Orbital Burkitt's Lymphoma: An Aggressive Presentation.

Objective. To present the case of an aggressive orbital Burkitt's lymphoma. Methods. Chart review. Case Presentation. A 24-year-old Haitian man came to our clinic complaining of rapidly progressive right eye proptosis. On examination, a large friable exophytic mass with necrotic areas and exudative/hemorrhagic secretions was noted protruding from his right orbit. A biopsy revealed the characteristic "starry-sky" appearance of a Burkitt lymphoma. The patient died shortly after due to complications from systemic involvement. Discussion. This case is meant to raise physicians' awareness on the healthcare situation in some underdeveloped countries, emphasizing the importance of education in preventive medicine.

Presumed sturge weber syndrome in a haitian boy: a case of delayed diagnosis.

Purpose. To report an untypical presentation of a presumed Sturge-Weber Syndrome (SWS), and to highlight the indispensable value of thorough clinical examination as primary means for proper diagnosis and management. Methods. Chart review. Results. A 7 year-old boy, with a long history of ocular symptoms and an unspecified ocular surgery, presents with a painful blind left eye. Based on clinical examination, the suspicion of SWS was raised. The presentation was not typical in the sense that no evident port-wine stain was observed on the face. However, facial asymmetry and gum discoloration were guiding clinical clues to pursue further investigations. Unfortunately, due to poor treatment response, the patient underwent enucleation. Tissue pathology revealed diffuse choroidal hemangiomas, consistent with the diagnosis of SWS. Conclusion. SWS presents with hamartomatous malformations and venous dilation affecting the skin, central nervous system and eye. The ocular involvement may vary, with the most common complications being glaucoma, buphthalmos and diffuse choroidal hemangiomas. This case report helps remind physicians of the importance of a thorough clinical examination, and highlights the ophthalmologists' responsibility of examining beyond the eye.

Uveal metastatic disease: current and new treatment options (review).

Choroidal metastasis represents the most common form of intraocular malignancies. It may occur in up to 10% of patients with systemic metastasis with almost half of the patients developing central nervous system disease. The most common primary sites of ocular metastasis are breast cancer in women and lung cancer in men. In most cases, these lesions tend to be asymptomatic and are not evaluated by an ophthalmologist. The diagnosis is generally made by the history of present or prior malignancies and an ophthalmological examination with slit-lamp biomicroscopy and indirect ophthalmoscopy. As with other malignancies, management may vary with each patient. Small tumors, that do not compromise the vision and that have responded previously to systemic treatment, may be closely observed. For larger lesions and for symptomatic ones, external beam radiation offers an excellent alternative to save the eye and stabilize vision. Bevacizumab (Avastin), a potent monoclonal antibody that has also been employed for the treatment of ocular vaso-proliferative diseases, has been used in the treatment of choroidal metastasis and has shown promising results.

Diabetic papillopathy: current and new treatment options.

Diabetes mellitus is a growing global epidemic. Patients with this disease present with a variety of health conditions, including a number of ocular complications that threaten vision, such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. Diabetic papillopathy, another potential ocular complication from diabetes, is a self-limiting, sometimes bilateral disease that may affect both type 1 and type 2 diabetics. It is characterized by optic disc swelling caused by vascular leakage and axonal edema in and around the optic nerve head. Occasionally, it may be accompanied by intraretinal hemorrhages and hard exudates. Diabetic papillopathy tends to be mild and is usually associated with good visual prognosis; however, there are some cases in which permanent visual impairment can develop. The pathogenesis remains largely unknown, but there has been evidence suggestive of its associations with a small cup/disc ratio and rapid reduction in glycemia. There is no validated therapy for diabetic papillopathy; however, current case reports have shown promising results after local injections of corticosteroids as well as bevacizumab (Avastin), a potent monoclonal antibody that has been employed for the treatment of ocular vaso-proliferative diseases such as choroidal neovascular membranes associated with age-related macular degeneration and proliferative diabetic retinopathy.