Utilizing 3D Printing Technology to Create Prosthetic Irises: Proof of Concept and Workflow.

Purpose: There are currently limited treatment options for aniridia. In this context, 3D printed iris implants may provide a cost-effective, cosmetically acceptable alternative for patients with aniridia. The purpose of this study was to develop a proof-of-concept workflow for manufacturing 3D printed iris implants using a silicone ink palette that aesthetically matches iris shades, identified in slit lamp images.

Insights From the Eye for Patients With Kidney Transplant.

The eye and the kidney share structural and developmental similarities on a cellular and clinical level, and they are often affected by the same disease processes. Performing an eye exam to look for signs of conditions such as hypertension and diabetes can provide a helpful window into the health of the kidney. Patients with kidney transplants (KT) are a unique population that require close monitoring.

Association of the Effectiveness of Eye Drop Self-instillation and Glaucoma Progression.

Prcis: Among patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension, ineffective self-instillation of eye drops was associated with an increased long-term risk of progression or advancement of treatment to incisional surgery.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the efficacy of self-instillation of eye drops and long-term glaucoma outcomes.

Methods: In a previous study, video recordings of eye drop self-instillation by patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension were graded as effective or ineffective depending on whether the patient successfully instilled at least 1 drop on the right ocular surface.

Effectiveness and Tolerability of Netarsudil in Combination with Other Ocular Hypotensive Agents.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of netarsudil in combination with other ocular hypotensive agents in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or ocular hypertension (OHT).

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Participants: All patients with OAG or OHT with netarsudil added to a regimen of at least 1 other ocular hypotensive agent between March 2018 and March 2019.

Advances in perimetry for glaucoma.

Purpose Of Review: Perimetry remains important for the diagnosis and management of glaucoma despite advances in imaging technology. The purpose of this review is to describe advances in the acquisition and analysis of visual field data and highlight novel techniques for performing perimetry.

Recent Findings: Studies have focused on improving the detection of patients at highest risk of severe vision loss and the development of innovative testing strategies that allow for more frequent testing.

The Long-term Visual Outcomes of Primary Congenital Glaucoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term visual outcomes of ab externo trabeculotomy for primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) at a single pediatric ophthalmology center.

Methods: In this retrospective single-center case series, data from 63 eyes of 40 patients who underwent ab externo trabeculotomy between September 2006 and June 2018 were included. The data were analyzed for best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), stereopsis, and surgical success.

Femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in management of posterior capsule tear following blunt trauma: Case report and review of literature.

Purpose: To describe the diagnosis and management of a patient with rupture of the posterior capsule (PC) following blunt trauma to the left eye.

Observation: 68 year-old man presented with complaints of left eye pain, blurry vision and photophobia after getting hit in the left eye with a baseball. He was found to have a posterior capsule rupture, as well as mydriasis and zonular dialysis without formation of intumescent traumatic cataract.

Suprachoroidal hemorrhage after micropulse cyclophotocoagulation diode therapy.

Purpose: To describe the diagnosis and management of a patient with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) who developed suprachoroidal hemorrhage (SCH) after micropulse cyclophotocoagulation (MPCPC) therapy.

Observations: A 77 year-old Caucasian man with end-stage POAG and multiple medical comorbidities including coronary artery disease on anticoagulation presented with 2 days of episodic, severe left eye pain 2 weeks after undergoing MPCPC diode in the left eye. His visual acuity was count fingers at 2 feet and his intraocular pressure (IOP) was 44.

Association of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations' Social Determinants of Health and Medicare Ocular Hospitalizations: A Cross Sectional Data Analysis.

Introduction: Social determinants of health (SDH) may influence inpatient utilization rates and outcomes but have yet to be associated with ocular diagnoses. The purpose of this paper was to determine whether the SDH are associated with ocular hospitalizations.

Methods: Patients from the national Medicare 100% Inpatient Limited Dataset were examined and linked to SDH measures from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) County Health Rankings.

Dacryoadenitis Caused by Blastomycosis: A Case Report.

This is the first case of histopathologically proven blastomycosis involving the lacrimal gland. A 51-year-old woman with a history of disseminated blastomycosis involving her lungs and skin, on oral itraconazole, presented with 3 days of right upper eyelid swelling, erythema, and pain concerning for recurrent dacryoadenitis. MRI showed enlargement of the right lacrimal gland with a cystic lesion at the anterior aspect of the gland with a radiographic differential diagnosis of abscess versus cyst.

Two Uveal Melanomas in One Eye: A Choroidal Nevus Giving Rise to a Melanoma in an Eye with a Separate Large Choroidal Melanoma.

Multifocal uveal melanomas are extremely rare. In this case report, we describe a patient with 2 independent uveal melanomas in the same eye. A 52-year-old woman presented with a large choroidal melanoma and a smaller ciliary body mass, clinically thought to be a nevus, in her left eye.

National Study of Ocular Hospitalizations in Medicare Beneficiaries.

Purpose: To study the characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for ophthalmic conditions.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Methods: The 2015 National Medicare 100% Inpatient Limited Dataset was analyzed to identify all patients with either an admitting or primary diagnosis for an ophthalmic condition using ICD-9-CM codes.

Long-Term Follow-Up of 4 Patients with Conjunctival Amyloidosis.

Conjunctival amyloidosis is a rare cause of ocular inflammation, mass, and hemorrhage that can be difficult to diagnose and treat. In this case series, we describe 4 patients with a histopathological diagnosis of conjunctival amyloidosis treated at a single institution. All patients underwent surgical excision and biopsy.

Association of Glaucoma-Related, Optical Coherence Tomography-Measured Macular Damage With Vision-Related Quality of Life.

Importance: Little is known about the association between structural macular damage and self-reported visual function of people with glaucoma.

Objective: To determine the association between vision-related quality of life among patients with primary open-angle glaucoma with structural macular retinal ganglion cell plus inner plexiform layer (RGC+IPL) loss identified by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) machine-generated deviation maps and thickness measurements.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This cross-sectional prospective study was conducted from March 1, 2014, to March 30, 2015, at the Department of Ophthalmology at Columbia University Medical Center.

Association Between Undetected 10-2 Visual Field Damage and Vision-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Glaucoma.

Importance: Recent evidence supports the presence of macular damage (within 8° of the central field) to retinal ganglion cells and associated central visual field (VF) defects in glaucoma, even in early stages. Despite this, to our knowledge, the association of 10-2 VF damage with vision-related quality of life (QOL) has not been well studied.

Objective: To determine the association between QOL and visual function as measured by 24-2 and 10-2 VFs in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma and to test the hypothesis that patients with vision-related QOL disproportionate to their 24-2 VF status may exhibit 10-2 damage overlooked by the 24-2 test.

Self-reported Function, Health Resource Use, and Total Health Care Costs Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Glaucoma.

Importance: The effect of glaucoma on nonglaucomatous medical conditions and resultant secondary health care costs is not well understood.

Objective: To assess self-reported medical conditions, the use of medical services, and total health care costs among Medicare beneficiaries with glaucoma.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Longitudinal observational study of 72,587 Medicare beneficiaries in the general community using the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (2004-2009).

Variation in Prescription Drug Coverage Enrollment Among Vulnerable Beneficiaries With Glaucoma Before and After the Implementation of Medicare Part D.

Importance: It is important to understand in more detail how patients with glaucoma were affected by the implementation of Medicare Part D, which was designed to provide beneficiaries with near-universal prescription drug coverage.

Objectives: To determine changes in prescription drug coverage and out-of-pocket spending after the implementation of Medicare Part D across income strata and to identify characteristics of beneficiaries associated with prescription status.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Longitudinal observational study in the general community using the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (pooled 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008 data).

Cost-Related Medication Nonadherence and Cost-Saving Behaviors Among Patients With Glaucoma Before and After the Implementation of Medicare Part D.

Importance: Understanding factors that lead to nonadherence to glaucoma treatment is important to diminish glaucoma-related disability.

Objectives: To determine whether the implementation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit affected rates of cost-related nonadherence and cost-reduction strategies in Medicare beneficiaries with and without glaucoma and to evaluate associated risk factors for such nonadherence.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Serial cross-sectional study using 2004 to 2009 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data linked with Medicare claims.

Urinary aHGF, IGFBP3 and OPN as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for prostate cancer.

Aim: Serum PSA screening for prostate cancer (PCa) is controversial. Here, we identify three urinary biomarkers - aHGF, IGFBP3 and OPN - for PCa screening and prognostication.

Methods: Urinary aHGF, OPN and IGFBP3 from healthy men (n = 19) and men with localized (n = 65) and metastatic (n = 36) PCa were quantified via ELISA.

Bevacizumab as a treatment for radiation necrosis of brain metastases post stereotactic radiosurgery.

Background: Cerebral radiation necrosis (RN) is a difficult to treat complication of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) that can result in progressive neurologic decline. Currently, steroids are the standard of care treatment for brain RN despite their adverse effect profile and limited efficacy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the treatment efficacy of cerebral RN to bevacizumab in patients with brain metastases previously treated with SRS.

A phase 2 study of pegylated interferon α-2b (PEG-Intron(®)) in children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

Background: Interferon-α is a cytokine that has demonstrated activity in patients with supratentorial gliomas, but its ideal dose and schedule of administration is unknown. Studies suggest that low-dose, continuous exposure is more efficacious than intermittent, high doses. The authors performed a phase 2 study of recombinant interferon α-2b with monomethoxy polyethylene glycol (PEG-Intron(®)) in children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a population with dismal survival despite decades of clinical investigation.