Uveal melanoma: Recent advances in immunotherapy.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular cancer in adults. The incidence in Europe and the United States is 6-7 per million population per year. Although most primary UMs can be successfully treated and locally controlled by irradiation therapy or local tumor resection, up to 50% of UM patients develop metastases that usually involve the liver and are fatal within 1 year.

Recent Developments in Gene Therapy for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Review.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex and multifactorial disease and a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the elderly population. The anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy has revolutionized the management and prognosis of neovascular AMD (nAMD) and is currently the standard of care for this disease. However, patients are required to receive repeated injections, imposing substantial social and economic burdens.

Recent Advances of Adipose-Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Retinal Diseases.

With the rapid development of stem cell research in modern times, stem cell-based therapy has opened a new era of tissue regeneration, becoming one of the most promising strategies for currently untreatable retinal diseases. Among the various sources of stem cells, adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) have emerged as a promising therapeutic modality due to their characteristics and multiple functions, which include immunoregulation, anti-apoptosis of neurons, cytokine and growth factor secretion, and antioxidative activities. Studies have shown that ADSCs can facilitate the replacement of dying cells, promote tissue remodeling and regeneration, and support the survival and growth of retinal cells.

Innovative Strategies for Drug Delivery to the Ocular Posterior Segment.

Innovative and new drug delivery systems (DDSs) have recently been developed to vehicle treatments and drugs to the ocular posterior segment and the retina. New formulations and technological developments, such as nanotechnology, novel matrices, and non-traditional treatment strategies, open new perspectives in this field. The aim of this mini-review is to highlight promising strategies reported in the current literature based on innovative routes to overcome the anatomical and physiological barriers of the vitreoretinal structures.

X-Linked Retinoschisis: Deep Phenotyping and Genetic Characterization.

Purpose: To examine the genetic and clinical features in children and adults with X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS).

Design: Single-center consecutive, retrospective, observational study.

Participants: Adults and children with molecularly confirmed XLRS followed up between 1999 and 2020.

OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY FINDINGS BEFORE AND AFTER VITRECTOMY FOR MACULAR HOLES: Useful or Useless?

Purpose: To investigate the vascular remodeling of optical coherence tomography angiography in full-thickness macular hole surgery.

Methods: This retrospective, observational case series included 33 eyes of 33 patients with a full-thickness macular hole who underwent epiretinal membrane removal. Data were collected on best-corrected visual acuity, structural B-scan optical coherence tomography, and optical coherence tomography angiography preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively.

The Role of OCT Angiography in the Assessment of Epiretinal Macular Membrane.

Background: The aim of this observational study is to assess pre- and postoperative retinochoroidal vascular changes in patients undergoing epiretinal macular membrane (ERM) surgery by using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA).

Materials And Methods: 23 eyes affected by ERM and those which underwent phacovitrectomy associated with ERM peeling were enrolled. They were evaluated using structural OCT and OCTA before surgery and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively.

OCT Angiography Findings in Macula-ON and Macula-OFF Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment: A Prospective Study.

The aim of the study was to evaluate pre-operative and post-operative retinal vasculature using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in patients who underwent rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) surgery repair. A total of 33 eyes were included in this prospective consecutive observational study: 15 affected by macula-ON and 18 by macula-OFF RRD. Superficial (SCP), deep capillary plexus (DCP), and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area variations were evaluated by OCTA and correlated with visual acuity (VA) during a six-month follow-up.

Adaptive Optics Imaging in Patients Affected by Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum.

Purpose: To describe the retinal findings of patients affected by pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) using a multimodal imaging approach including flood-illumination adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy (AO).

Design: Retrospective case series.

Materials And Methods: Patients affected by PXE were retrospectively studied.

Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant as a Sustained Release Drug Delivery Device for the Treatment of Ocular Diseases: A Comprehensive Review of the Literature.

Drug delivery into the vitreous chamber remains a great challenge in the pharmaceutical industry due to the complex anatomy and physiology of the eye. Intravitreal injection is the mainstream route of drug administration to the posterior segment of the eye. The purpose of this review is to assess the current literature about the widening use of the intravitreal 0.

HUMAN AMNIOTIC MEMBRANE TO TREAT MACULAR HOLES THAT FAILED TO CLOSE, SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE ENDOTAMPONADE VERSUS AIR ENDOTAMPONADE: A Prospective Comparative Study.

Background/purpose: To determinate the efficacy of the human amniotic membrane plugs with sulfur hexafluoride versus human amniotic membrane plug with air as endotamponade to treat macular holes that failed to close after vitrectomy plus internal limiting membrane peeling. Multimodal imaging was focused to evaluate preoperative features and postoperative changes.

Methods: Prospective interventional comparative study.

Human Amniotic Membrane Plug to Restore Age-Related Macular Degeneration Photoreceptor Damage.

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of legal blindness in adults 65 years of age and older. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) can complicate AMD and lead to severe visual acuity reduction. Despite the several treatments available, if the retinal pigment epithelium is damaged, we have to cope with the impossibility of restoring acceptable visual acuity using only medical treatments.

Choroidal Vascularity Index: An In-Depth Analysis of This Novel Optical Coherence Tomography Parameter.

Remarkable improvements in optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology have resulted in highly sophisticated, noninvasive machines allowing detailed and advanced morphological evaluation of all retinal and choroidal layers. Postproduction semiautomated imaging analysis with dedicated public-domain software allows precise quantitative analysis of binarized OCT images. In this regard, the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) is emerging as a new imaging tool for the measurement and analysis of the choroidal vascular system by quantifying both luminal and stromal choroidal components.

Morpho-Functional Evaluation of Full-Thickness Macular Holes by the Integration of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography and Microperimetry.

(1) Objective: To use optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and microperimetry (MP) to evaluate the correlation between retinal structure and function in patients with idiopathic, full-thickness macular holes (FTMHs) (2) Methods: This prospective, observational study included 11 eyes of 10 patients with FTMHs evaluated before surgery using OCTA and MP. MP sensitivity maps were superimposed and registered on slabs corresponding to superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) on OCTA, and on the outer plexiform layer (OPL) and the Henle fiber layer (HFL) complex in en face OCT. On these maps, mean retinal sensitivity was calculated at 2° and 4°, all centered on the FTMH.

ATTENUATION OUTER RETINAL BANDS ON OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY FOLLOWING MACULAR EDEMA: A Possible Manifestation of Photoreceptor Misalignment.

Purpose: Macular edema is a common retinal disease which may leave important anatomical and functional sequelaes. Directional fundus imaging consists of comparing on- and off-axis images to reveal angle-dependent reflectance properties of fundus structures, which may be related to misaligned photoreceptors. Here, we analyzed directional optical coherence tomography (OCT) and flood-illumination adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy images to detect evidence of misaligned photoreceptors following macular edema.

IOL repositioning using iris sutures: a safe and effective technique.

This retrospective non-comparative consecutive case series study was conducted at Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Careggi, Florence, Italy and describes a useful intraocular lens (IOL) repositioning technique using iris sutures. In our study, 41 consecutive cases of posteriorly dislocated IOLs were surgically treated between January 2015 and May 2017. Six of the cases were post-traumatic luxations, and 20 patients had pseudoexfoliation syndrome.

IN VIVO OBSERVATION OF RETINAL VASCULAR DEPOSITS USING ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING IN FABRY DISEASE.

Purpose: To report a novel finding in patients with Fabry disease, that is, the observation by adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy of intracellular lipidic deposits in retinal vessels.

Methods: Observational two-center case series. Eighteen patients with genetically proven Fabry disease underwent flood-illumination adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy imaging (rtx1; Imagine Eyes, Orsay, France) of retinal vessels.

A human Amniotic Membrane plug to manage high myopic macular hole associated with retinal detachment.

Objective: To assess the efficacy of the human amniotic membrane (hAM) to treat (HMMH) associated with retinal detachment (RD).

Material And Methods: Ten eyes of 10 patients with recurrent HMMH and RD, who had already undergone one or more pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), underwent a PPV with an hAM plug implanted in the macular hole. The initial five patients enrolled were tamponaded with (SO) while the subsequent five patients with 10% octafluoropropane (C F ).

Perfluorodecalin Versus Densiron 68 Heavy Silicone Oil in the Management of Inferior Retinal Detachment Recurrence.

Background And Objective: To assess the efficacy of perfluorodecalin (PFD) or Densiron 68 heavy silicone oil (HSO) in the management of inferior complex retinal detachment recurrence.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective, comparative consecutive case series study. Twenty-four eyes of 24 patients affected by inferior complex retinal detachment recurrence underwent pars plana vitrectomy with PFD or HSO as endotamponade.

Quantitative Analysis of Conjunctival and Retinal Vessels in Fabry Disease.

Fabry Disease (FD) is a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder characterized by systemic and ocular involvement. It has been described an increasing in retinal and conjunctival vessel tortuosity and this feature represents an important marker for the disease. Currently, there is not an objective method to measure and quantify this parameter.

Densiron 68 heavy silicone oil in the management of inferior retinal detachment recurrence: analysis on functional and anatomical outcomes and complications.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of a heavy silicone oil (Densiron 68) in the management of inferior retinal detachment recurrence.

Methods: A retrospective non-comparative consecutive case series study. Forty-nine cases of complex inferior retinal detachment were treated using Densiron 68 heavy silicone oil (HSO) as the endotamponade.

Multimodal imaging of benign yellow dot maculopathy.

Purpose: To describe the clinical features of 2 unrelated families affected with Benign Yellow Dot Maculopathy and to analyze anatomical and functional findings of this peculiar phenotype Methods: Case series Results: We retrospectively described 5 patients (3 males, 2 females) affected with Benign Yellow Dot Maculopathy. The mean age at referral was 50,8 years (range 34-69 yrs.).