Long-term outcomes of single monocular resection–recession in adult sensory strabismus and factors affecting the postoperative drift

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to analyze the clinical characteristics and outcome of horizontal strabismus surgery in patients having sensory strabismus and to analyze the factors that affect the postoperative drift in these patients over a follow-up of three years. Methods: This was a retrospective case series. Patients aged ≥18 years, having low vision (visual acuity ≤20/60) in one eye, and undergoing horizontal strabismus surgery (standard recess–resect procedures) in the same eye were recruited. All patients were advised patching of the good eye six weeks prior and continued for six weeks post strabismus surgery. We excluded patients who had paralytic disorders, motility defects, or those with chronic systemic conditions. Patients with a minimum follow-up of three years were recruited. Results: The study included 56 patients whose mean age was 22.9 ± 4.93 years. Exotropia (n = 38; 67.8%) was more common than esotropia (n = 18; 32.1%). Preoperative visual acuity was 1.1 ± 0.85 (range perception of light to 6/18p). The cause of low vision was amblyopia (n = 30; 53.5%) followed by trauma (n = 22; 39.2%). The mean preoperative distance deviation was 57.7 ± 15.5 PD in the primary position (range: 20–65 PD). The success rate of exotropia (78.9%) was more than esotropia (52.9%) at three years. Two patients with esotropia were overcorrected. All patients with exotropia showed an exotropic drift with time. Conclusion: The motor alignment after a single recession–resection procedure was satisfactory at the long-term in our cohort of sensory strabismus. The duration or extent of visual impairment had no relation to the postoperative outcome

Comprehensive review of amblyopia: Types and management

The optimal method of treatment for a child depends on the patient's age at the time of diagnosis, the onset and type of amblyopia, and the degree of compliance attainable. In deprivation amblyopia, the cause of visual impairment (e.g., cataract, ptosis) needs to be treated first, and then the disorder can be treated such as other types of amblyopia. Anisometropic amblyopia needs glasses first. In strabismic amblyopia, conventionally amblyopia should be treated first, and then strabismus corrected. Correction of strabismus will have little if any effect on the amblyopia, although the timing of surgery is controversial. Best outcomes are achieved if amblyopia is treated before the age of 7 years. The earlier the treatment, the more efficacious it is. In selected cases of bilateral amblyopia, the more defective eye must be given a competitive advantage over the comparatively good eye. Glasses alone can work when a refractive component is present, but occlusion might make the glasses work faster. The gold standard therapy for amblyopia remains occlusion of the better eye although penalization is also evidenced to achieve equal results. Pharmacotherapy has been shown to achieve suboptimal outcomes. Newer monocular and binocular therapies based on neural tasks and games are adjuncts to patching and can also be used in adults

Pharmacological management of intra-operative miosis during cataract surgery

Cataract surgery requires a well-dilated and stable pupil for a good outcome. Unexpected pupillary constriction during surgery increases the risk of complication. This problem is more pronounced in children. There are now pharmacological interventions that help tackle this unforeseen happening. Our review discusses the simple and quick options available to a cataract surgeon when faced with this dilemma. As cataract surgical techniques continue to improvise and get faster, an adequate pupil size is of paramount importance. Various topical and intra-cameral drugs are used in combination to achieve mydriasis. Despite good pre-operative dilation, the pupil can be quite unpredictable during surgery. Intra-operative miosis limits the field of surgery and increases the risk of complications. For example, if the pupil size decreases from 7 mm to 6 mm, this 1 mm change in pupil diameter will lead to a decrease of 10.2 mm2 in the area of surgical field. Making a good capsulorhexis with a small pupil can be a challenge, even for an experienced surgeon. Repeated touching of the iris increases the risk of fibrinous complications. Removal of cataract and the cortical matter becomes increasingly difficult. Intra-ocular lens implantation in the bag also requires adequate dilation. When dealing with challenging cases like lens subluxation, pseudo-exfoliation, and zonular dehiscence, a small pupil further increases the risk and adversely affects the surgical outcome. Hence, achieving and maintaining adequate mydriasis throughout surgery is essential. This review highlights the risk factors for small pupils during surgery and current management strategies

Long-term results after primary intraocular lens implantation in children operated less than 2 years of age for congenital cataract

Purpose: To study the long-term outcome of cataract surgery with primary intraocular lens (IOL) in children <2 years. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of bilateral cases that were operated before 2 years age for congenital cataract. All underwent primary posterior capsulotomy with anterior vitrectomy and primary IOL implantation. Only those with a follow-up of at least 8 years were evaluated. Results: Twenty-six eyes of 13 children with bilateral cataract met the inclusion criteria. Average age at surgery was 14.15 months with a mean follow-up of 102 months. Average preoperative axial length (AL) was 19.93 mm. There was a refractive shift from a mean spherical equivalent of 1.64 D at 2 weeks after surgery to -1.42 D measured at last follow-up. Twenty-four eyes out of 26 (92%) achieved final visual acuity (VA) of 6/18 or more at last follow-up with 19/26 (73%) having acuity of 6/12 or greater. Raised intraocular pressure was documented in one eye only. Average AL recorded at last follow-up was 22.21 mm. Conclusion: Primary IOL implantation in children <2 years is a safe surgical procedure with excellent long-term results. The myopic shift is well-controlled and final VA achieved is reasonably good

Role of swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography in imaging pediatric cataract

Purpose: To determine the morphology of pediatric cataracts and assess the status of the anterior and posterior capsules preoperatively on swept-source anterior segment optical coherence tomography (ASOCT) and compare the findings to those of intraoperative examination. Secondly, we aimed to obtain biometric measurements on ASOCT and compare them to those obtained on A-scan/optical methods. Methods: This was a prospective and observational study carried out at a tertiary care referral institute. ASOCT scans for anterior segment were obtained preoperatively for all patients, aged <8 years, scheduled for paediatric cataract surgery. The morphology of the lens and capsule and biometry were performed on ASOCT and the same were assessed intraoperatively. The main outcome measures were comparison of ASOCT findings to intraoperative findings. Results: The study included 33 eyes of 29 patients (range 3 months–8 years). The morphological characterization of cataract on ASOCT was accurate in 31/33 (94%) cases. ASOCT accurately identified fibrosis and rupture of the anterior and posterior capsules in 32/33 (97%) cases each. In 30% of eyes, ASOCT gave additional information preoperatively compared to the slit lamp. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) calculation revealed a good agreement between the keratometry values obtained on ASOCT and those obtained preoperatively with a handheld/optical keratometer (ICC = 0.86, P = 0.001). Conclusion: ASOCT is a valuable tool that could provide complete preoperative information of the lens and capsule in pediatric cataract cases. In children as young as 3 months of age, intraoperative risks and surprises could be diminished. The keratometric readings are highly dependent on patient cooperation but show good agreement with the handheld/optical keratometer readings