Confocal Scan Features of Keratic Precipitates in Granulomatous versus Nongranulomatous Uveitis

Purpose: To compare the morphologic features of keratic precipitates (KPs) by confocal microscopy in granulomatous versus nongranulomatous noninfectious uveitis. Methods: KP morphology was determined by confocal scan in patients with noninfectious granulomatous and noninfectious nongranulomatous uveitic cases. Results: One hundred and twenty-seven eyes of 90 subjects with noninfectious uveitis were studied. Thirty-nine eyes had granulomatous and 88 had nongranulomatous uveitis. Smooth-rounded KPs were significantly more common in the granulomatous subgroup (P<0.001) while cruciform and dendritiform KPs were more frequent in nongranulomatous uveitis (P<0.001 and P<0.005 respectively). Conclusion: Confocal scan may be used as an adjunctive tool for differentiating granulomatous from nongranulomatous uveitis. Smooth-rounded KPs are strongly suggestive of granulomatous inflammation

Increased Latency of Visual Evoked Potentials in Healthy Women during Menstruation

Purpose: To evaluate the latency of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in healthy women during and after menstruation. Methods: Pattern and flash VEPs were performed in 15 healthy women aged 18 to 25 years on the maximum bleeding day (luteal phase) and 7 days after the menstrual cycle (follicular phase). Results: Mean latency was 119.6 msec on the maximum bleeding day and 100.8 msec one week after menstruation on pattern VEP (P < 0.001). Corresponding values for flash VEP were 124.5 msec and 112.7 msec, respectively (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Prolonged VEP latency on the maximum bleeding day indicates that high progesterone levels may have an inhibitory effect on optic nerve conduction velocity

Bilateral Primary Intraocular Lymphoma

Purpose: To report a case of bilateral primary intraocular lymphoma. Case report: A 33-year-old man presented with bilateral blurred vision since two years ago. Examination revealed large keratic precipitates, anterior chamber reaction, posterior subcapsular cataracts, and vitreous infiltration. After a short trial of topical and periocular steroids, diagnostic 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy was performed and cytologic evaluation of the aspirate confirmed a diagnosis of intraocular lymphoma. The patient was subsequently managed with intravitreal methotrexate in both eyes and responded favorably. Central nervous system workup for lymphoma was negative. Conclusion: Primary intraocular lymphoma should be considered in young adults suffering from chronic recalcitrant panuveitis

Intravenous Immunoglobulin for Management of Non-paraneoplastic Autoimmune Retinopathy

Purpose: To report a case of non-paraneoplastic autoimmune retinopathy (npAIR) treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Case report: A 12-year-old boy presented with progressive visual field loss, nyctalopia, and flashing for three months. He had suffered from common cold two weeks before the onset of these symptoms. On the basis of clinical history and paraclinical findings, he was diagnosed with npAIR, and IVIG without immunosuppressive therapy was started. During the one-year follow-up period after the first course of IVIG, flashing disappeared completely. Visual acuity remained 10/10, but nyctalopia did not improve. Multimodal imaging showed no disease progression. Conclusion: Although established retinal degenerative changes seem irreversible in npAIR, IVIG may be a suitable choice to control the disease progression

Sustained Release Intraocular Drug Delivery Devices for Treatment of Uveitis

Corticosteroids have been the mainstay of uveitis therapy. When intraocular inflammation is unresponsive to steroids, or steroid related side effects become a concern, steroid-sparing medications may be administered which can be classified into immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory agents. Uveitis treatment can be delivered systemically, topically, periocularly or intraocularly. All of the above mentioned medications can entail significant systemic side effects, particularly if administered for prolonged durations, which may become treatment-limiting. Some medications, particularly hydrophobic compounds, may poorly cross the blood–retinal barrier. Topical medications, which have the least side effects, do not penetrate well into the posterior segment and are unsuitable for posterior uveitis which is often sight-threatening. Intraocular or periocular injections can deliver relatively high doses of drug to the eye with few or no systemic side effects. However, such injections are associated with significant complications and must often be repeated at regular intervals. Compliance with any form of regular medication can be a problem, particularly if its administration is associated with discomfort or if side effects are unpleasant. To overcome the above-mentioned limitations, an increasing number of sustained-release drug delivery devices using different mechanisms and containing a variety of agents have been developed to treat uveitis. This review discusses various current and future sustained-release ophthalmic drug delivery systems for treatment of uveitis

Electroretinogram Changes following Silicone Oil Removal

Purpose: To evaluate electroretinogram (ERG) changes after silicone oil removal. Methods: Scotopic and photopic ERGs, and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were checked before and shortly after silicone oil removal in eyes that had previously undergone vitrectomy and silicone oil injection for complex retinal detachment. Preand postoperative ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes were compared. Results: Twenty-eight eyes of 28 patients including 20 male and 8 female subjects with mean age of 39.3 ± 0.06 (range, 12 to 85) years were studied. Mean interval from primary vitreoretinal surgery to silicone oil removal was 21.04 ± 0.52 (range, 7 to 39) months. Mean duration from silicone oil removal to second ERG was 13.04 ± 1.75 (range, 10 to 16) days. Before silicone oil removal, mean a-wave amplitudes in maximal combined response, rod response and cone response ERGs were 27.4 ± 19.9, 7.2 ± 4.5 and 5.5 ± 3.4 μv, respectively. These values increased to 48.8 ± 31.9, 15.1 ± 14.4 and 17.4 ± 22.2 μv, respectively after silicone oil removal (P < 0.001). Mean b-wave amplitudes in the same order, were 69.41 ± 51, 41.2 ± 30.4 and 25.1 ± 33.9 μv before silicone oil removal, increasing to 165.6 ± 102.5, 81.7 ± 53.7 and 44.7 ± 34.1 μv respectively, after silicone oil removal (P < 0.001). Mean BCVA significantly improved from 1.10 ± 0.34 at baseline to 1.02 ± 0.33 logMAR after silicone oil removal (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The amplitudes of ERG a- and b-waves under scotopic and photopic conditions increased significantly shortly after silicone oil removal. An increase in BCVA was also observed. These changes may be explained by the insulating effect of silicone oil on the retina

Patterns of Uveitis in the Middle East and Europe

Purpose: To compare the patterns of uveitis, emphasizing similarities and discrepancies, in the Middle East and Europe. Methods: Six articles reporting uveitis patterns from the Middle East including a total of 2,693 cases, and seven articles with a sum of 4,379 cases from Europe were analyzed and patterns in each region were defined and compared. Results: In both regions, uveitis was most commonly seen in the fourth decade of life with anterior uveitis being the most common anatomical form. Idiopathic cases accounted for the majority of anterior and intermediate uveitis; toxoplasmosis was the most frequent entity in posterior uveitis while Behcet′s disease and idiopathic forms were the next most common causes in the Middle East and in Europe, respectively. Conclusion: Since patterns of uveitis differ in various geographic regions, discovering these patterns would be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of this broad category of conditions. This necessitates applying a universal diagnostic classification system to enable accurate comparisons

Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Scientometric Analysis

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a major cause of central blindness among working aged adults across the world. Systematic research planning on any subject, including ARMD is in need of solid data regarding previous efforts in this field and to identify the gaps in the research. This study aimed to elucidate the most important trends, directions, and gap in this subject. The data extracted from the Institute for Scientific Information were used to perform a bibliometric analysis of the scientific productions (1993–2013) about ARMD. Specific parameters related to ARMD were analyzed to obtain a view of the topic’s structure, history, and document relationships. Additionally, the trends and authors in the most influential publications were analyzed. The number of articles in this field was found constantly increasing. Most highly cited articles addressed genetic epidemiology and clinical research topics in this field.  During the past 3 years, there has been a trend toward biomarker research. Through performing the first scientometric survey on ARMD research, we analyzed the characteristics of papers and the trends in scientific production.  We also identified some of the critical gaps in the current research efforts that would help in large-scale research strategic planning