Efficacy and Safety Outcomes of Cataract Surgery in Survivors of Ebola Virus Disease: 12-Month Results From the PREVAIL VII Study.

Purpose: In survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD), intraocular viral persistence raises questions about the timing and safety of cataract surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first controlled study evaluating Ebola virus persistence and cataract surgery safety and outcomes in EVD survivors. Methods: Seropositive EVD survivors and seronegative controls with vision worse than 20/40 from cataract and without active intraocular inflammation were enrolled. Aqueous humor from survivors was tested with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for Ebola viral RNA. Participants underwent manual small-incision cataract surgery and 1 year of follow-up examinations. Results: Twenty-two eyes of 22 survivors and 12 eyes of eight controls underwent cataract surgery. All of the aqueous samples tested negative for Ebola viral RNA. Median visual acuity improved from 20/200 at baseline to 20/25 at 1 year in survivors and from count fingers to 20/50 in controls (overall, P < 0.001; between groups, P = 0.07). After a 1-month course of topical corticosteroids, 55% of survivors and 67% of controls demonstrated at least 1+ anterior chamber cell. Twelve months after surgery, optical coherence tomography revealed a median increase in macular central subfield thickness of 42 µm compared with baseline (overall, P = 0.029; between groups, P = 0.995). Conclusions: EVD survivors and controls demonstrated significant visual improvement from cataract surgery. The persistence of intraocular inflammation highlights the importance of follow-up. The absence of detectable intraocular Ebola viral RNA provides guidance regarding the safety of eye surgery in Ebola survivors. Translational Relevance: These findings demonstrate the safety and efficacy of cataract surgery in Ebola survivors and will inform ocular surgery guidelines in this population.

Simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery with IOL implantation in children in Kenya.

PURPOSE: To investigate the cost implications, safety, and refractive outcomes of simultaneous bilateral cataract surgery (SBCS) with intraocular lens implantation in pediatric patients in a developing world setting. METHODS: Children aged 3 months to 10 years with bilateral congenital or developmental cataracts who underwent surgery between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009, were eligible for inclusion in this retrospective study. Cost data were compared for simultaneous and sequential cases. Postoperative complications and refraction data were analyzed. RESULTS: Ninety-six children (192 eyes) were included, 48 in the SBCS group and 48 in the sequential group. The mean age of the SBCS group and the sequential group was 3.4 and 4.7 years, respectively (P = .04). The total estimated surgical cost was $274 per child for SBCS and $344 for sequential surgery, a reduction of 20.3% for cases of SBCS. Fibrin formation of any amount occurred in 52 of 192 eyes (27.1%), 25 in the SBCS group and 27 in the sequential group (P = .75). Twenty-one eyes (10.9%) had additional surgery to remove visual axis obstruction, 14 in the SBCS group and 7 in the sequential group (P = .11). The incidence of early endophthalmitis in all cases of pediatric cataract surgery in an 11-year period was 0.16%. The incidence of anesthetic-related death during the same period was 0.11%. CONCLUSION: Bilateral simultaneous pediatric cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation may be a safe alternative to sequential surgery, with advantages in cost reduction and no difference in sight-threatening complications.

Effect of intracameral cefuroxime on fibrinous uveitis after pediatric cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To determine whether intracameral cefuroxime reduces postoperative fibrin formation after pediatric cataract surgery. METHODS: Children aged 3 months to 10 years with bilateral congenital or developmental cataracts who underwent surgery between February and July 2008 were eligible for inclusion in this prospective double-masked study. The same surgical technique was used in each eye. The intraocular lens was placed in either the bag or sulcus in both eyes. The same intraocular lens type was used in both eyes (polymethylmethacrylate). One eye was randomized to receive intracameral cefuroxime at the end of surgery and the fellow eye received saline. The surgeon was masked to the treatment assignment. The amount of fibrin formation in the anterior chamber of each eye was assessed by a masked grader on the fourth postoperative day. RESULTS: Seventy eyes of 35 children were included in the study. Fibrin formation was noted on the fourth postoperative day in 14 of 70 eyes (20%), 7 in the cefuroxime group and 7 in the saline group. The mean fibrin score was 0.57 ± 1.31 in the cefuroxime group and 0.49 ± 1.07 in the saline group. There was no statistically significant difference in the amount of fibrin formation between groups (P = .857, Wilcoxon ranked signs test). CONCLUSION: Intracameral cefuroxime did not significantly reduce postoperative fibrin formation in this study. Fibrin formation does not appear to be due to bacterial contamination in most cases of pediatric cataract surgery.

Unilateral axial length elongation with chronic traumatic cataracts in young Kenyans.

PURPOSE: To assess whether unilateral axial elongation in chronic traumatic cataract is associated with the time interval from trauma to surgery. SETTING: PCEA Kikuyu Hospital Eye Unit, Nairobi, Kenya. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed patients with traumatic cataract operated on between 1998 and 2007. Study patients (n = 13) had a delay from trauma to surgery of more than 1 year and an interocular axial length (AL) difference greater than 1.0 mm. Randomly selected age-matched control patients (n = 14) had less than 1 year delay between trauma and surgery. The correlation between interocular AL difference and surgical delay was calculated in each group. RESULTS: The median interval from trauma to surgical treatment in study patients was 8 years (range 1 to 27 years). Study patients had a significantly higher median interocular AL difference (3.09 mm; interquartile range [IQR] 2.45 to 4.13 mm) than control patients (0.24 mm; IQR 0.15 to 0.30 mm) (P = .000). The length of delay from trauma to surgical treatment did not correlate strongly with the interocular AL difference in study or control patients (R(2) = 0.0143 and R(2) = 0.1697, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Unilateral AL elongation may occur in young adults with chronic traumatic cataract. Delay of more than 1 year from trauma to surgery was associated with axial elongation, although the degree of elongation did not correlate with duration of delay. Surgeons are advised to implant lower-power intraocular lenses in such patients based on biometry readings to avoid postoperative refractive surprises.