The Use of Antivascular Endothelial Growth Factor Agents in the Perioperative Period in Diabetic Vitrectomy

Pars plana vitrectomy is an established surgical method for the treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy and its complications. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents suppress vascular proliferation and may be used as pharmacological adjuvants to reduce the incidence of postoperative hemorrhage in the vitreous cavity and to facilitate the surgical approach. We conducted an electronic search to identify prospective randomized controlled trials looking at the use of —perioperative vascular endothelial growth factor suppression in diabetic patients undergoing vitrectomy. We found six prospective randomized trials with only one being double-masked. We present a summary of the findings. Four studies suggest that the use of perioperative, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents facilitate vitrectomy surgery, but only one study supports their use to reduce the chances of early postoperative vitreous bleeding. Two studies did not find a significant benefit for their use before surgery to reduce the recurrence of vitreous hemorrhage in proliferative diabetic retinopathy. More randomized double blinded studies with a larger number of patients are needed to establish a clear recommendation regarding the use of these agents. Those studies should factor in the use of endo-tamponade with gas or silicone oil following vitrectomy

Bilateral same-session intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors

<b>AIM:</b> To document the indications, safety and possible complications of bilateral same-session intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections performed in the ophthalmic operating room.<b>METHODS</b>:A retrospective case series study. Consecutive records of seventy four patients receiving simultaneous bilateral intravitreal injections of either ranibizumab or bevacizumab, between September 2010 and September 2013, were reviewed and the outcomes were assessed. Data collected included number of injections, indications for injections, pre-injection and post-injection visual acuity (VA), pre-injection and post-injection intraocular pressure and ocular and systemic complications/complaints after each injection.<b>RESULTS:</b> A total of 342 injections were administered to 74 patients, with a mean of 4.62 injections per patient. Seventy-three patients received bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA) alone, and only one patient received both bevacizumab and ranibizumab (Lucentis; Genentech Inc.) distributed between the injections. Pre- and post-injection VA follow-up measurements were available for 65 patients. Mean follow up period was 22mo. The indications for initiating therapy were choroidal neovascular membrane from age-related macular degeneration (3 patients) and diabetic macular edema (71 patients). The mean Snellen VA before each injection was 6/22. The next post-injection follow-up mean Snellen VA was 6/20. One patient had a painful, culture-positive endophthalmitis in one eye 3d after bilateral bevacizumab. Another patient had a painless subconjunctival hemorrhage in one eye. No other ocular or systemic adverse side effects/complaints have been registered in this study group.<b>CONCLUSION:</b>Bilateral same-session intravitreal injections using a separate povidone-iodine preparation, speculum, needle, and syringe for each eye are well-tolerated. None of the subjects in this study requested to switch to alternating unilateral injections. Proper patient counseling as to the risk of complications with this procedure is necessary

Anterior Ocular Biometrics as Measured by Ultrasound Biomicroscopy

Background: High frequency ultrasonography (ultrasound biomicroscopy; UBM) is an ophthalmic diagnostic tool that can be used to measure the depth of the anterior segment (ASD), the anterior chamber angle (ACA), as well as thicknesses of the iris and the ciliary body (CB). Methods: The anterior segment dimensions and thicknesses were measured by Sonomed 35-MHz. Results: Measurements for 95 eyes from 52 adults were analyzed. The mean and median ASD and ACA were 2.91, 2.92 &plusmn; 0.41 mm and 34.1, 34.3 &plusmn; 12.1 degrees, respectively. The angle superiorly was wider than inferiorly (p = 0.04). At the root of the iris, the mid of the iris, and the juxtapupillary edge of the iris, the iris thicknesses (median, mean) were 0.40, 0.41 &plusmn; 0.1, 0.50, 0.51 &plusmn; 0.1, and 0.70, 0.71 &plusmn; 0.1 mm, respectively. The thicknesses of CB and CB together with the ciliary processes (median, mean), were 0.70, 0.71 &plusmn; 0.15 mm and 1.36, 1.41 &plusmn; 0.15 mm, respectively. The upper quadrant of both the iris and the CB was significantly thicker than the lower quadrant (p = 0.04). Conclusions: Our biometric measurements for the anterior segment can be used as normative data for anterior segment depth and angle and iris and ciliary body thickness in normal eyes

The Impact of Color Vision Deficiency on the Capability of Ophthalmologists to Diagnose Benign and Malignant Choroidal Tumors

Background: Color vision deficiency (CVD) is an under-reported problem among medical personnel, and its impact is still not well characterized. We aim to assess the impact of CVD among ophthalmologists on the accuracy of diagnosing different benign and malignant choroidal lesions. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on ophthalmologists. We used a web-based survey to collect responses through professional ophthalmology society social media. The survey included a set of five images for normal fundus, choroidal nevus, circumscribed choroidal hemangioma, choroidal metastasis, and choroidal melanoma, wherein each image simulated the three main types of CVD: protanopia, deuteranopia, and tritanopia, in addition to a non-simulated image. Results: Forty-one participants were included, with a mean age of 40 (±9.2) years. They were 28 (68%) men and 13 (32%) women. Participants showed significantly low accuracy for definite diagnosis for circumscribed choroidal hemangioma, nevus, melanoma, and metastasis when the images simulated protanopia and deuteranopia, but not tritanopia. Nevertheless, participants maintained the capability to recognize the nature of the lesions for both simulated and non-simulated images if they were benign or malignant, thereby ensuring immediate referral for specialized care. The exception was with simulated choroidal nevi images, wherein participants incorrectly assigned simulated protanopia and deuteranopia nevi images to malignant lesions. Conclusion: Protanopia and deuteranopia affected the accuracy of diagnosing several choroidal lesions; however, ophthalmologists with those two simulated CVDs were still able to discriminate between benign and malignant tumors

Additional file 1 of Risk factors associated with sickle cell retinopathy: findings from the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease

Additional file 1: Table S1. Characteristics of SCA and variant genotypes patients by PSCR Status

Additional file 2 of Risk factors associated with sickle cell retinopathy: findings from the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease

Additional file 2: Table S2. Clinical and laboratory variables associated with development of PSCR among patients with SCR