Assessment of the refractive outcomes of patients with regular corneal astigmatism implanted with high-power toric intraocular lenses.

BACKGROUND: To describe the refractive outcomes of eyes with high regular corneal astigmatism undergoing age-related cataract surgery. METHODS: Astigmatic patients who underwent cataract surgery with implantation of high-power XY1AT HOYA® toric lenses (IOLs) (≥ T5) between March 2020 and June 2022 were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the type of Total Corneal Astigmatism (TCA) used for the toric IOL calculation: group 1 = TCATK- 700 (TCA measured by the Iol Master 700®) and group 2 = TCAAK- 700 (TCA estimated from the anterior keratometry of the Iol Master 700® and using the Abulafia-Koch regression). The best-uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected (CDVA) distance visual acuity, subjective spherical equivalent (SSEq) and subjective residual cylinder (SRC) were assessed at 1 month. The predictability (centroid [CEPA] and mean absolute error in predicted astigmatism [MAEPA]) of the 2 TCA assessment methods was analyzed. RESULTS: 96 eyes of 74 patients were included. In the whole cohort, the UDVA was 0.14 ± 0.19 logMAR, the CDVA was 0.04 ± 0.07 logMAR. Postoperative SSEq was - 0.24 ± 0.53D. Postoperative SRC was - 0.48 ± 0.56D. The UDVA, SSEq and SRC did not significantly differ between groups. The MAEPA was significantly better with TCAAK-700 compared to TCATK-700: 0.58 ± 0.52D versus 0.65 ± 0.55D (p = 0.01). No significant difference was observed for the CEPA (p(x) = 0.09, p(y) = 0.19). CONCLUSIONS: XY1AT HOYA® toric IOLs are a very good alternative even in case of high toricity. Residual astigmatism predictability is high, it would be better with TCAAK- 700. This data should be confirmed with a larger sample of patients.

Efficacy and Safety of Fluocinolone Acetonide Implant in Diabetic Macular Edema: Practical Guidelines from Reference Center.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a common complication of diabetic retinopathy. Treatment with intravitreal injections is effective in most cases but is associated with a high therapeutic burden for patients. This implies the need for long-term treatments, such as the fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) implant. A review of basic science, pharmacology, and clinical data was conducted to provide a state-of-the-art view of the FAc implant in 2024. Although generally well tolerated, the FAc implant has been associated with ocular hypertension and cataract, and caution should be advised to the patients in this regard. By synthesizing information across these domains, a comprehensive evaluation can be attained, facilitating informed decision-making regarding the use of the FAc implant in the management of DME. The main objective of this review is to provide clinicians with guidelines on how to introduce and use the FAc implant in a patient with DME.

Microsurgical DREZotomy for Treatment of Brachial Plexus Avulsion Pain.

A 63-year-old man with a history of motorcycle accident 42 years ago suffered a left brachial plexus avulsion (BPA). Neuropathic pain in his left upper limb was felt in the C6-C7-C8 dermatomes. The rationale for performing "DREZotomy" is to preferentially interrupt the nociceptive inputs in the lateral part of the dorsal root entry zone (DREZ).1-3 For pain with complete deafferentation, as observed in BPA, the aim is to destroy the hyperactive nociceptive neurons deep in the apex of the dorsal horn (DH).4 Surgery is performed under general anesthesia, with the patient in prone position. Once the dura mater is opened, the arachnoid needs extensive dissection to open the dorsolateral and lateral spinal cisterns.5 In cases of BPA, the dorsolateral sulcus may be difficult to identify. Three anatomic elements can facilitate its recognition. Firstly, the remaining intact rootlets (above and below the avulsed segments) allow us to roughly localize the dorsolateral sulcus by joining these cranial and caudal normal rootlets. Secondly, blood vessels running on the spinal cord penetrate into the dorsolateral sulcus and often delineate the sulcus. Thirdly, scarring can be seen along the sulcus with small holes where the rootlets used to penetrate the cord. DREZotomy is performed using a graduated sharp bipolar instrument to allow precise microcoagulations of the DH. Preoperative surgical planning helps the surgeon by giving the angle between the DH and median plane.6 In the immediate postoperative period, the patient described the complete disappearance of neuropathic pain in his left upper limb, persistent at last follow-up (1 year) (Video 1).