Effect of oral eplerenone in anatomical and functional improvement in patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy of oral eplerenone in anatomical and functional improvement in patients with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR). METHODS: This quasi experimental study was performed at PNS Shifa Hospital Karachi from September 2018 to February 2019. Study included 23 patients. Patients were included using consecutive sampling technique and informed consent was taken from all patients before staring treatment. 50 mg of oral eplerenone per day was given for three months. Subretinal fluid (SRF) height and visual acuity (VA) were noted at baseline, one month and three month follow-up. Structured Study performa was used for data collection. Data was analysed and assessed with SPSS version 23. P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 40.7±7 years and mean duration of disease before treatment was 3.7±0.76 months. Mean baseline BCVA and SRF height was 0.39±0.02 logMAR and 123±12.5 µm respectively. Sixty-five percent patients responded at one month and 80% at three months with reduction in SRF height. Improvement in visual acuity was also statistically significant at 3 months (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Use of eplerenone in chronic CSCR resulted in significant improvement in vision and decrease in mean SRF height.

Agreement between Keratometric readings by VERION image guided System, Galilei G4 and Pentacam.

OBJECTIVE: To study Agreement between Keratometric readings by VERION image guided System, Galilei G4 and Pentacam. METHODS: The quasi experimental study was conducted at Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan from August 2016 to December 2016. Twenty five patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria participated in the study. All Patients were subjected to Keratometric assessment using Galilei G4 Dual Scheimpflug analyzer (Ziemer, Switzerland), Wavelight Oculyzer II (Pentacam, Germany) and Verion image guided system (Alcon). Steep and flat meridian and diopter of astigmatism by three systems were recorded and endorsed. All readings were taken by the same observer. Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used for statistical analysis. Results analyzed for significance by t-tests and Interclass correlation analysis. In t tests, P values of <0.05 was considered statistically significant while interclass coefficient of >0.7 was considered acceptable. RESULTS: Fifty eyes of twenty-five patients (22 male, 28 female) with mean age of 29.50 ± 3.46 years were studied. Flat K, steep K and dioptric power of astigmatism were measured with verion, pentacam and Galilei G4. Interclass correlation analysis showed agreement between individual variables measured by the three devices, while one sample t test showed no significant difference between dioptric power of astigmatism between Verion-Pentacam and Verion- Galilei group. (p 0.178 for former and 0.622 for later group). CONCLUSION: Verion image guided system is comparable to other instruments used currently for keratometry. Verion can be interchangeably used with Pentacam and Galilee G4 in assessing corneal astigmatism.

A Rare Presentation of Cyclitis Induced Myopia.

Unilateral cyclitis leading to myopia is a rare and clinical relevant entity. In clinical settings, pseudomyopia is generally encountered in the form of accommodative spasm, which is always bilateral. Cyclitis due to inflammation, on the other hand, can cause pseudomyopia unilaterally and it is a very rare presentation. A young male with acute anterior uveitis, presented with acute episode of unilateral myopia. When patient was examined on first visit, there were no cells in anterior chamber; so he was started on cycloplegic eye drops, but his condition didn't improve. Examination on subsequent visit revealed cellular reaction in anterior chamber and narrowing of anterior chamber angles on anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT). Treatment for uveitis was started and patient's visual acuity and refractive error improved. Pseudomyopia is a known complication of several drugs and certain medical conditions. The possible mechanism is supraciliary exudation causing relaxation of zonular fibers and increased convexity of the crystalline lens. Myopia in the setting of a mild cellular reaction can easily be missed and has not been reported yet to the best of authors' literature search.

Nationwide Mortality Studies To Quantify Causes Of Death: Relevant Lessons From India's Million Death Study.

Progress toward the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals requires improved information on mortality and causes of death. However, causes of many of the fifty million annual deaths in low- and middle-income countries remain unknown, as most of the deaths occur at home without medical attention. In 2001 India began the Million Death Study in 1.3 million nationally representative households. Nonmedical staff conduct verbal autopsies, which are structured interviews including a half-page narrative in local language of the family's story of the symptoms and events leading to death. Two physicians independently assess each death to arrive at an underlying cause of death. The study has thus far yielded information that substantially altered previous estimates of cause-specific mortality and risk factors in India. Similar robust studies are feasible at low cost in other low- and middle-income countries, particularly if they adopt electronic data management and ensure high quality of fieldwork and physician coding. Nationwide mortality studies enable the quantification of avoidable premature mortality and key risk factors for disease, and provide a practicable method to monitor progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.

Effect of Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Cataract Surgery (FLACS) on Endothelial Cell Count.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the change in endothelial cell count after femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) versus conventional phacoemulsification. STUDY DESIGN: Randomized controlled clinical trial. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan from January 2016 to August 2017. METHODOLOGY: Patients with senile cataract and age ranging from 40 to 80 years were included in the study. Patients with any other cause of endothelial cell loss, history of trauma, documented diabetes millitis, hypertention and glaucoma were excluded. Preoperative detailed ocular examination, including both anterior and posterior examination, was carried out. Patients were distributed into two groups. Group GP were planned for conventional phacoemulsification, while group GF underwent FLACS. All the surgeries were performed under local anesthesia by same ophthalmic surgeon. Specular microscope (Topcon specular microscope sp-3000p) was utilized to measure the endothelial cell count (ECC) before and 4 weeks after the surgery. RESULTS: Fifty eyes (25 in each group) of 48 patients underwent cataract surgery by phacoemulsification or FLACS. Twenty-five (52.08%) out of the total were females while 23 (47.91%) were males. Median age of the participants in phacoemulsification group was 55 years (IQR 20.50), while in FLACS group it was 54 years (IQR 8). The median change in endothelial cell count was 228 (IQR 532) in Phaco group, while 23 (IQR 35) in FLACS group. (p<0.05 Mann Whitney U-test). CONCLUSION: FLACS is a safe and effective modality for cataract treatment and it induces significantly less endothelial cell loss than conventional phacoemulsification.

Comparison of analgesic effect of preoperative topical Diclofenac versus Ketorolac on postoperative pain after Corneal Collagen Cross Linkage.

OBJECTIVE: To compare post-operative pain relieving effect of topical diclofenac 0.1% versus ketorolac 0.5% in Corneal Collagen Cross Linking (CXL) for patients diagnosed with keratoconus. METHODS: This randomized controlled trial was carried out for six months from October 2016 to March 2017. We included young patients having keratoconus with k-readings greater than 47D and central corneal thickness more than 400 microns. All the patients received single dose one drop of topical diclofenac 0.1% to (Group-A) and ketorolac 0.5% to (Group-B) 30 minutes in advance of the corneal collagen cross linking (CXL) procedure. The CXL was performed with topical 0.1% riboflavin eye drops in 20% dextran as a photo sensitizer. After 36 hours of the CXL procedure, the postoperative intensity of pain was assessed verbally by patients with the help of visual analog scale (VAS) numbers from zero to five where 0 designated no pain & 5 symbolized worst pain. RESULTS: The study comprised sixty eyes of forty one patients. Out of total 16 were male while 25 female patients. The mean age of the patients was 24.27 ± 2.93 years (range 20 to 29 years). In the conclusive analysis, diclofenac 0.1% was used on 30 patients in Group-A and ketorolac 0.5% on 30 subjects in Group-B. Pain relieving scores in Group-A (diclofenac 0.1%) was 2.57 ± 0.67 while in Group-B (ketorolac 0.4% treated arm) was 3.20 ± 0.61. CONCLUSION: Topical diclofenac 0.1% is statistically comparable to topical ketorolac 0.5% in precluding severity of pain after corneal collagen cross linkage operation.

Visual outcome of retinal vein occlusion in patients residing at high altitude.

OBJECTIVE: To study visual outcome in patients of high altitude retinopathy presenting with retinal venous occlusion. METHODS: The randomised clinical trial study was conducted at the Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from January 2013 to December 2015, and comprised eyes of lowlanders. Patients staying at high altitude (>8,000 feet above sea level) as part of their service duty and presented with retinal venous occlusive disease were included. Patients with history of diabetes, hypertension, glaucoma, any pre-existing retinal disease or age-related conditions responsible for decreased vision were excluded. Detailed ocular as well as systemic examination was carried out to establish the diagnosis of retinal venous occlusion. Patients were divided into two groups. First group was observed over a period of 6 months and labelled as control group, whereas the second group was treated with intravitrealbevacizumab and labelled as intervention group. Complete ocular examination was carried out in all patients at 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. SPSS 21 was used for data analysis. RESULTS: A series of 32 eyes of 28 male patients were included. The overall mean age was 31.40±3.40 years. The mean altitude of their temporary stay was 4,120±941 metres above sea level and the mean duration of stay was 6.80±4.13months. Besides, 21(75%) subjects were smokers. Moreover, 26(81.25%) eyes had central retinal vein occlusion while branch retinal vein occlusion was seen in 6(18.75%) eyes. The mean visual acuity in the control group was 0.70±0.56 on Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution chart at the presentation while it was 0.26±0.87, 0.20±0.32 and 0.15±0.23 after 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months, respectively. The mean best corrected visual acuity in intervention group was 0.68 ± 0.46 before treatment and 0.15±0.11, 0.12±0.11 and 0.10±0.08 at 4 weeks, 3 months and 6 months, respectively. Significant post-intervention change was observed in best corrected visual acuity at 6 months (p<0.05) in patients who presented with severe visual loss. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with intravitrealbevacizumab may be considered in patients with severe visual loss at presentation.

Optic Nerve Sheath Diameter on Sonography in Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension Versus Normal.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the mean optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) versus normal healthy individuals using B-scan ultrasonography as diagnostic tool. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional analytical study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Armed Forces Institute of Radiology and Imaging, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from June to December 2015. METHODOLOGY: Participants aged 30 - 50 years were divided into two groups. Group A(GP) comprised of patients who were diagnosed cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension while normal healthy adults who volunteered to participate in the study were included in Group B (GC). Ocular B mode ultrasound scan was performed on all the participants and each eye was considered separately. The optic nerve head was visualized as a linear hypoechoic structure, and ONSD was measured 3 mm behind the retina. Atotal of three readings were taken by the same radiologist and the average of three was recorded. Mean values of both groups were compared by t-test with significance at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Fifty-two eyes of 26 patients (26 eyes in each group) were included in the study. Twenty-four out of 26 in Group A(GP) and 23 out of 26 in Group B (GC) were females. Mean age of the patients was 33.92 ±4.89 years in group A(GP) while it was 34.69 ±4.79 years in group B (GC). Mean ONSD was 6.61 ±0.39 mm in group A(GP) and 4.33 ±0.38 mm in group B(GC) which was significantly different (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Ultrasound can provide a reliable, non-invasive tool to measure optic nerve sheath diameter in monitoring the patients with benign intracranial hypertension (BIH).

Homocystinuria (HC) and Neurofibromatosis Type-1 (NF-1): An Unusual Presentation in a Child.

Homocystinuria (HC) and neurofibromatosis type-1 (NF-1) are two genetically determined conditions with variable clinical manifestations. HC is a neurocutaneous autosomal recessive condition while NF-1 is an autosomal dominant phacomatosis. Both HC and NF-1 present with distinct systemic as well as ocular manifestations; however, vascular complications can occur in both the conditions. A9-year boy diagnosed case of HC along with other two siblings is reported here. He was referred by his paediatrician with decreased vision secondary to ectopia lentis. When examined in detail, he turned out to be suffering from both HC and NF-1, based on raised serum homocysteine levels, biopsy report of NF-1 and presence of café au laitspots and ectopia lentisclinically. Lens anomaly was corrected surgically while he was given oral vitamin B6 for HC to which he responded well.

Unilateral-external Ophthalmoplegia: ARare Presentation of Myasthenia Gravis.

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a disease of autoimmunity with variable and diverse clinical presentations. The target tissue is neuromuscular junction of skeletal muscles, where efficient nerve impulse transmission is hampered leading to less effective muscle contraction. Patients of MG usually present with bilateral ptosis, diplopia and fatigability, which may or may not coexist with generalised weakness, dysphagia and dysarthria. A46-year male presented with unilateral ptosis and diplopia. Except for unilateral moderate ptosis and restriction of extraocular movements, ocular and systemic examination was normal. Both ice pack and tensilon tests revealed improvement in ptosis. Patient was advised tablet pyridostigmine and prednisolone; and a remarkable improvement was noticed within a week.