Dry eye symptoms among diabetics: an exploratory study on knowledge, attitude, and practice

Background: The objective of the study was to explore the awareness of dry eye symptoms among diabetics attending a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. Material and methods: Twenty-five diabetic patients aged ≥ 40 years were selected from the diabetic clinic of theAga Khan University Hospital Karachi using convenience sampling. Our primary focus was to determine whether diabetics knew that they were at high risk of developing dry eye symptoms. Participants were also asked both openand closed-ended questions to explore their attitude and practices in relation to dry eye symptoms such as burning, stinging, grittiness, and discomfort. Results: None of the 25 diabetics we interviewed knew that diabetics as compared to their non-diabetic counterparts were at higher risk of developing dry eye syndrome. They did not know about the signs, symptoms, and complications of dry eyes. Twelve participants had symptoms of dry eyes. Among these, five reported washing their eyes with cold water, four reported using no remedy, and one reported using surma. No one reported having consulted an eye doctor. Conclusion: Our study concludes that diabetics did not know that they had an increased risk of developing dry eye symptoms compared with their non-diabetic counterparts. Population-based research is needed to assess dry eye related risk awareness and control measures among diabetics

Periocular infantile haemangioma and the role of propranolol.

ABSTRACT This case of a four and a half-month-old girl describes periocular infantile haemangioma which was treated successfully with propranolol. She developed a red coloured lesion around the left upper eye lid at one week of age. A gradual increase was noticed in the size of the lesion and by the age of four and a half months, the swelling had increased enough to cover her visual axis, completely occluding her left eye. Oral propranolol therapy was initiated with a daily dosage of 1 mg/kg body weight. The dose was increased gradually, and there was an excellent response to propranolol treatment. A complete eye opening was observed 8 months after the initiation of this treatment

Healing of cornea following an electric burn

ABSTRACT Electrical injuries have become a significant health problem in developing countries because of increase in access to electricity in the last few decades and lack of adequate safety measures. Electrical injuries of eyes are relatively uncommon. A case report of a rapid and complete corneal healing accompanied by satisfactory visual recovery after an electric burn event in a 20-year-old male is reported. The patient had accidental exposure to high voltage live wire while he was repairing it, resulting in severe ocular and superficial body burn. He was not wearing any protective equipment at the time of injury. On examination, the best-corrected visual acuity was counting fingers in the left eye with severe corneal epithelial loss and diffuse corneal oedema. The patient was treated medically, with a rapid corneal healing and resolution of oedema over the next few days. Visual acuity in the worse eye (left) improved to 20/25 from counting fingers

Entral corneal thickness changes after phacoemulsification

Purpose: To determine when the mean central corneal thickness (CCT) returns to normal values after uneventful phacoemulsification. Material and Methods: This was a prospective case series. The study was carried out at the Section of Ophthalmology, Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi. Eyes scheduled to undergo phacoemulsification during December 2011 – March 2012 were eligible to be included. Eyes with corneal degenerations, dystrophies or high pre-op astigmatism were excluded. A structured proforma was used to collect data on sociodemographics, comorbids, visual acuity, and CCT before surgery and 1 day, 1 week and 1 month after surgery. Changes in the mean CCT over time were measured using repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was done. Results: Eighty one eyes were included in the study. The mean (±SD) age of the participants was 58.30 (± 10.04) years. The majority of them (58.0%) were women. Sixty two (76.5%) eyes completed the last follow-up and were included in the final analysis. The mean CCT was 542.81 ± 34.85 mm before surgery which markedly increased to 595.27 ± 43.78 mm 24 hours after surgery, but decreased to 565.82 ± 38.30 at one week, and returned to normal baseline values (544.42 ± 28.95) in almost all operated eyes in 1 month time. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean CCT before surgery and at 1 month (p=0.685). Conclusion: The mean CCT substantially increasing after post-operative uneventful cataract surgery but returns to normal baseline values in almost all operated eyes in 1 month time. IOP measured during this period may be falsely higher than the true values due to increased CC

Knowledge of patients\u27 visual experience during cataract surgery: a survey of eye doctors in Karachi, Pakistan

Abstract BACKGROUND: Several recent studies have recommended that ophthalmologists must be aware of the visual sensations (and their associated anxiety/fear) experienced by patients undergoing cataract surgery. We assessed the knowledge of a group of eye doctors in Pakistan regarding these phenomena. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional survey. Eye doctors (ophthalmologists, residents and medical officers) attending the Ophthalmological Society of Pakistan Annual Conference 2011, in Karachi were invited to participate in the study. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to examine their knowledge of visual sensations and their associated anxiety/fear experienced by patients during cataract surgery. Simple frequencies and proportions were calculated to describe the data. RESULTS: A total of 150 ophthalmologists, residents and medical officers were invited to participate in the study. Of these, 68 (45.3%) responded. The mean age (±SD) of the participants was 42.9 (13.2) years. The proportion of participants who thought that patients could experience visual sensations during cataract surgery under regional anaesthesia was 89.7% and that under topical anaesthesia was 73.5%. The most frequently cited sensations included: light perception, changes in light brightness, movements, instruments and surgeon\u27s hands or fingers.The eye doctors estimated that 38.9% and 64.3% patients would see at least something during cataractsurgery under regional anaesthesia and topical anaesthesia, respectively. They also believed that 24.2%-36.9% of patients may experience anxiety/fear as a result of visual sensations during such surgery. Approximately half of the eye doctors did not think that retained vision was a source of fear or anxiety for the patients. While most of them acknowledged the importance of preoperative counselling in helping to alleviate such fear/anxiety, the majority of them did not regularly counsel their patients on what to expect during the surgery. CONCLUSION: Our study reveals that a significant proportion of eye doctors do not have adequate knowledge of the visual phenomenon and their associated anxiety or fear, that patients can experience during cataract surgery. Targeted educational interventions are needed to increase awareness of this phenomenon among eye care professionals