Editorial — Glaucomatous Optic Neuropathy: The Dark Side of the Moon

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Intraorbital Steroid Injection for Active Thyroid Ophthalmopathy

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of orbital steroid injections in patients with active thyroid ophthalmopathy resistant to or dependent on systemic steroids, or with complications related to systemic steroid use. Methods: This prospective non-comparative case series includes 31 eyes of 17 patients with active thyroid ophthalmopathy and clinical activity score (CAS) of 3 or more, without compressive optic neuropathy or overt exposure keratopathy. All subjects had a history of previous systemic steroid use (with steroid resistance or dependence) or had developed complications related to steroids. A combination of steroids including triamcinolone acetonide 20 mg and dexamethasone 4 mg was injected in the upper and lower retroseptal orbital spaces three or four times at one-month intervals. The patients were examined periodically after each injection and at least three months after the last injection. Results: Mean pre-injection CAS was 5.2 ± 1.3 which was improved to 1.6 ± 1 after the fourth injection (P < 0.001). Upper and lower lid retraction improved in 100% and 68.2% of the affected eyes, respectively. Strabismus completely resolved in one of five affected patients and the most significant improvement was observed in supraduction. Mean improvement in exophthalmos was 1.2 ± 1.1 mm. Visual acuity did not significantly change after the injections. Eyelid ecchymosis and/or subconjunctival hemorrhage was observed in 7.1% and intraocular pressure rise occurred in 8.8% of eyes. Conclusion: Orbital steroid injections can be used for the treatment of active thyroid ophthalmopathy when the patient is resistant to or dependent on systemic steroids or has developed complications of systemic steroids

The ocular hypotensive effect of saffron extract in primary open angle glaucoma: a pilot study

BACKGROUND: The progressive nature of glaucoma and its growing incidence make its therapy an important target for research. The role of oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of glaucoma makes antioxidants such as saffron extract an attractive target for potential clinical use. Herein, we evaluate the effect of aqueous saffron extract on intraocular pressure (IOP) in eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). METHODS: Thirty-four eyes of 34 clinically stable POAG patients receiving treatment with timolol and dorzolamide eye drops were enrolled in this prospective, comparative, randomized interventional pilot study. Eligible subjects were randomized to receive 30 mg/day aqueous saffron extract orally (17 subjects, 17 eyes) or placebo (17 subjects, 17 eyes) for one month as an adjunct to timolol and dorzolamide. Following treatment, both study groups entered a one-month wash-out period. The main outcome measure was IOP during treatment and after the wash-out period. RESULTS: Mean baseline IOP was 12.9 ± 3.7 versus 14.0 ± 2.5 mmHg in the saffron and control groups, respectively (p = 0.31). After three weeks of treatment, IOP was significantly decreased to 10.9 ± 3.3 mmHg in the saffron group as compared to 13.5 ± 2.3 mmHg in the control group (p = 0.013). At four weeks, IOP was still significantly lower in the saffron group (10.6 ± 3.0 versus 13.8 ± 2.2 mmHg, p = 0.001). At the end of the wash-out period, IOP was 12.9 ± 3.0 in the saffron group versus 14.2 ± 2.0 mmHg in the control group (p = 0.175). None of the patients experienced side effects during the study and wash-out period. CONCLUSIONS: Oral aqueous saffron extract seems to exert an ocular hypotensive effect in primary open-angle glaucoma. This effect became evident after three weeks of therapy. The current study was registered at the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) as IRCT201201278832N1

Bilateral Terrien’s Marginal Degeneration and Posterior Polymorphous Dystrophy in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Purpose: To report an interesting case of concomitant bilateral Terrien′s marginal degeneration-like corneal ectasia and posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy in a young man with quiescent rheumatoid arthritis. Case Report: A 24-year-old man with history of rheumatoid arthritis presented with bilateral decreased vision since four years ago. Slit lamp examination revealed bilateral circumferential peripheral corneal thinning and bulging with vascularization and lipid deposition in addition to band-like lesions in descemet′s membrane. Previous records revealed no gross corneal abnormalities up to 4 years ago. Corneal lesions were compatible with bilateral circumferential Terrien′s marginal degeneration concomitant with posterior polymorphous dystrophy. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of concomitant bilateral Terrien′s marginal degeneration with peripheral corneal ectasia and posterior polymorphous dystrophy in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis. Bilateral circumferential involvement, younger age at presentation and total peripheral corneal ectasia as observed in this case are not typical for classic Terrien′s marginal degeneration

Myocilin Mutations Are Not a Major Cause of Primary Congenital Glaucoma in Iranian Patients

Purpose: To assess the frequency of mutations in the Myocilin (MYOC) gene in Iranian patients affected with primary congenital glaucoma (PCG). Methods: The individuals evaluated herein are among a larger cohort of 100 patients who had previously been screened for CYP1B1 mutations. Eighty subjects carried mutations in CYP1B1, but the remaining 20 patients who did not, underwent screening for MYOC mutations for the purpose of the study. MYOC exons in the DNA were polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplified and sequenced. Sequencing was performed using PCR primers, the ABI big dye chemistry and an ABI3730XL instrument. Sequences were analyzed by comparing them to reference MYOC sequences using the Sequencher software. Results: Four MYOC sequence variations were observed among the patients, but none of them were considered to be associated with disease status. Three of these variations were single nucleotide polymorphisms already reported not to be disease causing, the fourth variation created a synonymous codon and did not affect any amino acid change. Conclusion: In this cohort, MYOC mutations were not observed in any Iranian subject with PCG. It is possible that in a larger sample, a few subjects carrying disease causing MYOC mutations could have been observed. But our results show that the contribution of MYOC to PCG status in Iran is small if any

Topical Mitomycin-C versus Subconjunctival 5-Fluorouracil for Management of Bleb Failure

Purpose: To compare the efficacy and safety of topical mitomycin‑C (MMC) drops with that of subconjunctival 5‑fluorouracil (5‑FU) injections for management of early bleb failure after trabeculectomy or combined phacoemulsification and trabeculectomy with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation (PT+PCIOL). Methods: In a randomized comparative study, 37 eyes of 37 patients with impending early bleb failure received MMC 0.02% eye drops for 2 or 4 weeks (19 eyes) or subconjunctival 5‑FU injections, 5 mg per dose (18 eyes). Complete success was defined as 5 < IOP ≤ 18 mmHg without medications. Results: Baseline characteristics were comparable between the study groups. However, there were more cases of combined PT+PCIOL in the MMC group [11 (57.9%) eyes versus 3 (16.7%) eyes, P = 0.017]. Mean preoperative IOP was 20.5΁8.85 mmHg in the MMC group and 25.82΁11.35 mmHg in the 5‑FU group (P = 0.129), which was decreased to 13.2΁6.1 and 10.6΁4.8 mmHg respectively after 12 months (P = 0.159). There was no significant difference between the study groups in terms of bleb extent (P = 0.170), height (P = 0.178) or vascularity (P = 0.366). At the end of the study, complete success was achieved in 13 eyes (68.4%) in the MMC group and 14 eyes (77.8%) in the 5‑FU group (P = 0.714). The survival of success at 8 months (median follow-up) was 89.5% and 86.5% in the MMC and 5‑FU groups respectively; the number of glaucoma medications (P = 0.707) and best-corrected visual acuity (P = 0.550) were also comparable. Complication rates were similar in the study groups (P = 0.140). Conclusion: Topical MMC 0.02% has comparable safety and efficacy to subconjunctival 5‑FU injections for management of early bleb failure. Topical MMC 0.02% drops are more convenient and can be initiated first, while 5‑FU injections may be reserved for eyes with an insufficient response to topical MMC

Editorial – Eye Disorders in the Post-COVID Era

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Comparison of Matrix Frequency-Doubling Technology (FDT) Perimetry with the SWEDISH Interactive Thresholding Algorithm (SITA) Standard Automated Perimetry (SAP) in Mild Glaucoma

This study aimed to compare second-generation frequency-doubling technology (FDT) perimetry with standard automated perimetry (SAP) in mild glaucoma. Forty-seven eyes of 47 participants who had mild visual field defect by SAP were included in this study. All participants were examined using SITA 24-2 (SITA-SAP) and matrix 24-2 (Matrix-FDT). The correlations of global indices and the number of defects on pattern deviation (PD) plots were determined. Agreement between two sets regarding the stage of visual field damage was assessed. Pearson’s correlation, intra-cluster comparison, paired t-test, and 95% limit of agreement were calculated using SPSS 24.0. The level of significance was set at P &lt; 0.05. Although there was no significant difference between global indices, the agreement between the two devices regarding the global indices was weak (the limit of agreement for mean deviation was -6.08 to 6.08 and that for pattern standard deviation was -4.42 to 3.42). The agreement between SITA-SAP and Matrix-FDT regarding the Glaucoma Hemifield Test (GHT) and the number of defective points in each quadrant and staging of the visual field damage was also weak. Because the correlation between SITA-SAP and Matrix-FDT regarding global indices, GHT, number of defective points, and stage of the visual field damage in mild glaucoma is weak, Matrix-FDT cannot be used interchangeably with SITA-SAP in the early stages of glaucoma.Â

A new intelligent estimation method based on the Cascade Forward Neural Network for the Electric and Magnetic fields in the vicinity of the High Voltage Overhead Transmission Lines

The evaluation and estimation of the electric and magnetic field (EMF) intensity in the vicinity of overhead transmission lines (OHTL) is of paramount importance for residents’ healthcare and industrial monitoring purposes. Using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques makes researchers able to estimate EMF with extremely high accuracy in a significantly short time. In this paper, two models based on the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) have been developed for estimating electric and magnetic fields, i.e., feed-forward neural network (FFNN) and cascade-forward neural network (CFNN). By performing the sensitivity analysis on controlling/hyper-parameters of these two ANN models, the best setup resulting in the highest possible accuracy considering their response time has been chosen. Overall, the CFNN achieved a significant 56% reduction in Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) for the electric field and a 5% reduction for the magnetic field, compared to the FFNN. This indicates that the CFNN model provided more accurate predictions, particularly for the electric field than the proposed methods in other recent works, making it a promising choice for this application. When the model is trained, it will be tested by a different dataset. Then, the accuracy and response time of the model for new data points of that layout will be evaluated through this process. The model can predict the fields with an accuracy near 99.999% of the actual values in times under 10 ms. Also, the results of sensitivity analysis indicated that the CFNN models with triple and double hidden layers are the best options for the electric and magnetic field estimation, respectively