Hypotony caused by scleral buckle erosion in Marfan syndrome.

PURPOSE: To describe hypotony caused by erosion of the conjunctiva and sclera by a silicone scleral buckle. METHODS: Interventional case report. A 33-year-old man with Marfan syndrome presented with hypotony maculopathy and a collapsed globe 17 months after repair of retinal detachment with a silicone sponge and silicone encircling band. RESULTS: Examination in the operating room revealed extrusion of the buckle through the conjunctiva and full-thickness scleral erosion. The silicone buckle was removed, and the scleral defect was closed with interrupted 8-0 nylon sutures. Postoperative glaucoma was treated with cyclophotocoagulation. Eight months after scleral repair, visual acuity was RE: 20/40, intraocular pressure was 10 mm Hg, and the retina was attached. CONCLUSION: Full-thickness scleral erosion secondary to a silicone exoplant causing hypotony is a rare long-term complication in patients with thin sclera.

Pars plana vitrectomy, subretinal injection of tissue plasminogen activator, and fluid-gas exchange for displacement of thick submacular hemorrhage in age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To evaluate a new procedure for displacement of large, thick submacular hemorrhage in patients with age-related macular degeneration. METHODS: Retrospective review of 11 eyes of 11 patients with age-related macular degeneration and thick submacular hemorrhage (defined as causing retinal elevation detectable on stereo fundus photographs) treated with vitrectomy, subretinal injection of tissue plasminogen activator (25 or 50 microg), and fluid-gas exchange with postoperative prone positioning. Outcome measures included displacement of hemorrhage from the fovea, best postoperative visual acuity, and final postoperative visual acuity. RESULTS: In the 11 affected eyes of 11 patients (seven men and four women; mean age, 76 years), preoperative visual acuity ranged from 20/200 to hand motions. With surgery, subretinal hemorrhage was displaced from the fovea in all 11 cases. Mean postoperative follow-up was 6.5 months (range, 1 to 15 months). Best postoperative visual acuity varied from 20/30 to 5/200, with improvement in nine (82%) cases and no change in two cases. Eight eyes (73%) measured 20/200 or better, with four of these eyes (36%) 20/80 or better. Final postoperative visual acuity ranged from 20/70 to light perception, with improvement in eight (73%) cases, no change in one case, and worsening in two cases. A statistically significant difference was found between preoperative and best postoperative visual acuity (P =.004) but not between preoperative and final visual acuity (P =.16). Hemorrhage recurred in three (27%) eyes, causing severe visual loss in one eye. CONCLUSIONS: This technique displaces submacular hemorrhage from the fovea and can improve vision in patients with age-related macular degeneration. However, recurrence of hemorrhage occurred in 27% of eyes and caused severe visual loss in one eye. A randomized, prospective clinical trial is necessary to determine the efficacy of this technique in comparison with other proposed treatments.

Pathologic findings in late endophthalmitis after glaucoma filtering surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To report the clinicopathologic features of four eyes enucleated for late-onset bleb-related endophthalmitis. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective case series. MATERIALS: Four enucleated eyes. METHODS: The clinical and histopathologic features of four patients who underwent enucleation for late-onset endophthalmitis after glaucoma filtering surgery were reviewed. RESULTS: The eyes were enucleated for endophthalmitis one to five years after trabeculectomy. Two of the four eyes had trabeculectomy with adjunctive mitomycin-C. All four eyes had streptococci cultured from the aqueous and/or vitreous. Common pathologic features included inflammation involving the anterior segment, lens and choroid. One eye exhibited focal granulomatous uveitis. CONCLUSIONS: Late-onset endophthalmitis after glaucoma filtering surgery is often due to streptococcal species and rapidly progresses over a few days. Phacoanaphylaxis with associated granulomatous uveitis may contribute to the poor prognosis in this setting.

Prolonged Uhthoff phenomenon in sarcoidosis.

PURPOSE: To report a patient with sarcoidosis of the anterior visual pathways in whom one of the primary symptoms was visual loss lasting 24 hours after exposure to heat. METHODS: Case report and review of the literature. RESULTS: The transient visual loss was exquisitely sensitive to intravenous corticosteroids and lasted longer than the typical Uhthoff phenomenon. Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme level was increased, chest x-ray showed hilar adenopathy, gallium scan disclosed bilateral intense tracer uptake in the hila, and transbronchial lung biopsy showed noncaseating granulomas with negative stains for fungi and mycobacteria, consistent with sarcoidosis. CONCLUSIONS: Uhthoff phenomenon, typically associated with demyelinating optic neuritis, may occur in an atypical form in patients with sarcoidosis of the optic nerve.

The relationship between static perimetry and the relative afferent pupillary defect.

This study was undertaken to understand better how damage to the anterior visual pathway may affect the relationship between the visual and pupillomotor systems. The relative afferent pupillary defect and the interocular difference in visual field mean deviation (determined by the Humphrey Field Analyzer Statpac program) were correlated in 137 patients. A moderate linear correlation (r = .66) was found. In 25 patients tested by both static and kinetic perimetry, the correlation could not be significantly improved by considering field loss outside of 30 degrees. The correlation was further studied in four subcategories of diagnosis: optic neuritis (n = 36), idiopathic intracranial hypertension (n = 26), compressive optic neuropathy (n = 14), and anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (n = 7). In compressive optic neuropathy and idiopathic intracranial hypertension, the difference in mean deviation between the two eyes was associated with a larger relative afferent pupillary defect than in optic neuritis and anterior ischemic optic neuropathy. In optic neuritis, the correlation was the poorest. These results indicate that diseases of the afferent visual system may not necessarily affect visual threshold (as tested by static perimetry) and the pupillary light reflex (a suprathreshold test) in the same way.