Effect of vitamin D deficiency on ocular blood flow

Aim: In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) on retrobulbar blood flow in healthy eyes.Material and Methods: In this prospective study, thirty eyes of 30 patients with VDD (Group 1) and 25 eyes of 25 individuals without VDD (Group 2) were included. The peak systolic flow velocity (PSV), end-diastolic flow velocity (EDV) and vascular resistance index (RI) were obtained from the ophthalmic artery (OA) with color doppler imaging. Multiple linear regression was performed for the covariate-adjusted comparison.Results: Mean ages were 37.83 +/- 9.89 years in Group 1 and 35.32 +/- 9.61 years in Group 2, (p = 0.347). Mean values of serum 25(OH)D3 level were 11.38 +/- 3.85 ng/dl in Group 1 and 26.80 +/- 10.03 ng/dl in Group 2 (p < 0.001). PSV and EDV were significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1 (p<0.001, p=0.001, respectively). RI was slightly higher in Group 1 than in Group 2, but this difference was not statistically significant. In multivariate linear regression, PSV and EDV were positively correlated with OPP, and negatively affected by the presence of VDD.Discussion: VDD can be an important factor in reducing ocular blood flow

Fall-related ocular trauma in patients over 90 years in tertiary ophthalmic center in Germany: 90-TOSG Report 1

PurposeTo investigate the clinical characteristics of fall-related ocular trauma in patients over 90 years of age.MethodsRetrospective, medical record reviews. Patients over the age of 90 years treated in a tertiary center with fall-related ocular trauma were included in the study.ResultsFifty consecutive patients (fifty eyes) were analyzed. The mean age was 93.6 & PLUSMN; 1.8 years and 41 patients (82%) were female. The most common site of the injuries was orbital fracture (18 patients, 36%), accompanied with open globe rupture (OGR) in three patients, and globe contusion in two patients. Seventeen patients (34%) presented with OGR. Ocular trauma score in those patients was category 1 in 10 patients (58.8%) and category 2 in the others. Conjunctival hemorrhage and/or periocular contusion was seen in 14 patients (28%) and globe contusion in six patients (12%). At the presentation, the mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 2.82 & PLUSMN; 0.24 logMAR in patients with OGR and 1.98 & PLUSMN; 0.81 logMAR in six patients with globe contusion. Three of the patients with OGR had a final vision of 20/200 or better whereas the remaining patients had hand movements or less. The most common risk factors were female gender (82%) and use of antihypertensive drugs (46%).ConclusionPatients with OGR had a poor visual outcome despite the early treatment. It is important to raise public awareness about of the poor prognosis of ocular injuries due to falls in the elderly population in order to establish preventive measures.Projekt DEALOpen Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. No Funding was received for this research

Evaluation of the correlation between quantitative measurement of the foveal avascular zone and retinal vessel density and outer retinal disruptions in diabetic patients

Background/aim: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the correlation between the integrity of the outer retinal layers on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and objective parameters of retinal microvascular perfusion on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). Materials and methods: A total of 105 eyes of 54 diabetic patients were included in the study. Integrity of the outer retinal layers including the external limiting membrane (ELM), ellipsoid zone (EZ), and interdigitation zone (IZ) was assessed by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. The foveal avascular zone (PAZ) area and vessel density (VD) measurements in the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) in all the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) sectors were evaluated by OCTA. Associations between the quantitative measurement of the PAZ and retinal VD measurements and outer retinal disruptions were evaluated. Results: The FAZ area was correlated with outer retinal layer disruption both in the superficial plexus (r 0.244, 0.228, 0.212, P= 0.013, 0.02, 0.031 for the ELM, EZ, and IZ, respectively) and the deep capillary plexus (r = 0.298, 0.234, 0.197, P = 0.002, 0.019, 0.048 for the ELM, EZ, and IZ, respectively). A significant relationship was also found between the VD measurements in the SCP and DCP in ETDRS sectors and the outer retinal layers disruption. Conclusion: The results of the current study show a significant relationship between the quantitative OCTA parameters and the integrity of the outer retinal layers. This finding reveals a correlation between retinal capillary nonperfusion and outer retinal disruption in eyes with diabetic retinopathy