Thermokeratoplasty for Keratoconus: A More Than 30-Year Follow-Up Study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term outcomes of thermokeratoplasty (TKP) surgery in patients with keratoconus (KC). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed our clinical database of 2949 patients with KC seen at the Department of Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan, between April 1979 and December 1991. Patients with KC who underwent TKP with a greater-than 30-year postoperative follow-up were included. The occurrence of adverse events including infectious keratitis, corneal perforation, corneal melting, bullous keratopathy, consistency of contact lenses (CL) wear at the final visit, and a history of corneal transplantation post-TKP was assessed. RESULTS: Forty-two patients (29 male and 13 female patients) with a mean age at initial visit of 23.4 years (range: 13.9-39.5 yrs) were included, and TKP was performed unilaterally in all cases. The mean follow-up period was 35.2 years (range: 30.1-41.6 yrs). As for adverse events/complications, no cases of infectious keratitis, corneal perforation, corneal melting, and/or BK were observed. However, 11 eyes received corneal transplants at an average of 24.9 years postoperatively because of the inability to wear CL continuously. At the last visit, 31 eyes were able to continue wearing CL without corneal transplantation, and the remaining 11 eyes were able to continue wearing contact lenses in all cases after corneal transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: TKP for KC resulted in relatively favorable surgical outcomes over the long-term postoperative period.

The Challenge of Contact Lens Visual Rehabilitation for Open Globe Injuries in Children Under 5 Years of Age.

PURPOSE: To investigate the clinical course of children younger than 5 years old who underwent rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lens (CL) wearing as visual rehabilitation of open globe injuries (OGIs) in Japan. METHODS: This retrospective case series involved six eyes of six children (four boys and two girls) with OGIs. The mean patient age at injury was 4.0±0.83 SD (range: 2.5-5 years), and the mean follow-up period was 42.9 months (range: 31.6-52.8 months). In each child, data regarding injury type, ocular surgery performed, outcomes of amblyopia management (including best-corrected visual acuity [BCVA] with RGP CL or spectacles), the RGP CL-wear training period, and rate of continuous RGP CL-wear were analyzed. RESULTS: Trauma type was penetrating injury (four eyes) and globe rupture (two eyes). All six cases showed lens penetration, and underwent corneal suture, lensectomy, and pars plana vitrectomy under general anesthesia. The mean RGP CL-wear training period was 3.5 months, and only one of the six cases discontinued RGP CL use. The mean BCVA with spectacles and with RGP CL was LogMAR: 1.52±0.41 (range 1.00-2.00) and 0.73±0.41 (range: 0.30-1.15), respectively. In all patients, except in one case in which strabismus developed, BCVA improved with RGP CL wear more than 0.2 logMAR compared with that with spectacles. CONCLUSION: Although the training period for RGP CL-wear is long in pediatric patients with OGIs, the treatment can be effective for refractive problems and for preventing the development of strabismus.

[Correlation between cognitive impairment and postural instability in patients with Parkinson's disease].

Correlation between frontal-executive function and motor functions, such as gait and postural control, has attracted attention in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, correlations between other cognitive functional domains and motor functions have not been examined. Thus, we examined the correlation between different domains of cognitive function and motor functions. Sixty-five PD patients were recruited for the present study. Cognitive functions were assessed by the 10 subtests of the Neurobehavioral Cognitive Status Examination (COGNISTAT). Motor functions were assessed by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) as partIII for general motor function and sum of related items for tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. Spearman's correlation coefficients between each cognitive and motor assessment were compared. Among the 10 subtests of the COGNISTAT, constructions showed significant correlation with UPDRS partIII (p<0.01), bradykinesia (p<0.01), and postural instability (p<0.001). The latter correlation was stronger than those between all motor assessments and both all patients backgrounds and other COGNISTAT subtests. In PD patients, postural instability correlates with not only frontal executive dysfunctions but also parietal dysfunctions, such as visuospatial and constructive impairments. The postural maintenance system is suggested to share common physiology with not only frontal-executive function but also parietal functions.