Use of Intracameral Tissue Plasminogen Activator During Uveitic Cataract Surgery.

PURPOSE: To report the outcomes of intracameral tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) use during uveitic cataract surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective case series from a single United States tertiary center of 36 eyes from 31 consecutive patients with established uveitis who received intraoperative intracameral tPA during cataract surgery between 2016 and 2020. RESULTS: Mean visual acuity (VA) improved from logMAR 1.0 ± 0.7 preoperatively to logMAR 0.7 ± 0.8 by POM12. VA improved from baseline postoperatively (POM1 p = 0.0002, POM6 p = 0.006 and POM12 p = 0.007). Minimal to no anterior chamber inflammation was achieved in 47.2% of the eyes by POW1 and 80.0% of the eyes by POM1. Mean clock-hours of posterior synechiae improved from 8.2 ± 3.8 preoperatively to 0.1 ± 0.6 by POM12. Six eyes developed hyphema and/or vitreous hemorrhage, four of which resolved spontaneously. CONCLUSIONS: Adjunctive intracameral tPA during uveitic cataract surgery improves VA and intraocular inflammation, but risks postoperative hemorrhage. Intraoperative tPA as adjunctive anti-inflammatory therapy warrants randomized prospective studies.

Chronic postoperative Cutibacterium acnes endophthalmitis with implantable collamer lens.

Purpose: We report a case of chronic post-operative endophthalmitis secondary to Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) in a patient with an implantable collamer lens (ICL). Observations: A 45-year-old male presented three months after ICL implantation of the right eye with blurry vision, redness, and ocular pain in the setting of prolonged post-operative anterior chamber (AC) cell. Reduced visual acuity (VA) at 20/30-1, keratic precipitates, 1+ AC cell, and white ICL precipitates were concerning for chronic post-operative endophthalmitis. Anaerobic cultures from a vitreous tap grew C. acnes. Multiple intravitreal and intracameral injections with topical steroids were required to maintain a stable VA at 20/30; however, inflammation persisted and removal of the ICL and his native lens was ultimately required. Conclusions and importance: Chronic post-operative inflammation and white plaque after ICL implantation should raise high suspicion for endophthalmitis secondary to C. acnes. Anaerobic vitreous cultures can confirm the diagnosis. Removal of the ICL implant is often necessary for treatment. More research is needed to best manage this vision threatening condition.

Pyramidal Inflammatory Deposits of the Retinal Pigment Epithelium and Outer Retina in Ocular Syphilis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of OCT in the diagnosis of uveitis secondary to syphilis. DESIGN: Consecutive, retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: All patients 18 years of age or older with ocular syphilis from 2 tertiary referral centers. METHODS: All patients who were diagnosed with intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, or panuveitis secondary to syphilis were included in the study (40 patients representing a total of 62 eyes) to identify important imaging features to aid in diagnosis. Patients underwent confirmatory serologic testing, OCT imaging, and dilated examination by a uveitis specialist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Hyperreflective retinal lesions on OCT. RESULTS: The mean age of the study population was 42.9 ± 12.16 years. Forty-five percent of the eyes included in this study harbored hyperreflective pyramidal lesions of the outer retina and retinal pigment epithelium on OCT. Fifty-four percent of eyes with these imaging findings did not show a placoid retinal lesion on examination. Sixty-eighty percent of the described outer retinal lesions on OCT resolved after treatment for syphilis. Visual acuity ranged from normal (20/20) to no light perception, with a mean of 20/43 at diagnosis, and improved significantly to a mean visual acuity of 20/26 after treatment (P < 0.05). Vision-threatening complications were seen in less than 5% of eyes and included both treatable and irreversible causes of vision loss, including retinal detachment, cystoid macular edema, and optic neuropathy. CONCLUSIONS: Patients treated for uveitis secondary to syphilis achieve good visual recoveries. Outer retinal lesions seen on OCT are common and can serve as an additional imaging finding of the disease.

Bilateral Placoid Choroiditis in an HIV-Positive Patient With Cryptococcus neoformans Meningitis and Disseminated Cryptococcal Disease.

Purpose: We report a presumptive case of bilateral placoid choroiditis secondary to disseminated Cryptococcus neoformans infection and review the literature on choroidal involvement of C neoformans. Methods: A case report is presented. Results: A 35-year-old HIV-positive man presented with disseminated cryptococcal infection. Cryptococcal meningitis was confirmed by lumbar puncture, and skin involvement was confirmed by microscopy of scrapings from a papular, umbilicated, ulcerated lesion. Ophthalmologic examination revealed intact visual acuity, clear vitreous, and multiple yellowish, placoid-appearing choroidal lesions in the posterior pole bilaterally. Conclusions: Multifocal choroiditis caused by C neoformans is an uncommon manifestation of disseminated infection, and placoid yellowish choroidal lesions are an unusual variant. These findings must be differentiated from choroidal tuberculosis and other infections. Multifocal choroiditis typically occurs in AIDS patients and may precede the presentation of meningitis. In such patients, choroidal lesions warrant investigation for systemic, life-threatening opportunistic infections.

Combined Phacoemulsification and Pars Plana Vitrectomy for the Treatment of Cataract in Patients With Noninfectious Uveitis.

Purpose: This work evaluates the role of combined phacoemulsification and vitrectomy surgery in the management of cataract associated with noninfectious uveitis. Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of all patients aged 7 years or older who underwent a combined surgical approach from 2005 to 2018. Results: Eighty-five eyes of 67 patients were included in the study; 10.7% of eyes had a best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/40 or better at time of surgery. At 1-year follow-up, 63.4% of eyes had a BCVA 20/40 or better and 7.6% had a BCVA of 20/200 or worse. There was an overall decrease in cystoid macular edema after surgery compared with preoperatively (47.6% vs 34.5% presurgery and postsurgery, respectively). Complete inflammatory disease remission off immunomodulatory therapy and systemic steroids was achieved in 21.1% of patients. Conclusions: A combined surgical approach is effective in visual rehabilitation in patients with uveitic cataracts and may promote inflammatory disease remission specifically in intermediate uveitis.

The First Case of Trypanosoma cruzi-Associated Retinitis in an Immunocompromised Host Diagnosed With Pan-Organism Polymerase Chain Reaction.

We report the first case of Trypanosoma cruzi-associated retinitis diagnosed using 28s ribosomal DNA sequencing. The case highlights the utility of broad-range molecular diagnostics for detecting rare and unsuspected ocular pathogens. Ocular involvement in Chagas disease is also discussed.

The effect of amniotic membrane grafting on healing and wound strength after strabismus surgery in a rabbit model.

BACKGROUND: Amniotic membrane grafts (AMGs) are used, with mixed results, as a platform for ocular healing and to reduce pathologic scarring. This study evaluated wound tensile strength and histopathologic changes after strabismus surgery with AMGs in 20 New Zealand white rabbits. METHODS: All subjects underwent 4 mm inferior rectus hang-back recessions to both eyes. The right eyes served as controls. Ten left eyes (group 1) received processed dehydrated amniotic membrane allografts (Ambiodry2, IOP Inc, Costa Mesa, CA) and ten left eyes (group 2) received cryopreserved human amniotic membrane allografts (AmnioGraft, Bio-Tissue, Miami, FL) between the sclera and muscle insertion and between the muscle and repositioned conjunctiva. At postoperative month 1, tensile strengths of the muscle-globe and conjunctiva-globe attachments were measured, and histopathologic analysis of each eye was performed. RESULTS: In group 1 the mean tensile strength of the muscle-globe attachments was 441.4 ± 274.4 g; of the conjunctiva-globe attachments, 640.3 ± 266.4 g. In the control eyes, the comparable values were 365.8 ± 199.8 g and 595.2 ± 315.3 g, respectively (P = 0.19, P = 0.13). In group 2 the mean tensile strengths were 456 ± 297.5 g and 608.2 ± 306.7 g, compared with control values of 352.7 ± 114.8 g and 583.8 ± 347.1 g (P = 0.43, P = 0.45). CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant change in tensile strength of the muscle insertion using AMGs. In a rabbit model, AMGs do not reduce inflammation or improve scar formation 1 month after strabismus surgery.

Checkpoint inhibitor-induced uveitis: a case series.

PURPOSE: Checkpoint inhibitors are now a common treatment modality for metastatic cancer. In this manuscript, we describe the clinical features and management of autoimmune non-infectious uveitis induced by this class of drugs. METHODS: Seven patients undergoing checkpoint inhibitor treatment for metastatic cancer from uveitis practices at three tertiary referral centers. RESULTS: All seven patients developed various severities of ocular inflammatory disease while taking checkpoint inhibitors for metastatic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Checkpoint inhibitors may induce autoimmune uveitis. Ocular complaints should prompt an early evaluation by an ophthalmologist.

Cytomegalovirus Retinitis in Pediatric Stem Cell Transplants: Report of a Recent Cluster and the Development of a Screening Protocol.

PURPOSE: The incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in the pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) population is unknown. We report a cluster of 5 pediatric patients with CMV retinitis diagnosed in a 12-month period and compare this to the rate of CMV viremia and retinitis in the 4 years prior. Presented is the ophthalmic screening protocol developed in response to this experience. DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional study. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed on patients at Children's Hospital of Colorado (CHCO) who received allogeneic HSCT between January 2010 and December 2014. Fisher exact test was used to compare the proportion of CMV viremia and CMV retinitis in patients transplanted between January 2010 and December 2013 with those transplanted in 2014. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients underwent allogeneic HSCT from January 2010 to December 2013; 32 (32%) tested positive for CMV viremia. No cases of CMV retinitis were identified. From January 2014 to December 2014, 28 patients underwent allogeneic HSCT; 13 patients (46%) had CMV viremia, not a statistically significant increase (P = .18). There were 5 cases of CMV retinitis diagnosed in those transplanted in 2014, a statistically significant increase compared with those transplanted in 2010-2013 (P = .0004). A multidisciplinary team was formed to review the literature and an ophthalmic screening protocol was developed. CONCLUSION: Our recent cluster of CMV retinitis in pediatric allogeneic HSCT patients may suggest a rise in incidence of CMV retinitis. We propose an ophthalmic screening protocol to diagnose retinitis in pediatric HSCT patients in the early, often asymptomatic stage.

Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant in the Treatment of Uveitic Macular Edema in the Perioperative Cataract Setting: A Case Series.

PURPOSE: To examine the efficacy of the dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implant (Ozurdex; Allergan, Inc, Irvine, California, USA) in the control of uveitic macular edema in the perioperative setting of cataract surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective observational case series. METHODS: setting: Clinical practice. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 17 eyes of 14 patients that received a DEX implant for cystoids macular edema (CME) associated with noninfectious uveitis who underwent subsequent phacoemulsification within 4 months. INTERVENTION: Each patient was treated with a DEX 0.7 mg intravitreal implant and underwent phacoemulsification with intraocular lens placement. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measure was the change in central macular thickness (CMT) measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT), measured preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: Seventeen eyes (14 patients) were included for analysis. There was no statistically significant change from preoperative CMT (mean 302 µm) to postoperative CMT (307 µm) on OCT. In the subset of eyes that underwent phacoemulsification within 4 weeks of the DEX implant (8 eyes), the mean change in CMT was -47.0 µm, compared to +51.1 µm in those that received the DEX implant greater than 4 weeks prior to phacoemulsification (P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal dexamethasone implant was shown to prevent the recurrence or worsening of macular edema in uveitic patients with a history of CME who underwent phacoemulsification. The mean CMT decreased in the subset of eyes that received the DEX implant within 4 weeks prior to cataract surgery.