Activation of toxoplasma retinochoroiditis during pregnancy and evaluation of ocular findings in newborns.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate patients with activation of toxoplasma retinochoroiditis during pregnancy and ocular findings in newborns. A total of 17 pregnant patients who were clinically and serologically diagnosed with ocular toxoplasmosis were retrospectively reviewed. After birth, ocular findings for all infants were recorded. The mean age of the patients was 29.08 ± 5.71 years. In all cases, activation was present in only one eye. In 13 cases, anterior uveitis was associated with posterior uveitis. Visual acuity in all cases prior to treatment was 0.3 ± 0.21 and increased to 0.55 ± 0.29 after treatment. The mean gestational age of the patients was 19.76 ± 8.71 weeks at the time of hospital admission. No case of toxoplasmic ocular involvement was identified in the infants on postnatal examination. In the case of toxoplasma retinochoroiditis during pregnancy, appropriate treatment and follow-up is very important to protect the newborns and to prevent impaired vision in mothers.

Evaluation of intracameral injection of ranibizumab and bevacizumab on the corneal endothelium by scanning electron microscopy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of intracameral injection of ranibizumab and bevacizumab on the corneal endothelium by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). METHODS: Twenty-eight female rabbits were randomly divided into four equal groups. Rabbits in groups 1 and 2 underwent intracameral injection of 1 mg/0.1 mL and 0.5 mg/0.05 mL ranibizumab, respectively; group 3 was injected with 1.25 mg/0.05 mL bevacizumab. All three groups were injected with a balanced salt solution (BSS) into the anterior chamber of the left (fellow) eye. None of the rabbits in group 4 underwent an injection. Corneal thickness and intraocular pressure were measured before the injections, on the first day, and in the first month after injection. The rabbits were sacrificed and corneal tissues were excised in the first month after injection. Specular microscopy was used for the corneal endothelial cell count. Endothelial cell density was assessed and comparisons drawn between the groups and the control. Micrographs were recorded for SEM examination. The structure of the corneal endothelial cells, the junctional area of the cell membrane, the distribution of microvillus, and the cell morphology of the eyes that underwent intracameral injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), BSS, and the control group were compared. RESULTS: Corneal thickness and intraocular pressure were not significantly different between the groups that underwent anti-VEGF or BSS injection and the control group on the first day and in the first month of injection. The corneal endothelial cell count was significantly diminished in all three groups; predominantly in group 1 and 2 (P<0.05). The SEM examination revealed normal corneal endothelial histology in group 3 and the control group. Eyes in group 1 exhibited indistinctness of corneal endothelial cell borders, microvillus loss in the luminal surface, excessive blebbing, and disintegration of intercellular junctions. In group 2, the cell structure of the corneal endothelium and intercellular junctions were normal. However, a relative reduction was observed in the microvillus density of endothelial cells. Although eyes in group 3 were morphologically similar to fellow eyes and the control group, disarrangement in endothelial cell borders was evident. CONCLUSION: The SEM examination pointed out deterioration in endothelial cell morphology after intracameral injection of 1 and 0.5 mg ranizumab. However, the effects of intracameral bevacizumab injection on corneal endothelial cells were similar to those found in fellow eyes and the control group. Further large-scale studies that examine the cellular changes by transmission electron microscopy are required to support the results of the present study that evaluates the structural changes in endothelial cells by SEM.

Effects of smoking on visual acuity of central serous chorioretinopathy patients.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences, in terms of visual outcome and treatment needs, between smokers and non-smokers central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) patients. METHODS: The files of 252 patients diagnosed with CSCR who had presented to the Retina Unit of the Ophthalmology Clinic at Dicle University Medical School in Turkey were retrospectively evaluated. Eighty-four smokers, with a known history of smoking of at least one pack-year, and 133 non-smokers were included, whereas 35 patients with additional pathologies were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Of the patients, 192 (88.5%) were male and 25 (11.5%) were female. The mean patient age was 38.8 ± 8.1 years (range: 20-68 years). Visual acuity (VA) of the smoker and non-smoker groups was measured as 0.45 ± 0.35 and 0.24 ± 0.28 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMar), respectively, at the first visit; 0.19 ± 0.29 and 0.06 ± 0.14 logMar at the sixth month; and 0.07 ± 0.14 and 0.02 ± 0.05 logMar at the ninth month. VA measurements at presentation and during all examinations (1th, 6th and 9th month) were significantly different for the two groups. VA was lower in the smoker group. In 27 patients (12.4%), an additional treatment modality was needed. Of the 27 patients, only 8 (6%) were non-smokers, whereas 19 (22.6%) were smokers. There was no difference between groups in the recurrence rate during follow-up (p = 0.907); 14 (16.7%) smokers and 8 (19.0%) non-smokers experienced a recurrence. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that patients selected and who are current smokers have poorer vision and need longer treatment.

Mean platelet volume in pseudoexfoliation syndrome and glaucoma.

PURPOSE: Pseudoexfoliation (PEX) syndrome (PES) is characterized by the widespread deposition of abnormal extracellular fibrillary material on many ocular and extraocular tissues. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association among PES, PEX glaucoma (PEG), and mean platelet volume (MPV). METHODS: Forty patients with PES (mean age 62.6 ± 7.8 years), 31 with PEG (mean age 65.9 ± 6.6 years), and 37 healthy individuals (control group) (mean age 64.0 ± 7.1 years) were included in the study. The MPV of the 3 groups were compared. RESULTS: Age and sex distribution were similar among groups (p>0.05). Mean MPV in PES, PEG, and control groups were 9.59 ± 0.94 fl, 9.53 ± 0.80 fl, and 7.7 ± 0.67 fl, respectively. In the PEX group, MPV values were significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.05). However, there was no difference between the PES and PEG groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The MPV values in both groups with PEX were higher than those in the healthy group.

Demographic and etiologic characteristics of children with traumatic serious hyphema.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to evaluate the etiologic factors, complications, follow-up, and treatment outcomes in serious hyphema following blunt ocular trauma in childhood. METHODS: The medical records of 136 patients diagnosed as grade 3 or 4 hyphema due to blunt ocular trauma between January 2006 and December 2011 were evaluated. Visual acuity (VA), complications, and medical and surgical treatments were analyzed. Factors affecting visual prognosis were compared in grade 3 and 4 hyphema cases. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 9.7±4 years. Etiologic factors for trauma were stone in 53 (39%), bead bullet in 25 (18.4%) and others in 58 (42.6%) patients. The most common complication of grade 3 and 4 hyphema was traumatic mydriasis (19.1%), followed by cataract (9.6%) and glaucoma (5.1%). Medical treatment was successful in 114 (83.8%) patients, and 22 (16.2%) patients underwent surgery. Mean initial and final VA of grade 4 patients were found to be significantly lower than those of grade 3 patients. CONCLUSION: In grade 3 and 4 hyphema due to blunt trauma, visual prognosis worsened in the presence of additional ocular pathologies. Considering the bad visual prognosis of severe hyphema patients, prompt treatment and close follow-up may prevent complications resulting in poor VA.

Corneal perforation during Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy: a case report.

We report a case where corneal perforation developed during Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy. We present a 20-year-old male with the complaint of impaired vision in the right eye. Leukoma consistent with the incision line in the cornea and opacity in the posterior capsule were observed.

Comparison of mechanical and femtosecond laser tunnel creation for intrastromal corneal ring segment implantation in keratoconus: prospective randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes of mechanical and femtosecond laser-assisted tunnel creation for intrastromal corneal ring segment (ICRS) implantation in eyes with keratoconus. SETTING: Kartal Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. METHODS: In this prospective study, consecutive eyes with keratoconus were randomly assigned to have ICRS tunnel creation with a mechanical device or a femtosecond laser. Keraring ICRS with a 5.0 mm diameter and 160-degree arc length were implanted in all cases. The uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected (CDVA) distance visual acuities, refraction, and keratometry (K) readings were measured preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively, and the data in the mechanical group and the femtosecond group were compared statistically. RESULTS: One year postoperatively, there was significant improvement in UDVA, CDVA, K readings, spherical equivalent (SE), and manifest sphere and cylinder in both groups (P<.05). The UDVA improved by 2.4 lines in the mechanical group and 2.0 lines in the femtosecond group and the CDVA by 3.3 lines and 2.7 lines, respectively; the mean reduction in maximum keratometry was 4.50 diopters (D) and 4.70 D, respectively, and the mean reduction in SE, 3.18 D and 3.09 D, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in visual or refractive results (P>.05). Anterior corneal perforation, superficial segment placement, and segment extrusion occurred in 1 eye each in the mechanical group. Segment migration occurred in 1 eye in the femtosecond group. CONCLUSION: Despite intraoperative complications in the mechanical group, the visual and refractive outcomes were similar to those in the femtosecond group.

Recurrent anterior uveitis in Henoch Schonlein's vasculitis.

Uveitis is an important component of many rheumatic diseases. The main causes of recurrent uveitis are seronegative spondylarthropathies and Behçet's disease. We describe a rare case of Henoch Schönlein vasculitis (HSV) along with multiple recurrences of acute anterior uveitis. In cases of skin rash and recurrent anterior uveitis, HSV should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Use of laser flare-cell photometry to quantify intraocular inflammation in patients with Behçet uveitis.

PURPOSE: To assess the usefulness of laser flare-cell photometry to quantify intraocular inflammation in patients with Behçet disease. METHODS: The study comprised 47 healthy individuals, 78 Behçet patients without ocular involvement, 54 Behçet patients with a uveitis attack and 53 Behçet patients with uveitis in clinical remission. A single observer assigned clinical scores to anterior chamber cells, vitreous haze, and fundus lesions in the attack group. Laser flare-cell photometry measurements were performed by another observer who was masked to the clinical findings. Fundus fluorescein angiography was performed only in the remission group, and fluorescein leakage was scored by a masked retina specialist. The risk of recurrent uveitis attack was analyzed in eyes with high versus low flare values in the remission group. Main outcome measures were anterior chamber flare in Behçet patients compared to the control group, and correlations of flare with clinical scores of intraocular inflammation and with fluorescein leakage. Mann-Whitney U-test, Spearman's bivariate correlation test, linear regression method, and Kaplan-Meier method were used for statistical analyses. RESULTS: Mean flare was not increased in Behçet patients without ocular involvement. It was significantly higher in patients with Behçet uveitis both during attacks and in remission (P < 0.001 for each). A significant correlation was found between anterior chamber flare and anterior chamber cell score (rho = 0.705), vitreous haze score (rho = 0.588), and fundus score (rho = 0.464) in the attack group. In the remission group, there was a significant correlation between flare and fluorescein angiography leakage score, and the risk of recurrent uveitis attack was significantly higher in eyes with flare values >6 photons/msec than in eyes with flare values < or =6 photons/msec (right eyes, P < 0.001; left eyes, P = 0.0184). CONCLUSIONS: Laser flare-cell photometry is a useful objective method in the quantitative assessment of intraocular inflammation in patients with Behçet uveitis. The use of this quantitative technique in clinical trials of Behçet uveitis may provide comparable data, as it gives an objective measure of intraocular inflammation. In clinical practice, it may reduce the need for fluorescein angiography because it seems to be especially useful in monitoring persistent retinal vascular leakage in patients who are clinically in remission.