Conjunctival Impression Cytology and Tear Film Changes in Sarcoidosis: A Subjective and Objective Diagnosis Study.

Objectives: To evaluate sarcoidosis-induced tear film changes using subjective and objective diagnostic tests, particularly conjunctival impression cytology (IC), and to compare the results with healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: This study evaluated clinical data collected between January 2019 and January 2021 from 57 right eyes of 57 sarcoidosis patients without ocular involvement (Group 1) and 33 right eyes of 33 healthy individuals with similar demographic characteristics (Group 2). The Schirmer I test, tear break-up time (TBUT), fluorescein staining, and conjunctival IC were all performed as part of the conjunctival and corneal examinations following a thorough ophthalmological examination. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) was used to assess subjective ocular symptoms. Results: The mean ages in Groups 1 and 2 were 49.26±3.18 and 51.91±2.89 years, respectively (p=0.720). The mean Schirmer I test, TBUT, and OSDI scores differed significantly (p<0.05 for all), with Group 1 having a significantly higher percentage of dry eyes than Group 2. Group 1 had significantly higher Nelson's grading system grades than Group 2 based on conjunctival IC analysis (p=0.001). There were no significant differences in visual acuity (p=0.17) or intraocular pressure (p=0.14) between groups. Conclusion: Sarcoidosis patients had significantly higher Nelson grades in conjunctival IC, as well as significantly higher percentages of dry eye as determined by the Schirmer I test, TBUT, and OSDI. Reduced tear quantity and quality may destabilize the tear film layer, resulting in a variety of ocular symptoms.

Primary versus secondary intraocular lens implantation following removal of congenital/de al of congenital/developmental catar elopmental cataracts: outcomes after acts: outcomes after at least 4 years.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term outcomes of primary and secondary intraocular lens (IOL) implantation following removal of congenital/developmental cataracts. METHODS: One hundred and forty-four patients aged under 16 years who were followed up between 2003 and 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The long-term results of children who underwent surgery before 2 years of age for congenital or developmental cataracts and underwent secondary IOL implantation after 2 years of age and those who underwent cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation after 2 years of age were compared. Patients with traumatic, secondary cataracts and cataracts due to ocular anomalies were not included in the study. RESULTS: We evaluated 64 patients (mean age 9.5 ± 4.5 years) with secondary IOL implantation and 80 patients (mean age 12.8 ± 4.1 years) with primary IOL implantation in the study. Distance and near best-corrected visual acuities were significantly better in the primary IOL group than the secondary IOL group (p < 0.001). Incidence of strabismus after primary IOL surgery was significantly lower and presence of binocular vision was more often than the secondary IOL group (p = 0.002). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of refraction and myopic shift (p = 0.242, p = 0.172, respectively). Mean refractive changes were significant in unilateral cases of secondary IOL group and primary IOL group (p = 0.013, p = 0.049, respectively) and myopic shift was also greater in both groups of unilateral cases than the fellow eyes (p = 0.023, p = 0.012, respectively). DISCUSSION: Visual outcomes and binocular vision were better, and the incidence of strabismus was also much less in the primary IOL group.

Assessments of the ocular surface and meibomian gland morphology in patients with treatment-naive acne vulgaris.

PURPOSE: To investigate ocular surface and meibomian glands in patients with treatment-naive acne vulgaris. METHODS: The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire, invasive tear film breakup time, fluorescein staining of the ocular surface, and Schirmer II test were performed for all subjects. Total eyelid and meibomian gland secretion scores were assessed. Non-contact meibography was performed with the Sirius corneal topographic device. RESULTS: The right eyes of 35 patients with acne vulgaris and 35 healthy volunteers were included the study. While the OSDI and staining scores were significantly higher in the acne group than in the control group (p=0.01 and p=0.003, respectively), the invasive tear film breakup time and Schirmer measurements were significantly lower in the acne group (p=0.000 and p=0.003, respectively). The total eyelid and meibomian gland secretion scores were also higher in the acne group than in the control group (p=0.003 and p=0.000, respectively). On the morphological evaluation of the meibomian glands, the thickening, thinning, tortuosity, and presence of ghost areas were statistically significantly more common in the acne vulgaris group than in the control group (p=0.000, p=0.001, p=0.05, and p=0.006, respectively). The percentage of the meibomian gland loss area was significantly high in the acne vulgaris group on both upper and lower meibography. The meibomian gland loss area positively correlated with total eyelid and meibomian gland secretion scores. CONCLUSION: Acne vulgaris may have a predisposition to meibomian gland dysfunction and ocular surface damage. Early recognition of meibomian gland and ocular surface alterations seems important, especially in acne vulgaris cases for which oral isotretinoin treatment is planned.

Pediatric traumatic cataracts: 10-year experience of a tertiary referral center.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate the factors influencing final visual acuity in pediatric traumatic cataracts. METHODS: Data of patients who presented with traumatic cataracts were reviewed retrospectively. We evaluated age at trauma; gender, trauma type, cause, and zone; duration between the time of trauma and cataract surgery; surgical method used; time, location, and type of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation; initial and final best corrected visual acuity (BCVA); amblyopia rate; and complications. RESULTS: In all, 61 eyes of 59 patients aged < 16 years with cataracts after trauma were included. The mean age of the children was 7.2 ± 3.9 years. Primary IOL implantation was performed in 70.9% of eyes. The BCVA was 0.7 LogMAR or better in 5.9% of the 49 eyes in which the visual acuity could be measured at the time of trauma and in 69.1% of 55 eyes in which it could be measured after treatment. Evaluation of factors potentially influencing the final visual acuity revealed that eyes that had undergone posterior capsulotomy (PC) and anterior vitrectomy (AV) during cataract surgery had significantly better final visual acuity compared with eyes that did not undergo these procedures. CONCLUSIONS: In children with posttraumatic cataracts, final visual acuity was not affected by patient age and gender; trauma type, cause, and zone; duration between the time of trauma and cataract surgery; surgical method used; and time, location, and type of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Improvements in the final BCVA could be seen only by PC + AV combined with lens aspiration with or without IOL implantation. However, this approach of amblyopia treatment needs to be confirmed by more comprehensive and prospective studies.

Sutureless Scleral-Fixated Intraocular Lens Implantation in the Treatment of Congenital Lens Subluxation Related to Marfan Syndrome.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bimanual capsulorhexis combined with sutureless scleral-fixated intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in children diagnosed as having Marfan syndrome. METHODS: The study included 14 eyes with subluxated lenses of 7 children who were diagnosed as having Marfan syndrome and underwent bimanual capsulorhexis combined with sutureless scleral-fixated IOL implantation by the same surgeon between 2015 and 2019 at the University of Health Sciences, Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kirdar City Hospital's Eye Department. RESULTS: The mean preoperative and postoperative uncorrected visual acuity was 1.47 ± 0.41 and 0.42 ± 0.15 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR), respectively (P = .001). The preoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ranged from 1.30 to 0.40 logMAR with a mean value of 0.81 ± 0.30 logMAR. Postoperatively, all patients had an increase in the BCVA with a mean value of 0.20 ± 0.11 logMAR, which was statistically significant (P = .001). The mean preoperative and postoperative spherical equivalent was -9.69 ± 4.59 and -0.27 ± 1.21 diopters, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small number of patients in this study, good visual results and a low complication rate were obtained in patients with ectopic lens. The long-term IOL status in patients who have undergone sutureless scleral-fixated IOL implantation will make it possible to better evaluate the safety and applicability of the technique. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2021;58(6):401-406.].

Inflammatory cytokines, oxidative and antioxidative stress levels in patients with diabetic macular edema and hyperreflective spots.

PURPOSE: To determine the levels of serum oxidative, antioxidative markers and inflammatory cytokines in patients diagnosed with diabetic macular edema (DME) whose hyperreflective spots (HRS) were detected by optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: In this prospective cross-sectional clinical study included a total of 88 patients; 31 patients (group-1) with DME and HRS detected by OCT, 29 patients (group-2) with DME without HRS, and 28 patients (group-3) diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM) without any diabetic retinopathy findings. The main outcomes were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), CMT (central macular thickness), CMV (central macular volume), TMV (total macular volume), CT (choroidal thickness), serum TAS (total antioxidant status), TOS (total oxidant status), VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), FGF (fibroblast growth factor) and IL-1b levels. OCT parameters and biochemical measurements were compared statistically between the three groups. RESULTS: A total of 88 patients (43 females (48.9%) and 45 males (51.1%)) were included in the study. The mean age was 56.29 ± 9.23 years. There was no difference between the three groups in age-and-sex. In group-1 and 2, BCVA(LogMAR) was statistically higher than group 3. CMT, CMV, TMV, TAS, TOS, VEGF and FGF were significantly higher in group-1 than in group-3. CMT, CMV, TMV, VEGF and FGF were significantly higher in group-2 than group 3. TOS and VEGF were significantly higher in group-1 than group-2. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that in patients with DME and HRS, TOS and VEGF levels were higher than those without HRS. Hence, hyperreflective spots may be an inflammatory biomarker.

Comparison of the efficacies of patching and penalization therapies for the treatment of amblyopia patients.

AIM: To compare the efficacies of patching and penalization therapies for the treatment of amblyopia patients. METHODS: The records of 64 eyes of 50 patients 7 to 16y of age who had presented to our clinics with a diagnosis of amblyopia, were evaluated retrospectively. Forty eyes of 26 patients who had received patching therapy and 24 eyes of 24 patients who had received penalization therapy included in this study. The latencies and amplitudes of visual evoked potential (VEP) records and best corrected visual acuities (BCVA) of these two groups were compared before and six months after the treatment. RESULTS: In both patching and the penalization groups, the visual acuities increased significantly following the treatments (P<0.05). The latency measurements of the P100 wave obtained at 1.0°, 15 arc min. Patterns of both groups significantly decreased following the 6-months-treatment. However, the amplitude measurements increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The patching and the penalization methods, which are the main methods used in the treatment of amblyopia, were also effective over the age of 7y, which has been accepted as the critical age for the treatment of amblyopia.

Assessment of the central corneal thickness and intraocular pressure in premature and full-term newborns.

PURPOSE: To assess the central corneal thickness (CCT) and intraocular pressure (IOP) in premature and full-term newborns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we evaluated measurements of CCT and IOP in 45 premature and 45 full-term newborns. IOP was determined with topical anesthesia using a Tono-Pen AVIA, applanation tonometer and a wire lid retractor in premature newborns undergoing screening for retinopathy. Full-term newborns were used as a control group. CCT was determined with a portable pachymeter after IOP measurements had been made in both groups. Because there was high correlation of CCT and IOP between right and left eyes, only the right eye data were used for further analyses. RESULTS: The mean gestational age was 31.5 ± 2.7 weeks (ranging 25-35 weeks) and the mean age at measurement after birth was respectively 36.3 ± 0.9 weeks (ranging 33-37 weeks) in premature newborns and 38.2 ± 0.7 weeks (ranging 38-41 weeks) and 42 ± 2.2 weeks (ranging 39-46 weeks) in full-term newborns. The mean IOP was 16.2 ± 2.7 mmHg (ranging 10-22 mmHg) in premature and 16.6 ± 2.3 mmHg (ranging 10-22 mmHg) in full-term newborns. The mean CCT was found 600 ± 50 µm (ranging 515-790 µm) in the premature group and 586 ± 48 µm (ranging 475-730 µm) in the full-term group. Mean CCT was greater in premature newborns than in full-term newborns, but the difference between groups was not statistically significant (P = 0.7). Mean IOP measurement in two groups was found very similar and the difference also was not statistically significant (P = 0.27). There was no correlation between IOP and CCT, gestational age, gestational weight, age at measurement, weight at measurement neither right nor left eye in both groups in multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSION: We found that premature infants have slightly thicker corneas but no high IOP measurements than full-term newborns. It could be concluded that in premature at the mean gestational age of 36 weeks CCT is not different from that of full-term newborns.

Long-term vision-threatening complications of phakic intraocular lens implantation for high myopia.

AIM: To report the long-term vision-threatening complications in patients who underwent phakic intraocular lens (pIOLs) implantation for high myopia. METHODS: This study was designed from a consecutive series of phakic intraocular lens complication and corrective surgeries. Sixteen eyes of 13 patients had implantation of phakic intraocular lens for correction high myopia and developed serious complications have been included in this study. The mean age of patients was 38.6±6.35y (range 32-50y) and the mean time of history of pIOL implantation for high myopia was 6±2y (range 2-10y). Before corrective surgery, best spectacle-corrective visual acuity (BSCVA) ranged from perception to 20/200 in the eyes in which severe complications occurred. RESULTS: Corneal decompensation occurred in 12 eyes of 9 high myopic patients after anterior chamber pIOL implantation. Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) occurred in 4 eyes of 4 high myopic patients following anterior chamber and posterior chamber pIOL implantation. Patients with corneal decompensation, had combined procedures consisting of pIOL removal and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP). Removals of pIOL, phacoemulsification and pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with silicone oil tamponade were performed in patients with RRD. After corrective surgeries, all patients but one (P+, patient 2, right eye) achieved moderate BSCVA ranged from 20/200 to 20/50 at the last visit. CONCLUSION: Phakic IOLs may be effective for the correction of high myopia. Although these IOLs may have severe complications and it affects safety and efficacy of this surgery. As seen here, corneal decompensation and rhegmatogenous retinal detachment are possible postoperative vision-threatening complications of phakic IOLs. Patients must be carefully examined before and after surgery for possible endothelial cell loss and vitreoretinal problems.