Ophthalmic herpes zoster with severe complications in an immunocompromised patient: A case report and review of the literature.

The increasing incidence for herpes zoster, including its ophthalmic form, is based on physiological (senescence) and acquired immunosuppression, particularly under oncologic treatment. The immunocompromised status of the patient favors the appearance of severe complications. The patient, aged 54, with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, presented 1 week from the onset with an erythematous, vesicular-bullous rash on the right trigeminal nerve's ophthalmic dermatome, marked edema, intense pain and large submandibular ganglion masses. There were cutaneous (necrotic ulcerations superinfected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), ocular (keratoconjunctivitis, total ophthalmoplegia, lagophthalmia, anterior hemorrhagic uveitis with hyphema and right eye blindness) and neurological (postherpetic neuralgia) complications. Systemic therapy was performed with acyclovir, antibiotics, supportive, rebalancing and symptomatics. With regards to treatment for skin ulcers, disinfection and necrectomy were performed, and epithelialization agents were subsequently administrated. At the ocular level, the ophthalmologist carefully monitored the patient and administered antivirals, antibiotics, epithelialization agents and autologous serum. The evolution of the case recorded severe, disabling complications, with extensive eyelid necrosis and definitive blindness. In this case, the severity of the ophthalmic herpes zoster (OHZ) was favored by the synergistic action of four factors: Acquired immunosuppression (chronic lymphocytic leukemia), delayed consultation, superinfectious lesions and patient non-compliance regarding the chronic lymphocytic leukemia treatment.

TFOS European Ambassador meeting: Unmet needs and future scientific and clinical solutions for ocular surface diseases.

The mission of the Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) is to advance the research, literacy, and educational aspects of the scientific field of the tear film and ocular surface. Fundamental to fulfilling this mission is the TFOS Global Ambassador program. TFOS Ambassadors are dynamic and proactive experts, who help promote TFOS initiatives, such as presenting the conclusions and recommendations of the recent TFOS DEWS II™, throughout the world. They also identify unmet needs, and propose future clinical and scientific solutions, for management of ocular surface diseases in their countries. This meeting report addresses such needs and solutions for 25 European countries, as detailed in the TFOS European Ambassador meeting in Rome, Italy, in September 2019.

Endothelial cells loss to the hyperopic pacients during phacoemulsification.

INTRODUCTION: The phacoemulsification cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery and it generally improves vision in over 90% of the patients. Hyperopic patients are a challenge during phacoemulsification especially because of their short eyeball and shallow anterior chamber. A shallow anterior chamber is associated with overall reduction of the safe zone, which may lead to difficulty in creating the corneal incisions, harder capsulorhexis performing, or endothelial complications. PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to present the endothelial cells loss after the phacoemulsification procedure in the hyperopic patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A number of 1775 patients operated in the Ophthalmology Department of the Clinical Hospital Sibiu from January 11, 2011 to December 20, 2013 have been included in our study; 595 cases with emmetropia and the rest of the 1180 patients had the following refraction errors: 216 - myopia and 964 - hypermetropia. From the total cases of the hypermetropia, we selected 72 patients to measure the endothelial cells density and the corneal thickness by using specular microscopy, one day before and 7-14 days after surgery. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS: The preexisting hypermetropia might modify the intraoperative and postoperative cataract surgery evolution. Endothelial cell loss is potentially higher from surgical trauma so that the endothelium must be protected with viscoelastics. The loss of endothelial cells in hyperopic eyes occurred with an average of 267 cell/ mm² and the thickness of the cornea increased by 13 µm. CONCLUSION: The phacoemulsification surgery in the presence of hypermetropia requires more attention. The biometry and the specular microscopy are very important tasks for the preoperative assessment, surgery, and postoperative care. The protection of the corneal endothelium with viscoelastics leads to an insignificant modification of the endothelial cells in hyperopic patients compared to an anterior study of the patients with all ametropies.