Malignant glaucoma following gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy: a case report.

BACKGROUND: To report a case of malignant glaucoma that developed after gonioscopy-assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT). CASE PRESENTATION: An 85-year-old male pseudophakic patient affected by pseudoexfoliative glaucoma (PEXG), unresponsive to medical glaucoma treatment, underwent uneventful GATT surgery. On the first day after surgery, the eye showed a shallow central and peripheral anterior chamber (AC) with a raised intraocular pressure (IOP) measured at 55 mmHg. Optical coherence tomography and ultrasound biomicroscopy confirmed the diagnosis of malignant glaucoma. Laser iridotomy, posterior capsulotomy and hyaloidotomy were performed, and the patient was treated with atropine sulphate 1%, maximum topical and systemic ocular hypotensive drugs with no improvement in the IOP. Subsequently, the patient underwent pars plana anterior vitrectomy, resulting in deepening of the AC with opening of the iridocorneal angle and decrease of the IOP. No further postoperative complications were recorded, and the IOP remained controlled 12 months after surgery without antiglaucoma medications. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the minimally invasive profile of GATT, malignant glaucoma may develop after this procedure. Early recognition and prompt treatment are mandatory for preventing permanent visual loss.

Aqueous Humor Analysis in Overlapping Clinical Diagnosis of Cytomegalovirus and Rubella Virus Anterior Uveitis.

Background and Objectives: A cross-sectional single-center study was conducted to investigate the etiology in hypertensive anterior uveitis whose clinical features are not fully distinctive from cytomegalovirus or from rubella virus and to demonstrate the possible coexistence of both these viruses in causing anterior uveitis. Materials and Methods: The clinical charts of a cohort of patients with hypertensive viral anterior uveitis of uncertain origin consecutively seen in a single center from 2019 to 2022 were retrospectively reviewed; data on the clinical features, aqueous polymerase chain reaction, and antibody response to cytomegalovirus and rubella virus were collected. Results: Forty-three eyes of as many subjects with viral anterior uveitis of uncertain origin were included. Thirty-two patients had an aqueous polymerase chain reaction or antibody index positive to cytomegalovirus only, while 11 cases had an aqueous antibody response to both cytomegalovirus and rubella virus. This latter overlapping group had a statistically significant higher rate of hypochromia and anterior vitritis (p-value: 0.02 and < 0.001, respectively). Conclusions: The simultaneous presence of intraocular antibodies against cytomegalovirus and rubella virus could redefine the differential diagnosis of hypertensive viral anterior uveitis, demonstrating a possible "converged" immune pathway consisting in a variety of stimuli.

Anterior Vitreous Objective Assessment in Uveitis: An Anterior Segment Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography Study.

PURPOSE: To assess inflammatory changes in the anterior vitreous (AV) using a swept source anterior segment optical coherence tomography (SS-ASOCT) and to correlate them with uveitis features and clinical grading of intraocular inflammation. METHODS: 140 eyes from 96 patients were included in this observational, cross-sectional study: 40 ACTIVE uveitis, 40 INACTIVE uveitis and 60 CONTROLS. All eyes underwent intraocular inflammation clinical grading (anterior chamber (AC) cells counting and vitreous haze evaluation) and AV imaging with SS-ASOCT. Cells seen in the AV on OCT were manually counted using imageJ. Vitreous reflectivity variation was indirectly measured by calculating the vitreous/iris pigment epithelium (VIT/IPE) relative intensity. These OCT-based parameters were compared across the groups and correlated with inflammation clinical grading. RESULTS: The mean [SD] number of AV OCT cells was significantly higher (both p < 0.001) in ACTIVE uveitis (12[9.8]) compared to INACTIVE uveitis (4.5[3.5]) and CONTROLS (4[3.1]). In ACTIVE uveitis the number of AV OCT cells was significantly and positively correlated with the AC cells (p = 0.04), the VIT/IPE relative intensity (p = 0.0002), the uveitis anatomical classification (INTERMEDIATE UVEITIS, p = 0.02) and the vitreous haze clinical grading (p < 0.0001). The mean[SD] VIT/IPE relative intensity of the AV increased from CONTROLS (0.12[0.01]) to INACTIVE uveitis (0.15[0.01]) to ACTIVE uveitis (0.17[0.02]), but with no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to visualize and objectively evaluate changes occurring in the AV in eyes with uveitis by means of a commercially available SS-ASOCT. OCT-cells in the AV could represent an adjunctive tool in the objective evaluation of intraocular inflammation.

The Humira in Ocular Inflammations Taper (HOT) Study.

PURPOSE: To assess factors that impact the risk of relapse in patients with noninfectious uveitis (NIU) who undergo adalimumab tapering after achieving remission. DESIGN: Retrospective study. METHODS: In this multicenter study, patients with NIU were treated with adalimumab and subsequently tapered. Patient demographics, type of NIU, onset and duration of disease, the period of inactivity before tapering adalimumab, and the tapering schedule were collected. The primary outcome measures were independent predictors of the rate of uveitis recurrence after adalimumab tapering. RESULTS: Three hundred twenty-eight patients were included (54.6% female) with a mean age of 34.3 years. The mean time between disease onset and initiation of adalimumab therapy was 35.2 ± 70.1 weeks. Adalimumab tapering was commenced after a mean of 100.8 ± 69.7 weeks of inactivity. Recurrence was observed in 39.6% of patients at a mean of 44.7 ± 61.7 weeks. Patients who experienced recurrence were significantly younger than those without recurrence (mean 29.4 years vs 37.5 years, P = .0005), and the rate of recurrence was significantly higher in younger subjects (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.88 per decade of increasing age, P = .01). The lowest rate of recurrence was among Asian subjects. A faster adalimumab taper was associated with an increased recurrence rate (HR = 1.23 per unit increase in speed, P < .0005). Conversely, a more extended period of remission before tapering was associated with a lower rate of recurrence (HR = 0.97 per 10-weeks longer period of inactivity, P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: When tapering adalimumab, factors that should be considered include patient age, race, and duration of disease remission on adalimumab. A slow tapering schedule is advisable.

Optical Coherence Tomography in Inflammatory and Neoplastic Lesions Deforming the Choroidal Profile.

The choroid is the main part of the uvea, the vascular layer of the eye that lies between the retina and the sclera. The high vascular component of the choroid makes this structure susceptible to inflammation in multisystemic diseases, as well as the most common site of metastasis in the eye. Therefore, the choroid is involved in many pathological conditions, from uveitis to intraocular tumors. Differentiating between inflammatory and neoplastic lesions deforming the choroidal profile can sometimes be challenging. In addition, scleral disorders can also deform the choroidal profile. Choroidal imaging includes ophthalmic ultrasonography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Recent advances in choroidal imaging techniques, such as enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) and swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT), have facilitated an in-depth analysis of the choroid. The purpose of this review article is to report on and highlight the most common OCT findings to help in the differential diagnosis between inflammatory and neoplastic lesions deforming the choroidal profile.

Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Processing of Anterior Segment OCT Images in the Diagnosis of Vitreoretinal Lymphoma.

Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) allows the explore not only the anterior chamber but also the front part of the vitreous cavity. Our cross-sectional single-centre study investigated whether AS-OCT can distinguish between vitreous involvement due to vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL) and vitritis in uveitis. We studied AS-OCT images from 28 patients (11 with biopsy-proven VRL and 17 with differential diagnosis uveitis) using publicly available radiomics software written in MATLAB. Patients were divided into two balanced groups: training and testing. Overall, 3260/3705 (88%) AS-OCT images met our defined quality criteria, making them eligible for analysis. We studied five different sets of grey-level samplings (16, 32, 64, 128, and 256 levels), finding that 128 grey levels performed the best. We selected the five most effective radiomic features ranked by the ability to predict the class (VRL or uveitis). We built a classification model using the xgboost python function; through our model, 87% of eyes were correctly diagnosed as VRL or uveitis, regardless of exam technique or lens status. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) in the 128 grey-level model were 0.95 [CI 0.94, 0.96] and 0.84 for training and testing datasets, respectively. This preliminary retrospective study highlights how AS-OCT can support ophthalmologists when there is clinical suspicion of VRL.

Viral anterior uveitis.

Anterior uveitis has various causes, but the majority of cases are viral induced. The most common viral anterior uveitis etiology includes double-stranded DNA viruses of the Herpesviridae family, including Alpha herpes virinae (herpes simplex 1 and 2 and varicella zoster virus), Beta herpesvirinae (cytomegalovirus), and less frequently, Gamma herpesvirinae (Epstein-Barr virus). In the last few decades, a growing body of evidence has correlated Fuchs uveitis etiology to the rubella virus from the Matonaviridae family, which has a single-stranded RNA genome. The clinical presentation of each of these uveitis is hypertensive granulomatous anterior uveitis; however, the very slight differences between them, which often overlap, make differential diagnosis sometimes difficult. Therefore, diagnostic laboratory tests such as polymerase chain reaction and antibody index or Goldmann-Witmer coefficient analyses on the aqueous humor help to identify the etiology in doubtful cases and thus to plan targeted treatment.

Effectiveness of Infliximab and Interferon Alpha-2a for the Treatment of Behçet's Uveitis: Customizing Therapy according to the Clinical Features.

PURPOSE: To report long term results of biologic treatment of severe and refractory Behçet's uveitis (BU) choosing a different biologic agent according to the uveitis clinical features. METHODS: Retrospective cohort of patients with BU refractory to conventional therapy, who received Interferon (IFN) alpha-2a or Infliximab (IFX) for at least 3 months. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were included (mean age 29 ± 10 years, 63% males); Fifteen received IFN and 7 IFX, for a mean treatment period of 30 ± 24(SD) months. Twenty (90%) patients discontinued treatment, in most cases for complete remission (77%). Seven patients (32%) showed relapses during treatment and five (23%) after discontinuation. Visual acuity improved significantly in IFN group and all eyes showed a significant decrease in central macular thickness at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: Both IFX and IFN Alpha-2a were effective and well tolerated in the treatment of refractory BU using a customized approach based on the uveitis features.

Efficacy of Rituximab Treatment in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease Poorly Controlled by Traditional Immunosuppressive Treatment.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of Rituximab (RTX) therapy in patients affected by Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease poorly controlled by traditional immunosuppressive treatment. METHODS: Retrospective case series of recurrent VKH uveitis treated with intravenous RTX between January 2019 and November 2020. All patients were treated with intravenous RTX and underwent complete ophthalmic examination, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fundus photography, subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) measurement on enhanced depth imaging optical-coherence tomography (EDI-OCT), fluorescein, and indocyanine green angiography. RESULTS: Five patients were included. All patients received at least 3 RTX infusions. Mean BCVA improved from 20/32 Snellen equivalent at baseline before RTX treatment to 20/28 Snellen equivalent (p = .008). Mean SFCT on EDI-OCT showed a reduction from 564.4 µm(SD = 176.2) to 280.0 µm(SD = 140.4) (p = .015). Follow-up ranged from 12 to 21 months, with a mean of 18.2 ± 3.7 months. CONCLUSIONS: In these case series, RTX was effective in VHK disease poorly controlled by traditional immunosuppressive treatment.

Uveitis in Tumor Patients Treated with Immunological Checkpoint- and Signal Transduction Pathway-Inhibitors.

PURPOSE: New tumor therapies like immune checkpoint inhibitors and small molecule inhibitors of MEK and BRAF have increased the patient's survival rate but can be burdened with severe side-effects including uveitis. Here, we show the spectrum, treatment, and outcome of uveitis types induced by tumor treatment. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we have included 54 patients from different centers who were developing uveitis under tumor therapy. A 16-item questionnaire was analyzed for type, treatment, and outcome of uveitis and type of tumor treatment, which we have correlated here. RESULTS: Irrespective of the tumor treatment, most patients developed anterior uveitis. All patients received corticosteroids and some additional immunosuppressive treatments. Cessation of tumor therapy was necessary only in a minority of cases. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular autoimmunity should be differentiated from toxic effects of cancer treatment and timely recognized since it can be generally well controlled by anti-inflammatory treatment, preserving the patient's vision without cessation of the tumor treatment.

Clinical Features and Prevalence of Spondyloarthritis in a Cohort of Italian Patients Presenting with Acute Nongranulomatous Anterior Uveitis.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features of acute nongranulomatous anterior uveitis (NGAU) patients and to estimate the prevalence of concomitant spondyloarthritis (SpA). METHODS: Retrospective study of consecutive patients affected by NGAU referred to the Ocular Immunology Unit of the AUSL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Italy, between January 2016 and January 2019. All patients underwent ophthalmic evaluation and blood test with HLA-B27 typing and were referred to a rheumatologist to identify any undiagnosed SpA. SpA was classified according to the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS) criteria in axial or peripheral SpA. Patients were divided into two groups: NGAU with associated SpA (SpA+) and NGAU without SpA (SpA-). Clinical and demographic features of the two groups, including sex, HLA-B27, family history of rheumatic disease, uveitis laterality, course, and severity of ocular inflammation, complications, and treatment, were compared. RESULTS: Ninety-nine patients with NGAU were enrolled, of whom 36 (36%) with a diagnosis of SpA: 14 with peripheral SpA and 22 with axial SpA. The prevalence of SpA was higher in HLA-B27-positive patients than in HLA-B27-negative patients (50% vs. 15%, p < 0.0001). The multivariate logistic regression (R 2 = 0.28) for SpA diagnosis identified as significant predictive factors: age at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.91-0.99) and HLA-B27+ (OR = 5.32, 95% CI: 1.80-15.70). CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirmed the high prevalence of undiagnosed SpA in patients with NGAU, suggesting that, regardless of HLA-B27 status, in the presence of IBP and/or peripheral arthritis, patients with NGAU must be referred to the rheumatologist to allow earlier diagnosis.

Clinical Relevance of Subcentimetric Lymph Node Biopsy in the Diagnosis of Ocular Sarcoidosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical relevance of subcentimetric lymph node biopsy via mediastinoscopy in patients with presumed ocular sarcoidosis (OS). METHODS: Retrospective study of consecutive patients who underwent biopsy via mediastinoscopy for suspected OS. The biopsy outcomes and clinical features of patients with subcentimetric nodes and of those with lymph nodes >1 cm were compared. RESULTS: A total of 67 patients with presumed OS were included. Forty-two patients (63%) had lymph nodes ≥1 cm in diameter, while 25(37%) showed subcentimetric lymph nodes. Biopsy was consistent with sarcoidosis in 83% of patients with lymph nodes ≥1 cm and in 76% of patients with subcentimetric lymph nodes (p = .60). Patients with OS who had subcentimetric lymph nodes had less lymphopenia (p = .01), lower lysozyme values (p = .03) and a longer diagnostic delay compared to those with larger lymph nodes. CONCLUSIONS: The biopsy of subcentimetric lymph nodes via mediastinoscopy may provide a histological diagnosis and reduce diagnostic delay.

Survival and Recurrence in Vitreoretinal Lymphoma Simulating Uveitis at Presentation: The Possible Role of Combined Chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of combined systemic and local chemotherapy in improving the survival of patients with vitreoretinal lymphoma (VRL). METHODS: Patients with VRL consecutively seen from 2006 to 2020 were retrospectively reviewed; data on the presence and time of central nervous system (CNS) involvement and treatment regimen (systemic, local or combined chemotherapy) were collected. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated for each group. RESULTS: Forty-three eyes of 22 subjects with histology-proven VRL were included. Mean time of survival was 64.8 months (SE±10.8). Twelve patients (57%) presented CNS involvement, which was significantly associated with progression (r = 0.48, P = .03) and death (r = 0.56, P = .009). The isolated primary VRL group had a 5-year OS of 80%. Combined systemic and local chemotherapy reduced the risk of death by 82% (hazard ratio 0.18[0.04- 0.85]) in the entire cohort. CONCLUSION: Combined systemic and local chemotherapy significantly improved OS but not PFS of patients affected by VRL.

Primary Vitreoretinal Lymphoma: Current Diagnostic Laboratory Tests and New Emerging Molecular Tools.

Primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL), a rare aggressive malignancy primarily involving the retina and/or the vitreous, is a major diagnostic challenge for clinicians (who commonly misdiagnose it as chronic uveitis) as well as for pathologists (for biological and technical reasons). Delays in diagnosis and treatment are responsible for visual impairments and life-threatening consequences, usually related to central nervous system involvement. The identification of lymphoma cells in vitreous fluid, obtained by vitrectomy, is required for diagnosis. Of note, the scarcity of neoplastic cells in small volumes of vitreous sample, and the fragility of lymphoma cells with degenerative changes caused by previous steroid use for presumed uveitis makes diagnosis based on cytology plus immunophenotyping difficult. Interleukin levels, immunoglobulin heavy chain or T-cell receptor gene rearrangements, and MYD88 mutation are applied in combination with cytology to support diagnosis. We aim to describe the current laboratory technologies for PVRL diagnosis, focusing on the main issues that these methods have. In addition, new emerging diagnostic strategies, such as next-generation sequencing analysis, are discussed. The genetic profile of PVRL remains largely unexplored. Better knowledge of genetic alterations is critical for precision medicine interventions with target-based treatments of this lymphoma for which no standardised treatment protocol currently exists.

Subretinal Injection of Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator and Gas Tamponade to Displace Acute Submacular Haemorrhages Secondary to Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PURPOSE: To analyse the efficacy of subretinal injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) and gas tamponade for the displacement of submacular haemorrhage (SMH). METHODS: This single-centre, retrospective, case series included 25 consecutive patients (25 eyes) who underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with subretinal rtPA injection and 20% sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) tamponade. The primary outcome was SMH displacement rate, defined as the absence of subretinal blood within (complete) or outside (partial) 1500 µm centred on the fovea one month after PPV. Secondary outcomes were final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), recurrence probability, number of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections after PPV, and intra- and post-operative complications. RESULTS: Successful displacement was obtained in all 25 eyes (100%), with complete and partial displacement obtained in 15 (60%) and 10 (40%), respectively. BCVA significantly improved from 1.81±0.33 to 1.37±0.52 LogMar at 12 months from surgery (p = 0.001). The bivariate correlation analysis revealed that earlier the surgery had better visual prognosis at the end of the follow-up (p = 0.007). CMT significantly decreased from 922 ± 273.69 µm at baseline to 403.53 ± 314.64 µm at 12 months follow-up (p < 0.001). SMH recurrence was observed in two (8%) patients with a mean survival time of 11.6 ± 0.339 months and a cumulative survival probability of 88% at the end of follow-up. After PPV, the mean number of anti-VEGF injections was 3.00 ± 0.957 with no correlation with final visual acuity (p = 0.365). No intraoperative complications were recorded. Only one patient developed open funnel retinal detachment 40 days after primary PPV. CONCLUSION: PPV with rtPA subretinal injection and SF6 tamponade is a safe and effective technique in displacing acute SMHs secondary to neovascular AMD. It is recommended to perform within 14 days from the onset of the symptoms to achieve BCVA improvement at 12 months and proper imaging to plan future anti-VEG treatment.

Choroidal Vascular Changes in Multiple Evanescent White Dot Syndrome.

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal structural changes in patients with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) during the acute and recovery stages.Methods: Enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT) scans of 16 patients with unilateral MEWDS were acquired during the acute and recovery stages in both eyes. Images were binarized with the ImageJ software to measure subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT), total choroid area, luminal area and choroidal vascularity index (CVI).Results: In the acute stage, subfoveal CT, total choroidal area and CVI were significantly higher in eyes with MEWDS compared to fellow eyes (371.2 ± 101.8 vs 317.1 ± 90.3 µm, p = .001; 2.826 ± 0.686 vs 2.524 ± 0.674 mm2, p = .014; 69.49 ± 3.51 vs 68.27 ± 3.41%, p = .044, respectively). In the recovery stage, subfoveal CT, total choroidal area and CVI in eyes with MEWDS significantly decreased to respectively 333.4 ± 90.5 µm, p = .007, 2.592 ± 0.570 p = .002, and 67.31 ± 2.74%, p = .014.Conclusions: Choroidal thickness and vascularity are significantly increased during the acute stage of MEWDS.

Uveitis and Other Ocular Complications Following COVID-19 Vaccination.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines can cause transient local and systemic post-vaccination reactions. The aim of this study was to report uveitis and other ocular complications following COVID-19 vaccination. The study included 42 eyes of 34 patients (20 females, 14 males), with a mean age of 49.8 years (range 18-83 years). The cases reported were three herpetic keratitis, two anterior scleritis, five anterior uveitis (AU), three toxoplasma retinochoroiditis, two Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease reactivations, two pars planitis, two retinal vasculitis, one bilateral panuveitis in new-onset Behçet's disease, three multiple evanescent white dot syndromes (MEWDS), one acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN), five retinal vein occlusions (RVO), one non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), three activations of quiescent choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to myopia or uveitis, and one central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). Mean time between vaccination and ocular complication onset was 9.4 days (range 1-30 days). Twenty-three cases occurred after Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination (BNT162b2 mRNA), 7 after Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19), 3 after ModernaTX vaccination (mRNA-1273), and 1 after Janssen Johnson & Johnson vaccine (Ad26.COV2). Uveitis and other ocular complications may develop after the administration of COVID-19 vaccine.

Cataract Surgery with Intraocular Lens Implantation in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis: Outcomes in the Era of Biological Therapy.

This study compared the outcomes of cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)-associated chronic anterior uveitis treated with antimetabolite drugs and systemic corticosteroids (Non-Biological Group) versus patients treated with antimetabolites and biological drugs (Biological Group). A cohort of patients with cataract in JIA-associated uveitis undergoing phacoemulsification with IOL implantation was retrospectively evaluated. The main outcome was a change in corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) in the two groups. Ocular and systemic complications were also recorded. The data were collected preoperatively and at 1, 12, and 48 months after surgery. Thirty-two eyes of 24 children were included: 10 eyes in the Non-Biological Group and 22 eyes in the Biological Group. The mean CDVA improved from 1.19 ± 0.72 logMAR preoperatively to 0.98 ± 0.97 logMAR at 48 months (p = 0.45) in the Non-Biological Group and from 1.55 ± 0.91 logMAR preoperatively to 0.57 ± 0.83 logMAR at 48 months (p = 0.001) in the Biological Group. The postoperative complications, including synechiae, cyclitic membrane, IOL explantation, glaucoma, and macular edema, were not statistically different between the two groups. An immunosuppressive treatment with biological drugs can improve the visual outcome after cataract surgery in patients with JIA-associated uveitis, but it does not significantly reduce postoperative ocular complications.

Cytokine Profiling in Aqueous Humor Samples From Patients With Non-Infectious Uveitis Associated With Systemic Inflammatory Diseases.

Non-infectious uveitis are intraocular inflammatory conditions caused by dysregulated activation of the immune response without any detectable infectious agents. The aim of this study was to explore potential markers and therapeutic targets for two distinct types of non-infectious uveitis associated with Behçet's disease (BD) and Vogt Koyanagi Harada (VKH) disease. Concentrations of 27 cytokines were investigated in aqueous humor (AH) samples from patients with active uveitis vs. healthy controls (HC) (n = 10 patients with BD-associated uveitis; n = 10 patients with VKH-associated uveitis; n = 10 HC) using the Bio-Plex ProTM human cytokine group I panel. Additionally, leukocytes in AH samples were counted with hemocytometers and characterized by flow cytometry. Eleven cytokines were differentially expressed between patients with uveitis and HC with a median concentration greater than 10 pg/ml. IL-6, IP-10, G-CSF, and IFNγ showed higher concentrations in AH samples from both BD and VKH patients while IL-2, IL-8, IL-13, TNFα, eotaxin, IL-1ra showed statistically significant higher concentrations only in AH samples from BD patients. GM-CSF was the sole cytokine with an opposite profile showing decreased levels in AH samples from BD patients. IL-1ra and IL-6 were detected at higher frequencies in AH samples from BD and VKH patients compared with those from HC while IFNγ and TNFα were not detected in HC. The concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, IP-10, G-CSF, IFNγ, TNFα, eotaxin, IL-1ra positively correlated with the concentrations of leukocytes in AH, suggesting that such cytokines can be produced by immune cells and/or attract and/or promote proliferation and survival of immune cells in these types of uveitis. The correlation matrix of cytokine concentrations in AH samples revealed that IFNγ, TNFα, eotaxin, IL-6, G-CSF highly correlated each other. The ratios of cytokine concentrations between AH and plasma intra-individuals showed that IL-2, IL-6, IP-10, GM-CSF were increased intraocularly. In conclusion, AH sampling followed by multiplex analysis of cytokines should be fostered in non-infectious uveitis to identify cytokines dysregulated intraocularly in each individual laying the groundwork for precision medicine.

Topical Anesthesia in Children With Intraoperative Adjustable Strabismus Surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate strabismus surgery with intraoperative adjustment of sutures under topical anesthesia in children. METHODS: Nineteen children with horizontal deviation underwent a one-stage surgical technique performed under topical anesthesia. Surgery consisted of unilateral or bilateral recession and/or resection of horizontal muscles or the medial or lateral rectus muscles, with intraoperative adjustment of sutures based on alternate prism cover test. Follow-up was done at 1 day and 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Mean age at surgery was 12.68 ± 2.50 years (range: 8 to 16 years). Mean preoperative angle of deviation was 24.21 ± 11.20 prism diopters (PD) (range: -50 to +30 PD) at distance. Mean postoperative angle of deviation at 6 months was 4.11 ± 2.87 PD (range: -10 to +10 PD) at distance. In esotropic patients, the average angle of deviation decreased from +23.80 ± 5.89 PD preoperatively to +4.80 ± 3.35 PD at 6 months, whereas in exotropic patients it decreased from -24.36 ± 12.76 to -3.86 ± 2.77 PD. Seventeen of 19 patients (89%) remained comfortable during surgery, whereas 2 needed an intravenous injection of propofol. The success rate, defined by a postoperative residual angle of deviation of ±8 PD or less, was 89% at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: Strabismus surgery with intraoperative suture adjustment under topical anesthesia in children is a tolerable procedure with encouraging outcomes, representing an alternative to general anesthesia in well-selected children. Clinical evaluation of children and parents is fundamental to predict a likely poor collaboration of the child during surgery, which, if present, would require surgery under general anesthesia. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2019;56(3):173-177.].