CO2 Laser Lash Tilt Technique for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Lash Ptosis and Augmentation of Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty Results.

PURPOSE: To assess the safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction of a newly described technique for the treatment of mild to moderate lash ptosis performed as augmentation to upper eyelid blepharoplasty. METHODS: Patient medical records for 27 consecutive cases of upper eyelid blepharoplasty between January 2016 and June 2017 and 19 consecutive cases of upper eyelid blepharoplasty with the laser lash tilt procedure between July 2016 and January 2017 performed by the senior author were retrospectively reviewed. Lash position in preoperative and postoperative photographs was graded in a randomized masked fashion on a 4-point scale by 5 oculoplastic surgeons. RESULTS: There was a significant improvement in mean lash position scores for the control group (0.52 ± 0.34, p < 0.001) with mean lash score improving from 1.14 ± 0.46 before surgery to 0.62 ± 0.46 after blepharoplasty alone. There was also significant improvement in mean lash position scores for the laser lash group (0.98 ± 0.52, p < 0.01) with mean lash score improving from 1.66 ± 0.62 before surgery to 0.68 ± 0.50 after blepharoplasty with laser lash treatment. The improvement in lash position seen in the laser lash group was significantly greater than the improvement seen in the control group (p = 0.001). There were no complications and all patients were satisfied with their results. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with upper eyelid blepharoplasty alone, the addition of the CO2 laser lash tilt technique provides a significant improvement in the upward tilt of the eyelashes as they emerge from the eyelid margin.

The effects of systemic, intrastriatal, and intrapallidal injections of caffeine and systemic injections of A2A and A1 antagonists on forepaw stepping in the unilateral 6-OHDA-lesioned rat.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: Given that adenosine A2A antagonists appear to be therapeutic in several animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD), we examined the extent to which caffeine and selective A2A and A1 antagonists could enhance contralateral forepaw stepping in the unilateral 6-OHDA-lesioned rat. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Following unilateral injections of 12 microg 6-OHDA into the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), frequency of stepping with both front paws was counted separately as the paws were dragged anteriorally and laterally by a treadmill. RESULTS: The MFB lesions decreased contralateral stepping by 74-83%, and 8 mg/kg 3,4-dihydroxy-L-phenylalanine (L-DOPA) increased contralateral stepping by 25-26%. Caffeine given systemically (15 mg/kg) or into the dorsal striatum or external globus pallidus (GPE; 20-40 microg) increased contralateral forepaw stepping by 14%, 27%, and 26%, respectively, and enhanced the effect of 8 mg/kg L-DOPA on stepping. The selective A(2A) antagonist SCH-58261 (2 mg/kg) also increased stepping by 13% and enhanced the therapeutic effect of L-DOPA, whereas the selective A(1) [corrected] antagonist 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (3-7 mg/kg) and A(1) agonist N(6)-cyclopentyladenosine (0.03-0.2 mg/kg) had no effect. None of these drugs appeared to produce dyskinesic effects. CONCLUSIONS: In this well-validated animal model of the akinesic effects of PD, caffeine and a selective A2A, but not an A1, antagonist were able to provide both monotherapeutic and adjunctive therapeutic effects. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that A2A antagonists may be therapeutic in human PD patients and indicate that the dorsal striatum and GPE are critical sites of therapeutic action.

Completeness of facial self-application of sunscreen in cosmetic surgery patients.

Previous studies have demonstrated incomplete sunscreen self-application to various facial regions in cosmetic surgery patients, but there is no scientific research on the completeness of facial and periocular sunscreen self-application using ultraviolet (UV) photography for assessment. This prospective, cross-sectional, qualitative study aimed to assess completeness of facial application of sunscreen in oculofacial surgery patients at the Duke Eye Center (Durham, North Carolina). Forty-four participants were enrolled, and completeness of facial sunscreen self-application was assessed using UV photography.