Ocular hypotension and hypotony in multibacillary leprosy patients; at diagnosis, during and after completion of multidrug therapy.

The prevalence and incidence of ocular hypotony (IOP < 7 mm Hg) and factors associated with them were determined in a Leprosy Referral Centre at Tamilnadu, India. Applanation intraocular pressures were measured every six months in a cohort of newly diagnosed multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients who were followed-up during the two year period of multidrug therapy (MDT) and for five years thereafter. Transient hypotony was present in two patients at the time of diagnosis, in 3 patients during MDT and in 9 patients after MDT with a cumulative prevalence of 4.

The prevalence of ocular complications in leprosy patients seen in the United Kingdom over a period of 21 years.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of ocular complications and blindness among leprosy patients presenting in the United Kingdom.

Methods: Observational prospective study.

Results: A total of 126 consecutive leprosy patients attending their ophthalmic visit were examined, out of which 18 patients were blind in one eye (14.

The MacDQoL individualized measure of the impact of macular degeneration on quality of life: reliability and responsiveness.

Purpose: To investigate the MacDQoL test-retest reliability and sensitivity to change in vision over a period of one year in a sample of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Design: A prospective, observational study.

Method: Patients with AMD from an ophthalmologist's list (n = 135) completed the MacDQoL questionnaire by telephone interview and underwent a vision assessment on two occasions, one year apart.

Iris atrophy in patients with newly diagnosed multibacillary leprosy: at diagnosis, during and after completion of multidrug treatment.

Aim: To describe the prevalence and incidence of iris atrophy in patients with multibacillary (MB) leprosy.

Methods And Patients: Prospective longitudinal cohort study. 301 newly diagnosed patients with MB leprosy were followed up during the 2 years of treatment with multidrug therapy (MDT) and for a further 5 years with biannual ocular examinations.

Incidence of ocular complications in patients with multibacillary leprosy after completion of a 2 year course of multidrug therapy.

Aim: To evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for ocular complications in multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients following completion of 2 year, fixed duration, multidrug therapy (MDT).

Methods: Biannual eye examinations were conducted prospectively on a cohort of MB patients who had completed MDT and followed up for 5 years. The incidence of ocular pathology was calculated as the number of events per person year of event free follow up of patients who did not have the specific finding before completion of MDT.

Incidence of ocular morbidity among multibacillary leprosy patients during a 2 year course of multidrug therapy.

Aim: To evaluate the incidence of and risk factors for ocular complications in multibacillary (MB) leprosy patients during their 2 year, fixed duration, multidrug therapy (MDT).

Methods: Periodic eye examinations were conducted prospectively on a cohort of 301 consecutive newly diagnosed MB patients every 6 months during their 2 year course of MDT. Incidence of ocular pathology was calculated as the number of events per person year of event free follow up of patients who did not have the specific finding at baseline.

Effect of age related macular degeneration on the Eger macular stressometer photostress recovery time.

Aim: To assess the repeatability of Eger macular stressometer (EMS) measures of photostress recovery and determine their association with other measures of visual function.

Methods: EMS photostress recovery time was measured in 90 patients with bilateral exudative age related macular degeneration (AMD), 19 with bilateral atrophic AMD and 47 with both forms of the condition (mean age 79 (SD 13) years). Measurements were made on two occasions separated by 1 year.

+Psychometric evaluation of the MacDQoL individualised measure of the impact of macular degeneration on quality of life.

Background: The MacDQoL is an individualised measure of the impact of macular degeneration (MD) on quality of life (QoL). There is preliminary evidence of its psychometric properties and sensitivity to severity of MD. The aim of this study was to carry out further psychometric evaluation with a larger sample and investigate the measure's sensitivity to MD severity.

The influence of diabetic retinopathy on quality of life: interviews to guide the design of a condition-specific, individualised questionnaire: the RetDQoL.

An individualised measure of the impact of diabetic retinopathy on quality of life (QoL) was developed, using a four-phase iterative approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative methods. In semi-structured interviews, eleven people with diabetic retinopathy in each of two UK and two German hospitals described how QoL would be different without diabetic retinopathy. They completed and commented on the latest Retinopathy Dependent QoL (RetDQoL) draft.

Eye disease in multibacillary leprosy patients at the time of their leprosy diagnosis: findings from the Longitudinal Study of Ocular Leprosy (LOSOL) in India, the Philippines and Ethiopia.

Existing prevalence surveys do not provide adequate information to estimate the magnitude of ocular pathology or vision loss in leprosy patients. We sought to determine the prevalence of ocular findings and related risk factors in leprosy patients at the time of their disease diagnosis. We also sought to determine if there were geographic differences and whether these were due to different demographic characteristics of the populations.

Entonox as an analgesic agent during panretinal photocoagulation.

Background/aims: Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) reduces the risk of visual loss in proliferative diabetic retinopathy but some patients cannot tolerate PRP because of pain. Inhaled Entonox was evaluated as an analgesic during PRP.

Methods: A randomised, crossover, double masked pilot study was performed.

Perceived quality of health care in macular disease: a survey of members of the Macular Disease Society.

Aim: To investigate the experiences of people with macular disease within the British healthcare system.

Method: The Macular Disease Society Questionnaire, a self completion questionnaire designed to survey the experiences of people with macular disease, was sent to 2000 randomly selected members of the Macular Disease Society. The questionnaire incorporated items about people's experiences with health professionals and the information and support provided by them at the time of diagnosis and thereafter.

Intravitreal triamcinolone for uveitic cystoid macular edema: an optical coherence tomography study.

Purpose: To investigate the use of intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) for the treatment of refractory uveitic cystoid macular edema (CME).

Design: Prospective, nonrandomized, self-controlled comparative trial.

Participants: Six patients with chronic CME resistant to treatment with systemic steroids, orbital floor steroids, and cyclosporine A.

Optical coherence tomography of melanocytoma.

Purpose: To evaluate the use of optical coherence tomography in differentiating between melanocytoma and choroidal melanoma.

Methods: Case reports. Three consecutive patients with melanocytoma were scanned using optical coherence tomography.

Epithelioid granuloma in the iris of a lepromatous leprosy patient; an unusual finding.

This case report depicts a case of histopathologically confirmed polar lepromatous (LL) leprosy with a bacterial index of 4+. He experienced recurrent episodes of erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) in the first 5 years after diagnosis. Skin smears became negative after 6 years of dapsone monotherapy and have remained negative since that time.

Comparison between optical coherence tomography and fundus fluorescein angiography for the detection of cystoid macular edema in patients with uveitis.

Purpose: To compare optical coherence tomography (OCT) with fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) for the detection of cystoid macular edema (CME) in patients with uveitis.

Design: Prospective comparative observational series.

Participants: One hundred twenty-one eyes of 58 patients with uveitis of varied causes (seven patients were studied twice).

Hypopigmented face patches; their distribution and relevance to ocular complications in leprosy.

Eighty-two leprosy patients with hypopigmented patches over the face (cases) and an equal number of age-, sex-, and classification-matched leprosy patients without any hypopigmented patches over the face (controls) were examined for the distribution of hypopigmented facial patches, areas of anesthesia over the face, and eye complications. The hypopigmented patches did not follow any pattern and overlapped in the areas of sensation supplied by the three branches of the trigeminal nerve. Anesthesia over the face, evaluated by a Semmes-Weinstein monofilament which exerted a force of 0.

The prevalence of disabling ocular complications of leprosy: a global study.

A world-wide study on the ocular complications of leprosy has been carried out over the past ten years. The data from 4772 patients, designed to give baseline information for a five-year incidence study, have been analysed. Blindness due to leprosy was seen in 3.

Breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier after argon laser panretinal photocoagulation for proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Background: Breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier (BAB) after panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) was measured with a laser flare photometer over a study period of 8 weeks.

Methods: Twenty-five eyes of 25 patients who had no previous photocoagulation and required such treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) were included in the trial. They received 2000 burns (0.

Foveal involvement and lack of visual recovery in APMPPE associated with uncommon features.

Acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) is commonly believed to be a benign disease with excellent visual prognosis. Identification of cases with poor visual outcome prompted this retrospective study of 33 eyes of 18 patients with this disorder. Loss of visual acuity at presentation was recorded in 25 eyes (76%), 22 of which had lesions at the fovea.

Studies of the blood-aqueous barrier in diabetes mellitus.

We measured the breakdown of the blood-aqueous barrier in 63 patients with diabetes (126 eyes) by using a laser flare meter. Of 126 eyes, 40 had no retinopathy, 34 had proliferative retinopathy, 24 had regressed proliferative retinopathy, 14 had background retinopathy, and 14 had maculopathy. Eyes were classified into one category only.

Long-term follow-up of diode laser trabeculoplasty for primary open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension.

Background: Initial studies of laser trabeculoplasty using infrared energy (810 nm) emitted by diode semi-conductor lasers have been encouraging. A 2-year study of diode laser trabeculoplasty (DLT) in the control of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and ocular hypertension has been completed.

Methods: Patients with uncontrolled POAG or ocular hypertension were treated with DLT to one half of the trabecular meshwork using a trabeculoplasty lens.