Vision-related quality of life after unilateral occipital stroke.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Stroke damage to the primary visual cortex induces large, homonymous visual field defects that impair daily living. Here, we asked if vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL) is impacted by time since stroke. SUBJECTS/METHODS: We conducted a retrospective meta-analysis of 95 occipital stroke patients (female/male = 26/69, 27-78 years old, 0.5-373.5 months poststroke) in whom VR-QoL was estimated using the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ) and its 10-item neuro-ophthalmic supplement (Neuro10). Visual deficit severity was represented by the perimetric mean deviation (PMD) calculated from 24-2 Humphrey visual fields. Data were compared with published cohorts of visually intact controls. The relationship between VR-QoL and time poststroke was assessed across participants, adjusting for deficit severity and age with a multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Occipital stroke patients had significantly lower NEI-VFQ and Neuro10 composite scores than controls. All subscale scores describing specific aspects of visual ability and functioning were impaired except for ocular pain and general health, which did not differ significantly from controls. Surprisingly, visual deficit severity was not correlated with either composite score, both of which increased with time poststroke, even when adjusting for PMD and age. CONCLUSIONS: VR-QoL appears to improve with time postoccipital stroke, irrespective of visual deficit size or patient age at insult. This may reflect the natural development of compensatory strategies and lifestyle adjustments. Thus, future studies examining the impact of rehabilitation on daily living in this patient population should consider the possibility that their VR-QoL may change gradually over time, even without therapeutic intervention.

Training in Cortically Blinded Fields Appears to Confer Patient-Specific Benefit Against Retinal Thinning.

Purpose: Damage to the adult primary visual cortex (V1) causes vision loss in the contralateral hemifield, initiating a process of transsynaptic retrograde degeneration (TRD). Here, we examined retinal correlates of TRD using a new metric to account for global changes in inner retinal thickness and asked if perceptual training in the intact or blind field impacts its progression. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of optical coherence tomography data in 48 participants with unilateral V1 stroke and homonymous visual defects who completed clinical trial NCT03350919. After measuring the thickness of the macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCL-IPL) and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), we computed individual laterality indices (LI) at baseline and after ∼6 months of daily motion discrimination training in the intact or blind field. Increasingly positive LI denoted greater layer thinning in retinal regions affected versus unaffected by the cortical damage. Results: Pretraining, the affected GCL-IPL and RNFL were thinner than their unaffected counterparts, generating LI values positively correlated with time since stroke. Participants trained in their intact field exhibited increased LIGCL-IPL. Those trained in their blind field had no significant change in LIGCL-IPL. LIRNFL did not change in either group. Conclusions: Relative shrinkage of the affected versus unaffected macular GCL-IPL can be reliably measured at an individual level and increases with time post-V1 stroke. Relative thinning progressed during intact-field training but appeared to be halted by training within the blind field, suggesting a potentially neuroprotective effect of this simple behavioral intervention.

Combined Orbital and Cranial Vessel Wall Magnetic Resonance Imaging for the Assessment of Disease Activity in Giant Cell Arteritis.

OBJECTIVE: Acute visual impairment is the most feared complication of giant cell arteritis (GCA) but is challenging to predict. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluates orbital pathology not visualized by an ophthalmologic examination. This study combined orbital and cranial vessel wall MRI to assess both orbital and cranial disease activity in patients with GCA, including patients without visual symptoms. METHODS: Patients with suspected active GCA who underwent orbital and cranial vessel wall MRI were included. In 14 patients, repeat imaging over 12 months assessed sensitivity to change. Clinical diagnosis of ocular or nonocular GCA was determined by a rheumatologist and/or ophthalmologist. A radiologist masked to clinical data scored MRI enhancement of structures. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients with suspected GCA were included: 25 (39%) received a clinical diagnosis of GCA, including 12 (19%) with ocular GCA. Orbital MRI enhancement was observed in 83% of patients with ocular GCA, 38% of patients with nonocular GCA, and 5% of patients with non-GCA. MRI had strong diagnostic performance for both any GCA and ocular GCA. Combining MRI with a funduscopic examination reached 100% sensitivity for ocular GCA. MRI enhancement significantly decreased after treatment (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In GCA, MRI is a sensitive tool that comprehensively evaluates multiple cranial structures, including the orbits, which are the most concerning site of pathology. Orbital enhancement in patients without visual symptoms suggests that MRI may detect at-risk subclinical ocular disease in GCA. MRI scores decreased following treatment, suggesting scores reflect inflammation. Future studies are needed to determine if MRI can identify patients at low risk for blindness who may receive less glucocorticoid therapy.

Teprotumumab-Related Adverse Events in Thyroid Eye Disease: A Multicenter Study.

PURPOSE: To assess the duration, incidence, reversibility, and severity of adverse events (AEs) in patients with thyroid eye disease (TED) treated with teprotumumab. DESIGN: Multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with TED of all stages and activity levels treated with at least 4 infusions of teprotumumab. METHODS: Patients were treated with teprotumumab between February 2020 and October 2022 at 6 tertiary centers. Adverse event metrics were recorded at each visit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes measure was AE incidence and onset. Secondary outcome measures included AE severity, AE reversibility, AE duration, proptosis response, clinical activity score (CAS) reduction, and Gorman diplopia score improvement. RESULTS: The study evaluated 131 patients. Proptosis improved by 2 mm or more in 77% of patients (101/131), with average proptosis improvement of 3.0 ± 2.1 mm and average CAS reduction of 3.2 points. Gorman diplopia score improved by at least 1 point for 50% of patients (36/72) with baseline diplopia. Adverse events occurred in 81.7% of patients (107/131). Patients experienced a median of 4 AEs. Most AEs were mild (74.0% [97/131]), 28.2% (37/131) were moderate, and 8.4% (11/131) were severe. Mean interval AE onset was 7.9 weeks after the first infusion. Mean resolved AE duration was 17.6 weeks. Forty-six percent of patients (60/131) demonstrated at least 1 persistent AE at last follow-up. Mean follow-up was 70.2 ± 38.5 weeks after the first infusion. The most common type of AEs was musculoskeletal (58.0% [76/131]), followed by gastrointestinal (38.2% [50/131]), skin (38.2% [50/131]), ear and labyrinth (30.5% [40/131]), nervous system (20.6% [27/131]), metabolic (15.3% [20/131]), and reproductive system (12.2% [16/131]). Sixteen patients (12.2%) discontinued therapy because of AEs, including hearing loss (n = 4), inflammatory bowel disease flare (n = 2), hyperglycemia (n = 1), muscle spasms (n = 1), and multiple AEs (n = 8). CONCLUSIONS: Adverse events are commonly reported while receiving teprotumumab treatment. Most are mild and reversible; however, serious AEs can occur and may warrant treatment cessation. Treating physicians should inform patients about AE risk, properly screen patients before treatment, monitor patients closely throughout therapy, and understand how to manage AEs should they develop. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Real-World Experience With Teprotumumab in Patients With Dysthyroid Optic Neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: Teprotumumab, an insulin-like growth factor I receptor inhibitory antibody, improved proptosis, diplopia, inflammatory signs/symptoms, and quality of life in patients with active thyroid eye disease (TED) in clinical trials. The trials excluded patients with dysthyroid optic neuropathy (DON). Recently, many case reports and case series have reported the successful use of teprotumumab to treat DON. Here, we review the data from published cases and our clinical experience in treating patients having DON with teprotumumab. METHODS: A literature search was conducted of patients with DON treated with teprotumumab from January 2020 through September 2022. Data from DON patients from the authors' (M.A.T. and C.A.B.) clinical practice were included. Primary outcome measure was mean (SD) improvements for visual acuity, color vision, and visual fields. Improvements in proptosis and clinical activity score (CAS) and diplopia were compared before and after teprotumumab administration. RESULTS: Ten observational studies/case reports were identified along with 2 patients in our practice. In all, there were 24 active TED patients with DON (37 eyes) who were treated with teprotumumab. Mean (SD) age was 66.5 (13.6) years and 13 (54%) were females, disease duration ranged from 2 months to >15 years. 22/24 patients had none, minimal improvement or progression of visual loss with intravenous/oral corticosteroids, orbital decompression (n = 9), and orbital radiation (n = 2). There were 2 patients who received teprotumumab as the only therapy. Overall, 88% (21/24) reported improvement in visual acuity after teprotumumab and in 75% (18/24), improvement in vision was observed after just 2 infusions of teprotumumab. Three eyes had decompression surgery in close proximity to teprotumumab infusions and were excluded from analyses. Mean (SD) improvement in visual acuity was 3.73 lines (SD 3.74), range 2-15 lines in 33 eyes. The mean (SD) improvement in the mean deviation on visual field testing in 15 eyes was 5.6 db (3.0 db). Mean (SD) improvement in proptosis was 4.37 mm (SD: 2.11) (20 patients, 32 eyes); and clinical activity score: mean reduction of 5.1 (1.3) for 18 patients. Teprotumumab was well tolerated in all but one patient. Adverse events reported included fatigue, dysgeusia, hearing loss, nausea, hyperglycemia, and muscle spasms. CONCLUSIONS: Teprotumumab is an effective treatment for DON in our experience and in published cases in whom treatment with steroids, surgery, or orbital radiation was unsuccessful.

Double vision due to lateral rectus injury after cosmetic botulinum toxin injections.

Facial intramuscular injections of Botulinum toxin (BoNT) injections are among the most common cosmetic procedures in dermatology. Rarely, serious adverse reactions such as blepharoptosis, diplopia and periorbital hematoma may occur with improper administration technique. Here we report a case of painless diplopia 5 weeks post-BoNT injection for 'crow's feet' likely due to inadvertent BoNT diffusion into the lateral rectus muscle causing a temporary palsy. This case aims to raise awareness of proper cosmetic BoNT injection techniques in the periorbital area to avoid ophthalmic complications.

Traumatic Brain Injury and Vision.

Traumatic brain injury disrupts the complex anatomy of the afferent and efferent visual pathways. Injury to the afferent pathway can result in vision loss, visual field deficits, and photophobia. Injury to the efferent pathway primarily causes eye movement abnormalities resulting in ocular misalignment and double vision. Injury to both the afferent and efferent systems can result in significant visual disability.

Frequency and Etiologies of Visual Disturbance After Cataract Surgery Identified in Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinics.

BACKGROUND: To identify the frequency and etiologies of visual disturbances after cataract surgery in patients referred to Neuro-ophthalmology. METHODS: This study is a retrospective chart review. Records of patients 18 years and older referred to neuro-ophthalmology clinics for new-onset visual disturbances within 6 months of cataract surgery were reviewed. Those with pre-existing neuro-ophthalmic disorders, combined intraocular procedures with cataract surgery, or inadequate follow-up were excluded. The main outcome measures were frequency and etiologies of visual disturbances after cataract surgery. Secondary analyses of a cohort of patients who had cataract surgery at our institution were performed to determine the frequency and etiology of visual disturbances after uneventful cataract surgery. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-three patients met the inclusion criteria (internal referral: 36/173, from outside surgeons: 137/173). Sixty-one percent (106/173) were newly diagnosed with neuro-ophthalmic etiologies, including 21% (36/173) with afferent and 40% (70/173) with efferent disorders. Thirty-six percent (62/173) of patients had non neuro-ophthalmic causes and 3% (5/173) had systemic conditions responsible for visual disturbances postoperatively. Decompensated strabismus causing diplopia was the most common neuro-ophthalmic diagnosis after cataract surgery (50%, 53/106). Of the 13,715 patients who had cataract surgery performed at our institution over a 9-year period, 20 of 36 patients referred for visual disturbances were identified with neuro-ophthalmic etiologies of which 85% (17/20) had postoperative diplopia. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, decompensated strabismus causing diplopia was the most common neuro-ophthalmic visual disturbance after cataract surgery. Detailed history and ocular alignment should be assessed before cataract surgery to identify patients with the risk.

Vision Loss as a Presenting Feature of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy: A Case Series.

BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired, immune-mediated, and clinically heterogeneous demyelinating disease affecting the nerve roots and peripheral nerves. We report a series of 4 patients who presented with early and progressive vision loss in the context of new-onset CIDP: 3 due to papilledema and 1 due to optic neuropathy without papilledema. METHODS: This was a retrospective case series of 4 patients with vision loss as a presenting feature of CIDP evaluated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from January 2016 to August 2021. Demographic, clinical, diagnostic, and treatment data were collected via retrospective medical record review. RESULTS: Case 1 was a 51-year-old man with 2 months of progressive bilateral papilledema associated with reduced visual acuity (count fingers at 1 foot in each eye) and severely constricted visual fields. Case 2 was a 36-year-old man with 4 months of worsening headaches, reduced visual acuity (count fingers at 1 foot in each eye), severely constricted visual fields, and papilledema. Case 3 was a 39-year-old man with papilledema causing progressive vision loss (20/80 in both eyes), headaches, and relapsing limb sensorimotor deficits. Case 4 was a 19-year-old man with 3 months of progressive bilateral visual decline (20/400 in the right eye, 20/600 in the left eye), central scotoma, and optic disc pallor consistent with optic neuropathy without papilledema. All 4 patients met clinical and electrodiagnostic criteria of CIDP. Cases 3 and 4 each tested positive for serum neurofascin-155 IgG4 antibodies. All patients were managed with immunomodulatory therapy. Cases 1 and 2 also each required surgical intervention with bilateral optic nerve sheath fenestration and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunting procedures. CONCLUSION: Vision loss from optic neuropathy with or without papilledema has rarely been reported in CIDP, and typically has been described in the context of longstanding disease. Our cases highlight how CIDP can present with early vision loss that may be profound and challenging to manage if diagnosis is delayed. CIDP should be considered in any patient with new progressive vision loss when associated with peripheral sensorimotor symptoms and elevated CSF protein. The small subgroup of CIDP patients with neurofascin-155 antibodies may be at particular risk of optic nerve involvement.

Training in cortically-blind fields confers patient-specific benefit against retinal thinning after occipital stroke.

Purpose: Damage to the adult primary visual cortex (V1) causes vision loss in the contralateral hemifield, initiating a process of trans-synaptic retrograde degeneration (TRD). Here, we examined retinal correlates of TRD using a new metric to account for global changes in inner retinal thickness, and asked if perceptual training in the intact or blind field impacts its progression. Methods: We performed a meta-analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) data in 48 participants with unilateral V1 stroke and homonymous visual defects, who completed clinical trial NCT03350919. After measuring the thickness of the macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layers (GCL-IPL), and the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), we computed individual laterality indices (LI) at baseline and after ~6 months of daily motion discrimination training in the intact- or blind-field. Increasingly positive LI denoted greater layer thinning in retinal regions affected versus unaffected by the cortical damage. Results: Pre-training, the affected GCL-IPL and RNFL were thinner than their unaffected counterparts, generating LI values positively correlated with time since stroke. Participants trained in their intact-field exhibited increased LIGCL-IPL. Those trained in their blind-field had no significant change in LIGCL-IPL. LIRNFL did not change in either group. Conclusions: Relative shrinkage of the affected versus unaffected macular GCL-IPL can be reliably measured at an individual level and increases with time post-V1 stroke. Relative thinning progressed during intact-field training, but appeared to be halted by training within the blind field, suggesting a potentially neuroprotective effect of this simple behavioral intervention.

Effect of teprotumumab on intraocular pressure in thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

PURPOSE: To examine changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with thyroid eye disease (TED) following teprotumumab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of 17 patients with TED who received teprotumumab between January 2020 and September 2021 was conducted. IOP, extent of proptosis, and clinical activity score were reviewed at baseline and at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks for patients undergoing teprotumumab treatment. The primary outcome measure was change in IOP, while secondary outcome measures included changes in proptosis and clinical activity score. RESULTS: Of the 17 patients (34 eyes) with TED who were treated with teprotumumab, the mean age was 50.5 years, and 15 (88%) were female. The mean baseline IOP was 20 mm Hg (range 13-28), and the mean baseline clinical activity score was 3.8 (range 0-6). Of the 34 eyes examined at baseline, examinations were repeated in 16 at 6 weeks, 26 at 12 weeks, and 8 at 24 weeks. At week 6 of treatment, mean IOP decreased by 4.9 mm Hg (P < 0.0001). At week 12 of treatment, mean IOP decreased by 4.6 mm Hg (P < 0.0001). Mean IOP was decreased at last record of follow-up by 4.9 mm Hg (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Among patients with TED, teprotumumab treatment was associated with a reduction in IOP.

Approach of an Academic Ophthalmology Department to Recovery During the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Introduction: A methodology for safe recovery of an ophthalmology department during a pandemic does not currently exist. This study describes successful recovery strategies for an urban, multi-specialty ophthalmology department serving a high-risk patient population. Methods: The study took place at a large multi-specialty tertiary care academic ophthalmology department in a metropolitan city during a seven-month period (March-October 2020). Five recovery ad hoc committees were charged with formulating metrics and initiatives to manage clinical volumes while maintaining safe practices, providing patient access, and minimizing financial damage. A six-tier system was created to resume non-urgent appointments in May 2020. Educational and research activities were maintained through the development of virtual curricula and research platforms. Results: The number of clinical and surgical visits per month in 2020 compared to 2019 and the time to reach ≥95% of pre-COVID patient volumes were monitored. In October 2020, ≥95% of pre-COVID volumes were attained (11,975 vs 12,337 patient visits in October 2019; 266 vs 272 surgical cases in October 2019). Despite significant financial losses, the department surpassed December 2019 collections in December 2020. No faculty, staff, or trainees received furloughs or pay cuts. There was no COVID-19 transmission between faculty, staff, and patients. Discussion: With strategic implementation of recovery strategies following CDC safety measures, it was possible to safely deliver care to patients with urgent and non-urgent eye conditions. Patient volumes were fully recovered in an ambulatory urban healthcare setting within a high-risk COVID-19 population within seven months while educational and research missions were successfully sustained.

Socioeconomic and Geographic Disparities in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To identify relationships between idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and socioeconomic determinants of health, such as low-income status and proximity to healthy food. METHODS: This retrospective case-control study of adult female neuro-ophthalmology patients from one institution identified 223 women with and 4,783 women without IIH. Street addresses were geocoded and merged with US census data to obtain census tract-level information on income and food access. Choropleth maps visualized IIH clusters within certain neighborhoods. Logistic regression compared the proportion of patients with IIH from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, low-income census tracts, and food deserts and swamps to controls without IIH. RESULTS: In our cohort, when adjusted for age, women with IIH were more likely to be Black (odds ratio [OR] 3.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.98-5.25), Hispanic (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.14-4.36), and live in low-income tracts (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.71-2.95) or food swamps (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.15-2.07). Patients with IIH were less likely to live in food deserts than controls (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.45-0.83). The association between Black race and IIH remained significant even after adjusting for other variables. CONCLUSION: IIH is more common among Black and Hispanic women than expected even when accounting for the demographics of a metropolitan city. Some of this relationship is driven by the association of obesity and IIH incidence with low income and proximity to unhealthy foods.

Neuro-Ophthalmology for Internists.

Neuro-ophthalmology is the study of the neurologic underpinnings of vision and includes a fascinating variety of disorders that span the broad spectrum of ophthalmic and neurologic disease. This subspecialty relies heavily on accurate neuroanatomic localization and examination. This article discusses neuro-ophthalmic complaints that frequently present to the internist, including acute vision loss, double vision, and unequal pupils. It focuses on pertinent clinical features of the most common causes of these chief complaints and additionally highlights salient points of history, diagnosis, examination, and management with special emphasis on the signs and symptoms that should prompt expedited evaluation.