Peripapillary choroidal thickness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the peripapillary choroidal thickness of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) via enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 80 patients with COPD (80 eyes) and 50 control subjects (50 eyes) were enrolled. Choroidal scans and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness were obtained for all eyes using OCT. RESULTS: The average peripapillary choroidal thickness measurements of the COPD group (147.58 ± 53.53 µm) were lower than the control group (160.84 ± 44.73 µm) (p = 0.068). Inferior segment thicknesses were significantly thinner than the other segments (p < 0.05). Subfoveal choroidal thickness and RNFL thickness measurements of the COPD group were also lower than those of the control group (p = 0.111). CONCLUSION: Hypoxia in COPD seems to affect the choroidal thickness. Thinning of the choroid may be attributed to increased vascular resistance and reduced blood flow in patients with COPD. The possible effects of the disease to the eye may be clarified through the role of the choroidal vasculature in the blood supply of the anterior optic nerve head.

Daptomycin versus Vancomycin in an Enterococcus faecalis Endophthalmitis Rabbit Model.

PURPOSE: To compare bactericidal activities of daptomycin (DAP) and vancomycin (VAN) in an experimental rabbit model of Enterococcus faecalis endophthalmitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The right vitreous cavities of 24 New Zealand rabbits were inoculated with 100 colony-forming units of E. faecalis; and after 24 h, rabbits were randomly divided into three groups. DAP group (n = 8, 0.2 mg/0.05 ml intravitreally), VAN group (n = 8, 1 mg/0.05 ml intravitreally) and balanced salt solution group (BSS, n = 8, 0.05 ml intravitreally). Clinical examination scores were recorded, and vitreous aspirates were obtained for microbiological analysis on days 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4. Rabbits were sacrificed, and the eyes were enucleated for histopathological assessment. RESULTS: There was no difference between the DAP, VAN and BSS groups in terms of the clinical grading of endophthalmitis 24 h after the inoculation. The bacterial counts were similar between the VAN and DAP groups except on day 1, where it was significantly lower than those in the VAN group (p = 0.003). On day 4, 62% of the eyes treated with DAP, and 50% of the eyes treated with VAN were sterilized. All of the eyes from the BSS group showed increasing bacterial growth from day 0 to day 4. There was no difference between the DAP and VAN groups in terms of the histopathological and clinical examination scores, while they were significantly lower than those in the BSS group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates evidence of the effectiveness of DAP for the treatment of experimental E. faecalis endophthalmitis.

Effect of nepafenac eye drops on pain associated with pterygium surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of nepafenac ophthalmic suspension 0.1% for control of pain in patients undergoing pterygium surgery. METHODS: This randomized, double-masked placebo-controlled study included 62 adults undergoing pterygium surgery. Patients were randomly assigned to receive nepafenac ophthalmic suspension 0.1% or balanced salt solution placebo. They were asked to assess the level of pain using an 11-point numeric rating scale at 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hr after surgery. Patients also were evaluated daily for the progression of corneal epithelial healing until complete closure was observed. RESULTS: Except at 72 hr after surgery, the patients reported significantly less pain in eyes receiving nepafenac than in eyes receiving placebo. There was no statistical difference between the two groups in corneal epithelial healing. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with nepafenac ophthalmic suspension 0.1% significantly reduced postoperative pain compared with placebo after pterygium surgery.

The effect of rebreathing and hyperventilation on retinal and choroidal vessels measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the vasoreactivity in retina and choroid of the healthy eyes in response to experimentally altered partial arterial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO(2)) using a non-invasive technique, spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included non-smoking participants between 18 and 35 years of age, having visual acuity of 20/20 and with no systemic and ocular diseases. At baseline, the participants breathed room air (normocapnia). Hypocapnia was created with the help of hyperventilation; for this, the participants were instructed to draw deep and quick breaths, resulting one breathing cycle per 2 s. To create hypercapnia subjects rebreathed from a 5 l bag at least 3 min. Choroidal thickness and retinal artery diameter were measured at baseline, and hyperventilation and rebreathing conditions by SD-OCT. RESULTS: Twenty eyes of 20 healthy subjects were included in this study. Their mean age was 24.90 ± 5.32 years. Hyperventilation caused a significant reduction in choroidal thickness, compared with baseline, at all points; whereas rebreathing caused no significant change at all points. The mean diameters of the arteries were 151.80 ± 7.88 µm, with a significant decline to 148.90 ± 7.25 µm at hyperventilation condition and a significant increase to 153.50 ± 7.88 µm at rebreathing condition (p = 0.018, p = 0.043, respectively). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that, SD-OCT was a useful tool in measuring the ocular vascular response under hypercapnia and hypocapnia conditions. These findings may be helpful for further understanding the physiological nature of ocular blood flow and this preliminary study provides a basis for future studies.

Evaluation of peripapillary choroidal and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in eyes with tilted optic disc / Avaliação espessura da camada de fibras nervosas peripapilares da retina e coroide em olhos com disco óptico inclinado

Purpose: This study was performed to evaluate the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and peripapillary choroidal thickness in eyes with tilted optic disc in order to identify characteristic RNFL and peripapillary choroid patterns verified by optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: Twenty-nine eyes of 29 patients with tilted optic discs were studied with spectral-domain (SD)-OCT and compared with age and sex-matched control subjects in a prospective design. The imaging of RNFL was performed using circular scans of a diameter of 3.4 mm around the optic disc using OCT. For measurements of peripapillary choroidal thickness, the standar d protocol for RNFL assessment was performed. Results: SD-OCT indicated significantly lower superotemporal (p<0.001), superonasal (p=0.001), and global (p=0.005) RNFL thicknesses in the tilted disc group than those of the control group. Peripapillary choroid was significantly thicker at the site of the elevated rim of eyes with tilted disc (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated a clinical characterization of the main tilted disc morphologies that may be helpful in differentiating a tilted disc from other altered disc morphologies. Further studies are recommended to study the comparison between glaucoma and tilted disc groups. .

Objetivo: Avaliar camada de fibras nervosas da retina (RNFL) e a espessura da coroide peripapilar em olhos com disco óptico inclinado a fim de identificar as características da RNFL e os padrões de coroide peripapilar verificados pela tomografia de coerência óptica (OCT). Métodos: Vinte e nove olhos de 29 pacientes com discos ópticos inclinadas foram estudados prospectivamente com OCT de domínio espectral (SD) e comparados com controles pareados por sexo e idade. As imagens da RNFL foi obtidas por meio de varreduras circulares com um diâmetro de 3,4 mm em torno do disco óptico usando OCT. Para as medições de espessura da coroide peripapilar, o protocolo padrão para avaliação da RNFL foi realizado. Resultados: O OCT SD indicou diminuição das espessuras significativas da RNFL superotemporal (p<0,001), superonasal (p=0,001), e global (p=0,005) no grupo disco inclinado em relação aos do grupo controle. A coroide peripapilar foi significativamente mais espessa no local da borda elevada dos olhos com disco inclinado (p<0,001). Conclusões: Este estudo demonstrou que a caracterização clínica das principais morfologias disco inclinado pode ser útil na diferenciação entre um disco inclinado de outras alterações morfológicas de disco. Seria importante a comparação entre grupos com glaucoma e com discos inclinados, estudos futuros. .

Evaluation of peripapillary choroidal and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in eyes with tilted optic disc.

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and peripapillary choroidal thickness in eyes with tilted optic disc in order to identify characteristic RNFL and peripapillary choroid patterns verified by optical coherence tomography (OCT). METHODS: Twenty-nine eyes of 29 patients with tilted optic discs were studied with spectral-domain (SD)-OCT and compared with age and sex-matched control subjects in a prospective design. The imaging of RNFL was performed using circular scans of a diameter of 3.4 mm around the optic disc using OCT. For measurements of peripapillary choroidal thickness, the standard protocol for RNFL assessment was performed. RESULTS: SD-OCT indicated significantly lower superotemporal (p<0.001), superonasal (p=0.001), and global (p=0.005) RNFL thicknesses in the tilted disc group than those of the control group. Peripapillary choroid was significantly thicker at the site of the elevated rim of eyes with tilted disc (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a clinical characterization of the main tilted disc morphologies that may be helpful in differentiating a tilted disc from other altered disc morphologies. Further studies are recommended to study the comparison between glaucoma and tilted disc groups.