Tamoxifen induced maculopathy presenting like macular telangiectasia type 2 in a patient with breast cancer.

INTRODUCTION: Drug-induced crystalline maculopathy has been reported secondary to tamoxifen use for breast cancer treatment. It could be misdiagnosed as macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel type 2). CASE REPORT: A 56-year-old woman with a history of diabetes mellitus and breast cancer was referred to our clinic with painless, bilateral, gradual onset of central vision loss for several months. The fundus examination showed the macular pigmentary change in both eyes and a few refractile crystalline deposits in the parafoveal area in the left eye. However, the rest of the retina was normal in both eyes. MANAGEMENT AND OUTCOME: With the diagnosis of tamoxifen-induced maculopathy, the drug was discontinued and supplementary treatment was started. DISCUSSION: In this report, patient medical and drug history was an important and powerful measure. Due to the side effects of long-term use of tamoxifen, we need further studies on the need for retinal screening in these patients.

Evaluation of the Effect of Religious Fasting on Retinal Vessel Density and Retinal Thickness Using Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

We conducted this study to assess the effect of religious fasting on intraocular pressure (IOP) as well as retinal parameters and retinal thickness during Ramadan using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) performed on a spectral domain device. All the participants ate a pre-dawn meal and drink, and then fasted for at least 15 hours. We assessed a total of 61 eyes from 31 healthy volunteers with a mean age of 32.87 ± 8.07. A significant decrease was found in the median IOP after fasting at 10.00 mmHg in comparison with the pre-fasting value of 12.00 mmHg (p < .0001). Retinal peri-papillary capillary (RPC) whole image, RPC inside disk, and RPC mean values showed significant decreases after fasting (p = .011, .012, and .032 respectively). RPC whole vessel density (VD), RPC inside VD, and RPC VD mean values also showed significant decreases after fasting period (p = .025, <.0001, and .003, respectively). Religious fasting during the warm season could decrease IOP. It could also reduce the blood flow of the retina, specifically the macula, and the retinal peri-papillary VD.

Argon Laser Synechiolysis for Irido-Corneal Adhesion.

Purpose: To introduce a new method for treating irido-corneal adhesion (ICA) by using argon laser. Case Presentation. A 60-year-old woman with advanced glaucoma who is undergoing trabeculectomy. In follow-up visits, choroidal effusion and iridocorneal adhesion were seen in the examination. The massive choroidal effusion was treated with medical therapy. In further follow-up examination, ICA was repaired with argon laser. Result: Early laser treatment prior to surgical management is suggested in postoperative synechia. Conclusion: Early argon laser synechiolysis is a less-invasive procedure which prevents probable surgical complications such as local detachment of Descemet's membrane or bleeding in surgical synechiolysis.

Changes in Anterior Chamber Parameters Measured by Pentacam in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Infection: A Longitudinal Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in anterior segment parameters measured by imaging in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. METHODS: This longitudinal observational study included patients who recovered from COVID-19. All subjects exhibited a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 with a positive result of nasopharyngeal reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction evaluation. Corneal Pentacam (Oculus, Dutenhofen, Germany) imaging was performed at least two weeks after recovery from systemic COVID-19. Measurements were repeated one and three months later. RESULTS: A total of 20 patients, 11 (55%) of whom were females, with a mean age of 35.5 ± 7.1 years (age range: 25-51 years) recovered from nonhospitalized COVID-19 infection, were enrolled in this study. An increase in the keratometry mean front, keratometry mean back, cornea volume, and anterior chamber depth was observed in the longitudinal evaluation; however, they showed no statistical significance. The anterior chamber volume was statistically increased at three-month follow-up, compared to baseline (baseline: 177.8 ± 36.68 mm3; three months: 182.25 ± 39.58 mm3, P=0.048). CONCLUSION: COVID-19 infection may affect the cornea and anterior segment.

Phacoemulsification, visco-goniosynechialysis, and goniotomy in patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma: A comparative study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of goniotomy on patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma who underwent "phacoemulsification and visco-goniosynechialysis." MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective randomized clinical trial was carried out on 63 eyes of 61 patients (48-85 years) with primary angle-closure glaucoma who were enrolled. The subjects were randomly assigned into two groups. In the first group (32 eyes) and the second group (31 eyes), the patients underwent "phacoemulsification + visco-goniosynechialysis + goniotomy" and "phacoemulsification + visco-goniosynechialysis," respectively. Intraocular pressure and antiglaucoma medication were evaluated (1 week, as well as 1, 3, and 6 months after the surgery). Anterior segment optical coherence tomography parameters (Casia, Tomey, USA) and goniotomy were evaluated preoperatively and 6 months after the surgery. RESULTS: The mean intraocular pressure lowering the effects in the "phacoemulsification + visco-goniosynechialysis + goniotomy" group was higher than that in the "phacoemulsification + visco-goniosynechialysis" group (6.93 and 4.6, respectively). Furthermore, the difference in intraocular pressure between the two groups was significant at 3 months (P = 0.014) and 6 months (P = 0.021) after the surgery. There was no difference in anterior segment optical coherence tomography findings before the intervention; however, after the intervention, the anterior segment optical coherence tomography indices were significantly different between the two groups. Moreover, the difference in "phacoemulsification + visco-goniosynechialysis + goniotomy" indices was more than the changes in the "phacoemulsification + visco-goniosynechialysis" group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that phacoemulsification + visco-goniosynechialysis + goniotomy is a more effective surgery than phacoemulsification + visco-goniosynechialysis alone in undercounted primary angle-closure glaucoma.

Comparison of Intraocular Pressure Changes Due to Exposure to Mobile Phone Electromagnetics Radiations in Normal and Glaucoma Eye.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of electromagnetic waves (EMWs) emitted by a mobile phone on the intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eyeball. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 166 eyes from 83 individuals in the 40-70 age range who referred to "Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital, Mashhad, Iran" in 2016. There were two groups of participants, and the first one consisted of 41 participants who had normal eyes, whereas the second one comprised 42 participants who suffered from open-angle glaucoma disease. The IOP in both groups was measured and recorded by a specialist before and after talking 5 min on the cellphone with the help of the Goldman method. Statistical analysis such as paired t-test and analysis of variance was performed and all tests are statistically significant at (P < 0.05). For this purpose, the SPSS software (version 16) was applied. RESULTS: IOP in the glaucoma eye (42 eyes) ipsilateral to mobile phone before and after the intervention was 18.64 ± 6.7 and 23.53 ± 6.3, respectively (P < 0.001). However, IOP in the control group (41 eyes) ipsilateral to mobile phone before and after the intervention was 12.95 ± 3.5 and 13.39 ± 2.8, respectively (P = 0.063). IOP change in the opposite glaucomatous eye to mobile phone in glaucoma group (39 eyes) and normal group (44 eyes) was not significantly different before and after the phone call (P = 0.065 and P = 0.85, respectively). CONCLUSION: We found that the acute effects of EMWs emitted from the mobile phones can significantly increase the IOP in glaucoma eye, while such changes were not observed in normal eyes.

Innovative usage of the remaining portion of Ahmed glaucoma valve tube as an implant in nonpenetrating glaucoma surgery.

With the advent of nonpenetrating glaucoma surgeries (NPGS), these techniques are noticed more considerably by glaucoma surgeons due to lower complications in comparison to penetrating surgeries with comparable outcomes. One of the main objectives in these surgeries is the creation of an intrascleral filtering space as an alternative for subconjunctival filtering bleb. Intrascleral fibrosis in the long term reduces the volume of intrascleral bleb, so the use of implants as a space holder for preventing the collapse of scleral flaps and continued aqueous humor drainage is recommended. A lot of materials with diverse designs have been used as implants in NPGS. In this study, the remaining of Ahmed valve's tube was used as an implant in four eyes of four patients. The technique for the implant we introduced, offers significant advantages over previously reported implants. The material is biocompatible, low cost, and easily accessible in all the centers performing glaucoma surgeries.

Effects of preoperative doses of betamethasone acetate 0.1% on dry eye control after cataract surgery.

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of the preoperative doses of betamethasone acetate 0.1% and placebo on controlling dry eye after cataract surgery. Methods: This randomized triple-blind clinical trial was conducted on 62 patients. For the purpose of the study, the participants were assigned into two groups of betamethasone (n = 28) and placebo (n = 34). The groups were administered with drops A or B three days before the operation, four times a day. These drops contained either betamethasone 0.1% or normal saline (placebo). Postoperative follow-up was performed 1, 7, and 30 days after the surgery. Dry eye symptoms were evaluated by means of the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) using the meniscometry test. Repeated measures analysis was also used to study the effect of the interaction between betamethasone and time on meniscometry and OSDI variables. Results: A total of 62 patients, including 51.6% female and 48.4% male, were investigated in this study with a mean age o 69.19 ± 12.80 years. The results of the analysis of variance of the repeated measures plot indicated that the OSDI and meniscometry dry eye variables were not affected by the interaction between time and betamethasone (P = 0.192 and P = 0.578, respectively). Conclusion: As the findings indicated, the use of betamethasone acetate 0.1% prior to cataract surgery had no significant effect on postoperative dry eye indices.

Serum Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 in Patients with and without Pterygia.

PURPOSE: Pterygium is a common fibro-vascular-related eye disease. The fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) helps reduce neovascularization. Previous studies have shown that the serum level of FGF21 correlates with vascular eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. In this study, the serum FGF21 is compared in patients with and without pterygium. METHODS: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study examines individuals with pterygium who visited the Ophthalmology Clinic of Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, during 2017-2018. Control subjects were selected from healthy people without pterygium disease. Patients with a history of acute illness, chronic liver and kidney disease, diabetes, cancer, malnutrition and drug use, women who were pregnant or breastfeeding, and subjects who were taking anticonvulsants or glucocorticoids were excluded as these may affect insulin and glycosuria levels. Sixty people (30 in each group) were chosen using the convenient sampling method. Intravenous blood samples were taken from all patients. After preparing the patients, the freeze was checked using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method after samples had been taken. Data were analyzed by SPSS using an independent t-test, Mann-Whitney, Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis, and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests ( α = 0.05). RESULTS: The serum FGF21 levels were 319.09 ± 246.93 pg/ml and 608.88 ± 449.81 pg/ml (P = 0.005) in the pterygium group and control subjects, respectively. The average serum FGF21 was 281.55 ± 40.74 pg/ml in males and 361.375 ± 10.298 pg/ml in females in the pterygium group. The difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.19). CONCLUSION: Our study showed that FGF21 levels were lower in patients with pterygium than the control subjects to a statistically significant level.

Primary Angle Closure Glaucoma-associated Genetic Polymorphisms in Northeast Iran.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the association of five different polymorphisms from a genome-wide-associated study with susceptibility to glaucoma in the northeast Iranian population. METHODS: Hundred and thirty patients with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) and 130 healthy controls were genotyped for the polymorphic regions with the aid of tetra-amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction. The association of these variants with the disease susceptibility was measured statistically with the logistic regression method. RESULTS: Hundred and thirty patients with PACG (53 males, 77 females) with a mean age of 64.5 ± 6.2 years and 130 healthy control subjects (51 males, 79 females) with a mean age of 64.0 ± 5.7 years were selected for evaluation. There was a significant association between rs3816415 (P = 0.005), rs736893 (P < 0.001), rs7494379 (P < 0.001), and rs1258267 (P = 0.02) with PACG susceptibility. This association could not be shown for rs3739821. CONCLUSION: It was revealed that studied variants in GLIS3, EPDR1, FERMT2, and CHAT genes can contribute to the incidence of PACG. Additional studies in other populations are needed to evaluate DPM2-FAM102A.

Effect of Intravitreal Bevacizumab Injection on Corneal in vivo Biomechanics: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection on corneal biomechanical parameters as measured by the ocular response analyzer (ORA) and Corneal Visualization Scheimpflug Technology (CorVis). METHODS: In this prospective pilot study, ORA and CorVis parameters were recorded before and after a three-month course of IVB injection therapy in 16 patients in the injected and the contralateral non-injected control eyes. The changes in the recorded parameters in each group and the differences between the two groups were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: None of the changes in ORA parameters were statistically significant in the injected and non-injected groups before and three months after injection, except for corneal resistance factor (CRF) in injected eyes (paired t-test, P = 0.039). The differences in corneal hysteresis (CH) and CRF were not statistically significant between the two groups (P = 0.441 and 0.236, respectively), but significant differences were noted between corneal compensated IOP (IOPcc) and Goldmann-correlated IOP (IOPg) (P = 0.045 and 0.047, respectively). None of the changes in CorVis parameters were statistically significant in the groups before and at the end of study, except for the time of first corneal applanation (TAp1 ms) in the injected group (P = 0.040, paired t-test). Differences in TAp1, length of the second corneal applanation (LAp2 mm), velocity of the second corneal applanation (VAp2 m/s), intraocular pressure (IOP), and central corneal thickness (CCT) also showed borderline significance between the two groups. CONCLUSION: In this pilot study IVB injection could change CRF, IOPcc, IOPg, and TAP1 as measured by ORA and CorVis.

Association of the Myocilin Gene Polymorphism With Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the second cause of irreversible blindness, and the Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) subtype is the most common type of glaucoma. It has been shown that genetic mutations increase the risk of POAG used for early detection. The aim of the current study was to determine the association between genetic variations of Myocilin (MYOC) gene and susceptibility to POAG in the Iranian population. This case-control study was conducted on patients with POAG, referred to Khatam-al Anbia Eye Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. The control group was selected from healthy patients with a refractive disorder, who had referred to this hospital. After extracting the DNA from the whole blood sample, the Polymerase Chain Reaction-Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphisms (PCR-SSCP) method was used to discriminate variability in sequences in three exons of MYOC gene locus, known as GLC1A. Clinical characteristics of the subjects, comprised of visual acuity, Cup to Disc Ratio (CDR), and Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) were statistically compared between the wild and mutant type of the MYOC gene using independent samples t-test, Chi-square, and logistic regression test with SPSS version 15.0 software. P-values of < 0.05 were considered significant. One hundred and forty participants (75.1% males) were studied in two groups of case (n = 70) and control (n = 70). The frequency of mutant alleles in patients and healthy groups was statistically significant (40% versus 11.5%, Odd's Ratio (OR): 5.1, CI 95% for OR: 2.1 to 12.4, P-value < 0.001). Also, the detected mutation in the case group was significantly higher in exon 1 and 3 (15.7% versus 0%, P-value = 0.001, and 11.5% versus 2.8%, P-value = 0.049, respectively). Based on the result of the current study, it seems that the MYOC gene polymorphisms increased the risk of POAG in the Iranian population.

The Association Between the Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1 -509C>T Gene Polymorphism and Primary Open Angle Glaucoma in North Eastern Iran.

BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is a common cause of irreversible blindness. Transforming growth factor beta-1(TGF-ß1) is the main isoform of TGF-ß superfamily in the eye. Overexpression of TGF-ß1 is shown to be related with the glaucoma. Studies have shown that the presence of mutant T allele of TGF-ß1 -509C>T polymorphism (rs1800469) is associated with increased gene expression. So, in present study, association of the TGF-ß1-509C>T gene polymorphism and primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) in patients from north east of Iran was investigated. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted on 112 POAG patients and 112 control participants. TGF-ß1- 509C>T genotyping was done by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method using Bsu36I restriction enzyme. Moreover, cup to disk ratio(CDR), intraocular pressure (IOP) and visual acuity (VA) were measured. The obtained results were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The highest frequency of genotype in the control group was related to CC genotype (44.6%), but the heterozygous CT genotype (45.6%) was observed as the highest frequency of genotypes in patient group (P value: 0.022, OR for TT genotype: 2.54 CI95% for OR: 1.22, 5.27). Also, the frequency of the T mutant allele showed a significant difference between case and control groups (P value: 0.005, OR: 1.73 CI95% for OR: 1.18, 2.53). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, a significant association was seen between TGF-ß1 -509C>T gene polymorphism and POAG disease and inheritance of mutant T allele is considered to be a risk factor for glaucoma in patients living in North Eastern part of Iran.

Significant Association and Increased Risk of Primary Open Angle Glaucoma with TGFB2 Rs991967 Gene Polymorphism in North Eastern Iranian Patients.

BACKGROUND: Glaucoma is one of the main causes of irreversible blindness. The most common type of glaucoma is primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). TGF-ß2, the main TGF-ß isoform in the eye, is critical for extracellular matrix production and angiogenesis. Genetic studies have shown that TGF-ß2 gene (TGFB2) polymorphisms affect its expression in the eye. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of the TGFB2 rs991967 polymorphism in POAG, and the effect of this polymorphism on clinical characteristics in POAG patients. METHODS: This case-control study was conducted on 112 control participants and 112 POAG patients referred to Khatam-Al-Anbia Eye Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. The TGFB2 rs991967 polymorphism was genotyped by the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The genotyping results and clinical findings were analyzed using SPSS version 16. RESULTS: The most common genotype was AA, observed in 54.5% of the patients (P < 0.0001, OR 12.2, CI 95% for OR: 5.25 to 28.31). Moreover, the highest and lowest frequencies of the mutant A allele were seen in the patient and control groups with percentages of 73 and 40%, respectively. This difference was significant (P < 0.0001, OR: 3.9, CI 95% for OR: 2.6 to 5.9). No significant association was seen between the frequencies of the TGFB2 rs991967 polymorphism genotypes and clinical characteristics in POAG patients. CONCLUSION: The TGFB2 rs991967 polymorphism has a direct and significant association with POAG and significantly increases the risk of developing POAG.

The role of early office-based needle aspiration in the management of subperiosteal hematoma.

Subperiosteal hematoma of the orbit is a rare complication that may occur in different situations. The most common cause is blunt trauma to the head region. The victims are usually young boys and the common site is usually orbital roof. There is no uniform approach in the literature in the management of subperiosteal hematoma. Conservative management has been recommended in cases with intact visual function. If conservative management is planned, complete resorption of hematoma may last several months, and the patients must tolerate diplopia and varying degrees of proptosis in this relatively long period of time. In this study, four boys (12-15 years) were referred to our clinic with a provisional diagnosis of subperiosteal hematoma after blunt trauma no more than 10 days after initial trauma. Although in our patients, no one had compressive optic neuropathy, they underwent hematoma aspiration and nearly 7 ml dark blood was drained. All procedures were performed in an office-based setting without local anesthesia or sedation and the patients tolerated the procedure comfortably and the procedure was uneventful. When there is no indication for orbitotomy in cases of subperiosteal hematoma, early office-based needle aspiration in comparison to follow-up or administration of steroid, is a viable approach because of its feasibility, an office-based treatment that obviates the need for general anesthesia and yields immediate recovery.

Comparison between Betamethasone, Fluorometholone and Loteprednol Etabonate on intraocular pressure in patients after keratorefractive surgery.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the ocular hypertensive effect of the commercially available Betamethasone, Fluorometholone in Iran and Loteprednol Etabonate in patients undergoing keratorefractive surgery. METHODS: In this prospective randomized clinical trial, 300 eyes of 150 patients were included, and patients were randomly assigned to 3 groups and used one of the 3 steroid drops (Betamethasone 0.1%, Fluorometholone 0.1%, and Loteprednol Etabonate 0.5%) after myopic photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured 2, 4, and 6 weeks post-surgery. Twenty-two mmHg was set as the threshold IOP for starting anti-glaucoma medication and tapering steroid drops. RESULTS: Of 300 eyes from 150 patients over the first 6 postoperative weeks, 2 eyes in Fluorometholone group (2%), 12 eyes in Betamethasone group (12%), and 16 eyes in Loteprednol group (16%) had IOP equal or more than 22 mmHg. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test showed that the rise in IOP was significantly different between groups in the 2nd and 4th (P ≤ 0.001) postoperative weeks but not at 6th week (P = 0.230). An IOP rise equal or more than 10 mmHg was detected in 13 and 15 eyes in Betamethasone and Loteprednol groups, respectively. None of the eyes in Fluorometholone group had such an IOP rise. CONCLUSIONS: Loteprednol and Fluorometholone were associated with the most and least increase in IOP, respectively. The highest pressures were detected 4 weeks after surgery in the Betamethasone and Loteprednol groups and 6 weeks after surgery in the Fluorometholone group. Fluorometholone was the safest among the three examined steroid drops in terms of IOP rise.