A Rabbit Model Study to Determine the Efficacy of a Prototype Corneal Endothelium Protector during Cataract Surgery

Purpose. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a mechanical device, the P-chute, in corneal endothelium preservation during phacoemulsification in a rabbit model. Methods. Twenty-four rabbits were randomly assigned into 2 groups. One eye of each rabbit underwent phacoemulsification that simulated the removal of a dense nucleus, with or without the P-chute. Serial slit-lamp examinations, anterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT) scans, and specular microscopy were performed. Three rabbits from each group were sacrificed on postoperative days (PODs) 1, 5, 7, and 14. Histological analysis of the corneas was performed. Results. There was a trend towards lesser endothelial cell loss for the P-chute group at POD1 (4.9% versus 12.5%, p=0.53), POD5 (10.4% versus 12.2%, p=0.77), and POD7 (10.5% versus 17.2%, p=0.52). There was no significant difference in the corneal thickness (p=>0.05) between the 2 groups. The insertion of the device was challenging. The use of the P-chute only added an extra 15% to the surgical time. Conclusions. There was a trend towards better endothelium preservation with the P-chute even though the results were not statistically significant. We believe that the device could be useful in certain surgical situations. Further work is needed to improve the device insertion

Evaluation of Choroidal Thickness, Intraocular Pressure, and Serum Osmolality After the Water Drinking Test in Eyes With Primary Angle Closure

PURPOSE. We evaluated changes in choroidal thickness (ChT), IOP, ocular biometry, and serum osmolality after the water drinking test (WDT) in subjects with previous acute primary angle closure (APAC) and primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG). METHODS. We evaluated 38 subjects, including 21 with APAC and 17 with PACG. Each subject underwent IOP measurement, A-scan biometry, spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SDOCT), anterior segment-optical coherence tomography (ASOCT), and osmolality measurements at baseline, 30, and 60 minutes after consuming at least 10 mL/kg of water. The ChT at the macula was measured from SDOCT images using the 7-line scan protocol. The fellow-eyes of APAC (FE-APAC) were compared to eyes with PACG. RESULTS. The mean age 6 SD of the study subjects was 62.8 6 8.6 years and 21 (55.3%) were females. At baseline, serum osmolality was significantly lower (P < 0.001) in the FE-APAC group, whereas ChT was similar in both groups (P ¼ 0.56). At 30 minutes after WDT, both groups demonstrated a significant increase in IOP (FE-APAC, 3.0 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.52, 4.48] mm Hg; PACG, 5.06 [95% CI, 3.68, CONCLUSIONS. The increase in IOP after WDT was higher in PACG eyes compared to FE-APAC; however, the latter had lower serum osmolality at baseline. Change in mean ChT following WDT was associated with a lower baseline serum osmolality

A common variant near TGFBR3 is associated with primary open angle glaucoma

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a major cause of blindness worldwide, is a complex disease with a significant genetic contribution.We performed Exome Array (Illumina) analysis on 3504 POAG cases and 9746 controls with replication of the most significant findings in 9173 POAG cases and 26 780 controls across 18 collections of Asian, African and European descent. Apart from confirming strong evidence of association at CDKN2B-AS1 (rs2157719 [G], odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, P = 2.81 × 10−33), we observed one SNP showing significant association to POAG (CDC7–TGFBR3 rs1192415, ORG-allele = 1.13, Pmeta = 1.60 × 10−8). This particular SNP has previously been shown to be strongly associated with optic disc area and vertical cup-to-disc ratio, which are regarded as glaucoma-related quantitative traits. Our study now extends this by directly implicating it in POAG disease pathogenesis

A common variant near TGFBR3 is associated with primary open angle glaucoma

Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), a major cause of blindness worldwide, is a complex disease with a significant genetic contribution. We performed Exome Array (Illumina) analysis on 3504 POAG cases and 9746 controls with replication of the most significant findings in 9173 POAG cases and 26 780 controls across 18 collections of Asian, African and European descent. Apart from confirming strong evidence of association at CDKN2B-AS1 (rs2157719 [G], odds ratio [OR] = 0.71, P = 2.81 × 10−33), we observed one SNP showing significant association to POAG (CDC7–TGFBR3 rs1192415, ORG-allele = 1.13, Pmeta = 1.60 × 10−8). This particular SNP has previously been shown to be strongly associated with optic disc area and vertical cup-to-disc ratio, which are regarded as glaucoma-related quantitative traits. Our study now extends this by directly implicating it in POAG disease pathogenesis

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies novel loci that influence cupping and the glaucomatous process

Glaucoma is characterized by irreversible optic nerve degeneration and is the most frequent cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. Here, the International Glaucoma Genetics Consortium conducts a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of vertical cup-disc ratio (VCDR), an important disease-related optic nerve parameter. In 21,094 individuals of European ancestry and 6,784 individuals of Asian ancestry, we identify 10 new loci associated with variation in VCDR. In a separate risk-score analysis of five case-control studies, Caucasians in the highest quintile have a 2.5-fold increased risk of primary open-angle glaucoma as compared with those in the lowest quintile. This study has more than doubled the known loci associated with optic disc cupping and will allow greater understanding of mechanisms involved in this common blinding condition

Biometric Factors Associated With Acute Primary Angle Closure: Comparison of the Affected and Fellow Eye

PURPOSE. To compare ocular biometric and anterior segment parameters between the affected and fellow eye in subjects with acute primary angle closure (APAC). METHODS. We evaluated 76 subjects with unilateral APAC who had undergone bilateral laser peripheral iridotomy before enrollment. Imaging was done using anterior segment optical coherence tomography and a customized software was used to measure the following: angle opening distance (AOD750); trabecular-iris space area (TISA750); iris thickness (IT750); iris curvature (ICURV); iris area (IAREA); anterior chamber depth; area and volume (ACD; ACA and ACV); anterior chamber width (ACW); anterior vault (ACDþLV); lens vault (LV); and pupil diameter (PD). We used A-scan ultrasonography to measure axial length (AL) and lens thickness (LT). Mean differences in ocular biometric and anterior segment parameters were assessed using linear mixed model adjusting for PD. RESULTS. A total of 53 subjects (36 females, 67.9%) with a mean age of 62.7 6 8.1 years were analyzed after excluding 17 unanalyzable images in at least one eye. Affected eyes had shallower ACD, smaller ACA, ACV, anterior vault, TISA750, AOD750, and ICURV (all P < 0.05). Axial length, ACW, LV, LT, IAREA, and IT750 did not differ between the eyes. In the affected eyes, IT750 was significantly associated AOD750 (P < 0.05); whereas in the fellow eyes, IT750 and AL was predictive of AOD750 (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS. Eyes with previous APAC had smaller anterior segment dimensions when compared with their fellow eyes. Iris thickness was the strongest predictor of angle width in both affected and fellow eyes

Mendelian Randomization Implicates Bidirectional Association between Myopia and Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma or Intraocular Pressure

10.1016/j.ophtha.2022.11.030OPHTHALMOLOGY1304394-403Complete