Optic neuropathy after COVID-19 vaccination: a report of two cases.

PURPOSE: We report two cases of optic nerve pathology after the administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca-Oxford COVID-19 vaccines, respectively, and describe the implications for management of post-vaccination central nervous system (CNS) inflammation. CASE REPORTS: A 69-year-old woman presented with bilateral optic nerve head oedema, 16 days after the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. She was diagnosed with post-vaccination CNS inflammatory syndrome and was treated for five days with intravenous methylprednisolone at a dose of 1 gram per day. Her optic disc swelling improved, and her vision stabilised. A 32-year-old woman presented six days after her first dose of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine with two days of sudden onset of progressive blurring of vision in her left eye. Posterior segment examination revealed left optic disc swelling, and an MRI of the brain, orbit, and cervical spine was significant for left optic nerve enhancement. The patient was diagnosed with a unilateral post-vaccination optic neuritis. She was treated with a three-day course of intravenous methylprednisolone followed by oral prednisone. Her optic disc swelling and visual field improved, and she recovered 6/6 vision. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians and patients should be aware of the potential for post-vaccination CNS inflammatory syndromes associated with COVID-19 vaccine administration. Neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid analysis may aid in the diagnosis of the cause of vision loss. Further studies are needed to evaluate the spectrum and frequency of optic nerve involvement associated with COVID-19 vaccination.

Visual recovery after unilateral optic nerve sheath fenestration for pseudotumor cerebri syndrome.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of optic nerve sheath fenestration (ONSF) on the rate of visual function improvement in patients with pseudotumor cerebri syndrome (PTCS). METHODS: Retrospective chart review of patients with PTCS who underwent ONSF between 1998 and 2017. Visual function was evaluated by evaluating visual field (VF), mean deviation (MD), retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, papilledema grade, and visual acuity (VA) prior to and after ONSF. RESULTS: Seventeen female patients aged 17 to 36 years underwent unilateral ONSF. Follow-up averaged 40.1 months. VF MD improved steadily in both eyes up to 12 months. Average RNFL thickness improved in the operated eye from 347 ± 166 mm to 92 ± 27 mm (p < .001) and the non-operated eyes from 306 ± 165 mm to 109 ± 46 mm (p < .001). The grade of papilledema improved in the operated eye from 3.3 ± 1.3 to 0.3 ± 0.7 and the non-operated eye from 3.0 ± 1.6 to 0.18 ± 0.4. There was an exponential rate of improvement in papilledema and RNFL thickness, with the greatest improvement occurring within the first 30 days. Average visual acuity remained intact in both eyes before and after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: ONSF in appropriately selected patients leads to rapid improvement in papilledema and a steady recovery in VF.

Ganglion Cell Complex Analysis as a Potential Indicator of Early Neuronal Loss in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

Reliable visual field testing is the gold standard in identifying future vision loss in patients with Idiopathic Intracranial hypertension (IIH). However, when field performance is unreliable, GCC analysis may be useful. We evaluated IIH patients over three visits: initial visit, follow-up visit and a third visit, almost 1 year later. We evaluated mean deviation (MD), GCC and RNFL at presentation and the second visit and compared it to the mean deviation (MD) on fields at the third visit. As early as the second visit, GCC loss correlated with visual field results seen at the third visit.

Ganglion Cell Complex Loss in Chiasmal Compression by Brain Tumors.

BACKGROUND: Patterns of ganglion cell complex (GCC) loss detected by optical coherence tomography provide an objective measure of optic nerve injury. These patterns aid in early diagnosis and localization of chiasmal lesions. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with chiasmal compression seen between 2010 and 2015 were imaged with the Cirrus high-definition optical coherence tomography macular cube 512 × 128, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) scan protocols and automated (30-2 Humphrey) visual fields (VFs). Age-matched controls were included for comparison. Generalized estimating equations were performed comparing RNFL and GCC thicknesses between patients and their controls. Effect size (d) was calculated to assess the magnitude of difference between patients and controls. The average GCC and RNFL thicknesses also were correlated with VF mean deviation (MD). Pre operative average GCC thickness was correlated to post operative VF MD. RESULTS: Patterns of GCC thinning corresponded to VF defects. The average GCC thickness was 67 ± 9 µm in patients and 86 ± 5 µm in controls (P < 0.001). The effect size was the greatest for GCC thickness (d = 2.72). The mean deviation was better correlated with GCC thickness (r =0.25) than RNFL thicknesses (r =0.15). Postoperatively, VF MD improved in 7 of 8 patients with persistent nasal GCC thinning. Six patients had no VF defect and showed statistically significant loss of GCC compared with controls (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Distinct patterns of GCC loss were identified in patients with chiasmal compression. Binasal GCC loss was typical and could be seen with minimal or no detectable VF loss. Thinning of the GCC may be detected before loss of the RNFL in some patients. After decompression, the majority of patients showed improvement in VF despite persistent GCC loss. Patients with less GCC loss before decompression had better postoperative VFs. Therefore, GCC analysis may be an objective method to diagnose and follow patients with chiasmal lesions.

Congenital alacrima in a patient with blepharophimosis syndrome.

PURPOSE: To report a case of congenital alacrima in a patient with Blepharophimosis Syndrome (BPES). METHODS: Case report of a 9-month-old female who presented with severe dry eyes. Further investigation revealed bilateral absence of lacrimal glands confirmed by CT. This unique case and its management are discussed. RESULTS: Conservative management with artificial tears and ointment did not treat the ocular surface dryness. A combination of aggressive lubrication with surgical occlusion of the lower lid punctums was required to improve the corneal surface. CONCLUSION: BPES can be associated with many ophthalmic and facial abnormalities. Review of the pubmed literature, reveals this is the first reported case of alacrima and BPES. Patient with alacrima have severe ocular surface dryness, which requires aggressive and life long lubrication and tear supplementation.

Ischemic optic neuropathy.

Ischemic optic neuropathy is the most frequent cause of vision loss in middle age. Clinical and laboratory research studies have begun to clarify the natural history, clinical presentation, diagnostic criteria and pathogenesis of various ischemic nerve injuries. As a result, physicians are acquiring new tools to aid in the diagnosis and potential treatment of ischemic nerve injury. The aim of this review is to examine recent data on anterior and posterior ischemic optic neuropathy and to provide a framework for physicians to manage and counsel affected individuals.

Higher order aberrations induced by soft contact lenses in normal eyes with myopia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the wavefront characteristics of normal eyes with and without hydrogel soft contact lenses for correction of myopia. METHODS: Higher order aberrations (HOA) of 30 eyes of 15 soft contact lens users who had no ocular diseases other than myopia were quantified with a Nidek Marco three dimensional Wave wavefront analyzer. Zernike's polynomial was used to describe the wavefront measurements. Root mean square (RMS) values of the total HOAs, total coma, total trefoil and total spherical aberrations were obtained in the same eyes with and without soft contact lenses. We used paired sample t-test to analyze the data. RESULTS: Mean RMS values for all higher order aberration components with and without soft contact lenses were: total HOA 0.364 +/- 0.129 microm without lenses and 0.456 +/- 0.175 microm with lenses (P = 0.01), total coma 0.203 +/- 0.095 microm without lenses and 0.220 +/- 0.133 microm with lenses (P = 0.51), total trefoil 0.193 +/- 0.074 microm without lenses and 0.254 +/- 0.153 microm with lenses (P = 0.06), total spherical aberration 0.126 +/- 0.121 microm without lenses and 0.148 +/- 0.095 microm with lenses (P = 0.36). CONCLUSIONS: Wavefront analysis showed soft contact lenses for myopia induced a significant increase in total HOA. Though total coma, trefoil and spherical aberrations were also higher with contact lenses they were not statistically significant when individually evaluated and compared to values without contact lenses.