Glaucoma following childhood cataract surgery: the South India experience.

PURPOSE: To determine the characteristics and risk factors for the development of glaucoma after cataract surgery in children seen at a major referral tertiary eye centre in South India. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of the medical records of consecutive patients seen at the glaucoma/paediatric eye clinic of the centre, with a diagnosis of glaucoma secondary to aphakia/pseudophakia over a 5-year period. RESULTS: There were 21 eyes of 14 children that developed glaucoma and 23 eyes of 12 children were selected as control. The mean age (standard deviation SD) at the time of cataract surgery for the glaucoma group was 7.4 (± 10.1) months and 39.13 (± 41.2) months for the control. The mean follow-up (SD) period was 114.29 (± 61.9) months and 97.61 (± 43.5) months for the glaucoma and control, respectively. The mean duration from cataract surgery to onset of glaucoma was 81.19 (± 52.4) months (median 66 months, range 21-172 months). Multivariate analysis detected age at surgery younger than 12 months (OR 10.45, 95%CI 1.76-62.03, p = 0.010) and ocular anomalies mainly microcornea (OR 7.11, 95%CI 1.14-44.46, p = 0.036) as risk factors for development of glaucoma after paediatric cataract surgery. CONCLUSION: Glaucoma can develop several years after childhood cataract surgery. Surgery in the first year of life and microcornea are risk factors for the development of glaucoma post-surgery. Signs of glaucoma should specifically be looked for during follow-up visits.

Trident technique of safe nuclear emulsification in posterior polar cataracts.

The common complications associated with a posterior polar cataract (PPC) with deficient or weak posterior capsules (PCs) are posterior capsular rupture (PCR), vitreous loss, and luxation of lens material into the vitreous. Often the commonly used technique of hydrodelineation in such cataracts can lead to accidental hydrodissection, and even the slightest nucleus rotation during phacoemulsification can cause the PC to give way. We describe a modified relatively safe technique (Trident technique) for managing the nucleus in PPCs which does not involve any hydroprocedure or nucleus rotation.

"Long-term safety and efficacy of injection mitomycin C(MMC) versus sponge application in trabeculectomies".

AIMS: To compare the long-term safety and efficacy of subconjunctival injection mitomycin C(MMC) with conventional sponge applied MMC during trabeculectomy. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Retrospective analysis of 98 eyes of 90 patients who underwent trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C were divided into two groups, group 1- sponge (n = 52) and group 2- Injection(n = 46). Follow-up data were collected on day one, day 15, one month, three months, six months, one year, two years and three years. Data from baseline and follow-up visits were analyzed and compared to study the significant difference in intraocular pressure (IOP), number of antiglaucoma medications (AGM) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) . P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Mean preop IOP was 34.61 ± 13.3 mmHg in group one and 33.07 ± 9.6 mmHg in group two, which reduced to 11.43 ± 3.2 and 11.59 ± 3.2 mmHg at three years (p < 0.001 in both groups) with no significant difference between the groups. Mean number of preoperative AGM was 2.28 ± 0.8 and 2.42 ± 0.7 in group one and two respectively which reduced to 1.19 ± 1.1(p = 0.405) and 0.88 ± 0.9(p = 0.001) at three years. Complete and overall success rates (complete + qualified) were 59.3% and 78.9% in group one and 60.9% and 80.4% in group two at three years. No statistically significant difference was found in complication rates, post-operative interventions, and final visual outcome in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Subconjunctival Injection MMC was a safe and effective alternative to sponge application with comparable long term surgical outcomes.

Aurolab aqueous drainage implant implantation made easy: A video-based step-by-step guide.

Background: Glaucoma is one of the major causes of irreversible blindness in the world, with trabeculectomy still being the primary surgical modality for the management of glaucoma. Glaucoma drainage devices (GDDs) have been conventionally used for the treatment of refractory glaucoma and are found to be beneficial in eyes with prior unsuccessful filtration surgeries and primary choice of surgery in certain glaucoma. Aurolab aqueous drainage implant (AADI) is a nonvalved device useful in refractory glaucoma to achieve low intraocular pressure (IOP). The device has been commercially available in India since 2013 and is like the Baerveldt glaucoma implant in design and function. AADI being the most economical and effective GDD in controlling IOP is becoming a popular choice among ophthalmologist in developing countries. AADI surgery has steep learning curve due to large end-plate surface area which needs a rigorous conjunctival dissection, muscle hooking, meticulous plate fixations, and careful tube ligations and insertion. There are different techniques of performing AADI surgery, but the authors have tried to simplify the complex surgery for easy and catchable learning of the procedure by novice surgeon with their experience and have elaborated a step-wise most effective way of performing surgery. Purpose: This video-based skill transfer depicts steps of AADI surgery with compilation of various modifications and authors' tips and tricks to novice surgeons. Synopsis: This video depicts detailed steps of AADI surgery with micro-points and authors experience. Video also shows various tailor-made modifications of surgical techniques for different case scenarios. Highlights: Steps of AADI surgery, modifications, and surgical pearls. Video Link: https://youtu.be/vmVqBb2FvP4.

Impact of glaucoma on vision-specific quality of life in monocular glaucoma patients using the Indian vision function questionnaire.

Purpose: To evaluate the determinants affecting the quality of life in monocular glaucoma patients using the Indian vision function questionnaire. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study,: total of 196 patients were divided into two groups: cases and controls. Indian Vision Function Questionnaire (IND-VFQ) was administered and analyzed. One hundred twenty-nine (58.6%) patients who had lost their vision in one eye due to glaucoma were included as cases and 67 (30.4%) patients who had lost their vision due to other causes were taken as controls. Results: Median composite score of subscales was 54.62 (29.7-74.7) in group 1 and 45.38 (23.7-76.7) in group 2. The psychosocial impact scale was the most affected scale, the median scores were 33.02 (0 to 60.0) and 19.07 (0 to 53.0) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Among all dimensions of IND-VFQ, the highest score was for color vision 100.0 (0-100.0) and 100.0 (0-100.0), and the lowest median score was found in mental health and dependency in both the groups. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that visual acuity was associated with a low score (P < 0.001). Female gender was significantly associated with the overall score in the univariate model (P = 0.006). Conclusion: Monocular glaucoma patients have a poor general and vision-related quality of life. Depression associated with monocularity and the perception of dependency and being a burden on their family members greatly impacted the mental health of the participants.

Anisometropia and refractive status in children with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction-a prospective observational study.

PURPOSE: To assess the refractive status and anisometropia in children with unilateral and bilateral congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO). METHODS: Consecutive children newly diagnosed with CNLDO were prospectively enrolled from November 2017 to May 2019. A complete ophthalmic evaluation including cycloplegic refraction was performed followed by appropriate intervention. Patients were followed for 6 months, and cycloplegic refraction was performed at each visit. The final refractive error was defined as the refractive error obtained from the most recent visit. Amblyogenic risk factors were assessed based on 2013 referral criteria of the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS). RESULTS: A total of 308 patients with CNLDO were enrolled: 205 (67%) unilateral cases and 103 (33%) bilateral cases. In unilateral cases, the affected eye and unaffected fellow eye showed statistically significant difference in terms of sphere (P < 0.001), cylinder (P = 0.019), and spherical equivalent (P < 0.001); there was no interocular difference in bilateral cases (P > 0.05). Anisometropia was more prevalent in unilateral cases than in bilateral cases (11.2% vs 1.9%; P = 0.005). Based on the 2013 AAPOS referral criteria, 3.9% of the unilateral and 3.9% of bilateral cases exhibited amblyogenic risk factors. Later age of presentation was associated with higher rate of anisometropia (53.8% in the age group >48 months). CONCLUSIONS: In our study cohort, unilateral CNLDO was associated with a higher prevalence of anisometropia compared with bilateral CNLDO. The affected eye in unilateral CNLDO had higher prevalence of refractive error.

Surgically induced astigmatism following single site and twin site phacotrabeculectomy augmented with mitomycin C.

PURPOSE: To determine difference in surgically induced astigmatism (SIA), post-operative intraocular pressure (IOP) and axial length (AL) between single site and twin-site phacotrabeculectomy augmented with Mitomycin C (MMC). DESIGN: Prospective interventional randomised controlled study. METHODS: In a prospective interventional comparative study, eligible patients were scheduled for phacotrabeculectomy. They were randomised to either group A: single site or group B: twin-site phacotrabeculectomy with MMC 0.2 mg/mL. Axial length was measured by using Zeiss IOL master I, pre-operatively and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-operatively. Corneal topography was performed using Bausch and Lomb Orbscan I pre-operatively and at 3, 6 and 12 months post-operatively to analyse surgically induced astigmatism. Vector analysis was used to analyse the surgically induced astigmatism. RESULTS: One hundred and eight eyes of which 55 patients in group A, and 53 patients in group B were enroled for vector analysis. The mean preoperative astigmatic vector power was +0.89 ± 0.4 D and +0.97 ± 0.5 D in group A and B respectively. The mean post-operative astigmatic vector power was +0.78 ± 0.4 D in group A and +0.96 ± 0.5 D in group B at the end of 12 months. Corneal topography showed post-operative superior flattening (51.8% at 3 months and 55.4% at 12 months) in group A (P = 0.072) compared to superior steepening (59.6% at 3 months and 61.5% at 12 months) in group B (P = 0.977). CONCLUSIONS: The two commonly used techniques of combined cataract and glaucoma surgery proved to be efficacious without significant difference in surgical induced astigmatism.

Agreement of findings of glaucoma screening between trained vision center technicians and glaucoma specialists at a tertiary hospital in South India.

Purpose: To study the agreement of findings of glaucoma screening between trained vision center (VC) technicians and glaucoma specialists in patients referred from VC to the glaucoma services of a tertiary eye care hospital in south India. Methods: This was a retrospective study comparing the findings of the VC technicians and the specialists of the glaucoma services in the base hospital, in patients referred from 13 VCs between January and June 2019. Medical records of 277 referred patients (out of 533 referrals) who attended the glaucoma clinic were analyzed. Results: Of the 277 patients, 111 (40%) were confirmed having glaucoma, 133 (48%) were suspects, 29 (10.4%) were normal, and four (1.4%) had other pathology. The mean age of the patients was 59.7 ± 13 years and 60.6% were females. There was no statistically significant difference between the mean intraocular pressure (IOP) measured (17 ± 7.2 mmHg at the VC and 18 ± 8.7 mmHg at the clinic, p = 0.16) and the cup-to-disc ratio (CDR) (0.7 ± 0.13 at the VC and 0.6 ± 0.18 at the clinic, p = 0.57). Bland-Altman plots with 95% limits of agreement supported that mean differences were close to zero, and the intraclass correlation coefficient at 95% CI showed good consistency between the measurement of IOP (0.78 [0.74 to 0.81]) and CDR (0.90 [0.88 to 0.92]) at the base hospital and vision center. Conclusion: There is good agreement between the findings of VC technicians and glaucoma specialists. VC technicians can help in detecting glaucoma in the community.

Infectious keratitis in a newborn with goldenhar syndrome.

Goldenhar syndrome is a rare, presumably inherited condition that has a multifactorial etiopathology that results in disturbances of blastogenesis. The syndrome is characterized by the presence of dermal epibulbar tumors, periauricular appendices, malformed ears, and vertebral anomalies, with occasional occurrence of cardiac, visceral, or central nervous system anomalies. This report describes a case of Goldenhar syndrome in a newborn who presented with all of the classic signs of Goldenhar syndrome associated with the rare occurrence of infectious keratitis and hydrocephalus.

Intraoperative injection versus sponge-applied mitomycin C during trabeculectomy: One-year study.

Purpose: To determine the safety and efficacy of mitomycin C (MMC) injection versus sponge during trabeculectomy. Methods: It is a prospective analysis of patients who underwent trabeculectomy with MMC and followed up for 1 year, divided into two groups, namely, group 1- injection (n = 21), group 2-> sponge (n = 21). The same concentration of MMC was used for both groups. Inclusion criteria were trabeculectomies with MMC for intraocular pressure (IOP) control in eyes with glaucoma (primary + secondary) with a follow-up of 1 year. Results: Mean preoperative IOP in group 1 was 29.00 ± 11.92 mmHg and group 2 was 25.87 ± 11.09 mmHg, which reduced to 12.19 ± 4.03 and 15.56 ± 10.72 mmHg at final visit with P value of 0.0002 and 0.001, respectively. Mean preoperative number of antiglaucoma medications was 2.4 ± 0.87 in group 1 and 2.3 ± 0.96 in group 2, which reduced to 0.38 ± 0.5 and 0.91 ± 0.85 with P value of 0.001 and 0.0003, respectively. The complete success rate was 52.4% in the injection group and 26.1% in the sponge group at end of 1 year. Overall, success rate (complete + qualified) was 90.5% and 87% in group 1 and group 2 at final visit. All major complications were encountered in sponge group. 1 (11.1%) patient developed choroidal detachment and one had malignant glaucoma which got resolved by medical management. 33.3% cases had encapsulated bleb which received bleb needling. 44.4% cases underwent Argon laser suture lysis postoperatively. Conclusion: The MMC injection may be as safe and as effective as conventional sponge application with comparable estimated complete treatment success.

Safety and efficacy of toric implantable collamer lens V4c model - A retrospective South Indian study.

PURPOSE: : The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and complications of V4c Toric implantable collamer Lens (TICL) implantation for myopic astigmatism in the south Indian population. METHODS: In this retrospective observational case series, a total of 109 eyes of 67 patients who underwent V4c TICL implantation (ICL, V4C Staar Surgical, Nidau, Switzerland) between January 2012 and August 2019 were studied with a minimum follow-up period of 6 months (mean 24 months). The main outcome measures were objective and subjective refraction, uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), safety, predictability, adverse events, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: At 6 months, mean manifest refractive spherical equivalent (SE) decreased from -10.90 ± 3.7D preoperatively to -0.02 ± 0.13D postoperatively (P < 0.001) and mean cylinder decreased from -2.3 ± 1.3 D preoperatively to -0.04 ± 0.2 D postoperatively (P < 0.001). Postoperatively, SE within ± 0.5 D and ± 1.0 D of attempted correction were achieved in 96.3 (105 eyes) and 100% (109 eyes), respectively. Manifest refractive cylinder within ± 0.5 D and ± 1.0 D of attempted correction were achieved in 97.2 (106 eyes) and 100% (109 eyes), respectively. Sixty-two percent (68 eyes) showed no change in CDVA postoperatively, and no eye had lost lines of CDVA. The safety index was 1.12, and the efficacy index was 1.10. Complications were seen in two eyes (1.8%) due to high postoperative vault requiring secondary surgical interventions. CONCLUSION: V4c TICL is a highly effective, safe, and predictable option in treating myopic astigmatism with excellent improvement in vision and spectacle independence.

Monotherapy of topical tacrolimus 0.03% in the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis in the pediatric population.

PURPOSE: To report the results of treating children with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) using a monotherapy of topical tacrolimus 0.03%. METHODS: This was a prospective, nonrandomized observational study of children newly diagnosed with VKC. The severity of the disease was graded on a 4-point scale of symptoms and signs. Patients were treated with tacrolimus 0.03% ointment and were followed for 8 months according to a schedule based on the severity of the disease. The primary measure of treatment efficacy was the change in the score of objective signs. The incidence and severity of adverse events, if any, were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 45 children aged 5-15 years were enrolled. The mean composite symptom score was 6.84 ± 2.26 at baseline and 0.71 ± 1.62 at 8 months, a statistically significant reduction (P < 0.001). The mean composite sign score was 9.6 ± 3.14 at baseline and 1.16 ± 1.28 at 8 months, also a statistically significant reduction (P < 0.001). Four patients had to be started on steroids within the first month of treatment and were considered treatment failures. Thus, 89% of patients showed significant improvement. No participant experienced adverse effects, although some reported a transient stinging sensation. CONCLUSIONS: In our study cohort topical tacrolimus ointment 0.03% as a monotherapy for VKC was successful in the majority of subjects, and there was no adverse effect.

Ocular manifestations in bidi industry workers: possible consequences of occupational exposure to tobacco dust.

Tobacco consumption is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and premature death but little is known about its deleterious effect on the ocular health of workers handling tobacco. The goal of this study was to identify probable effects of occupational tobacco exposure among south Indian bidi-industry workers. This study included 310 females (mean age, 34.8 +/- 10.9 years) actively involved in bidi-rolling presenting with eye symptoms to a tertiary eye care hospital. Results suggested that a wide spectrum of ocular complications exist among these workers. Common ocular symptoms were defective vision, dull-aching headache and eye irritation. The main ocular findings were papillary conjunctival hyperplasia, hyperpigmentation of ocular surface, punctate epithelial erosion or superficial punctate keratitis, cataract or pseudophakia and segmental optic atrophy. Abstaining from work, supplementation of Vitamin B complex rich in B 12 and appropriate surgical or medical management reversed visual loss due to corneal disease or cataract but was not effective in optic neuropathy.

Optic nerve aplasia: A case series.

Optic nerve aplasia (ONA) is a congenital optic nerve anomaly characterized by the absence of optic nerve head, retinal blood vessels, retinal ganglion cells, and optic nerve fibers in a malformed eye. Clinically, the condition presents with the absence of perception of light, afferent pupillary defect and a fundus appearance of absent optic nerve head, and retinal vessels with associated ocular and nonocular abnormalities. Systemic anomalies have been reported with bilateral ONA, whereas unilateral ONA is seen in otherwise healthy individuals. We report three cases of ONA with varied clinical presentations.

Clinical profile and neuroimaging in pediatric optic neuritis in Indian population: A case series.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: The purpose of this study was to report clinical features, neuroimaging, and visual outcome in pediatric optic neuritis (ON) in Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective study of children up to the age of 16 years, diagnosed with ON, that presented at pediatric and neuroophthalmology clinic of a tertiary eye care center, in South India, within the period of 2010-2015. RESULTS: We identified 62 eyes of 40 children diagnosed as ON within the study period. The mean age was 11.15 ± 3.24 years (1-15 years) with mean follow-up of 13 months. In this series, there was female preponderance (67%). Mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity at presentation was 1.14 ± 0.93, which after treatment recovered to 0.10 ± 0.26 at final visit (P < 0.001). Involvement was bilateral in 22 children (55%) and recurrent in 3 eyes of 3 children. Preceding febrile illness was reported in seven cases (18%). Four (10%) cases were diagnosed as multiple sclerosis (MS), one with neuromyelitis optica , and one with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis. One case was associated with tuberculous meningitis, 1 with septicemia, and 1 with bilateral maxillary sinusitis. Neuroimaging studies of optic nerve in 14 children demonstrated isolated optic nerve enhancement. Magnetic resonance imaging brain revealed white matter T2 hyperintense lesions separate from optic nerve in ten cases, of which four cases were diagnosed as MS. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral presentation was common, association with MS was low. Papillitis was more frequent than retrobulbar neuritis and prognosis was good in pediatric ON in Indian population.

Case of Late-Onset Fluid-Filled Descemet Membrane Detachment After Cataract Surgery and Its Management Using the Nd: YAG Laser.

PURPOSE: To report a case of late-onset fluid-filled Descemet membrane detachment (DMD) after cataract surgery. METHOD: A case report with review of literature. SUMMARY: The patient presented with DMD with turbid fluid accumulation, 19 months after cataract surgery. The DMD was successfully treated by draining the fluid into the anterior chamber via openings made in Descemet membrane using Nd:YAG laser (Neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet). To our knowledge, this is the first case report of fluid-filled DMD treated with the help of Nd:YAG laser.