Author: Am J Ophthalmol

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We appreciate the interest of Shah and colleagues in our recent article. They have made some excellent suggestions regarding our study and its application in clinical practice. They point out, as we did in our original study, that contact ultrasonic me…

A 5-Year Audit of Cataract Surgery Outcomes After Posterior Capsule Rupture and Risk Factors Affecting Visual Acuity – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To describe the posterior capsule rupture rates and visual outcomes after phacoemulsification, analyze risk factors for poor vision, and compare results of faculty (F) and residents (R).Design: Retrospective audit study.Methods: Visual success of all capsule ruptures (2006-2010) was analyzed and compared to uneventful cases. Rupture rates of faculty and residents were compared (χ², P < .05). Success was defined as % best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) ≥20/40 at 3 months (excluding poor-prognosis eyes) and studied in relation to age, sex, surgeon type, stage of surgery, vitreous loss, dropped nucleus, and other complications (eg, retinal detachment, corneal decompensation, dislocated intraocular lens [IOL]). Final risk factors were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: From 2006 to 2010, there were 887 capsule ruptures in 48 377 phacoemulsification cases (rate 1.8%). Uneventful cases had significantly better visual outcomes than capsule ruptures (98.5% vs 93.9%; P < .01). Faculty rupture rates were lower (F = 1.4%) than residents’ (R = 3.4%; P < .01), but visual outcomes were similar (F = 93.8%, R = 93.7%; P > .05). Ruptures most frequently occurred during phacoemulsification (59.6%) and irrigation and aspiration (24.8%) stages. Risk factors for poor outcomes included age >65 years, dropped nuclei, and other complications.Conclusion: The overall capsule rupture rate was 1.8%. Although residents had higher rates, visual success matched faculty’s, possibly attributable to case mix and close supervision. Associated risk factors for poor vision included age >65 years, dropped nuclei, and postoperative retinal, corneal, and IOL complications.

Indications and Outcomes of Intraocular Lens Exchange During a Recent 5-Year Period – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To analyze and classify the indications, clinical presentations, and surgical outcomes of intraocular lens (IOL) exchange performed in a recent 5-year period.Design: Retrospective, interventional case series.Methods: setting: Private clinical practice. study population: Chart records of 57 eyes of 53 consecutive patients who had undergone IOL exchange between May 2007 and December 2011 were reviewed. observation procedures and main outcome measures: The preoperative clinical characteristics, treatment parameters, intraoperative and postoperative complications, and pre- and postoperative logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were recorded and analyzed.Results: IOL dislocation (46%), incorrect IOL power (23%), patient dissatisfaction (21%), and optic opacification (7%) were the most common indications for IOL exchange. In the IOL dislocation group, posterior capsule opening presented in 57% of eyes (8/14) with in-the-bag dislocation. Of the dissatisfaction patients, 42% (5/11) had undesired visual acuity without symptoms of glare/optical aberrations. Surface calcification of silicone lenses associated with asteroid hyalosis accounted for the most cases (3/4) of optic opacification. Overall, the mean logMAR BCVA improved significantly (P < .001) and 88% of all eyes were 20/40 or better, including 73% in the IOL dislocation group and 100% in all other groups. No vision-threatening complications occurred in this series.Conclusions: The request for IOL exchange owing to patient dissatisfaction is increasing, especially for those with undesired visual acuity in the absence of photic symptoms. Surface calcification of silicone lenses suggests that this type of lens is not appropriate in the presence of asteroid hyalosis. Optimal visual results with a low rate of complications can be achieved in each category of indication. The findings of the study may stimulate discussion of a question: Does in-the-bag IOL dislocation occur only in eyes with an intact posterior capsule?

The Diurnal and Nocturnal Effect of Travoprost With SofZia on Intraocular Pressure and Ocular Perfusion Pressure – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To determine the 24-hour effects of travoprost with sofZia on intraocular pressure (IOP) and ocular perfusion pressure as well as the endurance of IOP lowering after last dosing.Design: Prospective, open-label study.Methods: Forty subjects with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension were admitted to our sleep laboratory for three 24-hour sessions monitoring IOP, blood pressure (BP), and heart rate. The first baseline session occurred after medication washout or immediately after enrollment for treatment-naïve patients. A second 24-hour monitoring session was performed after 4 weeks of once-nightly treatment of travoprost with sofZia. The medication was then discontinued and a third 24-hour session was completed 60-84 hours after the last dose taken. IOP measurements were taken using a pneumotonometer every 2 hours in the sitting position during the 16-hour diurnal period and in the supine position during the 8-hour nocturnal period. Ocular perfusion pressure was defined as 2/3[diastolic BP + 1/3(systolic BP − diastolic BP)] − IOP.Results: Treatment with travoprost with sofZia significantly lowered mean diurnal and nocturnal IOP levels from baseline (diurnal 18.1 ± 3.9 to 15.3 ± 3.3 mm Hg; nocturnal 20.6 ± 3.6 to 19.4 ± 3.4 mm Hg, P < .01 for both). Once treatment was discontinued, mean IOP remained at levels significantly less than baseline during both the diurnal (16.6 ± 3.8 mm Hg) and nocturnal periods (19.4 ± 3.5 mm Hg). Mean baseline ocular perfusion pressure was significantly increased during the diurnal but not the nocturnal period (diurnal 73.7 ± 11.4 to 76.5 ± 10.3 mm Hg, P = .01; nocturnal 64.4 ± 12.6 to 64.2 ± 11.1 mm Hg, P = .67).Conclusion: Travoprost with sofZia significantly lowers IOP throughout the diurnal and nocturnal periods, and increases ocular perfusion pressure in the diurnal, but not the nocturnal, period in open-angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension. The treatment effect on IOP endures for at least 84 hours after the last dose.

The Effect of Phacoemulsification on Intraocular Pressure in Medically Controlled Open-Angle Glaucoma Patients – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To evaluate intraocular pressure (IOP) after phacoemulsification in patients with medically controlled open-angle glaucoma (OAG), and examine the association of biometric variables to IOP changes.Design: Retrospective case series.Methods: Open-angle glaucoma patients without prior incisional glaucoma surgery undergoing phacoemulsification by a single surgeon between January 1997 and October 2011 were evaluated. Patient charts were reviewed to obtain demographic information, preoperative glaucoma medications, severity and treatment measures, and preoperative and postoperative IOP.Results: A total of 157 eyes (157 patients) were included in the study. The average preoperative IOP of 16.3 ± 3.6 mm Hg decreased to 14.5 ± 3.4 mm Hg at 1 year (P < .001). Sixty eyes (38%) required additional medications or laser for IOP control within the first year postoperatively, or had a higher IOP at postoperative year 1 without medication change. Among eyes without postoperative medication changes (n = 102), higher preoperative IOP (P < .001), older age (P = .006), and deeper anterior chamber depth (P = .015) were associated with lower postoperative IOP.Conclusions: Phacoemulsification resulted in a small average decrease in IOP in patients with OAG. A sizeable proportion of medically controlled glaucoma patients with open angles undergoing phacoemulsification experienced an increase in IOP or required more aggressive treatment to control IOP postoperatively.

Corneal Topographic and Tomographic Analysis of Fellow Eyes in Unilateral Keratoconus Patients Using Pentacam – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To evaluate topographic and tomographic changes in fellow eyes in unilateral keratoconus (KCN) patients by comparing them with normal eyes.Design: Retrospective comparative case series.Methods: Fourteen eyes of 14 patients with unilateral KCN and 34 eyes of 34 refractive surgery candidates were divided into 3 diagnostic groups using a Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug camera: advanced KCN eyes of unilateral KCN (KCN group, 14 eyes), normal fellow eyes of unilateral KCN (fellow eye group, 14 eyes), and refractive surgery candidates (normal group, 34 eyes). Topographic and tomographic parameters, which were obtained from Pentacam using sagittal curvature, elevation, and corneal thickness maps, were compared among the 3 groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to identify cutoff points in discriminating between fellow and normal eyes.Results: Keratometric asymmetry, topometric indices, and elevation differences (maximum − minimum) on both the anterior and posterior surfaces were statistically different (P < .05). On ROC curve analysis, keratometric asymmetry and topometric index were best at discriminating fellow eyes from normal, followed by elevation differences (maximum − minimum) on the posterior and anterior cornea surface.Conclusions: Fellow eyes in unilateral KCN showed differences in several parameters that were not detectable with the Pentacam detection program, when compared with normal. However, each single parameter alone is not sufficient to detect early changes; thus, elevation indices as well as indices of anterior curvature should be considered together.

Visual Impairment Corrected Via Cataract Surgery and 5-Year Survival in a Prospective Cohort – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To compare mortality risk between cataract surgical patients with corrected and persistent visual impairment.Design: Cohort study.Methods: A total of 1864 consecutive patients, aged ≥64 years, undergoing phacoemulsification surgery at Westmead Hospital were followed annually for 5 years postoperatively. Visual impairment status in the surgical eye was categorized as none (presenting visual acuity [VA], ≥20/40), mild (VA <20/40-20/60), or moderate-severe (VA <20/60). All-cause mortality was obtained from the Australian National Death Index.Results: Of 901 patients with moderate-severe visual impairment before surgery, 60.4% (n = 544), 15.5% (n = 140), and 24.1% (n = 217) had no, mild, or moderate-severe visual impairment in the surgical eye, respectively, 1 month postoperatively. Age-standardized 5-year mortality rates were nonsignificantly lower in patients with either mild (24.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 16.5%-32.9%) or no visual impairment (24.1%, 95% CI 19.9%-28.4%) post surgery compared to that in patients whose moderate-severe visual impairment persisted (30.6%, 95% CI 23.3%-37.9%). After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, body mass index, and individual comorbid conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, angina, myocardial infarction, stroke, transient ischemic attack, and kidney disease, patients with no visual impairment 1 month postoperatively had a lower mortality risk (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.52-1.01) compared to those with persistent moderate-severe visual impairment after surgery. This finding was significant (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51-0.99) after additional adjustment for number of medications taken (continuous variable) and number (≥3 vs <3) of comorbid conditions.Conclusion: Correcting moderate-severe visual impairment in older patients with phacoemulsification surgery was associated with a lower mortality risk, compared to surgical patients whose visual impairment persisted postoperatively.

Parallelism as a Novel Marker for Structural Integrity of Retinal Layers in Optical Coherence Tomographic Images in Eyes With Epiretinal Membrane – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To propose a new parameter, “Parallelism,” to evaluate retinal layer integrity on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT), and to investigate the association between parallelism and visual function in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM).Design: Retrospective, observational evaluation of a diagnostic test.Methods: We evaluated a consecutive series of 57 eyes of 57 patients with ERM and 30 healthy eyes of 30 volunteers for whom M-CHARTS testing and SDOCT were performed on the same day. OCT images were skeletonized, and the orientation of segmented lines in the image was termed “Parallelism” and was expressed as a value ranging from 0-1 and increasing as the retinal layers ran more parallel with each other. The relationships between parallelism and visual acuity and between parallelism and metamorphopsia score were evaluated.Results: In normal eyes, parallelism was nearly homogeneous and varied slightly with the location. Parallelism in eyes with ERM was significantly lower than that in normal eyes. In the horizontal and vertical scans, parallelism was significantly correlated with visual acuity, horizontal metamorphopsia score, and vertical metamorphopsia score. Parallelism of the center (1 mm) in the horizontal scan was strongly correlated with horizontal metamorphopsia score (R = −0.632; P < .0001). Significant negative correlation was found between parallelism and retinal thickness both in horizontal and vertical scans.Conclusions: Parallelism was significantly lower in eyes with ERM than in normal eyes, and correlated strongly with metamorphopsia and visual acuity in eyes with ERM.

Extended Depth of Focus With Induced Spherical Aberration in Light-Adjustable Intraocular Lenses – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To evaluate the quality of vision and depth of focus induced by controlled amounts of negative spherical aberration in patients implanted bilaterally with light-adjustable intraocular lenses.Design: Prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial.Methods: Seventeen patients were implanted and treated with appropriate spatial irradiance light profiles. One eye was set for emmetropia, and the fellow eye received an additional aspheric light treatment to induce controlled amounts of negative spherical aberration. We used a Hartmann-Shack sensor to measure the eye’s refraction and aberrations for a 4-mm pupil diameter. Decimal visual acuity (VA) was measured using a micro-display placed at 10 m, 60 cm, 40 cm, and 30 cm.Results: Eyes treated with aspheric profiles were divided into 2 groups depending on the final amount of induced negative spherical aberration: low [−0.05, −0.10 μm] and high [−0.13, −0.23 μm]. In both groups, the mean uncorrected decimal VA at 60 cm was over 0.90. In the first group, distance VA was 0.97 ± 0.16, but in the second group it was lower (0.76 ± 0.16). As expected, the VA for nearer distances is higher in the eyes with a larger magnitude of spherical aberration (P value < .01): 0.94 ± 0.10 and 0.73 ± 0.16 at 40 and 30 cm, respectively, in comparison with 0.71 ± 0.15 and 0.50 ± 0.14. Binocular summation with the fellow eye, adjusted for emmetropia, produces an excellent binocular distance VA (>1.10) in both groups.Conclusions: Controlled amounts of negative spherical aberration and defocus can be induced in eyes implanted with adjustable intraocular lenses to enhance near vision.

Three-Year Incidence and Factors Associated With Posterior Capsule Opacification After Cataract Surgery: The Australian Prospective Cataract Surgery and Age-related Macular Degeneration Study – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To assess 3-year incidence and associated factors of posterior capsule opacification (PCO) after phacoemulsification surgery.Design: Cohort study.Methods: A total of 1934 consecutive patients aged ≥64 years undergoing phacoemulsification sur…

Metamorphopsia and Optical Coherence Tomography Findings After Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment Surgery – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between metamorphopsia and macular morphologic changes after successful repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD).Design: Prospective, interventional, consecutive study.Methods: The study included 129 eyes of 129 patients who had undergone successful retinal reattachment surgery. The severity of metamorphopsia was recorded using M-CHARTS and foveal microstructure was assessed with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) at 6-12 months postoperatively.Results: The mean metamorphopsia score was 0.30 ± 0.46, and 50 of 129 patients (39%) had metamorphopsia. Metamorphopsia was more severe in eyes with macula-off rhegmatogenous RD than those with macula-on (P < .001). Eighteen of 50 eyes with metamorphopsia exhibited abnormal structures in the macular region (epiretinal membrane, disruption of the photoreceptor inner and outer segment junction, cystoid macular edema, macular hole, or subretinal fluid), whereas the other 32 eyes showed no morphologic changes with OCT. In these 32 eyes, the horizontal metamorphopsia score (0.86 ± 0.50) was significantly higher than the vertical metamorphopsia score (0.62 ± 0.39, P < .05). Nine of 69 eyes with preoperative macula-on rhegmatogenous RD developed postoperative metamorphopsia. Of the 9 eyes, 6 showed abnormal macular structures and the other 3 had normal-appearing OCT. The macula briefly detached during vitrectomy in these 3 cases.Conclusions: In eyes that remained macula-on throughout surgery and had normal-appearing OCT, metamorphopsia did not develop. In some cases, the reason for metamorphopsia was anatomically obvious. In other cases that were preoperative and intraoperative macula-off, postoperative retinal vertical displacement could cause predominantly horizontal metamorphopsia.

Evaluation of Levator Function for Efficacy of Minimally Invasive and Standard Techniques for Involutional Ptosis – Corrected Proof

Purpose: To evaluate clinical and anatomic outcomes of surgery for involutional ptosis using standard-length or small incisions in relation to preoperative levator function.Design: Retrospective study.Methods: Sixty-three patients diagnosed with involutional ptosis who underwent surgical correction using a small or standard-length incision between November 2010 and December 2011 were reviewed; a single surgeon performed surgery using a small incision (8 to 10 mm) in 22 patients and a standard-length incision (20 to 22 mm) in 34 patients. All patients underwent standard preoperative ptosis evaluation with margin-to-reflex distance 1 and 2 measurements and levator function assessment. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to levator function (moderate: 5 to 10 mm; and good: >10 mm). Surgical success was evaluated based on the British Oculoplastic Surgery Society criteria.Results: Of 83 upper eyelids of 63 patients, surgery was performed using a small incision in 40 and a standard incision in 43. In patients with good levator function, surgical success was achieved with a small incision in 18 eyelids (94.7%) and a standard incision in 20 eyelids (95.2%; P = .91). In patients with moderate levator function, surgical success was achieved with a small incision in 14 eyelids (66.7%) and with a standard incision in 18 eyelids (81.8%; P = .04).Conclusions: These findings indicate a similar surgical success rate in patients with good levator function, regardless of incision length. The surgical success rate in patients with moderate levator function was lower when using a small incision, perhaps because of decreased visualization and anatomic access.