iOCT-guided simulated subretinal injections: a comparison between manual and robot-assisted techniques in an ex-vivo porcine model.

The purpose of this study is to compare robot-assisted and manual subretinal injections in terms of successful subretinal blistering, reflux incidences and damage of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Subretinal injection was simulated on 84 ex-vivo porcine eyes with half of the interventions being carried out manually and the other half by controlling a custom-built robot in a master-slave fashion. After pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), the retinal target spot was determined under a LUMERA 700 microscope with microscope-integrated intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) RESCAN 700 (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Germany).

Microstructural morphology and visual acuity outcome in eyes with epiretinal membrane before, during, and after membrane peeling in intraoperative optical coherence tomography assisted macular surgery.

Aim: To measure the difference of intraoperative central macular thickness (CMT) before, during, and after membrane peeling and investigate the influence of intraoperative macular stretching on postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) outcome and postoperative CMT development.

Methods: A total of 59 eyes of 59 patients who underwent vitreoretinal surgery for epiretinal membrane was analyzed. Videos with intraoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) were recorded.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2-RNA in post-mortem samples of human eyes.

Purpose: To detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in post-mortem human eyes. Ocular symptoms are common in patients with COVID-19. In some cases, they can occur before the onset of respiratory and other symptoms.

[iOCT in clinical use : Correlation of intraoperative morphology and postoperative visual outcome in patients with full thickness macular hole].

Background: Due to intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT), observation of retinal morphological changes during surgery has become possible.

Objective: To analyze the intraoperative morphology of full thickness macular holes (FTMH) and the correlation with the postoperative function, a retrospective, observational clinical study was performed analyzing 32 eyes of patients treated at the hospital of the technical university of Munich.

Material And Methods: Using iOCT in 32 eyes of 32 consecutive patients, the operative morphology was analyzed during surgery.

Defining a Cutoff for Progression of Macular Holes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine a cutoff for progression of idiopathic full-thickness macular hole (MH) size.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of consecutive patients waiting 4 weeks for MH surgery. Two observers performed 3 repeat sets of MH size measurements on optical coherence tomography (OCT) high-density radial scans taken at first presentation and 4 weeks later before surgery.

Repeatability and Reproducibility of Macular Hole Size Measurements Using Optical Coherence Tomography.

The purpose of this study was to assess the repeatability and reproducibility of measuring the minimum linear diameter (MLD) of macular holes (MHs) using horizontal linear and radial scan modes in optical coherence tomography (OCT). Patients with concurrent sets of radial and horizontal linear OCT volume scans were included. The MLD was measured twice in both scan modes by six raters of three different experience levels (groups).

Predictive Association of Pre-Operative Defect Areas in the Outer Retinal Layers With Visual Acuity in Macular Hole Surgery.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop methods to model the external limiting membrane (ELM) and ellipsoid zone (EZ) within the elevated cuff surrounding a macular hole (MH) to determine if the predicted size of the defect in these layers after virtual flattening was associated with the actual postoperative defect and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA).

Methods: Patients were included who had undergone successful MH surgery. The defects in the ELM and EZ after virtual flattening were modeled using in-house software.

FUNCTIONAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES OF THE INVERTED INTERNAL LIMITING MEMBRANE FLAP TECHNIQUE IN SMALL-SIZED AND MEDIUM-SIZED MACULAR HOLES <400 µm.

Purpose: To assess the effect of an internal limiting membrane flap (IF) in macular hole surgery on the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and integrity of the ellipsoid zone (EZ) and external limiting membrane.

Methods: Patients were included who had successful surgery for macular hole <400 µm with or without an IF. Main outcome measures were BCVA and restoration of the external limiting membrane and EZ at 12 months.

Functional recovery after macula involving retinal detachment and its correlation with preoperative biomarkers in optical coherence tomography.

To introduce an ETDRS grid-based classification for macula involving retinal detachment (MIRD) with or without center (foveal) involvement and to identify biomarkers in preoperative optical coherence tomography (OCT) associated with a favorable postoperative functional outcome in eyes with center involving retinal detachment (CIRD). One hundred and two eyes of 102 consecutive patients (f/m: 35/67) with primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, preoperative evidence of MIRD (perifoveal involvement of ≤ 6.0 mm), and successful retinal surgery were included in this retrospective cohort study.

Inverted internal limiting membrane flap technique in eyes with large idiopathic full-thickness macular hole: long-term functional and morphological outcomes.

Purpose: To investigate morphological and functional outcomes of the inverted internal limiting membrane (I-ILM) flap technique in large (≥ 400 μm) idiopathic full-thickness macular holes (FTMH) over a follow-up period of 12 months.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 55 eyes of 54 consecutive patients were enrolled. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT, Heidelberg, Spectralis) were performed preoperatively as well as 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postoperatively.

Machine Learning Techniques for Ophthalmic Data Processing: A Review.

Machine learning and especially deep learning techniques are dominating medical image and data analysis. This article reviews machine learning approaches proposed for diagnosing ophthalmic diseases during the last four years. Three diseases are addressed in this survey, namely diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, and glaucoma.

Reducing the Number of Degrees of Freedom to Control an Eye Surgical Robot through Classification of Surgical Phases.

This paper introduces an optimized input device workflow to control an eye surgical robot in a simulated vitreoretinal environment. The input device is a joystick with four Degrees of Freedom (DOF) that controls a six DOFs robot. This aim is achieved through a segmentation plan for an eye surgeon.

Choriocapillary Blood Flow in Myopic Subjects Measured With OCT Angiography.

Background And Objective: To investigate choriocapillary blood flow in myopic eyes using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Patients And Methods: Seventy-eight myopic and 79 age-matched healthy eyes were included in this study, with myopia defined as a spherical equivalent refraction (SER) between -1 diopters (D) and -6 D. Quantitative measurements of the choriocapillaris were obtained using the Avanti RTVue XR with AngioVue.

Choriocapillaris Flow Density Negatively Correlates With Advancing Age on Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

Background And Objective: To correlate subfoveal choriocapillaris (CC) flow density with age using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography (SD-OCTA).

Patients And Methods: One hundred eighty-three eyes of 94 subjects (66 female, 28 male) were enrolled. Included were healthy subjects between the ages of 21 and 82 years without any history of vitreoretinal disease.

Multimodal imaging in acute retinal ischemia: spectral domain OCT, OCT-angiography and fundus autofluorescence.

Aim: To describe retinal findings of various imaging modalities in acute retinal ischemia.

Methods: Fluorescein angiography (FA), spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), OCT-angiography (OCT-A) and fundus autofluorescence (FAF) images of 13 patients (mean age 64y, range 28-86y) with acute retinal ischemia were evaluated. Six suffered from branch arterial occlusion, 2 had a central retinal artery occlusion, 2 had a combined arteriovenous occlusions, 1 patient had a retrobulbar arterial compression by an orbital haemangioma and 2 patients showed an ocular ischemic syndrome.

Surgical soundtracks: automatic acoustic augmentation of surgical procedures.

Purpose: Advances in sensing and digitalization enable us to acquire and present various heterogeneous datasets to enhance clinical decisions. Visual feedback is the dominant way of conveying such information. However, environments rich with many sources of information all presented through the same channel pose the risk of over stimulation and missing crucial information.

Corneal crosslinking (CXL) with 18-mW/cm irradiance and 5.4-J/cm radiant exposure-early postoperative safety.

Purpose: To investigate safety of accelerated corneal crosslinking during the first postoperative month.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 76 eyes of 60 patients with verified progressive keratectasia were enrolled in this study and followed for 1 month after accelerated CXL (18 mW/cm for 5 min, radiant exposure 5.4 J/cm) (A-CXL(5*18)).

The RELATION study: efficacy and safety of ranibizumab combined with laser photocoagulation treatment versus laser monotherapy in NPDR and PDR patients with diabetic macular oedema.

Purpose: To assess efficacy and safety of intravitreal ranibizumab 0.5 mg plus laser (COMBI) versus laser monotherapy (LASER) in patients with visual impairment due to diabetic macular oedema (DME) in either nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and to analyse the relevance of inner versus outer retinal thickness.

Methods: In this double-masked, multicentre phase IIIb study, patients (N = 128) were randomized (2:1) to receive COMBI (n = 85) versus LASER (n = 43).

Structure-function relationship comparison between retinal nerve fibre layer and Bruch's membrane opening-minimum rim width in glaucoma.

Aim: To evaluate and compare structural optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based parameters, such as Bruch's membrane opening-minimum rim width (BMO-MRW), and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in glaucoma patients with visual field (VF) defects, and to correlate both to mean deviation (MD) values of obtained standard achromatic perimetry (SAP) examinations.

Methods: Patients with glaucoma and glaucomatous VF defects were enrolled in this prospective study and compared to age-matched healthy individuals. All study participants underwent a full ophthalmic examination and VF testing with SAP.

[Retinal Vascular Occlusion: Modern Therapeutic Approaches].

Retinal artery occlusion (RAO) should be evaluated as an emergency and can be seen as an ocular analogue to the cerebral apoplex. Both have the same arteriosclerotic risk factors, which are also responsible for cardiac, circulatory and cerebrovascular diseases. That is why an intensive interdisciplinary clarification is necessary to recognize possible comorbidities in time and, if necessary, to treat them.

[Intraoperative Optical Coherence Tomography in Vitreoretinal Surgery: Clinical Experiences and Future Developments].

Purpose: High resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT) enables better visualization of ophthalmic microstructures than conventional imaging. When using an ophthalmic microscope, integrated optical coherence tomography (iOCT) high resolution real time visualization is possible.

Methods: We report on the first 110 patients operated on using a microscope integrated OCT (iOCT) during surgical procedures for the treatment of various posterior segment pathologies.

OCT Angiography Findings in Acute Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

Background And Objective: To describe optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) findings in patients with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) compared to conventional imaging methods.

Patients And Methods: A consecutive series of 11 eyes from 10 healthy patients with acute CSC were included and underwent fluorescein angiography (FA), indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), OCT, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), and OCTA. Obtained OCTA images were evaluated for the presence of serous detachments of the neurosensory retina, leakage points, or other altered findings and compared to conventional imaging devices.