The Silent Epidemic: Unveiling Herpetic Uveitis in the Elderly.

In aging societies, uveitis-a leading cause of vision loss due to ocular inflammation-is increasingly prevalent, especially among older people. This study aimed to determine the trends and contributing factors of herpetic uveitis in older people, reflecting the broader impact of demographic shifts on ocular health. A retrospective study at the Institute of Science Tokyo reviewed uveitis cases in patients aged ≥ 65 years between 2012 and 2022.

Retromode Infrared Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease.

Purpose: This study examined six patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease using retromode infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (RMI-SLO).

Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective review of the medical records of six patients diagnosed with VKH disease. The RMI-SLO images were compared to those obtained using color fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and dye-based retinal angiography.

Ocular Toxoplasmosis: Advances in Biology, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnostics, and Therapy.

, an obligate intracellular parasite, is a globally prevalent pathogen capable of infecting a wide range of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT), a severe manifestation of infection, can lead to potentially blinding complications. This comprehensive review delves into the current understanding of biology, exploring its complex life cycle, diverse transmission routes, and strain diversity.

Ophthalmic Use of Targeted Biologics in the Management of Intraocular Diseases: Current and Emerging Therapies.

Background: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have demonstrated substantial potential in the treatment of intraocular diseases. This review aimed to comprehensively evaluate the applications, efficacy, and safety of mAbs in the management of intraocular conditions.

Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted in major medical databases through July 2024.

Sexual transmission of HTLV-1 resulting in uveitis with short-term latency and low proviral load.

Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 (HTLV-1) is traditionally linked to severe conditions such as adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma, HTLV-1-associated myelopathy, and HTLV-1 uveitis, with vertical transmission, particularly mother to child thorough breastfeeding, considered the primary route. Despite efforts to reduce vertical transmission through antenatal screening in Japan, horizontal transmission has contributed to the rising prevalence of HTLV-1 in metropolitan areas. This case reports the youngest documented instance of HTLV-1 uveitis resulting from horizontal transmission through sexual contact in an 18-year-old woman.

Cytomegalovirus Retinitis: Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis and Treatment.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is the most common eye disease associated with CMV infection in immunocompromised individuals. The CMVR may initially be asymptomatic; however, relatively mild vitreous inflammation at the onset may be an important differential point from other diseases in HIV patients. Fundus photography, CD4 T-cell count, and telemedicine could be used to screen and monitor the high-risk population, particularly in resource-limited regions.

Applications of Biological Therapy for Latent Infections: Benefits and Risks.

Biological therapies have revolutionized medical treatment by targeting the key mediators or receptors involved in inflammatory responses, thereby effectively suppressing inflammation and achieving beneficial outcomes. They are more advanced than conventional therapies using corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, offering effective solutions for autoimmune diseases, cancer, transplant rejection, and various infectious diseases, including coronavirus disease 2019. Although they exert low immunosuppressive effects, biological therapies can reactivate specific biological targets associated with infections.

Evaluating tocilizumab safety and immunomodulatory effects under ocular HTLV-1 infection in vitro.

There is growing interest in evaluating the safety and therapeutic potential of existing treatments such as tocilizumab (TCZ), an IL-6 receptor antagonist used to treat inflammatory diseases. However, there have been reports of increased inflammation in patients with HTLV-1 uveitis after TCZ treatment, and its ocular safety in the HTLV-1 infected state remains unknown. This study focused on assessing the impact of TCZ on HTLV-1-infected ocular cells using an in vitro model in which retinal pigment epithelial cells were cocultured with irradiated HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines.

Vaccines and the Eye: Current Understanding of the Molecular and Immunological Effects of Vaccination on the Eye.

Vaccination is a public health cornerstone that protects against numerous infectious diseases. Despite its benefits, immunization implications on ocular health warrant thorough investigation, particularly in the context of vaccine-induced ocular inflammation. This review aimed to elucidate the complex interplay between vaccination and the eye, focusing on the molecular and immunological pathways implicated in vaccine-associated ocular adverse effects.

Ripasudil as a Potential Therapeutic Agent in Treating Secondary Glaucoma in HTLV-1-Uveitis: An In Vitro Analysis.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), a virus that affects 5-10 million people globally, causes several diseases, including adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma and HTLV-1-associated uveitis (HU). HU is prevalent in Japan and often leads to secondary glaucoma, which is a serious complication. We investigated the efficacy of ripasudil, a Rho-associated coiled coil-forming protein kinase inhibitor, in alleviating changes in human trabecular meshwork cells (hTM cells) infected with HTLV-1.

Polarization-Sensitive OCT Imaging of Scleral Abnormalities in Eyes With High Myopia and Dome-Shaped Macula.

Importance: The relevance of visualizing scleral fiber orientation may offer insights into the pathogenesis of pathologic myopia, including dome-shaped maculopathy (DSM).

Objective: To investigate the orientation and density of scleral collagen fibers in highly myopic eyes with and without DSM by polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT).

Design, Setting, And Participants: This case series included patients with highly myopic eyes (defined as a refractive error ≥6 diopters or an axial length ≥26.

Long Vax in the Eye: Long Post-COVID Vaccination Syndrome Presenting with Frosted Branch Angiitis.

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines have been reported as protecting against COVID-19 and reducing its severity, and we have recognized post-vaccination symptoms recently. This research investigates the clinical trajectories of ocular disorders in a 51-year-old female who received a second dose of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Exhibiting fever and blurred vision within 24 h post-vaccination, with progressive blurry vision over two months, she underwent in-depth ophthalmologic examinations, revealing intraocular cellular infiltration in anterior chamber, vitreous opacity, and frosted branch angiitis in both eyes.

Characteristics and Prevalence of Staphyloma Edges at Different Ages in Highly Myopic Eyes.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of staphyloma edges in highly myopic eyes and how they progress.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using baseline data and a longitudinal study with follow-up data from 256 patients (447 eyes) with high myopia, with a mean (SD) follow-up of 3.79 (0.

Reactivation of previously controlled Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease more than 46 years following COVID-19 vaccination: a case study.

We report a case of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease that recurred 46 years after initial treatment. A 59-year-old woman presented with a 2-month history of bilateral vision blurring. She had received her third dose of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination 4 months before the onset of blurring.

Ocular Manifestations of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection in the Combination Antiretroviral Therapy Era.

Since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in Japan in 2008, the spectrum of ocular manifestations in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has changed. This study, conducted at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital between January 2012 and August 2023, aimed to understand the epidemiology and clinical features of ocular manifestations in patients with HIV during the cART era. Of the 218 patients diagnosed with HIV, 23 (10.

Possible association between vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 and recurrence of macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion: a case report.

We herein describe a patient who developed recurrence of macular edema (ME) due to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) 3 days after administration of the BNT162b2 vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A man in his early 50s visited our hospital because of vision loss in his right eye. His logarithmic best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was -0.

LONGITUDINAL CHANGES OF POSTERIOR VORTEX VEINS IN HIGHLY MYOPIC EYES DETERMINED BY RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSES OF INDOCYANINE GREEN ANGIOGRAMS.

Purpose: To assess the longitudinal changes of the posterior vortex veins (VVs) in highly myopic (HM) eyes.

Methods: The medical records of 1,730 consecutive HM eyes that had undergone indocyanine green angiography were studied. Eyes that had posterior VVs and had undergone at least two indocyanine green angiography examinations with a minimum interval of 3 years were selected from this group.

Ocular Inflammation Post-Vaccination.

The association between vaccines and ocular disorders has attracted significant attention in scientific research. Numerous mainstream vaccines are associated with a range of uveitis types, including anterior, intermediate, and posterior uveitis. Additionally, they are associated with distinct ocular diseases such as multifocal choroiditis, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease, acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE), and multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS).

Machine Learning Models for Predicting Long-Term Visual Acuity in Highly Myopic Eyes.

Importance: High myopia is a global concern due to its escalating prevalence and the potential risk of severe visual impairment caused by pathologic myopia. Using artificial intelligence to estimate future visual acuity (VA) could help clinicians to identify and monitor patients with a high risk of vision reduction in advance.

Objective: To develop machine learning models to predict VA at 3 and 5 years in patients with high myopia.

Targeted delivery of autoantigen to dendritic cells prevents development of spontaneous uveitis.

Restoration of immunological tolerance to self antigens has been a major drive in understanding the mechanisms of, and developing new treatments for, autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease. Sessile dendritic cells (DC) are considered the main instruments underpinning immunological tolerance particularly the CD205 (DEC205) cDC1 subset in contrast to DCIR2 cDC2 which mediate immunogenicity. Targeting DC using autoantigen peptide-antibody fusion proteins has been a well explored methodology for inducing tolerance.

MORPHOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS AND PROGRESSION PATTERNS OF MACULAR NEOVASCULARIZATION-RELATED ATROPHY IN EYES WITH PATHOLOGIC MYOPIA.

Purpose: To investigate the development and progression patterns of macular neovascularization (MNV)-related atrophies in eyes with pathologic myopia.

Methods: Twenty-seven eyes of 26 patients with MNV followed from its onset to progression to macular atrophy were studied. A longitudinal series of autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography images were examined for the patterns of MNV-related atrophy.

Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Complicated by Severe Exudative Retinal Detachment and Orbital Granuloma Successfully Controlled with Rituximab: A Case Report.

We report a rare case of severe exudative retinal detachment with orbital granuloma associated with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). A 42-year-old man developed bilateral conjunctival hyperemia and eye pain 15 months before presenting to us. Because vitreous cells and retinal detachment were detected in his left eye, he was referred to us for further evaluation.