Quality of Life and Anxiety in Age Macular Degeneration Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

(1) Background: Chronic diseases affect patients' quality of life. Age Macular Degeneration (AMD) is one of the most prevalent chronic ocular diseases. The study aims to measure the anxiety and quality of life related to vision in patients with AMD, as well as the relationship with other visual and demographic parameters. (2) Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study in AMD patients. Visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS), line difference in the Colenbrander test, and the degree of pathology were measured. Other variables such as gender, age, and time from the diagnosis were also collected. Anxiety was measured with the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and quality of life with the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist was followed. (3) Results: Patients with higher punctuation in Trait STAI showed lower punctuation in NEI VFQ-25 questionnaire (Spearman coefficient -0.415; p = 0.001). The variables VA, CS, and age were correlated to the quality of life. The relationship between trait anxiety and subscales of NEI VFQ-25 was significant for all subscales (p < 0.05), except for social functioning, peripheral vision, general vision, ocular pain, and driving. (4) Conclusions: AMD patients with higher levels of anxiety show a decrease in their quality of life. The quality of life of AMD patients depends on their VA and CS.

Improvement of the Quality of Life in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration by Using Filters.

BACKGROUND: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease with an increasing incidence due to the general aging of the population that decreases the patient's quality of life. This work aims to study whether selective cut optical filters improve the AMD patient's quality of life. METHODS: Prospective and longitudinal study in 79 patients. Visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and the line differences in the Colenbrander test were measured. Patients answered The National Eye Institute 25-Item Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25), which measures the quality of life related to vision before and after using cut optical filters. RESULTS: There was an improvement of 5.99 points (3.7-8.3) in NEI VFQ-25 after wearing filters. This improvement was 4.0 points for 450-nm filters and 12.7 points for 511-nm filters. For patients with visual acuity (VA) < 0.25, results of NEI VFQ-25 increased by 10.11 points (1.19-19.02) and for patients with late AMDs, results increased by 5.33 points (1.31-9.35). CONCLUSIONS: Selective filters improve the quality of life of patients with AMD. The success rate in the fitting of filters is better for those with VA lower than 0.25 and those with late or advanced AMD.

Psoriasis precipitated by timolol eye drops. A series of eight cases.

Induction of psoriasis following administration of beta blocker containing eye drops has rarely been documented. We report eight cases of psoriasis triggered by timolol eye drops. Since the clinical and histopathological features of this drug reaction are indistinguishable from those of idiopathic psoriasis, a thorough drug history should be taken in all patients, especially elderly ones, with recent onset of psoriasis.

Incidence of cystoid macular edema after Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty.

AIM: To determine the incidence of cystoid macular edema (CME) after Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). METHODS: This study included all consecutive patients operated in a Spanish tertiary reference hospital over a period of four years. A total of 55 eyes from 47 patients matched the selection criteria. CME was diagnosed clinically at the slit-lamp and confirmed by optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: Six cases of CME were diagnosed postoperatively, which represented an incidence of 11%. Three patients had previously undergone DSAEK alone (7%; 3/41) and the other three, DSAEK combined with phacoemulsification (21%; 3/14). Five out of six patients with CME responded to standard therapy. CONCLUSION: CME is a possible complication after DSAEK and can be treated with standard therapy. CME appears more frequently when DSAEK is combined with phacoemulsification and posterior chamber (PC) intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Intraoperative damage to the corneal endothelial cells might play a role in the pathogenesis of CME. As long as the causes remain unclear, we recommend administering prophylaxis when risk factors are present or when combined surgery is planned.