Increased incidence of acute primary angle closure during the COVID-19 outbreak in China: A retrospective analysis.

This study aimed to investigate the incidence and clinical characteristics of acute primary angle closure (APAC) during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in China. This was a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with APAC in a glaucoma clinic over a 5-year period. We compared the number of APAC cases during the COVID-19 outbreak (December 7, 2022 to January 7, 2023) with those during the same period in previous years and 2 months prior to the outbreak. We also collected data on the demographic and clinical features of APAC patients, such as age, sex, disease course, visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), and lens opacity. We included 95 eyes of 88 patients with APAC were included. Of these, 65 were female and 23 were male. The mean age was 68.0 ±â€…8.1 years. The median disease course was 10.8 ±â€…9.5 days. There was a significant increase in the number of APAC cases during the COVID-19 outbreak compared with the same months over a 5-year period (44 vs 51, P < .001). A higher proportion of women developed APAC during the outbreak period than during the non-outbreak period (P < .001). Eyes with APAC in the outbreak period had a lower mean IOP than those in the preceding 6 months (40.5 ±â€…8.8 mm Hg vs 46.1 ±â€…10.1 mm Hg; P = .043). No significant differences were observed in disease duration, lens opacity, or bilateral or unilateral onset between the 2 groups. Our study suggests a potential correlation between APAC and COVID-19, marked by a significant surge in APAC cases concurrent with the COVID-19 outbreak. However, the underlying mechanisms and preventive strategies remain to be elucidated.

Direct observation and measurement of circumlental space and its relation to anterior chamber angle characteristics in iridotomized phakic eyes with primary angle closure disease.

Primary angle closure disease (PACD) is a major cause of blindness worldwide. It has a high prevalence in East Asia, especially in China, which leads to a higher incidence of blindness than open-angle glaucoma. The aim of this study was to directly observe the circumlental space (CLS) in laser peripheral iridotomized eyes with PACD and to determine whether this structure plays a role in the pathogenesis of PACD. Fifty eyes of 50 patients with PACD, who had received laser peripheral iridotomy performed with neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet were recruited from glaucoma clinics from March 2021 to May 2022, including 17 primary angle closure suspect (PACS), 16 primary angle closure (PAC) and 17 primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). They were classified into two groups based on whether the ciliary process and the crystalline lens equator were in contact using slit-lamp photograph: the attached group and the unattached group. The demographic, clinical characteristics and anterior segment parameters measured from ultrasound biomicroscopy were compared between the attached group and the unattached group. Thirty-three eyes were assigned to the attached group and 17 eyes belonged to the unattached group. In the unattached group, the mean CLS was 0.10 ± 0.07 mm. No significant differences were identified between the different diagnosis groups in age, sex, best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, white-to-white, axial length, central corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth, flat keratometry, steep keratometry or iridotomy diameter (p > 0.05). The unattached group had shorter trabecular-ciliary process distance (p = 0.021) and larger ciliary process area (p = 0.001) compared with the attached group. Small CLS and its potential effect (partial ciliary block) might be considered as one of the mechanisms of PACD.

Effect of cataract incision type on corneal spherical aberration.

Corneal spherical aberration (CSA) plays an important role in the ocular refractive system. However, ophthalmologists have not considered the effect of difference cataract incisions on it. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of transparent corneal incision (TCI) and scleral tunnel incision (STI) on CSA after the cataract phacoemulsification with foldable IOLs. One hundred ninety-three eyes (61 males and 79 females) for 1-month observation and 114 eyes (29 males and 51 females) for 3-month observation with age-related cataracts (ARC) were included in this study. CSA was measured with dilated pupil by Pentacam Scheimpflug system at 1 day preoperative and 1, 3-month postoperative. Preoperative CSA >1.00 µm was excluded. Both TCI and STI are 3 mm incisions with Infiniti system and Ozil handpiece. No significant difference of age or gender was found between TCI and STI groups in 1 or 3-month observation. In 1-month observation, preoperative CSA for TCI and STI are 0.31 ± 0.29 and 0.41 ± 0.19 µm, which of postoperative are 0.42 ± 0.17 and 0.44 ± 0.35 µm, respectively. The change of CSA is 0.11 ± 0.32 and 0.04 ± 0.33 µm (P = .233). For 3-month observation, preoperative CSA for TCI and STI are 0.32 ± 0.28 and 0.36 ± 0.23 µm, which of postoperative are 0.43 ± 0.16 and 0.39 ± 0.26 µm, respectively. The change of CSA is 0.10 ± 0.34 and 0.03 ± 0.21 µm (P = .312). For the phacoemulsification combined with foldable IOL implantation, STI has minimal effect on CSA, but TCI might increase postoperative CSA.

Serum Untargeted Metabolomics Reveal Potential Biomarkers of Progression of Diabetic Retinopathy in Asians.

Purpose: To reveal molecular mechanisms of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in Asians and facilitate the identification of new therapeutic targets through untargeted metabolomics. To determine the differences in serum metabolites and metabolic pathways between different stages of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetic mellitus (T2DM) and proliferative DR (PDR) and non-proliferative DR (NPDR) and identify differential metabolites between T2DM and DR (NPDR and PDR) patients. Methods: This prospective observational registration study described the differential metabolites between 45 T2DM patients and 15 control cases with no significant differences in clinical characteristics. Their biospecimens and clinical information were collected and recorded in their medical reports. DR phenotypes of the subjects were verified by retina specialists. Serum metabolites were analyzed using high-resolution mass spectrometry with liquid chromatography. Untargeted metabolomics was performed on serum samples from 15 T2DM patients, 15 non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients, 15 proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients, and 15 diabetic controls. Discriminatory metabolic features were identified through partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), and generalized linear regression models. Result: Through untargeted metabolomics, 931 features (523 in positive and 408 in negative modes) with 102 common metabolites highly relevant to the presence of DR were detected. In the adjusted analysis, 67 metabolic features differed significantly between T2DM and NPDR patients. Pathway analysis revealed alterations in metabolisms of amino acids and fatty acids. Glutamate, phosphatidylcholine, and 13-hydroperoxyoctadeca-9,11-dienoic acid (13-PHODE) were key contributors to these pathway differences. A total of 171 features distinguished PDR patients from T2DM patients, and pathway analysis revealed alterations in amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and tricarboxylic acid cycle. Aspartate, glutamate, glutamine, ornithine, N-acetyl-l-glutamate, N-acetyl-l-aspartate, citrate, succinate, N-(L-arginino)succinate, 2-oxoglutarate, 13-hydroperoxyoctadeca-9,11-dienoic acid, methionine, lysine, threonine, phenylalanine, N(pi)-methyl-l-histidine, phosphatidylcholine, and linoleate were major contributors to the pathway differences. Between NPDR patients and PDR patients, there were 79 significant differential metabolites. Enrichment pathway analysis showed changes in amino acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism, pantothenate, and CoA biosynthesis. Aspartate, glutamine, N-acetyl-l-glutamate, N-acetyl-l-aspartate, pantothenate, dihomo-gamma-linolenate, docosahexaenoic acid, and icosapentaenoic acid were key factors for the differences of these pathways. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the pathways of arginine biosynthesis metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, as well as d-glutamine and d-glutamate metabolism, were dysregulated in DR patients of the Asian population. Increased levels of glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, N-acetyl-l-glutamate, and N-acetyl-l-aspartate and decreased levels of dihomo-gamma-linolenate, docosahexaenoic, and icosapentaenoic were considered as the metabolic profile that could distinguish PDR from NPDR in Asians. Phosphatidylcholine and 13-PHODE were identified as two major novel metabolite markers in advanced stages of DR in our study.

Anterior Segment Parameter Changes after Cataract Surgery in Open-Angle and Angle-Closure Eyes: A Prospective Study.

Background: To investigate the anterior segment parameters before and after cataract surgery in open-angle eyes and different subtypes of primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) eyes and to further explore the potential relationship between the anterior rotation of the ciliary process and crystalline lens. Methods: An observational, prospective study was performed on 66 patients who had cataract surgery including 22 chronic PACG patients, 22 acute PACG patients, and 22 open-angle cataract patients. Anterior segment parameters including the trabecular-ciliary process distance, ciliary process area, trabecular-ciliary angle (TCA), maximum ciliary body thickness (CBTmax), and so on, were measured using ultrasound biomicroscopy preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. Results: After the surgery, there were significant increases in TCA (p < 0.001) and CBTmax (p < 0.05) in all three groups, while there was no significant change in the trabecular-ciliary process distance (p > 0.05) in all three groups. No significant difference in the changes of ciliary process area, TCA, and CBTmax (p > 0.05) pre- and postoperatively among the three groups were identified. Conclusions: Extractions of crystalline lenses played similar roles in terms of decreasing the anterior rotation of ciliary processes in open-angle eyes and angle-closure eyes. A natural anatomical abnormality may be a more important factor in the anterior rotation of ciliary processes in PACG patients.

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor, and Pigment Epithelium-Derived Factor Expression in the Neovascular Iris in Retinal Diseases.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the expression of cytokines in the iris of patients with neovascular glaucoma (NVG). METHODS: Patients with NVG associated with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR, group 1) or central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO, group 2) who had undergone surgical treatment were enrolled. Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma requiring surgical treatment were included in the control group (group 3). All iris specimens were obtained during trabeculectomy, 7 days after intravitreal injections of ranibizumab. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of three target cytokines-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF)-in the iris were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: We included 39 eyes from 39 patients (12, 15, and 12 in groups 1, 2, and 3, resp.). The protein and mRNA levels of PEDF were higher in two NVG groups. The protein levels, but not mRNA level, of bFGF were higher in the two NVG groups. The protein and mRNA levels of VEGF were similar in the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: The protein level of bFGF increased in the irises of the NVG patients was not expressed by the iris itself, whereas PEDF may be expressed by the iris tissue in these patients.

Anti-VEGF treatment is the key strategy for neovascular glaucoma management in the short term.

BACKGROUND: To present a comprehensive approach for the management of patients with neovascular glaucoma (NVG) aiming to preserve visual function and complement pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP) by anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment and anti-glaucoma surgery. METHODS: This study includes a prospective, interventional case series. A process flow chart for NVG management was designed. Totally 50 patients (51 eyes) with NVG were included. Of these, 43 patients (44 eyes) completed the treatment process. Patients were divided into central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) groups according to their original diagnosis. Intraocular pressure (IOP), visual function, and the status of iris and angle neovascularization were recorded before and after treatment. RESULTS: Patients were followed up for 6-30 months (mean 12.2 months). The IOP of all 44 patients was effectively controlled and was significantly less after treatment (16.68 ± 4.69 mmHg) than before treatment (42.59 ± 9.44 mmHg, P < 0.05). Thirty-nine eyes displayed controlled IOP (≤21 mmHg) after treatment. Visual acuity improved, to some extent, in 32 eyes (72.9 %), and 12 eyes (27.3 %) had a visual acuity better than 0.1. There was no significant difference in IOP between the PDR and CRVO groups at the end of follow-up (P = 0.8657), but the visual acuity in the PDR group was much better than that in the CRVO group (P = 0.0079). CONCLUSIONS: A comprehensive therapy for NVG can effectively control IOP and preserve visual function in patients by anti-VEGF injection and anti-glaucoma surgery.

The Correlation of Age and Postoperative Visual Acuity for Age-Related Cataract.

PURPOSE: Clinically, what is the best time for age-related cataract (ARC) patients to receive surgeries and get the most benefits is important. We explored the relationship between age and presenting postoperative visual acuity (POVA) in patients from rural China. METHODS: Three Lifeline Express Hospital Eye-Train missions of Peking University People's Hospital were chosen. At the first day after surgery, 3452 ARC eyes with the presenting POVA ≥ 6/60 were enrolled. The relationship between age and POVA was analyzed statistically. RESULTS: In these three missions, there were more female patients than males; the ratio of females to males was 1.71. The average age of females was older than males. Overall, the percentages of patients with good visual outcomes (≥6/18) were significantly decreased with aging. Different regions had variations, but the trends were the same. There was weak linear correlation between age and POVA. The correlations of females were stronger than males in Yuncheng and Sanmenxia and weaker than males in Zhoukou. CONCLUSION: The good visual outcomes of presenting POVA were significantly decreased with aging and there were weak linear correlations between age and POVA in rural China. The linear correlation might be influenced by the difference of gender and region.

The Ocular Biometry of Adult Cataract Patients on Lifeline Express Hospital Eye-Train in Rural China.

Aims. To describe and explore the distribution of ocular biometric parameters of adult cataract patients in rural China. Methods. Three Lifeline Express Hospital Eye-Train missions of Peking University People's Hospital in China were chosen. 3828 adult cataract patients aged 29 to 88 years with axial length (AL) less than 27.0 mm were enrolled. The ocular biometry including visual acuity (VA), intraocular pressure, AL, corneal power (K1 and K2), and corneal endothelial counting (CEC) were collected and analysis. Corneal radius (CR) was calculated from the corneal power. Results. The participants in Zhoukou of these three missions had the worse preoperative VA (p < 0.001), the lowest K1 (p < 0.001), K2 (p < 0.001), and K (p < 0.001) and the highest |K1 - K2| (p < 0.001), moreover AL/CR more closely to 3.0. The AL, |K1 - K2|, and AL/CR were normally distributed. But the K1, K2, K, and CEC were not normal distributions. Except K1, all parameters were positively skewed and peaked. Conclusion. Our study provides normative ocular biometry in a large, representative rural Chinese population. The AL is normally distributed with a positive skew and big kurtosis. The corneal powers are not normal distribution. The corneal astigmatism might have a significant effect on the visual acuity.

[Efficacy of intravitreal carboplatin plus bevacizumab in refractory retinoblastoma].

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal carboplatin plus bevacizumab in refractory retinoblastoma. METHODS: Perspective study.Eleven patients (11 eyes) with the diagnosis of refractory retinoblastoma were enrolled in Department of Ophthalmology of Peking University People's Hospital from June 2013 to March 2014. They underwent intravitreal carboplatin plus bevacizumab every 4 weeks, an average of 4.5 times of treatment.Observe for 3 months after the last treatment. Aqueous humor was taken for cytological and VEGF detection and retinal funds were taken photos for observation.Statistical analyses between experimental group and control group and before and after intravitreal injection within experimental group were performed with independent samples t test. RESULTS: Tumor in vitreous cavity reduced significantly in seven patients, however, poor control in four cases, and three of them were recurrent after first-line treatment. Cytology detection for aqueous humor showed no tumor cells in all of them. Aqueous VEGF of patients with retinoblastoma (60.65 ± 6.20) was significantly higher than the control group (21.98 ± 6.91). The difference was statistically significant (t = 13.80, P < 0.01). And the aqueous VEGF content decreased significantly after treatment (t = 2.12, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Intravitreal carboplatin plus bevacizumab, is a relatively safe, effective treatment for refractory retinoblastoma, however, ineffective for recurrent tumor.

Expression of cytokines on the iris of patients with neovascular glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To determine the expression levels of cytokines, including growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, and cell migration associated factors on the iris from subjects with neovascular glaucoma (NVG). METHODS: After receiving formal consent from 12 subjects with NVG secondary to proliferative diabetic retinopathy and 12 subjects with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), trabeculectomy was performed and iris specimens were collected during the surgery. Each subject with NVG received intravitreal injection of bevacizumab 1 week prior to the surgery. The mRNA level of vascular endothelial growth factor, basic fibroblastic growth factor, placental-induced growth factor, interleukin-2, interleukin 6, tumour necrosis factor α, intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and integrin subunit αV were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The mRNA levels were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The mRNA levels of all inflammatory cytokines and integrin subunit αV were significantly increased in the NVG group compared with POAG controls. However, the mRNA level of growth factors and ICAM-1 did not show any difference between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Inflammatory process maybe an important cause of iris neovascularization in subjects with NVG in addition to growth factors alone. Further studies should focus on the effect of growth factors in different phases in the pathogenesis of NVG.

[Analysis of refractive status after cataract surgery in age-related cataract patients with shallow anterior chamber].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the characteristics of postoperative refractive status in age-related cataract patients with shallow anterior chamber and the correlation between pre-operative anterior chamber depth and postoperative refractive status. METHODS: Prospective case-control study. Sixty-eight cases (90 eyes) with age-related cataract were recruited from October 2010 to January 2012 in People's Hospital Peking University including 28 cases (34 eyes) in control group and 40 cases (56 eyes) in shallow anterior chamber group according to anterior chamber depth (ACD) measured by Pentacam system. Axial length and keratometer were measured by IOL Master and intraocular lens power was calculated using SRK/T formula. Postoperative refraction, ACD and comprehensive eye examination were performed at 1 month and 3 months after cataract surgery. Using SPSS13.0 software to establish a database, the two groups were compared with independent samples t-test and correlation analysis were performed with binary logical regression. RESULTS: The postoperative refractive deviation at 1 month were (-0.39 ± 0.62) D in control group and (+0.73 ± 0.26) D in shallow anterior chamber group respectively which present statistical significance between the two groups (P = 0.00, t = 3.67); the postoperative refractive deviation in 3 month was (-0.37 ± 0.62) D in control group and (+0.79 ± 0.28) D in shallow anterior chamber group operatively which present statistical significance between the two groups (P = 0.00, t = 3.33). In shallow anterior chamber group, with the shallower of ACD, the greater of refractive deviation (P = 0.00, r1 month = -0.57, r3 months = -0.61). CONCLUSION: Hyperopic shift existed in age-related cataract patients with shallow anterior chamber and the shallower of ACD was, the greater of hyperopic shift happened.

[Evaluation the value of Pentacam arterial segment analysis system in the study of anterior segment of the eye before and after laser periphery iridectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the anterior segment parameters in early primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) and primary angle closure (PAC) eyes before and after neodymium:yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser periphery iridectomy (LPI) by using Pentacam system. METHODS: Self-control study. Sixty one eyes of 33 patients were recruited into this study. The images of the anterior segment of the eye were captured and the parameters [i.e. the anterior chamber (AC) volume, the central AC depth, the peripheral AC depth, the peripheral AC angle and the pupil size] were measured by the Pentacam system pre-operatively and 1 week after laser treatment. RESULTS: The Pentacam system clearly showed the structure changes of the anterior segment after LPI (i.e. the convex configuration of the iris was flattened and the peripheral AC depth was deepened). The average AC volume (t=15.928), the peripheral AC depth (t=-17.399, -10.629, -12.576, -14.474) and the peripheral AC angle (t=-5.087) were increased significantly (P<0.01) after LPI. The AC volume was (74.10±16.35) mm3 before LPI and (94.10±18.42) mm3 after LPI, and the increases of peripheral AC depth were 0.17 mm (nasal) and 0.29 mm (temporal). There was no statistical significant changes in the AC depth before and after LPI. CONCLUSION: In patients with PACG and PAC, the changes of AC after LPI can be demonstrated by the Pentacam qualitatively and quantitatively.