrane, retinal pigment epithelium loss, and subretinal fibrosis. At the end of the follow-up, retinas were all reattached without any recurrence of choroidal neovascularization. CONCLUSION: Pars plana vitrectomy combined with retinotomy and silicone oil tamponade is effective for eyes with breakthrough vitreous hemorrhage and massive subretinal hemorrahge.

A machine-independent method to have active removal of 5,000 centistokes silicone oil using plastic infusion tube and 23-gauge microcannulas.

BACKGROUND: To describe one modified method of having machine-independent removal of 5,000 centistokes silicone oil through 23-gauge trocar-cannulas. METHODS: Consecutive patients with silicone oil tamponade for more than four months and with complete retinal reattachment were included. Two 23-gauge trocars were used to make sclerotomies while the microcannulas remained in situ for intravitreous infusion and silicone oil drainage. A short section of infusion tube was connected with a 10 ml syringe's needle adapter. The other side was attached to the conjunctiva surface and covered the cannula's cap inside to form a closed space for silicone oil drainage. The main outcomes were duration for complete removal of silicone oil and intra- and postoperative complications. RESULT: There were totally twenty cases (20 eyes) included. The mean time for draining out the silicone oil was 4.54 ± 0.78 minutes. Intraoperatively, flute needle was introduced additionally in seven cases to achieve complete removal. No cases experienced postoperative visual acuity deterioration or refractory hypotony. No significant residual oil bubbles were observed. No retinal redetachment occurred throughout the follow-ups. CONCLUSION: The modified method of using an infusion tube and 23-gauge trocar-cannulas can achieve quick and complete removal of high viscosity silicone oil.

Modified technique for transscleral fixation of posterior chamber intraocular lenses.

BACKGROUND: Suture exposure remains to be a potential problem of transscleral fixated posterior chamber intraocular lens (PCIOL). We report a modified technique to minimize the risk of suture exposure for the transscleral fixation of PCIOL. METHODS: The modified surgical technique is as following: at first, two 3 mm × 4 mm square scleral pockets were created from groove incisions at opposite positions. A straight needle attached to a 10-0 polypropylene suture was passed through one incision groove. Then, a 27-Gauge hollow needle passed through the opposite sclera incision bed was used to retrieve the straight fine needle via its barrel. The sutures were tied to themselves after one more bite on the scleral bed. At last, the suture ends were left long (about 4 mm) and laid flat into corresponding laminar scleral pockets. This modified technique of PCIOL was performed in 48 post-traumatic aphakic vitrectomized eyes from 48 patients (47 male, one female) with mean age of 34.8 ± 14.8 years. Main outcome measures included best corrective visual acuity (BCVA), IOL decentration, IOL tilt, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: The mean follow-up was 32.3 ± 10.8 months (3-67 months). The LogMAR BCVA remained stable, from a preoperative value of 0.46 ± 0.34 to postoperative 0.44 ± 0.34 (p = 0.69). Mild IOL tilt (5-10°) was observed in five eyes, and slight IOL decentration (0.5-1.0 mm) was seen in three cases. No case of suture exposure, suture breakage, IOL dislocation, or endophthalmitis was observed during the follow up period. CONCLUSION: The modified technique allowed stable placement of PCIOLs in post-traumatic aphakic eyes with a wide range of follow-up. Our procedure might have the potential benefit to avoid suture exposure in scleral-fixated IOL implantation.

A Hydrogel-Based Hybrid Theranostic Contact Lens for Fungal Keratitis.

Fungal keratitis, a severe ocular disease, is one of the leading causes of ocular morbidity and blindness, yet it is often neglected, especially in developing countries. Therapeutic efficacy of traditional treatment such as eye drops is very limited due to poor bioavailability, whereas intraocular injection might cause serious side effects. Herein, we designed and fabricated a hybrid hydrogel-based contact lens which comprises quaternized chitosan (HTCC), silver nanoparticles, and graphene oxide (GO) with a combination of antibacterial and antifungal functions. The hydrogel is cross-linked through electrostatic interactions between GO and HTCC, resulting in strong mechanical properties. Voriconazole (Vor), an antifungal drug, can be loaded onto GO which retains the drug and promotes its sustained release from the hydrogel-based contact lenses. The contact lenses also exhibited good antimicrobial functions in view of glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride and silver nanoparticles. The results from in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrate that contact lenses loaded with Vor have excellent efficacy in antifungal activity in vitro and could significantly enhance the therapeutic effects on a fungus-infected mouse model. The results indicate that this hydrogel contact lenses-based drug delivery system might be a promising therapeutic approach for a rapid and effective treatment of fungal keratitis.