Gout and open-angle glaucoma risk in a veteran population.

PURPOSE: A history of gout, arthritis due to hyperuricemia, has been associated with decreased risk for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. We performed a population-based case-control study in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers nationwide to assess if gout or hyperuricemia is similarly associated with the ocular neurodegenerative condition glaucoma. METHODS: We used ICD-9 codes to identify a nationwide cohort of patients examined at VA healthcare eye clinics between 2000 and 2015 with a diagnosis of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or of glaucoma suspect. We used incidence density matching to choose controls. We used multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between a history of gout and uric acid (UA) levels on relative risk of OAG or glaucoma suspect. RESULTS: There were 1,144,428 OAG or glaucoma suspect cases and 1,144,428 matched controls. Veterans with a history of gout had a small significant decreased risk of OAG compared to controls (ORadjusted(adj) = 0.985, 95% CI: 0.974-0.996). Treated gout was similarly associated with small decreased risk (ORadj = 0.963, 95% CI: 0.950-0.976). A small subset of patients (11.9% of cases and 13.2% of controls) had UA labs available; veterans with the highest median UA levels (> 7.29 mg/dL) did not have statistically significant differences in relative OAG risk (ORadj = 1.014, 95% CI: 0.991-1.036). CONCLUSION: Prospective research in other cohorts is needed to confirm our findings in veterans suggesting a history of gout is associated with a small decreased relative risk of glaucoma.

Ophthalmic Conditions Associated with Inpatient Falls among Veterans.

SIGNIFICANCE: Efforts to describe the relationship between pathological visual impairment and fall risk are typically confined to community dwellers. Among admitted patients, however, the associations are less understood. Fall risk assessment tools are used in some clinical settings, but most do not capture the suspected importance of ophthalmic pathologies in predicting the likelihood of an inpatient fall. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the association between ophthalmic conditions and inpatient falls at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center (MEDVAMC), where vision and ophthalmic conditions are not considered when assessing fall risk. METHODS: This is a population-based, retrospective case-control study of 805 patients admitted to the MEDVAMC in January 2014 who had also visited the MEDVAMC Eye Clinic within 1 year of admission. The patients' eye examinations, ophthalmic diagnoses, and other indicators of constitutive health were compared between 60 patients who experienced an inpatient fall ("cases") and 749 patients who did not ("controls"). Significant differences between the cases and the controls were determined using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Baseline demographics were similar among the two groups. Ophthalmic conditions associated with an increased incidence of inpatient falls included age-related macular degeneration (odds ratio, 3.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.5 to 9.9; P = .008) and a presenting visual acuity of worse than 20/40 in the better-seeing eye (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.0 to 4.1; P = .04). Those without falls demonstrated a better mean presenting visual acuity in the better-seeing eye compared with those who fell (logMAR, 0.12 ± 0.23 vs. 0.28 ± 0.49, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In this population, age-related macular degeneration and poor presenting visual acuity in the better-seeing eye are associated with increased incidence of inpatient falls. An assessment of visual function and ophthalmic diagnoses may be warranted upon admission to the hospital for increased prevention of inpatient falls.

Outcomes of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery performed by surgeons-in-training.

PURPOSE: To compare intraoperative factors and post-operative outcomes of femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) and manual cataract surgery performed by resident surgeons. METHODS: All cases of FLACS performed by resident surgeons during the 2013-2014 academic year were compared to a control group of manual cataract surgery cases with regards to pre-operative patient data, operative complications, cumulative dissipated energy (CDE), postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), refractive prediction error (RPE), and corneal edema. RESULTS: There were no significant preoperative differences in the FLACS (n = 57) and manual (n = 68) groups. Operative complication rates were similar in cases with sufficient data and follow-up with a higher rate of posterior capsule tear in the manual group. CDE (percent-seconds) was lower in the FLACS group (FLACS: 14.5 ± 7.5; manual: 21.6 ± 11.5; p < 0.01). CDVA (LogMAR) was comparable at 1 month postoperatively (FLACS: 0.004 ± 0.08; manual: 0.024 ± 0.11; p = 0.24) and 1 year postoperatively (FLACS: 0.013 ± 0.06; manual: 0.032 ± 0.09; p = 0.37). No difference in RPE was found at 1 month postoperatively (FLACS: 0.38 ± 0.24 D; manual: 0.41 ± 0.49 D; p = 0.66) and 1 year postoperatively (FLACS: 0.49 ± 0.63 D; manual: 0.34 ± 0.26 D; p = 0.31). CONCLUSIONS: Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery is safe and effective compared to manual cataract surgery when performed by resident surgeons. Both 1-month and 1-year outcomes show no difference in refractive predictive error in FLACS compared to manual cataract surgery in surgeons in training.

Systemic Adverse Events Among Patients With Diabetes Treated With Intravitreal Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections.

Importance: Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents are currently the mainstay of treatment for diabetic retinopathy (DR). Although effective, data on their systemic safety remains inconclusive, particularly in high-risk patient groups. Objective: To explore the systemic safety of intravitreal anti-VEGF agents among patients with diabetes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a retrospective, longitudinal population-based analysis of the Corporate Data Warehouse, a large-scale database of patients within the US Veteran Health Affairs. All patients 18 years and older with type 2 diabetes who were seen at any Veterans Affairs health care facility in the US between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, were identified. Data were then extracted on incident systemic adverse events among this patient cohort from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017. All individuals with diabetes who did and did not receive anti-VEGF injections were included. Patients with a history of prior systemic adverse events and those who received an intravitreal injection between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2012, were excluded. Data were analyzed from October 2019 to March 2023. Exposure: Anti-VEGF injection. Main Outcomes and Measures: Proportion of patients with any incident systemic adverse event, acute myocardial infarction, cardiovascular disease, or kidney disease at 1-, 3-, and 5-year follow-up. Results: A total of 1 731 782 patients (mean [SD] age, 63.8 [12.3] years; 1 656 589 [95.7%] male) with type 2 diabetes were included. DR was present in 476 013 (27.5%), and 14 022 (0.8%) received anti-VEGF injections. Of the total number of patients with type 2 diabetes, 321 940 (18.6%) developed systemic adverse events between 2013 and 2017. The 5-year cumulative incidence of any systemic adverse event was 37.0% (5187/14 022) in the injection group vs 18.4% (316 753/1 717 760) in the noninjection group (P < .001). Anti-VEGF injections were independently associated with a higher likelihood of developing any systemic adverse event (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.7-1.9) when controlling for age, race, sex, ethnicity, tobacco use, severity of DR, Deyo-Charlson Comorbidity Index score, mean hemoglobin A1c, total number of injections, and statin use. Conclusion and Relevance: In this study, intravitreal anti-VEGF injections were independently associated with a higher likelihood of systemic adverse events among patients with diabetes.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on visual outcomes of diabetic macular edema patients at a tertiary care veterans affairs center.

Purpose: There are limited studies on factors that impacted retina clinic patient outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to evaluate visual and anatomic outcomes in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) requiring anti-VEGF injections at the veterans' affairs tertiary care eye clinic in Houston, TX. Methods: Patient volume from April 2020 was compared to that of April 2019 to determine attendance changes. To evaluate outcomes, we reviewed patients with DME who had scheduled appointments during April 2020. We tracked changes in central foveal thickness (CFT) and Snellen visual acuity (VA) measurements. Patient outcomes were classified as poor (defined as worsening VA or CFT at follow-up) or good (no worsening of either at follow-up). Regression analysis identified characteristics associated with poor outcomes. Results: To prevent the spread of COVID-19, patients were called to reschedule clinic appointments. Attendance frequency decreased from 523 patients in April 2019 to 246 patients in April 2020. 134 patients met inclusion criteria (mean age of 64.7 ± 8.8 years). 19/134 of patients were seen on schedule, 89/134 had delayed appointments (average follow-up interval of 115.2 ± 50.0 days), and 26/134 were lost to follow-up. Patients with delayed appointments had higher odds of poor outcome at follow-up compared to patients seen on schedule (OR = 4.03, 95% CI: 1.14-16.92, p = 0.04). Patient's baseline visual acuity, macular thickness, comorbidities, and diabetic retinopathy severity, and demographics did not affect visual outcome at follow-up. Conclusions: On average, patients were rescheduled to a visit 2.4 months later than their usual visit. Over half these patients experienced worsening of vision or edema. This demonstrates that lapses in care result in worsening of DME. However, there is no clear association between baseline characteristics and risk of disease progression. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-022-01049-5.

Indications and outcomes of resident-performed cataract surgery requiring return to the operating room.

PURPOSE: To identify the clinical and operative factors predicting reoperation within 30 days of resident-performed cataract surgery and correlate them with 1-year visual outcomes. SETTING: Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. METHODS: The study assessed patients who had resident-performed cataract surgery between 2005 and 2013 and required return to the operating room for a second surgery on the same eye within 30 days. Preoperative and intraoperative risk factors were assessed. Outcome measures included corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) at 1 year. RESULTS: A review of 6644 resident-performed cataract surgeries showed that 54 eyes (0.85%) of 54 patients required a return to the operating room within 30 days. The reoperation rate was higher in the first half of the academic year (1.18%) than in the second half (0.55%) (P = .004). The mean CDVA 1 year postoperatively was 20/40, with a loss of lines of vision in 4 eyes. The mean operative time was 59.23 minutes ± 35.05 (SD). A longer intraoperative time was predictive of a worse visual outcome (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the need for reoperation within 30 days, most patients achieved improved visual acuity. The reoperation rate was significantly lower in the second half of the academic year. Increased operation times correlated with worse visual acuity independent of other variables.

Trabeculectomy Outcomes by Supervised Trainees in a Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcomes of trabeculectomy performed in an ophthalmology training program. DESIGN: Retrospective study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 160 patients undergoing trabeculectomy performed by a resident or fellow under attending supervision. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Trabeculectomy surgeries performed by a supervised resident or fellow surgeon between October 2000 and April 2010 were reviewed. Success was considered to be complete or partial if intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering medications were not or were required to achieve IOP≤21 mm Hg, respectively. Failure was defined as IOP>21 mm Hg on 2 consecutive visits, loss of light perception vision, IOP≤5 on 2 consecutive visits with associated visual acuity loss of ≥2 lines, or need for surgical intervention. Trabeculectomy survival was determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis through 60 months of follow-up. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Final IOP, success/failure rate. RESULTS: Complete success was achieved in 65 patients (41%). The average final IOP of this group was 9.1±3.7 mm Hg. Qualified success was achieved in 56 patients (35%). The average final IOP of this group was 11.5±6.4 mm Hg. At 60 months, the estimated cumulative probability of survival for complete and qualified successes was 28.9% and 63.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing trabeculectomy by supervised residents or glaucoma fellows in a large Veterans Affairs Medical Center, IOP reduction was significant and similar to published studies. Trabeculectomy remains a successful intervention to lower IOP, with satisfactory success rates in the hands of trainee surgeons.

Outcomes of anterior chamber intraocular lenses placed by surgeons in training.

PURPOSE: To evaluate risk factors and outcomes of unplanned, primary anterior chamber intraocular lenses (AC IOLs) placed by surgeons in training. SETTING: Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Houston, Texas, USA. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: Cataract surgeries performed primarily by a resident surgeon that resulted in an unplanned AC IOL were included. Cases that had concomitant retinal surgery were excluded. Preoperative data gathered included corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), and ocular comorbid conditions. Operative times and complications requiring an AC IOL were assessed. Postoperative CDVA, IOP, corneal edema, persistent intraocular inflammation, macular edema, and need for additional surgery were analyzed for the first postoperative year. RESULTS: Twenty-two eyes were included. The mean preoperative CDVA was 1.24 logMAR ± 0.92 SD and the mean preoperative IOP was 17.55 ± 3.88 mm Hg. The mean operative time was 103 ± 30 minutes. The most common operative complications necessitating an AC IOL were 7 (32%) capsule tears with vitreous prolapse requiring anterior vitrectomy and 7 (32%) capsule tears, zonular dehiscence, and vitreous prolapse requiring anterior vitrectomy. By the first postoperative year, the mean visual acuity was 0.40 ± 0.58 logMAR and the IOP was 15.05 ± 6.01 mm Hg. The most common complications 1 year postoperatively included persistent macular edema (23%) and need for additional surgery (18%). CONCLUSION: This group of patients who received unplanned primary AC IOLs by surgeons in training had improved visual acuity and well-controlled IOP 1 year postoperatively. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.