Effects of Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant on Multifocal Electroretinography in Diabetic Macular Oedema.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of the dexamethasone implant on the electrophysiological profile of Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO) patients over six months.

Methods: In this prospective, single-center study 30 eyes of 22 patients were examined using comprehensive baseline assessments including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), contrast sensitivity (CS) and multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG), before and after 0.7mg dexamethasone implant injection, with follow-ups at months 1, 2, 4, and 6.

CMV-Related Anterior Uveitis in a Mediterranean European Population: Clinical Features, Prognosis, and Long-Term Treatment Outcomes.

Purpose: To describe the spectrum of clinical features of cytomegalovirus-related anterior uveitis (CMV-AU) along with potential comorbidities, to calculate complication rates, and to determine risk factors and biomarkers affecting prognosis in a cohort of a Southern European Mediterranean population.

Materials And Methods: It is a retrospective, multicenter case series of consecutive patients with persisting hypertensive AU, unresponsive to topical steroids therapy, and CMV-positive essays from two uveitis referral centers were collected and analyzed.

Results: Fifty-seven eyes of 53 patients with polymerase chain reaction-verified CMV-AU over a period of 8 years were included with a mean age of 48 ± 18.

Novel Sutureless Scleral Fixated IOL for Inadequate or Absent Capsular Support.

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical outcome and safety profile of a new sutureless scleral fixation (SSF) technique using a single-piece foldable acrylic Carlevale intraocular lens.

Methods: In this case study, 27 eyes of 27 patients were implanted with an SSF single-piece IOL because of inadequate or absent capsular support. The hand-shake technique used during surgery was combined with the creation of scleral pockets in order to secure the IOL haptics.

Unaccompanied Clinic Visits: Practical Consequences of a Stressor Imposed by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

One of the restrictive measures of COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic control is the prohibition of accompanied clinic visits. The specific features of ophthalmological patients imply different degrees of dependency that directly affect their response to such measures. This study aims to assess the effects of unaccompanied medical appointments on outpatients' stress levels and their retention of medical advice.

Intravitreal bevacizumab prior to vitrectomy for proliferative diabetic retinopathy: a systematic review.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of visual loss in the working population. Pars plana vitrectomy has become the mainstream treatment option for severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) associated with significant vitreous haemorrhage and/or tractional retinal detachment. Despite the advances in surgical equipment, diabetic vitrectomy remains a challenging operation, requiring advanced microsurgical skills, especially in the presence of tractional retinal detachment.

Comparison of subretinal versus intravitreal injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator with gas for submacular hemorrhage secondary to wet age-related macular degeneration: treatment outcomes and brief literature review.

Purpose: Contradictory evidence exists over the best approach for the management of submacular hemorrhage (SMH). In this study, we compared the outcomes of subretinal versus intravitreal injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA) and gas in cases of SMH secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: Twenty five eyes with SMH were retrospectively divided in 2 groups.

Sensitivity of spectral domain optical coherence tomography in the diagnosis of posterior vitreous detachment in vitreomacular interface disorders: A prospective cohort study.

Purpose: To evaluate the sensitivity of Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) regarding the diagnosis of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in vitreomacular interface disorders (VID).

Methods: A total of 48 eyes of 48 patients were included in this prospective cohort study. PVD in eyes with VID was investigated.

Paracentral Acute Middle Maculopathy following Surgically Induced Branch Retinal Artery Occlusion During Vitrectomy.

Paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) is a spectral-domain OCT finding of a thickened hyperreflective band at the level of the intermediate layers of the inner retina, attributed to the acute phase of intermediate capillary ischemia. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of PAMM deriving from a surgically induced branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) during vitrectomy for vitreous hemorrhage. A 70-year-old female referred to the posterior segment office with a 1-month history of visual loss in her right eye.

Optical coherence tomography biomarkers for visual acuity in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane.

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between outer and inner retina optical coherence tomography (OCT) biomarkers and visual acuity in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM) and identify which of them may be predictive of visual function.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional single-center study was conducted that included patients diagnosed with iERM. Spectral domain OCT images were obtained and assessed qualitatively and quantitatively.

A Review of Last Decade Developments on Epiretinal Membrane Pathogenesis.

Epiretinal membrane (ERM) is a pathologic tissue that develops at the vitreoretinal interface. ERM is responsible for pathological changes of vision with varying degrees of clinical significance. It is either idiopathic or secondary to a wide variety of diseases such as proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR).

Comparison of postoperative refractive outcome in eyes undergoing combined phacovitrectomy vs cataract surgery following vitrectomy.

Background: To investigate the accuracy of preoperative biometry in eyes undergoing combined phacovitrectomy and to compare it with eyes having cataract surgery at a later point in time following vitrectomy.

Methods: Patients with epiretinal membrane or macular hole who underwent combined phacovitrectomy (group 1) or phacoemulsification following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) (group 2) were included in this retrospective, comparative, interventional case series. The primary outcome measures were the intraocular lens power prediction error (PE) and the percentage of eyes with PE > ± 0.

Optical coherence tomography angiography in uveitis.

Before the introduction of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in the early 2000s, dye-based angiography was considered the "gold standard" for the diagnosis and monitoring of ocular inflammation. OCTA is a novel technique, which demonstrates capillary networks based on the amount of light returned from moving blood cells, providing further information on pathophysiological changes in uveitis.The aim of this review is to describe the basic principles of OCTA and its application to ocular inflammatory disorders.

DISEASE CLASSIFICATION OF MACULAR OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY SCANS USING DEEP LEARNING SOFTWARE: Validation on Independent, Multicenter Data.

Purpose: To evaluate Pegasus optical coherence tomography (OCT), a clinical decision support software for the identification of features of retinal disease from macula OCT scans, across heterogenous populations involving varying patient demographics, device manufacturers, acquisition sites, and operators.

Methods: Five thousand five hundred and eighty-eight normal and anomalous macular OCT volumes (162,721 B-scans), acquired at independent centers in five countries, were processed using the software. Results were evaluated against ground truth provided by the data set owners.

The Proteins of Keratoconus: a Literature Review Exploring Their Contribution to the Pathophysiology of the Disease.

Introduction: Keratoconus (KC) is a complex, genetically heterogeneous multifactorial degenerative disorder characterized by corneal ectasia and thinning. Its incidence is approximately 1/2000-1/50,000 in the general population. KC is associated with moderate to high myopia and irregular astigmatism, resulting in severe visual impairment.

How Successful is Switching from Bevacizumab or Ranibizumab to Aflibercept in Age-Related Macular Degeneration? A Systematic Overview.

Emerging anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapies for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) have revolutionised medical retina practice and the management and eventual outcome of nAMD. Recent research has focused on evaluating and comparing the efficacy of the two most widely employed anti-VEGF agents, bevacizumab and ranibizumab; however, a subgroup of patients with nAMD demonstrates a suboptimal response to standard therapy. We have therefore conducted a review of pertinent studies published until August 2018 which have documented the clinical efficacy when switching to a different anti-VEGF.

Contributions of the superoxide dismutase 1 and zinc finger protein 469 (ZNF469) genes to keratoconus.

Keratoconus (KC) is a multifactorial, progressive, degenerative corneal disorder with an incidence of approximately 1 in 2,000 subjects.

Update in treatment of uveitic macular edema.

Macular edema (ME) represents the most common cause for visual loss among uveitis patients. The management of uveitic macular edema (UME) may be challenging, due to its often recalcitrant nature. Corticosteroids remain the mainstay of treatment, through their capability of effectively controlling inflammation and the associated ME.

Rare Persistent Corneal Infection by Phoma sp. - A Case Report.

We report a case of severe Phoma sp. corneal infection in a middle-aged, otherwise healthy, female patient who was using a soft contact lens. This is the first time that such an infection has been reported in Greece.

Contributions of VSX1 gene to keratoconus.

Keratoconus (KC) is a complex, genetically heterogeneous, multifactorial degenerative corneal disorder, with incidence of approximately 1 per 2000 of the population. KC follows an autosomal recessive or dominant pattern of inheritance and is, apparently, associated with genes which interact with environmental, genetic and/or other factors. The present report focuses on the VSX1 gene, for which there is general agreement that it is involved in KC and other corneal pathologies, and critically details the evidence for its involvement in KC.

Valsalva retinopathy associated with intranasal cocaine abuse: A case report.

Introduction: The purpose of this report is to describe a case of Valsalva retinopathy in an intranasal cocaine user.

Case Report: A 49-year-old male presented with a history of sudden loss of vision and inferior visual field defect in his left eye. Clinical evaluation of the affected eye showed best corrected visual acuity of 20/25 and fundus examination revealed a preretinal hemorrhage superior to the disk with multiple intraretinal hemorrhages in and around the posterior pole.