A Simple New Technique to Peel Epiretinal Membrane Without Removing Silicone Oil.

Purpose: To introduce a new surgical technique that can keep constant intraocular pressure of the eyeball during peeling epiretinal membrane under silicone oil status.

Methods: A viscoelastic agent was injected into the air pump of the constellation system via the metal tip. This procedure offers a buffer zone to keep constant pressure within the eyeball without disturbing the surgical field by an air bubble.

Retinal astrocytoma with exudative retinal detachment treated with photodynamic therapy in a young girl with tuberous sclerosis.

Around 50% of patients with tuberous sclerosis have the manifestation of retinal astrocytomas. Symptomatic retinal astrocytomas are very rare, with no consensus on optimal treatment. A 7-year-old patient with tuberous sclerosis presented with progressive blurred vision in the right eye for more than half a year.

Acute macular edema and peripapillary soft exudate after pancreas transplantation with accelerated progression of diabetic retinopathy.

Background: The effect of pancreas transplantation on diabetic retinopathy remains inconclusive. Herein, we report six patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) who underwent pancreas transplantation and developed acute macular edema and peripapillary soft exudate with rapid progression to proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Methods: In this retrospective observational study, diabetic patients who underwent pancreas transplantation in a single medical center and developed symptomatic acute macular edema and peripapillary soft exudate within 3 months after the operation were enrolled.

Focal Nonperfusion of Deep Retinal Capillary Plexus in Eyes With Epiretinal Membranes Revealed by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

Background And Objective: To evaluate the leakage pattern in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membranes (ERM) using fluorescein angiography (FA) and the structure of the retinal capillary plexus with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Patients And Methods: The authors enrolled patients with idiopathic macular ERM in the consecutive case series study. All patients were evaluated using FA at the central macula area and OCTA at the central 3 mm × 3 mm.

Needle decompression in a patient with vision-threatening orbital emphysema.

Orbital emphysema is a condition resulting from trapping of air in loose subcutaneous or orbital tissues from the paranasal sinuses. This condition commonly seen in patients with a history of periorbital trauma or surgery, especially following sneezing or nose blowing. It usually has a benign and self-limited course.

Visual prognosis of massive submacular hemorrhage in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy with or without combination treatment.

Background: Submacular hemorrhage associated with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) may cause severe visual loss. The purpose of this study is to report the visual prognosis of massive submacular hemorrhage in patients with PCV.

Methods: Twenty patients with PCV and submacular hemorrhage who received either subretinal tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) with vitrectomy or intravitreal injection of TPA and gas to achieve pneumatic displacement of the hemorrhage were enrolled.

Retinal detachment with a break at pars plicata associated with congenital malformation of the lens-zonule-ciliary body complex.

Retinal detachment with a break at the pars plicata associated with congenital malformation of lens-zonule-ciliary body complex is rare; most reports are of young Japanese male patients with atopic dermatitis. The present case report is the first to describe the condition in a Chinese patient with no atopic dermatitis or trauma history. A 22-year-old male presented with blurred vision in the left eye for 4 months.

The REVEAL Study: Ranibizumab Monotherapy or Combined with Laser versus Laser Monotherapy in Asian Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema.

Objective: The primary study hypothesis was that ranibizumab 0.5 mg monotherapy or combined with laser is superior to laser monotherapy based on mean average change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) over 12 months in Asian patients with visual impairment resulting from diabetic macular edema (DME).

Design: A 12-month, randomized, double-masked, multicenter, laser-controlled, phase III study.

Ocular adnexal IgG4-related disease: clinical features, outcome, and factors associated with response to systemic steroids.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate clinical characteristics, outcome, and factors associated with response to systemic administration of steroids in patients with ocular adnexal immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related disease.

Methods: This was a retrospective evaluation of 11 patients with histopathologically verified ocular adnexal IgG4-related diseases at a medical center in Taiwan between January 2006 and December 2012. Clinical features and outcome, including serial change of serum IgG4 and clinical factors related to response to steroids systemically were evaluated.

Systolic blood pressure, choroidal thickness, and axial length in patients with myopic maculopathy.

Background: In the population-based Shihpai Eye Study, patients aged >65 years with myopic maculopathy were found to have higher systolic blood pressure. This finding deserved further exploration because this is the only correctable factor for preventing maculopathy in patients with high myopia. Therefore, we investigated the association between myopic maculopathy and systolic blood pressure, as well as other ocular parameters in this study.

Management and clinical outcomes of intraocular foreign bodies with the aid of orbital computed tomography.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) is known to be the first-line imaging method for patients with or suspect to have intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs). The purpose of this study is to evaluate clinical outcomes in the management of IOFBs with the aid of CT.

Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients who received orbital CT prior to the removal of an IOFB between January 2000 and December 2010 was carried out.

Adjunctive Orbital Radiotherapy for Ocular Adnexal IgG4-related Disease: Preliminary Experience in Patients Refractory or Intolerant to Corticosteroid Therapy.

Purpose: To present the clinical outcomes of combined orbital radiotherapy and systemic corticosteroid for patients with refractory ocular adnexal IgG4-related disease.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 3 patients with histopathologically confirmed ocular adnexal IgG4-related disease who had been refractory or intolerant to corticosteroid therapy and treated with adjunctive orbital radiotherapy (2000 cGy; 10 fractions). Clinical improvement was assessed by monitoring the patient's ability to taper corticosteroid to discontinuation and by follow-up radiologic examination.

Comparison of the effect of reduced-fluence photodynamic therapy with intravitreal bevacizumab and standard-fluence alone for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has previously been reported to be effective in treating polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), with satisfactory polyp regression. However, the optimum treatment protocol remains controversial. This study compared the effect of reduced-fluence PDT combined with intravitreal bevacizumab (rPDT/IVB) and standard-fluence PDT (sPDT) alone for treating symptomatic PCV in Chinese patients.

Persistent exudative retinal detachment after photodynamic therapy and intravitreal bevacizumab injection for multiple retinal capillary hemangiomas in a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used in treating peripheral retinal capillary hemangioma (RCH) with satisfactory results. We report a rare case of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease with three large peripheral RCHs, treated with PDT and intravitreal bevacizumab injection (IVB), who developed persistent bullous exudative retinal detachment (RD) despite significant tumor regression. The patient is a sporadic case of VHL disease, with a de novo nonsense mutation in codon 161 with C → T transition at nucleotide position 694 of the VHL gene.

The protective effect of antioxidants on orbital fibroblasts from patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy in response to oxidative stress.

Purpose: To investigate the biphasic effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on the orbital fibroblasts of patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO) and the relation to antioxidants and proinflammatory cytokines.

Methods: Proliferation of cultured orbital fibroblasts from patients with GO and normal controls was evaluated in response to various concentrations of H2O2. The effect of low concentrations of H2O2 (6.

Lacrimal gland pleomorphic adenoma masquerading as thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy.

Thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy is the most common cause of proptosis in adult female, especially those with positive thyroid antibody. Sometimes, other diagnoses should be considered. A 45-year-old female presented with progressive right proptosis and mild diplopia for 2 years.

Short-term external buckling with pneumatic retinopexy for retinal detachment with inferior retinal breaks.

Purpose: To introduce a new approach for short-term external scleral buckling with pneumatic retinopexy for the management of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with inferior retinal breaks.

Design: Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series.

Methods: A review of 33 consecutive eyes of 31 patients who underwent external buckling with pneumatic retinopexy for uncomplicated rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with inferior retinal breaks from December 2006 through December 2010.

Optical coherence tomography in resolution of photoreceptor damage in multiple evanescent white dot syndrome.

Multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) is an acute-onset chorioretinal inflammatory disease. This disorder is characterized by unilateral multiple gray-white dots of the posterior pole in young healthy women. Symptoms include blurred vision, photopsia, and visual field (VF) defects.

EXTEND III: efficacy and safety of ranibizumab in South Korean and Taiwanese patients with subfoveal CNV secondary to AMD.

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal ranibizumab 0.5 mg in South Korean and Taiwanese patients with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: This was a 12-month, open-label, single-arm, multi-center, phase III study.

Combination photodynamic therapy and intravitreal bevacizumab used to treat circumscribed choroidal hemangioma.

Circumscribed choroidal hemagioma (CCH) is an ocular tumor that can result in decreased vision or blindness. Numerous treatment methods have been reported without satisfying results. In recent years, photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin has been used to treat choroidal hemagioma and resolve the associated exudative retinal detachment, and the results have been inspiring.

Photodynamic therapy in the treatment of choroidal neovascularization complicating central serous chorioretinopathy.

We report the favorable anatomic and functional outcome of photodynamic therapy with verteporfin in a case of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy complicated with choroidal neovascularization (CNV). This 37-year-old Chinese male with bilateral chronic central serous chorioretinopathy presented with central scotoma, reduced vision and metamorphopsia in his right eye. Fluorescein angiography (FA) disclosed macular hemorrhage, exudate and subfoveal classic CNV.