Repeatability of Pyramidal Aberrometer Measurements in Keratoconus and Normal Eyes.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the intrasubject repeatability of pyramidal aberrometer measurements in a sample of keratoconus and normal eyes. SETTING: American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. DESIGN: Prospective comparative repeatability analysis. STUDY POPULATION: Keratoconus and Normal eyes from adult patients. OBSERVATION PROCEDURES: Each eye was evaluated with 3 consecutive acquisitions using a pyramidal aberrometer. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The repeatability of different ocular Higher Order and Lower Order Aberrations (HOAs and LOAs, respectively), and Zernike coefficients down to the fifth order, was evaluated. Repeatability was assessed by within-subject standard deviations (Sw), repeatability limits (r), and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), among other parameters. RESULTS: 72 keratoconus patients (72 eyes), and 76 normal patients (76 eyes) were included. In normal and keratoconus eyes, the ICC of total LOA and HOAs, as well as each of the Zernike coefficients, was >0.9. The Sw for keratoconus eyes with mean maximal keratometry (Kmax)<50D was 0.1345 for total LOAs, 0.0619 for total HOAs, 0.0292 for horizontal coma, 0.0561 for vertical coma, and 0.0221 for spherical aberration as compared to 0.2696, 0.1486, 0.0972, 0.1497 and 0.0757 for Keratoconus eyes with Kmax>=50D. Similar trend of better repeatability for grade 1 keratoconus and HOA<2D as compared to grade 2 and 3 keratoconus and eyes with HOA>2D were also noted. CONCLUSIONS: Ocular aberrometer measurements generated by high definition pyramidal aberrometers have high repeatability in both normal and mild keratoconus eyes; and moderate repeatability, yet still clinically acceptable, in advanced keratoconus. This is of particular importance in ocular wavefront-guided treatments.

Reply to Otiti-Sengeri et al. Chorioretinitis among Immigrant and Travellers. Comment on "Mansour et al. Presumed Onchocerciasis Chorioretinitis Spilling over into North America, Europe and Middle East. Diagnostics 2023, 13, 3626".

The comments by Otiti et al [...].

Accelerated corneal crosslinking with 20'-soaking hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose/riboflavin vs conventional crosslinking with 30'-soaking dextran/riboflavin.

PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare functional and structural outcomes of accelerated corneal crosslinking (A-CXL) using riboflavin with hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) vs conventional corneal crosslinking (C-CXL) using riboflavin with dextran. SETTING: American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 83 eyes of 73 patients with mild to moderate keratoconus. First group (n = 44 eyes) underwent C-CXL using a 30-minute riboflavin/dextran soaking between June 2014 and March 2016. Second group (n = 39 eyes) underwent A-CXL using a 20-minute riboflavin/HPMC soaking between April 2016 and December 2017. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 12 months postoperatively. Main outcome measures were simulated keratometry (simK), maximum axial keratometry (Kmax), demarcation line depth, and haze intensity measured using optical coherence tomography-based image analysis software. RESULTS: Demarcation line (DL) was 298.30 ± 64.60 µm and 335.61 ± 99.76 µm for C-CXL and A-CXL groups, respectively ( P = .04). Haze profile was similar for both groups. The mean simK values were reduced from 46.93 ± 3.50 and 46.44 ± 2.93 preoperatively to 46.18 ± 3.65 and 45.54 ± 2.78 at 12 months postoperatively, for C-CXL and A-CXL, respectively ( P = .003 for both groups). The mean Kmax decreased from 52.46 ± 4.82 and 51.50 ± 3.87 preoperatively to 51.30 ± 4.42 and 50.30 ± 3.52 postoperatively, for the C-CXL and A-CXL, respectively ( P < .001 for both groups). There was no difference in the simK and Kmax changes between the C-CXL and A-CXL groups ( P = .814 and P = .913), visual acuity, and refraction between the 2 groups ( P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: A-CXL with a 20-minute riboflavin/HPMC soaking produced deeper DL and similar corneal haze, topographic, refractive, and visual results to C-CXL with a 30-minute riboflavin/dextran soaking.

Presumed Onchocerciasis Chorioretinitis Spilling over into North America, Europe and Middle East.

BACKGROUND: Newer generation ophthalmologists practicing in the developed world are not very familiar with some tropical ocular diseases due to the absence of reports in the ophthalmic literature over the past thirty years. Because of world globalization or due to influx of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, exotic retinal diseases are being encountered more often in ophthalmology clinics. METHODS: A multicenter case series of chorioretinitis or optic neuritis with obscure etiology that used serial multimodal imaging. RESULTS: Four cases qualified with the diagnosis of presumed ocular onchocerciasis based on their residence near fast rivers in endemic areas, multimodal imaging, long term follow-up showing progressive disease and negative workup for other diseases. Characteristic findings include peripapillary choroiditis with optic neuritis or atrophy, subretinal tracts of the microfilaria, progressive RPE atrophy around heavily pigmented multifocal chorioretinal lesions of varying shapes, subretinal white or crystalline dots, and response to ivermectin. Typical skin findings are often absent in such patients with chorioretinitis rendering the diagnosis more challenging. CONCLUSIONS: Familiarity with the myriad ocular findings of onchocerciasis, and a high-degree of suspicion in subjects residing in endemic areas can help in the correct diagnosis and implementation of appropriate therapy. Onchocercal chorioretinitis is a slow, insidious, progressive, and prolonged polymorphous disease.

Ophthalmic Injuries After the Port of Beirut Blast-One of Largest Nonnuclear Explosions in History.

IMPORTANCE: A review of the injury patterns, treatment strategies, and responding physicians' experience during the Port of Beirut blast may help guide future ophthalmic disaster response plans. OBJECTIVE: To present the ophthalmic injuries and difficulties encountered as a result of the Port of Beirut blast on August 4, 2020. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A retrospective medical record review of all patients who presented to the emergency department and 13 ophthalmology outpatient clinics at the American University of Beirut Medical Center for treatment of ophthalmic injuries sustained from the explosion in Port of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon, from August 4 to the end of November 2020. Patients were identified from emergency records, outpatient records, and operative reports. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Types of ocular injuries, final best-corrected visual acuity, and need for surgical intervention were evaluated. Visual acuity was measured with correction based on noncycloplegic refraction using the Snellen medical record. EXPOSURES: Ocular or ocular adnexal injuries sustained from the Port of Beirut explosion. RESULTS: A total of 39 blast survivors with ocular injuries were included in this study. Twenty-two patients presented with ocular injuries on the day of the blast, and 17 patients presented within the following 3 months to the ophthalmology clinics for a total of 48 eyes of 39 patients were treated secondary to the blast. Thirty-five patients (89.6%) were adults, and 24 (61.5%) were female. A total of 21 patients (53.8%) required surgical intervention, more than half of which were urgently requested on the same day of presentation (14 [35.9%]). Most eye injuries were caused by debris and shrapnel from shattered glass leading to surface injury (26 [54.2%]), eyelid lacerations (20 [41.6%]), orbital fractures (14 [29.2%]), brow lacerations (10 [20.8%]), hyphema (9 [18.8%]), open globe injuries (10 [20.8%]), and other global injuries. Only 7 injured eyes (14.5%) had a final best-corrected visual acuity of less than 20/200, including all 4 open globe injuries with primary no light perception (8.3%) requiring enucleation or evisceration. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In the aftermath of the Port of Beirut explosion, a review of the ophthalmic injuries showed a predominance of shrapnel-based injuries, many of which had a delayed presentation owing to the strain placed on health care services. Reverting to basic approaches was necessary in the context of a malfunctioning electronic medical record system.

Tomographic and Refractive Characteristics of Pediatric First-Degree Relatives of Keratoconus Patients.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the tomographic and refractive characteristics of pediatric first-degree relatives of patients with keratoconus. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Setting: Department of Ophthalmology at the American University of Beirut Medical, Beirut, Lebanon. STUDY POPULATION: Pediatric first-degree relatives of patients with keratoconus. Both eyes of all participants aged between 6 and 18 years were included and studied. EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Soft contact lens use in the past 2 weeks or rigid gas-permeable lens wear within 4 weeks, history of prior ocular surgery or infectious keratitis, and unreliable corneal tomography. Masking and Randomization: Two masked cornea and refractive surgeons of different training backgrounds independently evaluated the participants' tomographic outputs. Additionally, the tomographic data were analyzed using Smadja's decision tree. OBSERVATION PROCEDURES: Scheimpflug tomography, manifest refraction, and slit-lamp examination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Anterior curvature indices, posterior elevation values, thinnest pachymetry, and subjective and objective tomographic interpretation. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-three subjects were recruited. Tomographic evaluation after Cohen's kappa coefficient analysis revealed 32 patients as having keratoconus (17.5%), while 35 patients (19.1%) were labeled as keratoconus by objective analysis. There were 11.5%-15.5% of patients with keratoconus aged less than 11 years, 18.0% aged 12-15 years, and 25.5% aged 16-18 years. Their respective steepest anterior curvature and thinnest pachymetry are 44.8 ± 6.5 diopters (D) and 515.9 ± 39.2 µm, 47.34 ± 3.4 D and 496.1 ± 37.9 µm, and 49.7 ± 6.1 D and 486.0 ± 66.5 µm. A total of 37.5% of the keratoconus patients were unilateral as evaluated by tomography alone. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of keratoconus in pediatric first-degree relatives of diagnosed keratoconus patients is high. Screening in this high-risk group is warranted.

Liver hydatid cyst with cutaneous fistulization to the right breast: a case report, management, and literature review.

Echinococcus granulosus is the most common tapeworm causing hydatid disease in humans. Its least-encountered complication is cutaneous fistulization. Omentoplasty, cyst, and fistulous tract drainage revealed successful in the management of this complication. Such intervention can be an alternative when conservative management fails, and a minimally aggressive procedure is required.