Glaucoma Surgery Shifts Among Medicare Beneficiaries After 2022 Reimbursement Changes in the United States.

PRCIS: This study revealed the best-estimated surgical procedural counts for 2021 and 2022 and suggests a direct influence of coding and reimbursement changes on surgical device selection. PURPOSE: To analyze utilization rates of glaucoma surgeries and minimally invasive (microinvasive) glaucoma surgery among US Medicare beneficiaries between 2021 and 2022. DESIGN: Retrospective comparative analysis of 68,118 unique patients. METHODS: National claims data from a 5% sample of all Medicare beneficiaries were utilized to compare glaucoma procedure counts between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022. Duplicate claims were excluded, and 50 modifiers were counted as 2 distinct procedures. A multiplier was applied to estimate annual utilization for the entire Medicare population. χ 2 analysis was employed to compare categorical data from the 2 time periods. RESULTS: Current Procedural Terminology codes for angle-based stenting decreased by an estimated 20,960 procedures between 2021 and 2022 (28.60%). Goniotomy increased by an estimated 11,680 procedures (66.97%) and canaloplasty increased by an estimated 6640 procedures (47.43%). Glaucoma surgeries decreased by an estimated 5760 procedures (4.25%) despite an increase of cataract surgery by 234,960 procedures (15.63%), an increase in YAG capsulotomy by 19,280 procedures (3.31%), and an increase in intravitreal injections by 146,320 procedures (3.86%). CONCLUSION: Despite overall surgical volume increases among the ophthalmology procedures, angle-based stenting utilization decreased significantly with an accompanying trend change following the coding and reimbursement changes implemented in January 2022. Of the minimally invasive (microinvasive) glaucoma surgery procedures, goniotomy and canaloplasty counts increased the most between these periods. Trabeculectomy and glaucoma drainage device procedures continued to decrease, following well-established trends. Future studies are warranted to examine how these shifts in utilization may impact patient care outcomes.

The impact of intraocular pressure on optical coherence tomography angiography: A review of current evidence.

A scoping review of 45 peer-reviewed manuscripts involving intraocular pressure (IOP) change and concurrent optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) assessments was performed to aggregate knowledge, summarize major findings, and identify gaps in literature and methodology relating to the effect of IOP change on OCTA. Articles were identified through PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, Cochrane, Web of Science, and article reference lists. A total of 838 results were identified, and 45 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria for detailed analysis. OCTA metrics including vessel density (VD), perfusion density, and flow density of the superficial capillary plexus and the radial peripapillary capillaries were analyzed in relation to relative temporal IOP changes. Overall, IOP changes were found to affect superficial vascular plexus (VD) measurements on OCTA, especially when IOP elevated above the physiologic normal range (10-21 mmHg). No significant association was found between diurnal IOP variation and OCTA metrics. Cataract surgery improved the whole-image signal strength and VD regardless of changes in IOP. Beta-blockers were associated with paradoxically reduced vessel density in normal tension glaucoma patients in two studies. Although glaucoma surgical intervention studies were inconsistent and limited by scan quality and low sample sizes, patients requiring glaucoma surgery exhibited attenuated postoperative superficial VD recovery despite significant IOP reductions with surgical intervention. In addition to ensuring near-perfect signal strength with minimal media opacities and controlling for high myopia, central corneal thickness, and the presence of retinopathy, clinicians should consider the statistically significant impact of IOP on OCTA metrics when interpreting results.

Post-operative Day Zero Versus Day One Follow-Up for Uncomplicated Cataract Surgery.

Purpose To compare the postoperative outcomes and management of uncomplicated cataract surgery seen on postoperative day 0 (POD0) versus postoperative day one (POD1).  Methods A retrospective cohort study of patients who followed up within 0-14 days of their uncomplicated surgery (current procedural terminology code 66984) from December 2018 to March 2020. Those who had perioperative complications, those who had combined glaucoma filtering surgery as well as other minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) procedures, and those who did not complete their first two follow-up visits within 14 days of their surgery were excluded. Visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure (IOP), post-operative interventions, and complications of the first and second postoperative visits were collected. Results Of the 665 participants studied, the mean (standard deviation) age was 68 (11) years old and 60% were female (n=304) with a mean (SD) pre-op logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) VA of 0.715 (0.625). About one-third (32%) of patients were seen on POD0. Compared to POD1, a higher percent of patients with glaucoma were seen POD0 (23% vs 14%; p = 0.008). The mean VA on POD0 was 0.840 (0.653), which was significantly worse than the mean VA of 0.539 (0.599) on POD1 (p<0.0001). There was no significant difference in VA by the second post-op visit. IOP did not significantly differ between POD0 and POD1 groups at the first post-operative visit. The most common changes in the post-operative drop regimen were related to IOP and inflammation control. The rate of interventions did not significantly differ between groups (p>0.1). Patients who received intervention on POD0 were not seen significantly sooner at the next follow-up visit compared to those seen on POD0 without undergoing an intervention. The incidence of an IOP spike greater than 30mmHg on POD0 or POD1 was not significantly different between patients with and without underlying glaucoma (overall p = 0.2020; with glaucoma p= 0.1238; without glaucoma p=0.999). Those with a history of glaucoma were not more likely to receive intervention to lower IOP on POD0 versus those seen on POD1 (p = 0.999).  Conclusion It can be difficult to evaluate patients the day after their uncomplicated cataract surgery, and it is difficult to predict which patients may have post-operative complications. Our study shows no significant changes in management for patients seen on POD0 compared to POD1. Surgeons can expect significantly better visual acuity on POD1, but otherwise, post-operative outcomes were similar between patients seen on POD0 and those seen on POD1. Surgeons may offer the option of a POD0 visit for patients who underwent uncomplicated cataract surgery.

Factors Associated with 5-year Glaucomatous Progression in Glaucoma Suspect Eyes: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study.

Purpose: Using demographic, clinical, visual field, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) variables to study the association of 5-year glaucomatous progression in glaucoma suspect eyes. Patients and methods: This is a retrospective longitudinal clinical study. Inclusion criteria consisted of glaucoma suspect eyes (i.e., concerning cup-to-disk ratio and/or intraocular pressure (IOP) >21 mm Hg), age ≥ 30 years old, follow-up time of 5 years, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/100 or better, spherical equivalent (SE) higher than 8 diopters and an astigmatism less than 3 diopters. Eyes with glaucoma-determined by two consecutive, reliable visual field tests-were excluded, as well as any eyes with any clinically significant retinal or neurological disease. The percentage of glaucoma suspect eyes, which progressed to glaucoma within a 5-year period, was calculated. Study subjects were divided into the following groups: eyes that progressed to glaucoma and those that did not. Results: In the 288 patients which we looked at, 365 total eyes, 323 eyes had concerning cup-to-disk ratio and 42 had ocular hypertension. Bivariate analysis showed that the eyes which progressed to glaucoma had significantly worse mean deviation, increased pattern standard deviation (PSD), and less visual field index (VFI). Our bivariate analysis also showed a thinner average, superior and inferior retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL), and more severe average, superior, and inferior RNFL damages (i.e., color grading scale) at baseline. Logistic regression analysis showed that only PSD and severe inferior RNFL damage (i.e., red color) to be significantly associated with 5-year glaucomatous progression. Conclusion: Segmental RNFL damage and pattern standard deviation are associated with 5-year glaucomatous progression in glaucoma suspect eyes. How to cite this article: Nassiri N, Das S, Patel V, et al. Factors Associated with 5-year Glaucomatous Progression in Glaucoma Suspect Eyes: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study. J Curr Glaucoma Pract 2022;16(1):11-16.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Personality Types of Ophthalmology Residents.

Objective This study attempts to use the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to analyze personality types among current and recent ophthalmology residents. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence rates of each specific personality type in ophthalmology, and whether these changed by level of training, training program, or fellowship selection. The study aimed to evaluate whether certain personality types are more prevalent in ophthalmology as a unique medical specialty. This can help understand specialty choice and potentially predict trends in specialty selection. Study Design After obtaining institutional review board approval from Howard University Hospital, an electronic version of the MBTI questionnaire, form M, was sent to participants. In addition to the questionnaire, participants responded to four questions inquiring about home program, postgraduate training level, subspecialty interest, and work environment (if applicable). The anonymous responses of the surveys were automatically scored on google forms, and the results were analyzed by using StatView statistical analysis. Setting This study was conducted at Howard University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, and Kresge Eye Institute. Participants A total of 66 current residents and recent graduates of five residency programs were involved in this study. Main Outcomes and Measures This study evaluated four-letter personality type from each participant. Results Ophthalmology residents were statistically more likely to be identified in the categories of extroversion (E) than introversion (I) ( p = 0.049), thinking (T) than feeling (F) ( p = 0.027), and judging (J) than perceiving (P) ( p = 0.007), with no statistically significant difference between sensing (S) and intuition (N). ENTP, ESTJ, and ISTJ were the most common personality types, each comprising 13.6% of the sample population. The ratio of J:P was found to increase as training level increased, beginning with postgraduate 2nd year until graduate level. Conclusion Certain personality types are more common among ophthalmology residents in our cohort from five different training programs. It is possible that individual types change over the course of residency training and career. Understanding that these findings exist can be used as a baseline for future research in terms of potential predictors for applicants, of resident knowledge base, and personality changes over the course of one's training.

Rates of Intraocular Pressure Elevation and Use of Topical Antihypertensive Medication After Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty.

PURPOSE: To investigate intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation and medication augmentation after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) in those with and without glaucoma. METHODS: The records of 379 patients who underwent DSAEK at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation between January 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Postoperative IOP elevations were considered significant if IOP was ≥22 mm Hg on at least 1 follow-up visit or if it increased by ≥10 mm Hg from baseline. RESULTS: The incidence rate of IOP elevation was 4% per person-month (confidence interval [CI], 3%-6%) in patients with preexisting glaucoma and 3% (CI, 2%-4%) in those without. Rates of medication augmentation were 4% per person-month (CI, 3%-5%) in patients with glaucoma and 1.8% (CI, 1.4%-2.4%) in those without. Incidence rates for both outcomes peaked at 1 month. Whites had nearly a 47% lower incidence of IOP elevation compared with nonwhites (P = 0.004); patients with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy had a 54% higher incidence of IOP elevation (P = 0.024); and those with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy had a 36% lower incidence (P = 0.024). Patients with glaucoma had over a 2-fold higher incidence of medication augmentation compared with those without (hazard rate ratio = 2.08, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of post-DSAEK IOP elevation did not significantly differ by glaucoma status, although patients with glaucoma were more likely to have escalation of topical antihypertensive therapy. The incidence of IOP elevation was significantly associated with pseudophakic bullous keratopathy and nonwhite race. These patients should be followed closely in the early postoperative period, as elevated IOP can be a serious consequence of DSAEK.

Effect of strabismus surgery on the reading ability of school-age children.

AIM: To evaluate if strabismus surgery on children between the ages 5 and 14 years leads to an improvement in reading ability by comparing reading performance of patients before and after surgery. METHODS: Pre- and postoperatively, the visual acuity, ocular alignment, and stereoacuity of 15 children with horizontal strabismus was recorded. The "3-Minute Reading Assessments: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Comprehension" for the appropriate age-group were used to assess children between the ages of 5 and 14 years. Thirteen of the 15 children presented with esotropic deviation, and the remaining 2 were exotropic. RESULTS: Postoperatively, 12 patients were orthophoric and 3 had significant residual esotropia. The 15 patients had an average improvement in reading speed (10.3 words per minute), accuracy (4%), and fluency (2 points). For the 12 orthophoric patients, reading speed increased by 12.2 (P = .003), accuracy by 3% (P = .064), and fluency by 1.33 (P = .006). CONCLUSION: Corrective strabismus surgery in school-age children showed an early improvement in reading ability that could translate into better academic performance. Our results suggest that reading ability could be an important factor when considering corrective surgery for children with strabismus.

Postural tachycardia syndrome with asystole on head-up tilt.

Enhanced sympathetic activity causes an exaggerated heart rate response to standing in the postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS). All patients describe symptoms of orthostatic intolerance such as dizziness, blurred vision, shortness of breath, palpitations, tremulousness, chest discomfort, headache, lightheadedness and nausea, but only one third suffer loss of consciousness. We report four patients with POTS, who had long ventricular pauses (i.e. asystole) and syncope during head-up tilt test. This suggests that a subset of patients with POTS can have a surge in parasympathetic outflow that precedes vasovagal syncope.