Ability of routinely collected clinical factors to predict good visual results after primary Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: A comprehensive analysis of routinely collected pre/perioperative demographic/clinical factors that could predict final visual acuity after primary Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) has not been conducted previously. METHODS: A retrospective monocenter cohort study was performed with consecutive patients with Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) who underwent DMEK or triple-DMEK (DMEK combined with cataract surgery) in 2016-2020 in a French tertiary-care hospital. DMEK-only patients were pseudophakic. Patients were followed for 12 months. Surgery was considered successful when 12-month best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was ≤0.1 logMAR (≥0.8). Exploratory multivariate analysis was conducted with the following routinely collected variables to determine their ability to predict 12-month BCVA: patient age and sex; graft donor age; triple DMEK; preoperative values of BCVA, endothelial cell density (ECD), central corneal thickness (CCT), and mean anterior keratometry; and rebubbling. RESULTS: Of 100 eyes (100 patients; mean age, 72 years; 61% female), 81 achieved a 12-month BCVA of ≤0.1 logMAR. Logistic regression analysis showed that older age was a significant prognosticator for 12-month BCVA > 0.1 logMAR (Odds Ratio = 0.914, 95% confidence intervals = 0.846-0.987; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: An older age associated with worse visual acuity outcomes after DMEK. This was confirmed by our analysis of the literature and supports the notion that DMEK should be conducted without delay once symptoms appear. Patient sex, donor age, triple-DMEK, and anterior keratometry also did not predict final BCVA in the literature. Preoperative CCT, ECD, and BCVA, and rebubbling occasionally appear in the literature as BCVA predictors, possibly reflecting an underlying ECD-BCVA axis.

Graft Thickness at 6 Months Postoperatively Predicts Long-Term Visual Acuity Outcomes of Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty for Fuchs Dystrophy and Moderate Phakic Bullous Keratopathy: A Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: It remains unclear whether preoperative central graft thickness (CGT) contributes to visual outcomes of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). This retrospective cohort study examined the ability of preoperative and postoperative CGT to predict 12-month best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) after DSAEK for Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy/moderate pseudophakic bullous keratopathy/second graft. METHODS: All consecutive patients who underwent DSAEK in 2015 to 2018 were included. The primary end point was 12-month BSCVA. DSAEK-CGT was measured preoperatively and 6 times between postoperative day 8 and month 12. Eyes were divided according to preoperative CGT 130 µm (ultrathin-DSAEK threshold) or 6-month postoperative CGT 100 µm (mean 6-month postoperative DSAEK-CGT). The t test assessed CGT evolution of the 4 groups over time. Multivariate analyses examined whether preoperative CGT or 6-month CGT categories predicted 12-month BSCVA. Multivariate analysis assessed the preoperative/perioperative factors that predicted 6-month CGT. RESULTS: A total of 108 eyes (68 patients) underwent DSAEK. Preoperative CGT was >130 and ≤130 µm in 87 and 21 eyes, respectively. Postoperative CGT was >100 and ≤100 µm in 50 and 58 eyes, respectively. Thin 6-month postoperative grafts thinned significantly more relative to preoperative thickness than thick grafts ( P < 0.001). Preoperative CGT subgroups did not show this difference. Six-month postoperative CGT ( P = 0.01), but not preoperative CGT, predicted 12-month BSCVA. Preoperative CGT strongly predicted 6-month CGT ( P = 0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative, but not preoperative, DSAEK-CGT predicted 6-month BSCVA. The correlation between preoperative and postoperative CGT and interstudy variation in preoperative CGT measurement accuracy may explain literature disparities regarding the importance of preoperative CGT in DSAEK outcomes.

Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss After Endocapsular and Supracapsular Phacoemulsification: The PERCEPOLIS Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: Subluxation techniques are superior to divide-and-conquer in procedure duration, pain, and ultrasound quantity, but their safety in endothelial cell loss (ECL) is unclear. This randomized single-blind noninferiority clinical trial aimed to determine whether subluxation supracapsular phacoemulsification techniques are inferior to a reference endocapsular technique (divide-and-conquer) regarding postoperative corneal ECL. METHODS: Patients (aged18 years or older) with greater than +0.2 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution best spectacle-corrected visual acuity and normal to severe density cataract were randomized to subluxation or divide-and-conquer phacoemulsification in 2015 to 2016. Follow-up with ophthalmic tests was conducted on day 4 and months 1, 3, and 12. The primary study outcome was ECL at all time points. Secondary study end points were operative variables, including effective phaco time and procedure duration. A clinically relevant noninferiority ECL limit was established on the basis of the literature. RESULTS: In total, 292 patients (mean age, 73 yrs; 59% female) were randomized and underwent subluxation (n = 148) or divide-and-conquer (n = 144). Day 4 and month 1, 3, and 12 data were available for 243, 270, 275, and 198 patients, respectively. The unexpectedly high dropout at 12 months meant that the 12-month ECL data could only be assessed qualitatively. Surgery was successful in all patients. Subluxation was noninferior to divide-and-conquer in ECL. Effective phaco times were similar, but subluxation associated with shorter procedure duration. CONCLUSIONS: The subluxation technique was noninferior to divide-and-conquer regarding postoperative ECL, at least in the first 3 months, and associated with reduced intervention time. Subluxation techniques may be suitable alternatives to endocapsular techniques.Clinical Trial Registration-URL: ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT02535819.

Efficacy and safety of single-step transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy with the all-surface laser ablation SCHWIND platform without mitomycin-C for high myopia: A retrospective study of 69 eyes.

BACKGROUND: Studies suggest that transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TransPRK) with the all-surface laser ablation (ASLA)-SCHWIND platform is effective and safe for both low-moderate myopia and high myopia. In most studies, mitomycin-C is administered immediately after surgery to prevent corneal opacification (haze), which is a significant complication of photorefractive keratectomy in general. However, there is evidence that adjuvant mitomycin-C induces endothelial cytotoxicity. Moreover, a recent study showed that omitting adjuvant mitomycin-C did not increase haze in low-moderate myopia. The present case-series study examined the efficacy, safety, and haze rates of eyes with high myopia that underwent ASLA-SCHWIND TransPRK without adjuvant mitomycin-C. METHODS: All consecutive eyes with high myopia (≤-6 D) that were treated in 2018-2020 with the SCHWIND Amaris 500E® TransPRK excimer laser without adjuvant mitomycin-C in a tertiary-care hospital (France) and were followed up for 6 months were identified. Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), and spherical equivalent (SE) were recorded before and after surgery. Postoperative haze was graded using the 4-grade Fantes scale. Efficacy rate (frequency of eyes with 6-month UCVA ≤0.1 logMAR), safety rate (frequency of eyes that lost <2 BSCVA lines), predictability (frequency of eyes with 6-month SE equal to target SE±0.5 D), efficacy index (mean UCVA at 6 months/preoperative BSCVA), and safety index (BSCVA at 6 months/preoperative BSCVA) were computed. RESULTS: Sixty-nine eyes (38 patients) were included. Mean preoperative and 6-month SE were -7.44 and -0.05 D, respectively. Mean 6-month UCVA and BSCVA were 0.00 and -0.02 logMAR, respectively. Efficacy rate and index were 95.7% and 1.08, respectively. Safety rate and index were 95.7% and 1.13, respectively. Predictability was 85.5%. Grade 3-4 haze never arose. At 6 months, the haze rate was zero. CONCLUSIONS: ASLA-SCHWIND TransPRK without mitomycin-C appears to be safe as well as effective and accurate for high myopia.

Does Preoperative or Postoperative Graft Thickness Influence Postoperative Visual Acuity in Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty for Advanced Pseudophakic Bullous Keratopathy?

PURPOSE: To describe the evolution of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) for very advanced pseudophakic bullous keratopathy (PBK) and to determine whether the thickness of corneal grafts in DSAEK surgery for advanced PBK correlates with BSCVA 6 months postoperatively. METHODS: In a prospective, single-center, observational study, 141 eyes treated with DSAEK surgery were studied, from patients requiring posterior lamellar transplantation for advanced PBK. Graft thickness was measured during the surgery and in vivo 6 months later. The primary end point was BSCVA in LogMAR at 6 months. RESULTS: BSCVA 6 months after surgery was slightly correlated with 6 months graft thickness (r = 0.24, P = 0.01), but not with preoperative graft thickness (r = 0.01, P = 0.93). After adjusting for preoperative BSCVA, a better 6 months BSCVA was best associated with thinner grafts at 6 months (P < 0.01), but not with preoperative graft thickness (P = 0.80). CONCLUSIONS: BSCVA after DSAEK was significantly related to graft thickness measured 6 months after surgery, suggesting that better BSCVA after DSAEK is related to a decrease in graft thickness after surgery and not to the use of a thinner graft during surgery. This decrease may be because of the good health of the endothelium, but this result may be biased because of the intrastromal scars inherent in severe PBK. This study shows that DSAEK is a good option for advanced PBK but has low visual acuity potential recovery because of stromal scarring. Therefore, a penetrating keratoplasty may be indicated to obtain maximal recovery of visual acuity or for monocular patients.

Correlation Between Postoperative Central Corneal Thickness and Endothelial Damage After Cataract Surgery by Phacoemulsification.

PURPOSE: To study the correlation between postoperative corneal edema and endothelial cell loss after cataract surgery by microcoaxial phacoemulsification. METHODS: Eighty-five eyes of 85 consecutive patients with mild cataract (up to C5, N4, and P5: per LOCS III classification) were included in a prospective study from September 2014 to November 2014. Eighty-five eyes were necessary to obtain a precision of 0.15 for computation of the Pearson correlation coefficient. Pachymetry and endothelial cell density measurements were taken preoperatively, 2 hours after surgery, and 4 days, 15 days, and 1 month after surgery using CEM-530 noncontact specular microscopy (Nidek CO Ltd, Japan). Every surgery was performed using the Stellaris device (Bausch & Lomb, Bridgewater, NJ) in a microcoaxial mode with 2.2-mm incisions. RESULTS: Mean age was 73 ± 2.1 years, with 41 women (48%) and 44 men (52%). The mean surgical time was 8 ± 5.5 minutes, and the mean effective phacoemulsification time was 7 ± 3.7 seconds. Mean central corneal thickness augmentation was 46.68 ± 10 µm (8.39%) 2 hours after surgery, 10 ± 18 µm (1.8%) 4 days after surgery, and only 0.76 ± 11.4 µm (0.1%) 15 days after surgery. Mean endothelial cell loss was 3.0 ± 1.5% at 2 hours, 9.0 ± 3.3% at D4, 10 ± 4.6% at D15, and 11 ± 4.7% at 1 month. At D4, significant endothelial loss (>15%) was mostly related to significant immediate corneal edema (>15%), whereas low postoperative edema (<5%) did not lead to significant endothelial loss (loss <5%). At D15 and D30, endothelial cell loss seemed to be closely correlated with immediate postoperative edema (Pearson correlation coefficient between central corneal edema at H2 and endothelial cells loss at 1 month: r = 0.4, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative corneal thickness measurement may therefore become a marker of endothelial damage after phacoemulsification.

Visibility and Depth of the Stromal Demarcation Line After Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking Using Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography: Comparison Between Isoosmolar and Hypoosmolar Riboflavin.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare visibility and depth of the stromal demarcation line (DL) created after corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) between 2 groups: CXL with isoosmolar and hypoosmolar riboflavin. METHODS: In this retrospective study performed at Metz-Thionville Regional Hospital, consecutive patients with progressive keratoconus underwent CXL using an accelerated protocol (10 min, 9 mW/cm ultraviolet-A). AS-OCT (RS-3000, Nidek) was performed at 1 month after surgery, with stromal DL visibility graded. The corneal demarcation line depth (DLD) was also measured. RESULTS: Seventy-five eyes of 58 patients with a mean age of 25.2 ± 9.1 years were enrolled in the study. Preoperative mean anterior Kmax was 57.4 ± 5.4 D. The mean thinnest pachymetry was 474.3 ± 35.7 µm. The mean depth of the stromal DL on 1-month optical coherence tomography evaluation was 331.2 ± 62.7 µm. A DL was visible (grades 1 and 2) in 54 (72%) treated eyes. A positive correlation was found between patient age and the DLD: deeper lines were found in older patients [r = 0.38, P = 0.005, confidence interval 95% (0.12; 0.58)]. Forty-one patients were included in the isoosmolar group and 34 in the hypoosmolar group: neither visibility nor DLD was significantly different between groups. The mean depth was 334.5 ± 67.5 µm and 328.1 ± 59.0 µm in the isoosmolar and hypoosmolar groups, respectively (P = 0.82). A DL was visible (grades 1 and 2) in 26 eyes (63.4%) and 28 eyes (82.4%) in the isoosmolar and hypoosmolar groups, respectively (P = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: The use of isoosmolar or hypoosmolar riboflavin does not significantly modify the depth or visibility of the stromal DL 1 month after accelerated CXL on AS-OCT evaluation.

Visual outcomes following Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty for corneal endothelial dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: To assess objective and subjective visual outcomes achieved by patients with corneal endothelial dysfunction who have undergone surgical treatment with Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). METHODS: A total of 40 eyes of 36 patients with corneal endothelial dysfunction underwent DSAEK. All were followed up for 1 year. Visual acuity (VA; logMAR), mean endothelial cell density (MCD; via noncontact specular microscopy), and topography assessment were performed at baseline (preoperatively). Visual acuity and topography measurement were repeated at postoperative year 1. Subjective assessment of visual quality was evaluated using the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ). RESULTS: Preoperative best-corrected VA (BCVA) was 1.29 ± 0.53 logMAR with mean optical correction of -0.33 ± 1.74 D. Postoperative BCVA, assessed after a mean of 10.8 ± 2.1 months, showed mean line gain of 7.11 ± 4.8 logMAR, with optical correction of +1.17 ± 1.54 D. Mean 6-month postoperative pachymetry was 598.2 ± 72.3 µm. Three patients experienced premature graft detachment, requiring repositioning via injection of a sterile air bubble. No other adverse events were observed. Significant improvement (p<.05 for all) in general, near, and far vision, ocular pain, difficulty in carrying out daily tasks, dependency, social life, and mental health were reflected by NEI-VFQ scores at 10.4 ± 2.1 months postoperatively versus preoperatively. No significant correlation was noted between postoperative VA line gain and NEI-VFQ-25 questionnaire score (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty treatment may restore corneal clarity, improve VA, and increase vision-related quality of life in patients with advanced endothelial dysfunction. Further large-scale study is needed to corroborate these findings.

Impact of Ophthalmic Surgeon Experience on Early Postoperative Central Corneal Thickness After Cataract Surgery.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of surgeon experience on early postoperative central corneal thickness (CCT) in eyes that have undergone phacoemulsification-based cataract surgery. METHODS: One hundred sixty eyes underwent phacoemulsification-based cataract surgery performed by an experienced surgeon (n = 110; senior group) or a surgically less experienced ophthalmic assistant (n = 50; junior group), using the divide-and-conquer or tilt-and-tumble technique for cataractous lens extraction. The primary endpoint was postoperative corneal edema 2 hours after surgery, determined by pachymetry-based CCT. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 71.5 ± 9.1 years. Mean CCT at postoperative hour 2 was 622.8 ± 69.3 µm: an increase of 14.3% ± 10.8 from 545.3 ± 33.7 µm preoperatively (P = 0.0028). Mean CCT at postoperative hour 2 and postoperative corneal edema were significantly higher for the junior group than the senior group, with mean respective increases of 105.8 ± 81.4 µm (19.3% ± 14.2%) and 66.4 ± 3.7 µm (12.3% ± 8.3%), P = 0.0001. After adjustment for confounding factors, surgical experience was the only factor significantly associated with corneal edema: ß = 39.58; SD = 11.05; P = 0.0005. Other intergroup differences observed included significantly longer mean operating and mean ultrasound times in the junior group than in the senior group. A final corneal suture was used more frequently in the senior than in the junior group, at rates of 32.7% and 2.0%, respectively, P < 0.0001. CONCLUSIONS: Greater surgical experience was found to be associated with reduced early postoperative corneal edema, shorter operative time, and shorter ultrasound time. This suggests that beyond mastering the initial learning curve of phacoemulsification, surgical experience enables faster and safer surgery.