INTRAVITREAL DEXAMETHASONE FOR THE TREATMENT OF MACULAR EDEMA SECONDARY TO HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE TOXICITY.

PURPOSE: Cystoid macular edema is a vision-threatening complication infrequently associated with hydroxychloroquine retinal toxicity. There are limited data on the best treatment for this pathology. METHODS: A retrospective case series is presented. RESULTS: In this series, we present three cases of cystoid macular edema in patients with diagnosed hydroxychloroquine maculopathy successfully treated with intravitreal dexamethasone implantation. CONCLUSION: Minimal literature has been published regarding the best management of cystoid macular edema related to hydroxychloroquine toxicity. Our case series suggests a possible new agent in the treatment of this rare occurrence.

Describing Adverse Events Associated with Bilateral Same-Day Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implants.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To explore the incidence of adverse events after bilateral same-day intravitreal 0.7-mg dexamethasone implant (SDIDI) injections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed an IRB approved, single-center, retrospective review of patients receiving bilateral SDIDI injections from January 1, 2016 to October 31, 2021 and reviewed adverse events that occurred within 3 months of injection. RESULTS: A total of 206 bilateral (412 eyes) SDIDI injections were performed in 59 patients. Ocular hypertension or the addition of intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering drops occurred in 121 (29.4%) eyes after IDI. Two (0.5%) eyes required glaucoma drainage surgeries. Of the 117 phakic eyes, 32 (27.4%) had progression of cataract or cataract extraction. There were two (0.5%) episodes of vitreous hemorrhage and one (0.2%) retinal tear with retinal detachment. There were no cases of endophthalmitis. CONCLUSION: Serious complication rates after bilateral same-day IDI injections appears low. Increased IOP that requires intervention can occur. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2022;53:612-618.].

360 DEGREE ENDOLASER VERSUS FOCAL ENDOLASER IN PRIMARY RHEGMATOGENOUS RETINAL DETACHMENT REPAIR.

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of the 360-degree endolaser (360EL) versus focal laser during primary vitrectomy (PPV) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair. METHODS: A single-site retrospective chart review was performed on 241 patients who underwent PPV for primary RRD. Patients were assigned to two groups, PPV with 360EL (n = 183) and PPV without 360EL (n = 59). Only cases where surgeons performed 360EL on all RRDs or surgeons who never perform 360EL on RRDs were included. RESULTS: The single surgery anatomical success rate in the 360EL group was 90.2% compared with 86.5% with focal laser ( P = 0.619). Epiretinal membrane formation in 360EL group at 1 year was 44.4% versus 37% with focal laser ( P = 0.429). Cystoid macular edema formation within 1 year of surgery was 25.8% in 360EL group versus 11.9% with focal laser ( P = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The use of 360EL in PPV for RRD repair does not improve single-surgery anatomical success in routine RRDs when compared with PPV with focal laser.

Analysis of the Long-term Visual Outcomes of ForeseeHome Remote Telemonitoring: The ALOFT Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate long-term visual acuity (VA) and performance of a monitoring strategy with a self-operated artificial-intelligence-enabled home monitoring system in conjunction with standard care for early detection of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). DESIGN: Retrospective review. SUBJECTS: Patients with dry-age-related macular degeneration from 5 referral clinics. METHODS: Clinical data of patients monitored with ForeseeHome (FSH) device from August 2010 to July 2020 were reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Visual acuity at baseline, VA at diagnosis of nAMD for eyes that converted while monitored, and VA from the final study follow-up, weekly frequency of use, duration of monitoring, modality of conversion diagnosis (system alert vs. detection by other standard care means), and duration and number of treatments since conversion to final study follow-up were collected. RESULTS: We reviewed 3334 eyes of 2123 patients with a mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 74(8) years, monitored for a mean (SD) duration of 3.1 (2.4) years, with a total of 1 706 433 tests in 10 474 eye-monitoring years. The mean (SD) weekly use per patient was 5.2 (3.4), and it was persistent over the usage period. Two hundred eighty-five eyes converted while monitored at an annual rate of 2.72% and were treated with a mean (SD) 17.3 (16.5) injections over a mean (SD) 2.7 (2.0) years, with 6.4 (3.1) injections per year for eyes treated for > 1 year. The median VAs at baseline and at final follow-up for eyes that did not convert were 20/27 and 20/34 with a median change of 0.0 letters. The median VAs at baseline, conversion, and final follow-up for eyes that converted during the monitoring period were 20/30, 20/39, and 20/32 with a median change from baseline to conversion, baseline to recent, and conversion to recent of -4, -4, and 0 letters, respectively. Fifty-two percent of conversions detected had a system alert before conversion. Forty-eight percent of patients were detected by symptoms or routine visit. Patients experienced a non-nAMD alert on average every 4.6 years. At conversion and at final follow-up, the proportion (95% CI) of eyes that maintained ≥ 20/40 was 84% (78% to 88%) and 82% (76% to 86%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Patients in the FSH monitoring program showed excellent long-term VA years after conversion to nAMD.

A case of ustekinumab-induced sclerouveitis.

PURPOSE: Biologics have proven to be essential therapeutic agents in immune-mediated systemic diseases. Ophthalmologic adverse effects have been reported in the use of more traditional agents, such as TNF-α inhibitors, but there are limited data on ocular side effects associated with the newer generation of biologics. OBSERVATIONS: In this report, we present a case of a suspected ustekinumab-associated recurrent sclerouveitis. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of this type seen with ustekinumab injections. Our goal is to add to the existing literature in order to better understand the mechanism and management of this condition.

Rapid Resolution of Presumed Vitreoretinal Lymphoma With Systemic Ibrutinib Therapy.

Primary vitreoretinal lymphoma (PVRL) is a rare malignancy classified as a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and is frequently found in conjunction with primary central nervous system lymphoma. Optimal treatment for PVRL is not defined given its relatively low incidence but often requires a combination of systemic and/or intravitreal methotrexate and rituximab. Survival rate for this disease is low, with high rates of recurrence despite treatment. The authors describe successful treatment of vitreoretinal lymphoma in a patient with recurrent disease with the use of the systemic agent ibrutinib. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2021;52:227-230.].

Improving Resident Performance in Oculoplastic Surgery: A New Curriculum Using Surgical Wet Laboratory Videos.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new oculoplastic curriculum that incorporates learning theory of skill acquisition. To develop and evaluate the effectiveness of instructional videos for an oculoplastic surgical wet laboratory. DESIGN: Proof of concept, randomized controlled trial. SETTING: New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai-tertiary care academic institution. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: In total, 16 ophthalmology residents were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups and given either video and text or text instructions alone for the following 2 procedures: blepharoplasty and eyelid laceration repair. Operating time and esthetic result were measured, and the groups were statistically compared. A brief survey was administered. RESULTS: We developed a new 6 component oculoplastics curriculum that incorporates concepts of the Fitts and Posner skill acquisition model and mental imagery. In the wet laboratory pilot study, the group that watched the video of the laceration repair showed better esthetic grades than the group that received text alone (p = 0.038). This difference was not found for the blepharoplasty (p = 0.492). There was no difference between groups in operating time for the laceration repair (p = 0.722), but the group that watched the blepharoplasty video required more time to complete the task than those that reviewed text only (p = 0.023). In total, 100% of residents reported the videos augmented their learning. CONCLUSIONS: Methods to optimize surgical education are important given limited operating room time in oculoplastics, a subspecialty in which the number of surgeries performed during residency is relatively low. We developed a curriculum based on learning theory and sought to formally test one important aspect, surgical video for wet laboratories. Our pilot study, despite its limitations, showed that wet laboratory surgical videos can be effective tools in improving motor skill acquisition for oculoplastic surgery.