Corneal biomechanical properties in thyroid eye disease

AbstractThe purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of thyroid eye disease (TED) on the measurement of corneal biomechanical properties and the relationship between these parameters and disease manifestations. A total of 54 eyes of 27 individuals with TED and 52 eyes of 30 healthy control participants were enrolled. Thyroid ophthalmopathy activity was defined using the VISA (vision, inflammation, strabismus, and appearance/exposure) classification for TED. The intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement with Goldmann applanation tonometer (GAT), axial length (AL), keratometry, and central corneal thickness (CCT) measurements were taken from each patient. Corneal biomechanical properties, including corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) and noncontact IOP measurements, Goldmann-correlated IOP (IOPg) and corneal-compensated IOP (IOPcc) were measured with the Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) using the standard technique. Parameters such as best corrected visual acuity, axial length, central corneal thickness, and corneal curvature were not statistically significant between the two groups (p > 0.05). IOP measured with GAT was higher in participants with TED (p < 0.001). The CH of TED patients was significantly lower than that of the control group. There was no significant difference in the corneal resistance factor between groups. However, IOPg and IOPcc were significantly higher in TED patients. CH and VISA grading of TED patients showed a negative correlation (p = 0.007). In conclusion, TED affects the corneal biomechanical properties by decreasing CH. IOP with GAT and IOPg is found to be increased in these patients. As the severity of TED increases, CH decreases in these patients

Epiphora and Dacryocystitis After Transcanalicular Laser-assisted Dacryocystorhinostomy due to an Undiagnosed Dacryolith

A 45-year-old female patient who had previously undergone endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy (EN-DCR) at another surgical center was diagnosed with functional failure after DCR and underwent an uneventful transcanalicular laser-assisted DCR (TCL-DCR). After 5 months, the patient underwent endoscopic examination due to persistent epiphora and dacryocystitis attacks. Endonasal visualization revealed a large dacryolith that filled the ostium and sac and was removed en bloc mechanically with forceps. Carbonized material on the dacryolith's superior part indicated that it was perforated through-and-through by the laser beam during TCL-DCR. The patient's complaints were resolved completely following the removal of the dacryolith. The transcanalicular lacrimal procedures do not allow complete visualization of the contents of the lacrimal sac, and the laser beam can ablate even an undetected dacryolith and may result in unsuccessful DCR, although the surgical course may look completely uneventful

Childhood onset of narcolepsy-cataplexy syndrome in Turkey: clinical and genetic study

Narcolepsy is a disabling sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and abnormal manifestations of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep including cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations. It is known to be complex disorder in which both genetic predisposition and environmental factors play a role. In humans, susceptibility to narcolepsy is tightly associated with a specific HLA allele, DQB1*0602. In this report, we took advantage of the ongoing genetic study in Turkish narcoleptic patients to document clinical and genetic data of eight patients whose onset of symptoms were in the childhood period