Risks for Oculomotor Nerve Palsy and Time to Recovery After Surgical Clipping of Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Aneurysms of the posterior communicating segment of carotid artery (PcomA) have a high risk of rupture; when these nonruptured aneurysms are associated with oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP), the risk of rupture increases compared with asymptomatic nonruptured PcomA. OBJECTIVE: To retrospectively analyze the risk factors involved in ONP secondary to PcomA aneurysm and to study the factors involved in the recovery time of ONP once it is established. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of patients from 10 neurosurgery centers from October 2008 to December 2020. We analyzed age at diagnosis, presence of compressive neuropathy of the oculomotor nerve, presence of aneurysm rupture, largest aneurysm diameter, aneurysm projection, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, time between diagnosis and surgical treatment, as well as the outcome. RESULTS: Approximately 1 in 5 patients (119/511 23.3%) with a PcomA presented with ONP. We found that patients with aneurysms measuring greater than or equal to 7.5 mm were 1.6 times more likely to have ONP than those with aneurysms smaller than 7.5 mm. In our study, the prevalence of smoking in the PcomA + ONP group was 57.76%, and we also found that smokers were 2.51 times more likely to develop ONP. A total of 80.7% showed some degree of improvement, and 45.4% showed complete improvement with a median recovery time of 90 days. CONCLUSION: This study showed that 80.7% of patients with PcomA aneurysms undergoing surgical treatment with aneurysm clipping showed some degree of improvement of the ONP, with a median time to recovery between 90 and 120 days.

Relationship between Daytime Sleepiness and Intrinsically Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells in Glaucomatous Disease.

Patients with glaucoma showed to have higher daytime sleepiness measured by Epworth sleepiness scale. In addition, this symptom was associated with pupillary reflex and polysomnography parameters. These ipRGC functions might be impaired in patients with glaucoma, leading to worse quality of life.

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cell activity is associated with decreased sleep quality in patients with glaucoma.

PURPOSE: To use the pupillary light reflex and polysomnography to evaluate the function of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) and to correlate this function with structural damage in glaucoma. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A study was conducted on both eyes of 45 participants (32 patients with glaucoma and 13 healthy subjects). METHODS: For the pupillary reflex evaluation, patients were tested in the dark using a Ganzfeld system (RETIport; Roland Consult, Brandenburg, Germany); pupil diameter was measured with an eye tracker system. To preferentially stimulate ipRGCs, we used a 1-second 470-nm flash with a luminance of 250 cd/m(2). To stimulate different retinal photoreceptors, we used a 1-second 640-nm flash with a luminance of 250 cd/m(2). All of the subjects underwent polysomnography. Subjects underwent standard automated perimetry and optical coherence tomography (Cirrus HD-OCT; Carl Zeiss Meditec Inc, Dublin, CA). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Correlations between ipRGC activity, as measured by the pupillary light reflex, and polysomnography parameters, and correlations between retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness and the pupillary light reflex and polysomnography parameters. RESULTS: The mean patient ages in the healthy and glaucoma groups were 56.8±7.8 years and 61.5±11.6 years, respectively (P = 0.174). Patients with glaucoma had significantly lower average total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and minimum oxyhemoglobin saturation compared with the healthy subjects (P = 0.008, P = 0.002, and P = 0.028, respectively). Patients with glaucoma had significantly higher arousal durations after falling asleep and more periodic limb movements (P = 0.002 and P = 0.045, respectively). There was an inverse correlation between the rapid eye movement latency and the peak of the pupillary response to the blue flash (P = 0.004). The total arousals were inversely correlated with the sustained blue flash response (P = 0.029). The RNFL thickness was associated with the peak and sustained responses to the blue flash (P < 0.001 for both comparisons); however, RNFL thickness was only associated with the mean oxygen desaturation index among the polysomnography parameters (P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that decreased ipRGC function caused by glaucoma affected pupillary response and sleep quality.

Long-term occupational exposure to organic solvents affects color vision, contrast sensitivity and visual fields.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the visual outcome of chronic occupational exposure to a mixture of organic solvents by measuring color discrimination, achromatic contrast sensitivity and visual fields in a group of gas station workers. We tested 25 workers (20 males) and 25 controls with no history of chronic exposure to solvents (10 males). All participants had normal ophthalmologic exams. Subjects had worked in gas stations on an average of 9.6 ± 6.2 years. Color vision was evaluated with the Lanthony D15d and Cambridge Colour Test (CCT). Visual field assessment consisted of white-on-white 24-2 automatic perimetry (Humphrey II-750i). Contrast sensitivity was measured for sinusoidal gratings of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 cycles per degree (cpd). Results from both groups were compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. The number of errors in the D15d was higher for workers relative to controls (p<0.01). Their CCT color discrimination thresholds were elevated compared to the control group along the protan, deutan and tritan confusion axes (p<0.01), and their ellipse area and ellipticity were higher (p<0.01). Genetic analysis of subjects with very elevated color discrimination thresholds excluded congenital causes for the visual losses. Automated perimetry thresholds showed elevation in the 9°, 15° and 21° of eccentricity (p<0.01) and in MD and PSD indexes (p<0.01). Contrast sensitivity losses were found for all spatial frequencies measured (p<0.01) except for 0.5 cpd. Significant correlation was found between previous working years and deutan axis thresholds (rho = 0.59; p<0.05), indexes of the Lanthony D15d (rho=0.52; p<0.05), perimetry results in the fovea (rho= -0.51; p<0.05) and at 3, 9 and 15 degrees of eccentricity (rho= -0.46; p<0.05). Extensive and diffuse visual changes were found, suggesting that specific occupational limits should be created.

Avaliação da espessura da camada de fibras nervosas da retina e mácula em pacientes com ambliopia / Thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer, macular thickness, in patients with amblyopia

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a espessura da camada de fibras nervosas da retina em olhos amblíopes e comparar com olhos normais e certificar se há correlação com a redução da acuidade visual. Além disso, este estudo se propõe avaliar a eficácia e eficiência em uma série de casos do protótipo de um equipamento nacional de magnificação para leitura. MÉTODOS: Participaram deste estudo 30 pacientes na faixa etária entre 9 e 80 anos (17 do sexo masculino). Foi desenvolvido um aparelho portátil, patenteado pela Unifesp (PI#020050145260), com um sistema de captura de imagens acoplado a um monitor de 5,6 polegadas proporcionando um aumento de 15 x. Foram analisadas a eficácia da acuidade visual e a eficiência de leitura após a utilização do protótipo proposto. RESULTADOS: Seis pacientes (20 por cento) apresentaram AV 8M, 12 pacientes (40 por cento) apresentaram AV 6M, 7 pacientes (23,3 por cento) apresentaram 5 M, 5 pacientes (16,7 por cento) apresentaram 4M. A média de acuidade visual antes da utilização do SLP medida pela tabela LHNV-1 logMAR foi de 5,75M e após a utilização 100 por cento dos pacientes atingiram a eficácia de AV J1. CONCLUSÃO: O protótipo do SLP mostrou-se um recurso alternativo no processo de inclusão social das pessoas com baixa visão com diferentes níveis de resíduo visual. Também pode proporcionar incentivo psicológico, permitir conforto, mobilidade e independência àqueles que necessitam de uma leitura mais prolongada e maior distância de trabalho.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL)and the macular thickness of the amblyopic eye with those of the non-amblyopic eye in patients with unilateral amblyopia using optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: OCT was performed for13 patients with unilateral amblyopia who had no neurologic disease. Nine male andfour female patients, whose ages ranged from 23 to 63 years, were enrolled in the study. The RNFL thickness average analysis program was used to evaluate mean superior, inferior, temporal, and nasal thickness. The data for all clock quadrants (12 values averaged) were identified as the overall RNFL. The retinal thickness analysis program was used to evaluate macular scans. Data were compared using the Man n-Whitney U test. The mean age ( standard deviation) was 35,43years. RESULTS: There were 13 eyes with amblyopia; this group had visual acuity 0,1 logMAR or better in the best eye. OCT parameters including the RNFL thickness in all quadrants, overall RNFL thickness and macular thickness showed no significant differences between the two groups (p >0,5). CONCLUSION: Assessment of RNFL thickness and macular thickness with OCT revealed no difference between the two eyes of patients with unilateral amblyopia.

Chromatic discrimination losses in multiple sclerosis patients with and without optic neuritis using the Cambridge Colour Test.

We assessed chromatic discrimination in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients both with (ON) and without (no ON) a history of optic neuritis using the Cambridge color test (CCT). Our goal was to determine the magnitude and chromatic axes of any color vision losses in both patient groups, and to evaluate age-related changes in chromatic discrimination in both patient groups compared to normals. Using the CCT, we measured chromatic discrimination along the protan, deutan and tritan axes in 35 patients with MS (17 ON eyes) and 74 age matched controls. Color thresholds for both patient groups were significantly higher than controls' along the protan and tritan axes (p < 0.001). In addition, the ON and no-ON groups differed significantly along all three-color axes (p < 0.001). MS patients presented a progressive color discrimination impairment with age (along the deutan and tritan axes) that was almost two times faster than controls, even in the absence of ON. These findings suggest that demyelinating diseases reduce sensitivity to color vision in both red-green and blue-yellow axes, implying impairment in both parvocellular and koniocellular visual pathways. The CCT is a useful tool to help characterize vision losses in MS, and the relationship between these losses and degree of optic nerve involvement.

Visual field losses in workers exposed to mercury vapor.

Visual field losses associated with mercury (Hg) exposure have only been assessed in patients exposed to methylmercury. Here we evaluate the automated visual field in 35 ex-workers (30 males; 44.20+/-5.92 years) occupationaly exposed to mercury vapor and 34 controls (21 males; 43.29+/-8.33 years). Visual fields were analyzed with the Humphrey Field Analyzer II (model 750i) using two tests: the standard automated perimetry (SAP, white-on-white) and the short wavelength automated perimetry (SWAP, blue-on-yellow) at 76 locations within a 27 degrees central visual field. Results were analyzed as the mean of the sensitivities measured at the fovea, and at five successive concentric rings, of increasing eccentricity, within the central field. Compared to controls, visual field sensitivities of the experimental group measured using SAP were lower for the fovea as well as for all five eccentricity rings (p<0.05). Sensitivities were significantly lower in the SWAP test (p<0.05) for four of the five extra-foveal eccentricity rings; they were not significant for the fovea (p=0.584) or for the 15 degrees eccentricity ring (p=0.965). These results suggest a widespread reduction of sensitivity in both visual field tests. Previous reports in the literature describe moderate to severe concentric constriction of the visual field in subjects with methylmercury intoxication measured manually with the Goldman perimeter. The present results amplify concerns regarding potential medical risks of exposure to environmental mercury sources by demonstrating significant and widespread reductions of visual sensitivity using the more reliable automated perimetry.