Postage stamp multiple anterior capsulorhexisotomies in pediatric cataract surgery

BACKGROUND: Capsule related complications are common following pediatric cataract surgery. We report a new technique of multiple anterior capsulorhexisotomies after lens aspiration and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. METHODS: After performing automated lens aspiration, an IOL was implanted into the capsular bag. A bent 26 gauge needle was introduced through one side port and multiple small cuts were made in one half of the circumference of the anterior capsular rim by making a radial movement of the needle tip centripetally over the margin of the anterior capsular rim. The needle was again introduced through the other side port and multiple similar cuts were made in the other half thereby creating nearly 20 – 30 cuts at the margin of the anterior capsular rim. RESULTS: The mean size of the primary capsulorhexis was 4.33 ± 0.20 mm. A uniform enlargement of the capsulorhexis could be performed in all the eyes without peripheral extension in any of the eyes. There was no damage to the posterior capsule and no scratch mark on the IOL. In one eye, the primary capsulorhexis was slightly eccentric, though it was covering the IOL optic all around. The rhexisotomies in this eye were limited to the capsular rim that was overlapping more on the IOL optic (sectoral anterior capsulorhexisotomies). CONCLUSION: The technique of postage stamp anterior capsulorhexisotomies is a feasible technique in pediatric cataracts

Contact lens rehabilitation following repaired corneal perforations

BACKGROUND: Visual outcome following repair of post-traumatic corneal perforation may not be optimal due to presence of irregular keratometric astigmatism. We performed a study to evaluate and compare rigid gas permeable contact lens and spectacles in visual rehabilitation following perforating corneal injuries. METHOD: Eyes that had undergone repair for corneal perforating injuries with or without lens aspiration were fitted rigid gas permeable contact lenses. The fitting pattern and the improvement in visual acuity by contact lens over spectacle correction were noted. RESULTS: Forty eyes of 40 patients that had undergone surgical repair of posttraumatic corneal perforations were fitted rigid gas permeable contact lenses for visual rehabilitation. Twenty-four eyes (60%) required aphakic contact lenses. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of ≥ 6/18 in the snellen's acuity chart was seen in 10 (25%) eyes with spectacle correction and 37 (92.5%) eyes with the use of contact lens (p < 0.001). The best-corrected visual acuity with spectacles was 0.20 ± 0.13 while the same with contact lens was 0.58 ± 0.26. All the patients showed an improvement of ≥ 2 lines over spectacles in the snellen's acuity chart with contact lens. CONCLUSION: Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are better means of rehabilitation in eyes that have an irregular cornea due to scars caused by perforating corneal injuries

A population-based eye survey of older adults in a rural district of Rajasthan: I. Central vision impairment, blindness, and cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of central vision blindness and cataract surgery in older adults in rural northwest India. DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 4284 examined persons 50 years of age or older. METHODS: A random selection of village-based clusters was used to identify a population sample in the predominantly rural Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. Eligible subjects in the 25 selected clusters were enumerated through a door-to-door household survey and invited to village sites for visual acuity testing and eye examination early in 1999. The principal cause of reduced central vision was identified for eyes that had visual acuity worse than 6/18. Independent replicate testing for quality assurance monitoring took place in participants with reduced vision and in a sample of those with normal vision in five of the study clusters. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presenting and best-corrected visual acuity and lens status. RESULTS: A total of 4728 eligible persons in 2821 households were enumerated, and 4284 (90.6%) were examined. The prevalence of presenting and best-corrected visual acuity worse than 6/60 in both eyes was 11.9% (95% confidence interval: 10.0%-13.9%) and 6.1% (95% CI: 4.7%-7.4%), respectively. Presenting blindness was associated with increasing age, female gender, lack of schooling, and rural residence. Cataract was the principal cause of blindness in one or both eyes in 67.5% of blind persons, with uncorrected aphakia and other refractive error affecting 18.4% in at least one eye. The prevalence of cataract surgery was 12.8% (95% CI: 11.6%-14.0%), with an estimated 65.7% of the cataract blind operated on; low surgical coverage was associated with lack of schooling. CONCLUSIONS: Blindness, particularly blindness because of cataract, continues to be a significant problem among the elderly living in remote areas of rural northwest India. Increased attention should be given to reaching women and the illiterate

A population-based eye survey of older adults in a rural district of Rajasthan: II. Outcomes of cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To assess the outcomes of cataract surgery in rural northwest India. DESIGN: Population-based, cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 549 cataract-operated persons (723 operated eyes). METHODS: Cluster sampling was used in randomly selecting a cross-sectional sample of persons 50 years of age or older for visual acuity measurement, refraction, and slit-lamp and direct ophthalmoscope examination early in 1999. Those operated on for cataract were queried as to the date and place of surgery. The principal cause of reduced vision was identified for all examined eyes with presenting visual acuity worse than 6/18. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Presenting and best-corrected visual acuity and cause of vision loss. RESULTS: Presenting visual acuity was less than 6/60 in the better eye in 33.7% of cataract-operated persons and greater than or equal to 6/18 in both eyes in 8.2%; 31.7% were bilaterally operated on. Of cataract-operated eyes, 44.1% initially had visual acuity less than 6/60 and 31.5% greater than or equal to 6/18; with best correction, the corresponding percentages were 14.0% and 61.5%. Intracapsular cataract extraction was used in 92% of cases, and 66% had been operated on in surgery camps. Surgical complications were common and a major cause of vision impairment. In multiple logistic regression modeling, female gender and residence in a rural area were associated negatively with both presenting and best-corrected visual acuity outcomes, and surgery conducted before 1990 was associated negatively with best-corrected visual acuity. Place of surgery and subject schooling were not associated with vision outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Cataract surgery subjects in rural areas of India that are without adequately equipped facilities and skilled surgeons, and lack of availability of intraocular lenses, are not realizing the full sight-restoring potential of modern-day surgery. Emphasis on the quality of cataract surgery outcomes must be increased to keep pace with that being given to increasing surgical volume

The use of a newspaper insertion to promote DIY testing of vision in India.

BACKGROUND: The mass media have the potential to motivate people to participate in self appraisal of their own health status. An innovative communication package was designed to help people to examine vision at home. The impact of publishing the "do it yourself" (DIY) kit in Indian newspapers was evaluated. METHODS: A pretested bilingual vision testing kit was published in three newspapers. The kit comprised four tumbling Es corresponding to 6/12 line of Snellen's optotypes. Directions on using the kit were enclosed. 3 -7 days after publication of the kit, a telephone survey of newspaper readers was undertaken to evaluate the impact and cost effectiveness. RESULTS: 603 people were contacted over the telephone. 125 (20.73%) subscribed to the newspaper carrying the DIY insertion. 43.2% (54) noticed the insertion of which 88.89% (48) read the enclosed instructions carefully. 58.33% respondents felt sufficiently motivated to contact an ophthalmologist. Graduates had a 3.83 times higher probability of reading the communication insertion compared with others. Differences in relation to other demographic variables were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Newspapers are an excellent medium for communicating self appraisal kits for vision testing. The medium is cost effective and has significant reach in the urban agglomerates of India

Kinetic modeling of liquid-phase adsorption of Congo red dyeusing guava leaf-based activated carbon

Guava leaf, a waste material, was treated andactivated to prepare adsorbent. The adsorbent was char-acterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM),Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) and Energy-Disper-sive X-ray (EDX) techniques. The carbonaceous adsorbentprepared from guava leaf had appreciable carbon content(86.84 %). The adsorption of Congo red dye onto guavaleaf-based activated carbon (GLAC) was studied in thisresearch. Experimental data were analyzed by four differ-ent model equations: Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin andDubinin–Radushkevich isotherms and it was found to fitFreundlich equation most. Adsorption rate constants weredetermined using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order,Elovich and intraparticle diffusion model equations. Theresults clearly showed that the adsorption of CR dye ontoGLAC followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model.Intraparticle diffusion was involved in the adsorption pro-cess. The mean energy of adsorption calculated from D-Risotherm confirmed the involvement of physical adsorp-tion. Thermodynamic parameters were obtained and it wasfound that the adsorption of CR dye onto GLAC was anexothermic and spontaneous process at the temperaturesunder investigation. The maximum adsorption of CR dyeby GLAC was found to be 47.62 mg/g. The study showsthat GLAC is an effective adsorbent for the adsorption ofCR dye from aqueous solution