Annoying Conjunctival Thelaziasis in a Patient Aged 81 Years.

This case report discusses a diagnosis of thelaziasis in a female patient aged 81 years who presented with a foreign body sensation in the left eye for 1 month.

Ferulic acid alleviates retinal neovascularization by modulating microglia/macrophage polarization through the ROS/NF-κB axis.

Inflammation plays a pivotal role in ischemia-induced retinal neovascularization. Targeting microglia/macrophage-based neuroinflammation presents a promising therapeutic strategy. Ferulic acid (FA), a natural and active ingredient in plants, exerts favorable anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of FA against hypoxia-induced retinal angiogenesis using cultured retinal vascular endothelial cells and an oxygen-induced retinopathy mouse (OIR) model. The immunoregulatory effect of FA on microglia/macrophage polarization was evaluated by detecting the expression of specific markers for both pro-inflammatory "M1" and anti-inflammatory "M2" phenotypes using co-immunostaining and polymerase chain reaction assays. The underlying molecular mechanism upon FA treatment was also explored. The results showed that FA supplement markedly inhibited retinal pathological angiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. In addition, FA switched microglia/macrophage polarization from "M1" towards "M2" phenotype and alleviated the inflammatory response. Mechanically, the anti-angiogenic and anti-inflammatory properties of FA were mainly due to blockade of the ROS/NF-κB pathway. Our data demonstrated an anti-angiogenic effect of FA through regulating M1-to-M2 microglia/macrophage polarization, suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for retinal neovascular diseases.

Acquired monocular elevation deficit in a case of Parry-Romberg syndrome.

The authors describe a patient with Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) who had acquired monocular elevation deficit (MED), ptosis, and facial hemiatrophy. A 12-year-old female patient manifested progressive ptosis and hypotropia companied with progressive hemifacial atrophy was conducted to the ophthalmology clinic for diagnosis and treatment. Forced duction and generation testing confirmed that her incomitant hypotropia was caused by paralytic muscles and not due to restriction, so it was diagnosed as MED. Knapp procedure was conducted to correct her eye positions. Six months later, the frontal muscle suspension surgery was performed to treat her ptosis. Postoperatively, the patient had orthotropia without residual left hypotropia in the primary position and her left upper eyelid function improved significantly. The ocular motor defect, in this case, is best explained by nerve paresis rather than muscle fibrosis.

Low plasma levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor are potential risk factors for diabetic retinopathy in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients.

Previous studies suggested that neurotrophins play a role in the diabetic retinopathy (DR). We therefore evaluated the role of plasma brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients with and without diabetic retinopathy (DR). Plasma levels of BDNF were determined in type 2 diabetic patients (N=344). At baseline, the demographical and clinical data were taken. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models. Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) was used to test the overall predict accuracy of BDNF and other markers. Diabetic patients with DR and vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) had significantly lower BDNF levels on admission (P<0.0001 both). BDNF improved the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the diabetes duration for DR from 0.76 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71-0.82) to 0.89 (95% CI, 0.82-0.95; P<0.01) and for VDTR from 0.84 (95% CI, 0.78-0.92) to 0.95 (95% CI, 0.90-0.98; P<0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis adjusted for common risk factors showed that plasma BDNF levels≤12.4 ng/mL(1(rd) quartiles) was an independent marker of DR (OR=3.92; 95%CI: 2.31-6.56) and VTDR (OR=4.88; 95%CI: 2.21-9.30). The present study demonstrated that decreased plasma levels of BDNF were independent markers for DR and VDTR in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients, suggesting a possible role of BDNF in the pathogenesis of DR complications.

Increased serum mannose binding lectin levels are associated with diabetic retinopathy.

BACKGROUND: Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) may be implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR) complications. We investigated serum MBL levels in type 2 diabetic patients with and without DR. METHOD: Serum MBL levels were determined in 184 type 2 diabetic patients with DR and 189 type 2 diabetic patients without DR matched for age, sex, and duration of diabetes. Multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression models. The diagnostic value of MBL was compared with the HbA1c, Hs-CRP and with other known markers. RESULTS: We found that serum MBL levels were significantly higher in diabetes with DR as compared to without-DR [3456 (IQR, 3128-3800) ug/l and 2432 (IQR, 2100-2670) ug/l, respectively; P<0.0001]. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for all other significant factors, MBL remained can be seen as an independent DR marker with an adjusted OR of 1.002 (95% CI, 1.001-1.003; P<0.0001). Based on the ROC curve, the optimal cutoff value of serum MBL levels as an indicator for diagnosis of DR was projected to be 3050 ug/L, which yielded a sensitivity of 82.5% and a specificity of 88.0%, with the area under the curve at 0.907 (95% CI, 0.876-0.938). CONCLUSION: In type 2 diabetic patients, evaluated serum levels of MBL can be seen as an independent marker of DR even after correcting for possible confounding factors.

The study of corneal topography in myopic and hyperopic children.

PURPOSE: To compare the differences of corneal topographies in myopic and hyperopic children and study the effect of Atropin on their changes. METHODS: The refractive components of 136 eyes with different refractive conditions were measured with A-Scan and their corneal topographies with and without cycloplegia were obtained respectively. RESULTS: The mean corneal power of zones 3mm (MD3, P=0.031) and minor keratometer K2 (P=0.003) of myopia are greater than those of hyperopia without cycloplegia. MD3 (P=0.009) and Keratometer K1 (P = 0.025) increased in hyperopic eyes, while MD3 (P=0.033), K1 (P = 0.035) and K2 (P = 0.002) decreased in myopic eyes significantly after cycloplegia. Similarly, the mean corneal power of zones 5mm (MD5) and 7mm (MD7) in myopic eyes decreased dramatically (P < or = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The corneal power was found to be greater in myopia than that in hyperopia. The effect of Atropin on corneal shape of myopia and hyperopia was in the opposite direction.

The change in ocular refractive components after cycloplegia in children.

PURPOSE: To study the change in ocular refractive components after cycloplegia in children. METHODS: Anterior chamber depth, lens thickness, vitreous chamber length, and ocular axial length were measured in 135 Chinese children (270 eyes) before and after cycloplegia. The corneal curvatures of 136 selected eyes were studied before and after cycloplegia with a computerized video keratoscope. RESULTS: Anterior chamber depth increased (P <.001) while both lens thickness and vitreous chamber length decreased (P <.001) significantly after cycloplegia regardless of the refractive state. However, axial length increased in hyperopic eyes (P =.027) but decreased in myopic eyes (P =.008) after cycloplegia. Mean corneal power of zones 3 mm (MD3, P =.009) and keratometer K1 readings increased (P =.025) in hyperopic eyes, while MD3 (P =.033), K1 (P =.039) and K2 (P =.003) readings decreased in myopic eyes significantly after cycloplegia. Similarly, mean corneal power of zones 5 mm and 7 mm in myopic eyes decreased dramatically (P

[Effect of ocular accommodation on refractive components in children].

PURPOSE: To study the correlation between ocular accommodation and ametropia, especially myopia by analyzing the effect of accommodation on refractive components in children. METHODS: The anterior chamber depth (AD), lens thickness (LT), vitreous chamber length (VL) and ocular axial length (AL) were measured for 135 cases (270 eyes) of children before and after cycloplegia. The corneal shapes of 136 eyes selected from the 270 eyes were studied before and after cycloplegia by a computerized video keratoscope. RESULTS: AD increased (P < 0. 001) while both LT (P < 0. 001) and VL decreased (P < 0. 01) significantly after cycloplegia regardless of their refractive state. However, AL increased for hyperopic eyes (P = 0.027) and decreased for myopic eyes (P = 0.008) after cycloplegia. For hyperopic eyes, the major keratometer K1 increased (P = 0.025) while for myopic eyes, the major keratometer K1 (P = 0.039) and minor keratometer K2 (P = 0.003) decreased after cycloplegia. Similarly, mean corneal power of zones 3 mm (MD3), 5 mm (MD5) and 7 mm (MD7) decreased dramatically (P < 0.05) with myopic eyes after cycloplegia, while MD3 (P = 0.009) increased with hyperopic eyes. The mean refractive power of the lower half vertical meridian (LMD) is greater than that of upper half (UMD); and the mean refractive power of the lateral half of the horizontal (LaMD) is greater than that of the medial half (MMD). CONCLUSION: The ocular accommodation has a great influence on refractive components in children. It is not only the process by which the refractive power of the lens is increased. Furthermore, the lens itself moved forward relatively. There is asymmetry of the corneal surface within the same horizontal or vertical meridian.