Adalimumab Autoantibodies in Uveitis Patients: Do We Need Routine Drug Monitoring?

Background: Adalimumab, an anti-TNF-α biologic agent, has emerged as a principal treatment option for patients with non-infectious uveitis. The influence of adalimumab anti-drug antibodies (AAA) on the efficacy of adalimumab therapy is not yet fully understood. We aim to understand their clinical implications in the context of therapeutic drug monitoring and the factors contributing to the formation of these antibodies.

Fluocinolone Acetonide Implant for Uveitis: Dissecting Responder and Non-Responder Outcomes at a Tertiary Center.

Macular edema (ME) remains a primary cause of visual deterioration in uveitis. Visual acuity (VA) can often be maintained using corticosteroid depot systems. This study evaluated the efficacy of a fluocinolone acetonide (FAc) intravitreal implant (ILUVIEN) in treating non-infectious uveitis using real-world data.

Transcriptome Analysis of Choroidal Endothelium Links Androgen Receptor Role to Central Serous Chorioretinopathy.

Background: Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSCR) manifests as fluid accumulation between the neurosensory retina and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Elevated levels of steroid hormones have been implicated in CSCR pathogenesis. This investigation aims to delineate the gene expression patterns of CSCR-associated risk and steroid receptors across human choroidal cell types and RPE cells to discern potential underlying mechanisms.

Clinical and imaging biomarkers of response to intravitreal dexamethasone implant in eyes with non-infectious uveitic macular oedema.

Objective: To investigate clinical and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) biomarkers correlating with pre-injection visual acuity (VA), post-injection VA, and the likelihood of macular oedema (MO) regression following dexamethasone (DEX) implant injection in non-infectious uveitic (NIU) patients.

Methods: Patient data from Uveitis Services in Milan, Paris, and Berlin were analysed. Eligible participants were NIU patients aged >18 years with MO as the primary indication for DEX treatment.

[Noninfectious posterior uveitis : Clinical aspects, diagnostics, management and treatment].

Noninfectious posterior uveitis (NPU) comprises a heterogeneous group of vision-threatening, immune-mediated ocular and systemic diseases. It is predominantly bilateral and recurrent and, if not treated properly, leads to severe tissue damage that threatens the eyesight. In industrialized countries ca.

Longitudinal Comparison of Constant Artifacts in Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Patients with Posterior Uveitis Compared to Healthy Subjects.

Background: Knowledge about artifacts in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is important to avoid misinterpretations. An overview of possible artifacts in posterior uveitis provides important information for interpretations. Methods: In this monocentric prospective study, OCTA images from a total of 102 eyes of 54 patients with posterior uveitis, and an age-matched control group including 34 healthy subjects (67 eyes), were evaluated (day 0, month 3, month 6).

Keep an Eye on the Back: Spondyloarthritis in Patients With Acute Anterior Uveitis.

Objectives: This study was undertaken to analyze the prevalence of spondyloarthritis (SpA) in patients with acute anterior uveitis (AAU), to identify parameters associated with the presence of SpA, and to evaluate the performance of referral algorithms for identifying patients with a high probability of having SpA.

Methods: Prospectively recruited consecutive patients with noninfectious AAU underwent structured rheumatologic assessment including magnetic resonance imaging of the sacroiliac joints, allowing a definitive diagnosis/exclusion of concomitant SpA. Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare AAU patients with SpA and AAU patients without SpA.

Rubella Virus- and Cytomegalovirus-Associated Anterior Uveitis: Clinical Findings and How They Relate to the Current Fuchs Uveitis Syndrome Classification.

Rubella virus (RV) and cytomegalovirus (CMV) have both been implicated in anterior uveitis (AU). Clinical phenotypes can vary widely among both etiologies, including Fuchs uveitis syndrome (FUS) as a very distinct phenotype that has been associated with both RV and CMV. The Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature (SUN) Working Group recently updated the classification criteria for FUS as unilateral AU, including either heterochromia or diffuse iris atrophy combined with stellate keratic precipitates as key findings.

Viral Anterior Uveitis.

Differential diagnosis of viral anterior uveitis (AU) based on the typical clinical findings (anterior chamber inflammation, morphology of the keratic precipitates, severity of IOP increase in relapse) is often straightforward. When differential diagnosis is difficult clinically, analysis of aqueous humour by PCR and/or antibody testing (Goldmann-Witmer coefficient) may be helpful. While both modalities are highly specific, they lack absolute sensitivity.

LOW VULNERABILITY OF THE POSTERIOR EYE SEGMENT TO SARS-COV-2 INFECTION: Chorioretinal SARS-CoV-2 Vulnerability.

Purpose: Retinal manifestations have been described in COVID-19 patients, but it is unknown whether SARS-CoV-2, the causal agent in COVID-19, can directly infect posterior ocular tissues. Here, we investigate SARS-CoV-2 host factor gene expression levels and their distribution across retinal and choroidal cell types.

Methods: Query of single-cell RNA sequencing data from human retina and choroid.

Findings and Graduation of Sarcoidosis-Related Uveitis: A Single-Center Study.

Ocular involvement is present in up to 79% of sarcoid patients. Uveitis is the main ocular manifestation and presents as a chronic intraocular inflammatory condition with potentially detrimental effects on visual acuity and quality of life. This retrospective study was conducted to explore the incidence and characteristics of ocular sarcoidosis in a single tertiary ophthalmology center.

Cytomegalovirus-Positive Posner-Schlossman Syndrome: Impact on Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss and Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thinning.

Purpose: To report objective morphologic changes in cytomegalovirus (CMV)-positive Posner-Schlossman syndrome (PSS).

Design: Retrospective, consecutive case series.

Methods: We reviewed the charts of patients with unilateral PSS tested positive for CMV by Goldmann-Witmer coefficients between 2007 and 2018 at our tertiary eye clinic.

Correlation of NUCB2/Nesfatin-1 with Cytokine Levels in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.

Purpose: Nesfatin-1 is produced in various tissues of the body including the hypothalamus. Neuroprotective properties of the neuropeptide hormone Nesfatin-1 were recently described. The aim of the study was to analyze the molecule Nesfatin-1 as a possible biomarker in POAG with neuroprotective properties pointing out the retinal-hypothalamic axis as target site in POAG and to obtain a molecular signature of cytokines in POAG as neuroinflammatory processes are a key factor of glaucoma development.

Structural Endpoints and Outcome Measures in Uveitis.

Most uveitis entities are rare diseases but, taken together, are responsible for 5-10% of worldwide visual impairment which largely affects persons of working age. As with many rare diseases, there is a lack of high-level evidence regarding its clinical management, partly due to a dearth of reliable and objective quantitative endpoints for clinical trials. This review provides an overview of available structural outcome measures for uveitis disease activity and damage in an anatomical order from the anterior to the posterior segment of the eye.

Behavior of SD-OCT Detectable Hyperreflective Foci in Diabetic Macular Edema Patients after Therapy with Anti-VEGF Agents and Dexamethasone Implants.

Purpose: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is the most common cause of blindness in the working-age population. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) allows detection and monitoring of the edema and a detailed analysis of the retinal structure. Hyperreflective foci (HF) are small, circumscribed lesions on OCT, and their origin is yet to be determined.

Analysis of peripheral inflammatory T cell subsets and their effector function in patients with Birdshot Retinochoroiditis.

Birdshot Retinochoroiditis (BSRC) is a progressive non-infectious intraocular inflammation that affects choroid and retina. Inflammatory processes have adverse effects on vision by affecting photoreceptor-bearing cells that do not regenerate. This study aimed at characterizing inflammatory CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets in the peripheral blood of active and inactive BSRCs.

Corneal higher-order aberrations after cataract surgery: Manual phacoemulsification versus femtosecond-laser assisted technique.

Purpose: To compare and evaluate corneal higher-order aberrations (c-HOA) between conventional manual phacoemulsification (Phaco), femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS), and femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery with astigmatic keratotomy (FSAK).

Methods: In this retrospective single center study, 53 healthy individuals with cataract (73 eyes) underwent phacoemulsification with implantation of an intraocular lens. Three groups were formed: group A, Phaco ( = 27 eyes of 21 patients); group B, FLACS ( = 25 eyes of 15 patients); group C, FSAK ( = 21 eyes of 17 patients).

Overcoming barriers of retinal care delivery during a pandemic-attitudes and drivers for the implementation of digital health: a global expert survey.

Background/aims: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has imposed barriers to retinal care delivery worldwide. In this context, retinal services are exploring novel ways to ensure access to healthcare.

Methods: We conducted a worldwide survey among retinal specialists between March 31, 2020 and April 12, 2020.

The impact of impending / onset of vision loss on depression, anxiety, and vision-related quality of life in Birdshot-Retinochoroiditis and Serpiginous Choroiditis.

To evaluate the impact of Birdshot-Retinochoroidopathy (BSRC) and Serpiginous Choroiditis (SC) on depression, anxiety, and vision-related quality of life. 72 individuals (BSRC: n = 28, SC: n = 8; healthy control group (HC): n = 36) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25). Multivariate linear regression models were used to analyze different subscales of the PHQ-9, the GAD-7 and the VFQ-25.

Sympathetic Ophthalmia - a Contribution to Immunology, Clinic and Current Imaging.

Background: Sympathetic ophthalmia (SO) is a rare inflammation of an operated or injured eye that spreads to the fellow eye. It is typically a bilateral granulomatous panuveitis. The traumatized eye is referred to as inciting eye and the fellow eye as sympathizing eye.

Outcome of a penetrating keratoplasty in a 3-month-old child with sclerocornea.

Sclerocornea is a rare congenital anomaly with clouding of the peripheral cornea that possibly extends up to the center of the cornea. Characteristically, a clear distinction (limbus) between sclera and cornea is lacking. Early surgical treatment is essential for preventing amblyopia, but penetrating keratoplasty in children carries a relatively high risk of complications.

Expert opinion on the management and follow-up of uveitis patients during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.

Introduction: Routine medical and ophthalmic care is being drastically curtailed in the context of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. Uveitis patients require particular attention because of their theoretical risk of viral infection, in the context of therapeutic immunosuppression.

Areas Covered: This collaborative work proposes practical management and follow-up criteria for uveitis patients in the context of the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) findings in Serpiginous Choroiditis.

Background: To describe changes in the retina/choroid in patients with Serpiginous Choroiditis (SC) by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA) in a multimodal imaging approach.

Methods: Prospective, monocentric study of 24 eyes of 12 consenting patients diagnosed with SC, who underwent OCTA, which was analyzed and compared to other methods such as enhanced depth imaging-OCT, fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and fundus autofluorescence.

Results: The study group consisted of 9 patients with peripapillary SC, 1 macular SC, and 2 atypical cases.

[Anterior Uveitis: Clinic, Diagnostic Procedure and Treatment Options].

Anterior uveitis involves inflammation of the iris and/or ciliary body and is the most common intraocular inflammation in ophthalmological practice. It can be attributed to an infectious or immune-mediated genesis or be associated with systemic diseases. Anamnesis and (guiding) findings during the slit lamp examination often already provide important information on pathogenesis and thus on further diagnostic clarification and therapy.