Evaluation of perforating eye injuries by using cluster analysis.

We evaluated the epidemiology, visual outcome, and clinical characteristics of serious eye injuries and identified preventable risk factors. We concluded that many accidents and their resulting injuries were preventable by education, greater intensive care and workplace safety. Perforating ocular injuries in rural environment are still a big therapeutic, social and economic problem.

Conjunctival inverted follicular keratosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: We report a case of inverted follicular keratosis (IFK) on the conjunctiva. A few cases of IFK have been reported in the literature, but it appears that IFK on the conjunctiva has never been reported. CASE: A 21-year-old man was referred for evaluation of a conjunctival mass. OBSERVATIONS: By slit-lamp biomicroscopy, an 8 x 5 x 3 mm mass was observed over the nasal conjunctiva adjacent to the limbus in the left eye. An excisional biopsy of the lesion was carried out. The results of a pathologic examination showed IFK. During the 9-month follow-up period, the patient had no recurrence of the lesion. CONCLUSION: IFK can be considered in the differential diagnosis of conjunctival masses as a rare specific lesion.

Conjunctival-limbal autograft, amniotic membrane transplantation, and intraoperative mitomycin C for primary pterygium.

We evaluated and compared the safety and efficacy of the conjunctival-limbal autograft, amniotic membrane transplantation, and intraoperative application of mitomycin C in 94 patients undergoing primary pterygium surgery and concluded that conjunctival-limbal autografting and amniotic membrane methods were more effective and safer than intraoperative mitomycin C.

Surgical technique and postoperative complications in congenital cataract surgery.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated cases that underwent congenital cataract surgery in terms of the surgical technique, post-operative complications, and visual prognosis. MATERIAL/METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 132 eyes in 76 patients with congenital cataracts who underwent cataract surgery between January 1995 and December 2000. The patient age at surgery, surgical technique, post-operative complications, and final visual prognosis were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty eyes underwent aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation; 22 eyes underwent aspiration and posterior capsulotomy; 39 eyes underwent aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, and anterior vitrectomy; and 41 eyes underwent aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, anterior vitrectomy, and IOL implantation. The most frequent complications were secondary cataract (24.2%), posterior synechiae (9.1%), and glaucoma (3%). Groups were compared according to surgical technique and incidence of complications. Complications occurred most frequently with aspiration and posterior capsulotomy and occurred less frequently with aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, and anterior vitrectomy; these differences were statistically significant (p<0.05). The difference in the final visual prognosis was statistically significant in the aspiration, posterior capsulotomy, anterior vitrectomy, and IOL implantation groups as compared with the other groups (p<0.05). The mean follow up times was 15.5+/-1.78 months. CONCLUSIONS: The most frequent complication of congenital cataract surgery is secondary cataract formation. Today, posterior capsulotomy with anterior vitrectomy is the preferred method for decreasing the incidence of this complication.

Effects of soft contact lenses on conjunctival surface.

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of soft contact lenses on tear breakup time (TBUT), basal Schirmer test result, and the conjunctival surface in patients wearing contact lenses. METHODS: In this study, conjunctival cytologic changes, TBUT, and Schirmer test function alterations of soft contact lens wearers were evaluated by impression cytology. The study included 100 eyes of 50 soft contact lens wearers who were followed up in the Department of Ophthalmology of Dicle University and 80 eyes of 40 subjects as a control group. After TBUT and basal Schirmer test, conjunctival surface epithelial morphology was investigated using impression cytology. After the materials were appropriately stained, they were evaluated according to the Nelson grading scale. RESULTS: Contact lens wearers were divided into three groups according to the duration of contact lens wear. When these groups were evaluated according to the Nelson grading method, 21% of cases were grade 0; 32% were grade 1; and 28% were grade 3. There were statistically significant differences in epithelial cell morphology, goblet cell density, snakelike chromatin changes, TBUT, and basal Schirmer test result between the control and study groups. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that TBUT and Schirmer test result be carefully monitored in contact lens wearers. Impression cytology may be used as a safe, simple, and noninvasive method in the diagnosis of ocular surface alternations in patients with contact lens intolerance.

Intraocular pressure and quality of blockade in peribulbar anesthesia using ropivacaine or lidocaine with adrenaline: a double-blind randomized study.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of ropivacaine with those of lidocaine on the intraocular pressure (IOP) and the quality of the blockade in peribulbar anesthesia for cataract surgery. Fifty patients were allocated randomly into two groups and received 7-10 ml of 0.75% ropivacaine or 2% lidocaine with adrenaline, though the peribulbar two-point injection. The quality of the blockade was assessed by ocular and eyelid akinesia, pain during the peribulbar injection, and surgical satisfaction. The duration of the motor block was also evaluated after surgery. The IOP was measured using a Tonopen before the blockade (control) and at 1, 5, and 10 min after injection of the anesthetic. Lidocaine induced significantly lower akinesia scores at 6, 8, and 10 min post-injection than did ropivacaine. The mean IOP (mmHg) was significantly lower with respect to the baseline level at 10 min after blockade in the ropivacaine group compared with the lidocaine group. Ropivacaine also caused less pain on injection. There was no difference in surgical satisfaction between the groups. The duration of the motor block obtained with ropivacaine was longer than that obtained with lidocaine. Our data indicate that ropivacaine has efficacy similar to lidocaine, with slightly longer onset and duration of the motor blockade. In addition, ropivacaine (0.75%) induces lower IOP and less pain on injection than does lidocaine (2%) when used in peribulbar anesthesia for cataract surgery.