Cytomegalovirus retinitis associated with high CD4 counts and DHEA abuse.

The most frequent ocular manifestation of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR). This infection is reportedly inversely proportional to the CD4 counts. Usually CMVR develops once the CD4 counts fall below 50/mm3. Our case report documents an AIDS patient who developed CMVR despite CD4 counts being persistently >200/mm3. The patient was self-administering dehydroepiandrosterone, high dose Vitamin C, testosterone and hydrocortisone. This case report describes a unique case of pharmacologically induced elevated CD4 counts, which however, did not prevent the development of CMVR in the patient.

Controversies in the association of parapapillary atrophy with glaucoma.

Parapapillary atrophy is a condition which is seen in around 70% of normal individuals. Classically divided into zone alpha and beta, recently, it has been further categorized into zone gamma and delta. Some of these zones of parapapillary atrophy are more prevalent and larger in size in glaucoma patients. Studies have also found the rate of progression of glaucomatous change to be faster in patients with this anomaly. This condition is of clinical significance in glaucoma suspects, as it could be another pointer indicating potential risk of converting to glaucoma. On the contrary, there are other studies which question the relevance of these clinical features in glaucoma patients. In the light of these conflicting reports, it becomes an interesting exercise to explore this controversial area further. This review attempts to determine the role of parapapillary atrophy and its relevance with glaucoma. With this purpose, an online search for this term was conducted on search engines such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and others.

Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus, Central Retinal Artery Occlusion, and Neovascular Glaucoma in an Immunocompetent Individual.

PURPOSE: To report the unusual case of an immunocompetent individual with herpes zoster ophthalmicus who developed central retinal artery occlusion and subsequent neovascular glaucoma. CASE REPORT: A 40-year-old, immunocompetent patient was diagnosed with herpes zoster ophthalmicus and central retinal artery occlusion on initial presentation. Subsequently, he developed neovascular glaucoma. CONCLUSION: There are a few case reports of central retinal artery occlusion developing after varicella zoster virus infection. However, a literature search found no reports of neovascular glaucoma following central retinal artery occlusion secondary to varicella zoster virus infection. The present case report indicates that neovascular glaucoma is a possible complication in such a scenario.

Water related ocular diseases.

A number of ocular diseases can be attributed to contaminated water and we have coined a term "Water-related ocular diseases (WRODs)" to denote this wide-spectrum of conditions. WRODs are directly related to human contact with water and can occur through toxic, allergic, inflammatory or infective mechanisms. The non-infective causes can include chemicals used to clean swimming pools, oil spills and water-sport related injuries. Similarly, a number of infective organisms causing ocular diseases are transmitted through water. Since, these conditions can occasionally prove devastating, a review was done with the following aims: (i) To study the epidemiology of WRODs (ii) To assess the clinical presentation and current management of WRODs (iii) To highlight the future challenges and possible solutions to these problems. The online search was conducted utilizing search engines such as PubMed, Google Scholar, ClinicalKey and the Virtual Library of the Ministry of Health, Malaysia for relevant terms such as water-borne, swimming pool and eye infections.

Glaucoma suspects: A practical approach.

Glaucoma suspects are controversial clinical dilemmas. These individuals harbor certain risk factors or demonstrate some clinical features suggestive of an increased probability to develop glaucomatous optic atrophy in the future. These characteristics range from high intraocular pressure; optic disc, visual field, or retinal nerve fiber layer abnormalities; or abnormal angles to a positive family history of glaucoma and other risk factors. Individuals having these characteristics should be assessed diligently before a diagnosis of glaucoma is made. Glaucoma is a chronic, lifelong condition, having a negative impact on the quality of life, with an increased risk of medication-related side-effects, adverse economic impacts, and the need for lifestyle changes in the patient. Overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment of such individuals is bereft of any advantage. This review aims to provide a practical blueprint for the proper diagnosis and management of such glaucoma suspects.

An introduction to DARC technology.

Glaucoma is a multi-factorial neurodegenerative disorder. The common denominator in all types of glaucomas is retinal ganglion cell death through apoptosis. However, this cellular demise in glaucoma is detected late by structural or functional analyses. There can be a 10-year delay prior to the appearance of visual field defects and pre-perimetric glaucoma is an issue still being addressed. However, a new cutting-edge technology called detection of apoptosing retinal cells (DARC) is being developed. This technique is capable of non-invasive, real-time visualization of apoptotic changes at the cellular level. It can detect glaucomatous cell damage at a very early stage, at the moment apoptosis starts, and thus management can be initiated even prior to development of visual field changes. In future, this technique will also be able to provide conclusive evidence of the effectiveness of treatment protocol and the need for any modifications which may be required. This article aims to provide a concise review of DARC technology.

Controversies in the vascular theory of glaucomatous optic nerve degeneration.

An understanding of the pathogenesis of glaucoma is one of the foundations in glaucoma management. A number of theories have been presented to explain glaucomatous neural degeneration. The vascular theory attempts to explain the causation of glaucoma on the basis of vasogenic factors and altered he-modynamics in the body; however, this theory remains controversial. There are proponents for and against the role played by vascular factors in the development of glaucomatous optic nerve degeneration. This review aims to analyze the various studies performed to provide evidence for and against the vascular theory of glaucoma. It also affirms the need to undertake further studies regarding the path-ogenesis of glaucoma and integrate them into our management strategies. The literature search for this systemic analysis was performed using search engines, such as PubMed, The Virtual Library of the Ministry of Health Malaysia, Google Scholar, and ClinicalKey.

A benign presentation of primary ductal adenocarcinoma of lacrimal gland: A rare malignancy.

A 34-year-old patient with a swelling over the upper eyelid for nearly 1 year was seen in our clinic. The history, examination and investigations were suggestive of a benign lacrimal gland tumor. The tumor and lacrimal gland were resected. Subsequent histopathological examination revealed the tumor was a primary ductal adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland. This is a very rare tumor with less than half a dozen cases reported so far. This case report is being presented to highlight an unusual presentation of this rare malignancy.

A case of choroidal melanocytoma mimicking a choroidal melanoma.

A 17-year-old young girl was seen by us with complaints of progressive, painless decreasing vision in one eye for the last 4 years. No other supporting history could be elucidated. On examination, a large choroidal mass was found. Since the features were suggestive of malignant melanoma of the choroid, an enucleation of the eye was performed. Subsequently, histopathological examination of the enucleated eye revealed findings consistent with melanocytoma of the choroid. This case is unique in that the patient was of relatively young age and the tumor was huge compared to previous such reports.

Cut-it-out technique for ocular fish-hook injury.

An 11-year-old boy was involved in an injury with a fish-hook to his eye. The hook had impaled itself to the cornea and deeper structures. There was associated corneal edema and hyphema, making visualization difficult. In this case, we performed the unusual "cut-it-out" technique to remove the hook from the eye.

A case of bilateral, spontaneous absorption of lenses.

Spontaneous absorption of lenses or cataracts is rare. We report a case of bilateral spontaneous lens absorption in a 36-year-old woman for which no cause could be determined despite extensive laboratory testing.

Bilateral persistent pupillary membranes associated with cataract.

Exuberant persistent pupillary membranes (PPM) are rare in adult eyes. We report the case of a 53-year-old man diagnosed with bilateral, profuse, persistent pupillary membranes and unilateral cataract.