LuceDex: a prospective study comparing ranibizumab plus dexamethasone combination therapy versus ranibizumab monotherapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Background: The LuceDex prospective randomized pilot trial compared the combination of intravitreal ranibizumab and dexamethasone with ranibizumab monotherapy for treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: Thirty-seven eyes of 37 patients were randomized 1:1 between combination therapy with intravitreal ranibizumab and dexamethasone (Group 1) and intravitreal ranibizumab monotherapy (Group 2). All study eyes received 4 monthly treatments followed by monthly treatment on indication.

Prealbumin. A major constituent of vitreous amyloid.

Vitreous amyloid may be the presenting clinical manifestation of types 1 and 2 familial amyloidotic polyneuropathy or complicate the course of these syndromes. Recent studies have shown that the major subunit protein composing amyloid fibrils in these conditions is a variant or abnormal prealbumin molecule and that affected individuals have low levels of this protein in their blood. The authors studied material obtained at vitrectomy from two cases of vitreous amyloid.

Degenerative retinoschisis with giant outer layer breaks and retinal detachment.

Five unusual cases of retinal detachment were caused by giant (more than 90 degrees) posterior breaks in the outer layer of degenerative retinoschisis. All retinas were successfully reattached by a variety of surgical techniques. The two cases managed with scleral buckling required subsequent buckle removal because of macular distortion.