SARS-CoV-2 and the ocular surface: test accuracy and viral load.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the pre-sence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in the ocular surface of individuals clinically suspected of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and determine the accuracy of different approaches of molecular testing on the ocular surface based on the nasopharyngeal positivity status for COVID-19.

Methods: A total of 152 individuals with suspected COVID-19 symptoms who simultaneously underwent nasopharyngeal and two different tear film collection techniques for quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were included. Tears were collected and randomized: one eye had the filter strip for the Schirmer test and the contralateral eye had conjunctival swab/cytology in the inferior fornix.

SARS-CoV-2 and the ocular surface: test accuracy and viral load.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the pre-sence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in the ocular surface of individuals clinically suspected of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and determine the accuracy of different approaches of molecular testing on the ocular surface based on the nasopharyngeal positivity status for COVID-19.

Methods: A total of 152 individuals with suspected COVID-19 symptoms who simultaneously underwent nasopharyngeal and two different tear film collection techniques for quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were included. Tears were collected and randomized: one eye had the filter strip for the Schirmer test and the contralateral eye had conjunctival swab/cytology in the inferior fornix.

Long-term visual acuity results from cataract surgery and its association with self-reported visual function: Catquest applicability.

Purposes: This study aimed to determine the association of the long-term refractive outcomes of cataract surgery with self-reported visual function obtained using Catquest-9SF.

Methods: Patients recruited from the cataract outpatient clinic of VER MAIS Oftalmologia underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination. Patients who were diagnosed with cataract with indications for phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation received the Catquest-9SF questionnaire before and after surgery at 30 days and 1 year.

Upper Eyelid Necrosis Secondary to Hordeolum: A Case Report.

We reported a case of upper eyelid necrosis initially misdiagnosed as a preseptal cellulitis following a hordeolum externum resulting in great damage to the upper eyelid (anterior lamella). The infection was successfully treated with surgical cleansing, drainage, and endovenous antibiotics. Early treatment may avoid severe complications such as eyelid deformity, systemic involvement, and blindness.

Impact of a mobile unit on access to eye care in São Paulo, Brazil.

Purpose: The goal of this study was to determine the impact of a mobile eye health unit on access to eye care and to generate a profile of the population requiring ophthalmic care by age, nature of their ophthalmic diseases, and optimal management.

Methods: The study was conducted in 14 cities in the southwest region of São Paulo, Brazil. Subjects included individuals who participate in the Brazilian Unified Health System who were in need of eye care.

Association between keratoconus, ocular allergy, and sleeping behavior.

Purpose: To compare the severity and laterality of keratoconus according to allergic rhinitis, scratching and sleeping habits, and manual dexterity.

Methods: Objective assessments regarding allergic rhinitis, eye itching, and slee-ping position among patients with keratoconus (diagnosed based on corneal tomography) were conducted. Diagnostic criteria and classification were based on the Amsler-Krumeich classification.

Reliability of foveal avascular zone measurements in eyes with retinal vein occlusion using optical coherence tomography angiography.

Background: To evaluate the reliability of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area measurements using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in eyes with retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Methods: Twenty-five OCTA exams of patients with RVO were evaluated retrospectively. Three examiners performed manual measurements of the FAZ, and interrater and intrarater reliability were obtained.

Database of the alumni performance of the Ophthalmology Stricto sensu Postgraduate Program at Escola Paulista de Medicina, UNIFESP.

Purpose: To develop a database with social, demographic and professional information of all graduates of the two post-graduate programs in Ophthalmology of EPM-UNIFESP, including their opinions on quality, application, and contribution of the courses received in their professional careers.

Methods: The survey was conducted in the digital and physical archives of the University and by telephone contact. When the graduates' e-mails were all collected, the electronic questionnaire was applied.

Cost-effectiveness of Anti-VEGF treatments for age-related macular degeneration: a Brazilian perspective.

Purpose: To study the cost-effectiveness of ranibizumab and bevacizumab for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: We used a decision tree model to analyze the cost-effectiveness of ranibizumab and bevacizumab for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, from the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS) perspective. Ranibizumab and bevacizumab were administered to patients with the same treatment procedure, and the difference in treatment costs was calculated based on the cost of the drugs.

Refractive and visual outcomes after Ferrara corneal ring segment implantation at a 60% depth in keratoconic eyes: case series.

Purpose: This report addresses refractive, topographic, visual acuity, and optical coherence tomography outcomes 12 months after femtosecond, laser-assisted insertion of Ferrara intrastromal corneal ring segments in keratoconic eyes at a depth of 60%.

Methods: Interventional, prospective, non-comparative case series. We performed femtosecond, laser-assisted insertion of Ferrara intrastromal corneal ring segments in 15 keratoconic eyes.

The Use of Topiramate for Weight Loss Causing Acute Glaucoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Topiramate is a sulfa-containing drug which is able to disrupt the ocular blood barrier. Recently it has gained more popularity, being used in many clinical conditions. Nowadays, the cases of glaucoma induced by topiramate have increased due to the use of this drug to induce weight loss.

Effectiveness of monthly and fortnightly anti-VEGF treatments for age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To study the efficacy and safety of treatments with ranibizumab and bevacizumab for exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: A parallel randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of three regimens (bevacizumab every month, bevacizumab every 2 weeks, and ranibizumab every month), followed by as-needed retreatments, for 1 year, in previously untreated individuals with age-related macular degeneration. The primary outcome was change in visual acuity and in central macular thickness after 1 year of follow-up.

A case of recurrent keratitis caused by Paecilomyces lilacinus and treated by voriconazole.

We describe here a case of a 21-year-old woman who presented with low visual acuity, pain, and hyperemia in the left eye for 45 days. Her eye had extensive corneal infiltrate, with melting and a central perforation that was glued with cyanoacrylate, but with Seidel (+). She underwent tectonic corneal transplantation, and anterior chamber lavage with subconjunctival infiltration with voriconazole, as well as intracameral injections of amphotericin B.

Long-term outcomes with Boston type 1 keratoprosthesis in ocular burns.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of Boston type I keratoprosthesis (B-Kpro) in the management of patients with ocular burn injuries.

Methods: This prospective study included all patients with ocular burns who underwent B-Kpro implantation at a tertiary eye care center between February 2008 and November 2015. Twelve patients (12 eyes) were enrolled.

Internal carotid artery aneurysm mimicking normal-tension glaucoma.

Differentiating glaucomatous from nonglaucomatous optic disc cupping remains challenging. We present a case of a 48-year-old woman with an internal carotid aneurysm of approximately 3.5 mm × 6.

Use of the Ishikawa diagram in a case-control analysis to assess the causes of a diffuse lamellar keratitis outbreak.

Purpose: To identify the causes of a diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) outbreak using a systematic search tool in a case-control analysis.

Methods: An Ishikawa diagram was used to guide physicians to determine the potential risk factors involved in this outbreak. Coherence between the occurrences and each possible cause listed in the diagram was verified, and the total number of eyes at risk was used to calculate the proportion of affected eyes.

Incidence of anterior segment neovascularization during intravitreal treatment for macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion.

Purpose:: To analyze the effects of injections of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) and intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) on the incidence rates of anterior segment neovascularization (ASN) and neovascular glaucoma (NVG) in patients with macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO).

Methods:: In this prospective, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled study, 35 patients with macular edema following CRVO were randomized to intravitreal bevacizumab, intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide, or sham injections during the first 6 months of the study. The primary outcome was the incidence rate of ASN at month 6.

Keratoconus progression is not inhibited by reducing eyelid muscular force with botulinum toxin A treatment: a randomized trial.

Purpose:: To evaluate whether reducing eyelid muscular force through the administration of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) to the orbicularis oculi muscles of patients with keratoconus affected corneal parameters indicative of disease progression.

Methods:: In this prospective parallel randomized clinical trial, 40 eyes of 40 patients with keratoconus were randomized into equally sized control and BTX-A groups. Patients in the BTX-A group received subcutaneous BTX-A injections into the orbicularis muscle.

Visual outcomes after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty using donor corneas without removal of Descemet membrane and endothelium.

Purpose:: The optical quality of the interface after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) using the big-bubble technique has been shown to be excellent, leading to results comparable to penetrating keratoplasty. However, there is little in the literature with respect to the controversy surrounding the preparation of the donor cornea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate visual acuity (VA) in patients with keratoconus who underwent DALK without removal of the donor graft endothelium.

Amniotic membrane transplantation with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft vs conjunctival autograft for recurrent pterygia.

Purpose: To compare amniotic membrane transplantation (AMT) associated with narrow-strip conjunctival autograft vs conjunctival autograft alone for the treatment of recurrent pterygium.

Methods: In this prospective consecutive interventional study, patients with recurrent pterygium were randomly divided into one of 2 groups; group 1: patients undergoing AMT associated with autologous conjunctival graft; and group 2: patients undergoing conjunctival autograft alone.

Results: Of the 80 operated eyes included in this study, 39 (group 1, mean patient age 52.

Daily Optical Coherence Tomography Examinations after First Antivascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections: An Interventional Case Series.

Purpose. To evaluate daily spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) changes in naive-treatment patients with diagnosis of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with intravitreous bevacizumab (1.25 mg), during a 30-day follow-up period.

Impact of botulinum toxin-A on corneal curvature assessed with Scheimpflug and Placido systems.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of eyelid spasm treatment with botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) on corneal curvature assessed with Scheimpflug (Pentacam) and Placido (Atlas) systems.

Setting: Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Design: Prospective interventional case series.

Ocular toxicity assessment of chronic sildenafil therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate possible functional and structural ocular changes caused by chronic sildenafil therapy to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Methods: Case-control study included patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: chronically using sildenafil and without sildenafil treatment. A comprehensive ophthalmologic exam including ectoscopy, extrinsic ocular motility, logMAR visual acuity measurement, contrast sensitivity test, color test, anterior segment biomicroscopy, Schirmer test 1, intraocular pressure, fundus exam under pupil dilation, fundus pictures, time domain and spectral domain optical coherence tomography, ocular Doppler ultrasound were performed.