Mapping standard ophthalmic outcome sets to metrics currently reported in eight eye hospitals.

BACKGROUND: To determine alignment of proposed international standard outcomes sets for ophthalmic conditions to metrics currently reported by eye hospitals. METHODS: Mixed methods comparative benchmark study, including eight eye hospitals in Australia, India, Singapore, Sweden, U.K., and U.S. All are major international tertiary care and training centers in ophthalmology. Main outcome measure is consistency of ophthalmic outcomes measures reported. RESULTS: International agreed standard outcomes (ICHOM) sets are available for cataract surgery (10 metrics) and macular degeneration (7 metrics). The eight hospitals reported 22 different metrics for cataract surgery and 2 for macular degeneration, which showed only limited overlap with the proposed ICHOM metrics. None of the hospitals reported patient reported visual functioning or vision-related quality of life outcomes measures (PROMs). Three hospitals (38%) reported rates for uncomplicated cataract surgeries only. There was marked variation in how and at what point postoperatively visual outcomes following cataract, cornea, glaucoma, strabismus and oculoplastics procedures were reported. Seven (87.5%) measured post-operative infections and four (50%) measured 30 day unplanned reoperation rates. CONCLUSIONS: Outcomes reporting for ophthalmic conditions currently widely varies across hospitals internationally and does not include patient-reported outcomes. Reaching consensus on measures and consistency in data collection will allow meaningful comparisons and provide an evidence base enabling improved sharing of "best practices" to improve eye care globally. Implementation of international standards is still a major challenge and practice-based knowledge on measures should be one of the inputs of the international standardization process.

Basal NF-κB controls IL-7 responsiveness of quiescent naïve T cells.

T cells are essential for immune defenses against pathogens, such that viability of naïve T cells before antigen encounter is critical to preserve a polyclonal repertoire and prevent immunodeficiencies. The viability of naïve T cells before antigen recognition is ensured by IL-7, which drives expression of the prosurvival factor Bcl-2. Quiescent naïve T cells have low basal activity of the transcription factor NF-κB, which was assumed to have no functional consequences. In contrast to this postulate, our data show that basal nuclear NF-κB activity plays an important role in the transcription of IL-7 receptor α-subunit (CD127), enabling responsiveness of naïve T cells to the prosurvival effects of IL-7 and allowing T-cell persistence in vivo. Moreover, we show that this property of basal NF-κB activity is shared by mouse and human naïve T cells. Thus, NF-κB drives a distinct transcriptional program in T cells before antigen encounter by controlling susceptibility to IL-7. Our results reveal an evolutionarily conserved role of NF-κB in T cells before antigenic stimulation and identify a novel molecular pathway that controls T-cell homeostasis.

Topical cyclosporine A 0.05% for recurrent anterior uveitis.

AIM: To evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with cyclosporine A 0.05% eye drops in reducing frequency and severity of recurrences in patients with recurrent anterior uveitis. METHODS: A retrospective case-crossover study was conducted by reviewing medical charts of patients treated for recurrent anterior uveitis between 2002 and 2011 at the Kellogg Eye Center by one cornea specialist. We identified patients who had been treated with topical cyclosporine A 0.05% and recorded data regarding demographics, episodes of anterior uveitis, severity of episodes and treatment modalities before and after initiation of cyclosporine A 0.05%. RESULTS: Eight patients were identified as having been treated with topical cyclosporine 0.05% in addition to standard treatment with an average follow-up of 54.9±33.9 months (range: 28-143 months). The patients had statistically significant fewer episodes of anterior uveitis, shorter duration of episodes and fewer total days of inflammation per year while on topical cyclosporine 0.05%. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed improvement of recurrent anterior uveitis in patients while on conventional treatment with cyclosporine A 0.05% compared with conventional treatment alone.

A Two-Year Longitudinal Assessment of Ophthalmologists' Perceptions after Implementing an Electronic Health Record System.

OBJECTIVES: To understand the attitudes and perceptions of ophthalmologists toward an electronic health record (EHR) system, before and after its clinical implementation. METHODS: Ophthalmologists at a single large academic ophthalmology department were surveyed longitudinally before and after implementation of a new EHR system. The survey measured ophthalmologists' attitudes toward implementation of a new EHR. Questions focused on satisfaction, efficiency, and documentation. All attending physicians (between 56 and 61 at various time points) in the University of Michigan Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences were surveyed. We plotted positive responses to survey questions and assessed whether perceptions followed a J-curve with an initial decrease followed by an increase surpassing pre-implementation levels. RESULTS: Survey responses were received from 32 (52%) ophthalmologists pre-implementation, and 28 (46%) at 3 months, 35 (57%) at 7 months, 40 (71%) at 13 months and 39 (67%) at 24 months post-implementation. After EHR implementation respondents were more likely to express concerns about their ability to create high-quality documentation (p<0.01) and the impact of an electronic health record on meaningful patient interaction (p<0.01). Physicians did not report a significant change in the amount of time spent documenting outside of regular clinical work hours (p=0.54) or on their clinic efficiency and workflow (p=0.97). There was no significant change in overall job satisfaction during the study period (p=0.69). We did not observe a J-curve for any of the survey responses analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: As ophthalmology practices continue to transition to EHRs, adapting them to their specific culture and needs is important to maintain efficiency and user satisfaction. This study identifies areas of concern to ophthalmologists that may be addressed through education of physicians and customization of software as other practices move forward with EHR implementation.

Bilateral acute endophthalmitis associated with munchausen syndrome.

PURPOSE: Endophthalmitis is a potentially blinding intraocular infection that requires urgent intervention. Self-inflicted endophthalmitis is rare, difficult to diagnose, and requires a multidisciplinary approach for management. The purpose is to present a rare case of sequential self-inflicted acute endophthalmitis as a feature of Munchausen syndrome. METHODS: This is a case report reviewing imaging and laboratory studies. RESULTS: A 42-year-old female patient developed culture-proven acute endophthalmitis sequentially in both eyes with different bacterial strains. There was clear evidence of self-inflicted corneal puncture tracks in the right eye, and during the course of inpatient psychiatric evaluation, the patient admitted to self-inflicted ocular perforations. CONCLUSION: Patients with Munchausen syndrome often injure themselves as a method of drawing attention, sympathy, or reassurance. Although ocular injuries due to psychiatric disease are known to occur, intraocular injection as a mode of self-injury is extremely rare. A high index of suspicion must be maintained when the reported history and clinical course are inconsistent.

Mosaic chromosome 18q partial deletion syndrome with bilateral full-thickness corneal disease: surgical intervention and histopathology.

A 2-month-old boy diagnosed with a mosaic chromosome 18q partial deletion syndrome was referred for bilateral cloudy corneas. The abnormal metaphases had a terminal deletion of the long arm of chromosome 18 as clonal abnormality. The cytogenetics findings were 46,XY, del (18)(q21.2)[12]/46,XY[20]. Ocular findings included bilateral microcornea with dense opacification and unilateral iris and chorioretinal coloboma. Penetrating keratoplasty (PK) was performed on both eyes. Histopathology of the host corneal button showed complete loss of Bowman's layer, hyperkeratosis of the epithelium, stromal neovascularization, and leukocyte infiltration. Descemet's membrane and endothelium were irregular in both specimens. CD45 stain for leukocytes confirmed perivascular and epithelial leukocytes infiltration. Mosaic chromosome 18q deletion syndrome is a rare genetic abnormality with a variable phenotype - including ocular findings - and hence, warrants an ophthalmic evaluation and genetic counseling.

Transformational change: nurses substituting for ophthalmologists for intravitreal injections - a quality-improvement report.

BACKGROUND: The dramatic increase in need for anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) intravitreal therapy in the treatment of retinal disease and the absence of an equivalent increase in ophthalmologists to undertake such intravitreal injections created a patient-safety risk. Timing of intravitreal therapy (IVT) is critical to prevent vision loss and local clinics lacked capacity to treat patients appropriately. We aimed to improve capacity for IVT by nurse injections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multidisciplinary prospective service-improvement process was undertaken at two adjacent general hospitals in the northwest of England. IVT injections by nurses were a principal component of solution development. After we had obtained appropriate institutional approval, experienced ophthalmic nurses were trained, supervised, and assessed to undertake IVT. Ophthalmologists directly supervised the first 200 injections, and a retina specialist was always on site. RESULTS: Nurses undertook 3,355 intravitreal injections between June 2012 and November 2013, with minor adverse events (0.3% subconjunctival hemorrhage and corneal abrasion). There were no patient complaints at either hospital. CONCLUSION: Experienced ophthalmic nurses quickly learned how to perform such injections safely. IVT by nurses was well accepted by patients and staff. Hospital A trained three nurses sequentially for improved flexibility in scheduling. Novel use of appropriately trained non-medical staff can improve efficiency and access in an overburdened service with time-sensitive disease. Retinal assessment was undertaken by ophthalmologists only. Improved access to IVT is important, as treatment with anti-VEGF therapy reduces blindness at population levels.

Association of surgeon experience with outcomes of femtosecond LASIK.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine effect of surgeon experience on outcomes of LASIK. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective case series of myopic femtosecond LASIK performed by residents and fellows compared to an attending surgeon, with mean follow-up of 6.6 months. RESULTS: Seventy-two eyes (38 patients) had LASIK performed by a trainee and 157 eyes (83 patients) by an attending surgeon. There were no statistically significant preoperative differences. The attending surgeon had lower mean flap thickness (P = .0001), but ablation depth and residual stromal bed were similar. Postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity was significantly better in the experienced surgeon group on the first postoperative day (P = .0203). Postoperative findings of microstriae (P < .0001) and interface debris (P = .0034) were more common with trainee-performed LASIK. CONCLUSION: Visual outcomes are excellent after femtosecond LASIK performed by trainees and experienced surgeons. Early postoperative complications are more common in trainee-performed LASIK, but are not visually significant. Resident and fellow LASIK surgical training with a comprehensive refractive curriculum under the guidance of an experienced surgeon is safe and appropriate.