Comparison of two methods for obtaining and transporting corneal samples in suspected infectious keratitis.

Background And Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare two alternative methods of collecting and transporting media for the diagnosis of corneal ulcers, as not all clinical settings have conventional culture materials and transport media available.

Methods: In this open-label, prospective, comparative, and randomized study, patients with clinical suspicion of infectious keratitis with high risk of loss of vision had corneal specimens collected using two methods and transport media: Eswab scraping with Amies transport medium and 23-gauge needle scraping in BACTEC Peds broth. The order of each collection method was randomized.

Multimodal retinal imaging of familial amyloid polyneuropathy.

: Retinal amyloid angiopathy is a sight-threatening complication of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) caused by pathological deposition of transthyretin. The purpose of this report is to present ocular findings in patients with FAP using a combination of novel non-invasive retinal imaging techniques, including first time published images of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in FAP.: Observational cross-sectional study of retinal images in patients with FAP using: fundus ultra wide-field photography (UWF); autofluorescence (AF); optical coherence tomography (OCT); and, OCT-A.

First-in-human study of the safety and viability of intraocular robotic surgery.

Microsurgery of the retina would be dramatically improved by instruments that offer supra-human precision. Here, we report the results of a first-in-human study of remotely controlled robot-assisted retinal surgery performed through a telemanipulation device. Specifically, 12 patients requiring dissection of the epiretinal or inner limiting membrane over the macula were randomly assigned to either undergo robot-assisted-surgery or manual surgery, under general anaesthesia.

Botulinum toxin for treating unilateral apraxia of eyelid opening in a patient with congenital myotonia.

A 37-year-old female presented with severe apraxia of lid opening (ALO) affecting the right upper lid associated with Becker congenital myotonia (MC). The patient had a history of right upper lid ptosis for 25 years that was exacerbated over the previous month with severe incapacity to open her right eye. No other associated neurological or ophthalmic symptoms were observed.

A novel mutation in the dominantly inherited TOPORS gene supports haploinsufficiency as the mechanism of retinitis pigmentosa.

Background: Inherited retinal degenerations are a major cause of untreatable blindness in the younger age group. Recent advances in gene therapy using adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors have raised the possibility of slowing or stopping retinal degenerations with gene replacement in cases of gene deficiency.

Materials And Methods: In this report, we present a family with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa.

Hydroxychloroquine retinopathy: an emerging problem.

PurposeThe aim of this case series is to raise awareness of the emerging issue of serious retinal damage caused by the prolonged use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and the importance of adequate and appropriate monitoring of visual function during treatment.Patient and methodsThis is a small retrospective case series of 3 patients on long-term HCQ who developed serious symptomatic retinal toxicity confirmed on imaging and functional testing.ResultsAll 3 patients were treated with HCQ for over 15 years; two for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the third for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Marfan syndrome: ocular findings and novel mutations-in pursuit of genotype-phenotype associations.

Objective: To analyze ocular involvement in patients diagnosed with Marfan syndrome (MFS), study their clinical findings and prognosis based on the type of FBN1 mutation, and evaluate possible genotype-phenotype correlations.

Design: Observational single-centre case series.

Participants: Eleven patients diagnosed with MFS were included.

Immunostaining images of vitreous transthyretin amyloid.

Objective: The purpose of this report is to present the diagnosis of familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP) based on vitreous biopsy and to demonstrate immunohistochemical images of transthyretin amyloid protein from vitreous samples.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Methods: Retrospective review of clinical charts of patients with FAP who underwent vitrectomy for vitreous opacities and had immunostaining performed on the vitreous specimens.

Nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy as an effective treatment of glaucoma related to familial amyloid polyneuropathy.

Purpose: To present the clinical course and treatment by nonpenetrating deep sclerectomy (NPDS) of open-angle glaucoma secondary to familial amyloid polyneuropathy (FAP).

Patients And Methods: In a series of 10 patients with FAP in a tertiary ophthalmology center, 4 eyes of 3 patients required glaucoma filtration surgery and NPDS with implant, and local intraoperative mitomycin C application was performed. Intraocular pressure and anatomic bleb functionality were measured.

Bilateral self-inflicted infectious dacryoadenitis.

The aim of this report is to present a case of a patient with bilateral lacrimal gland abscesses in the course of dacryoadenitis. A 45-year-old female patient with a long history of cocaine abuse presented with bilateral bacterial dacryoadenitis and upper lid inflammation with purulent discharge from a palpebral wound of the right upper lid. The diagnosis was confirmed with microbiology culture and an orbital CT scan, which revealed lacrimal gland abscesses.