Intravitreal triamcinolone for cancer-associated retinopathy refractory to systemic therapy

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to report the use of intravitreal triamcinolone for treatment of cancer-associated retinopathy (CAR) refractory to systemic therapy. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review study. Results: A 67-year-old man presented with cancer-associated retinopathy with antibodies against a 46-kDa retinal protein, alpha enolase. There was disease progression despite therapy with mycophenolate and intravenous immunoglobulin. Serial intravitreal injections of triamcinolone resulted in restoration of photoreceptor anatomy on optical coherence tomography and visual improvement. The patient’s vision was preserved at 20/40 OD and 20/32 OS until his death from lung cancer 31 months after CAR diagnosis. Conclusions: Intravitreal triamcinolone may be beneficial for maintenance of vision in patients with CAR

Bilateral Vitiligo-Like Depigmentation of Choroid and Retinal Pigment Epithelium Associated with Ipilimumab-Nivolumab Therapy for Metastatic Cutaneous Melanoma

Introduction: Ipilimumab and nivolumab are checkpoint inhibitors that are known to cause a multitude of inflammatory ocular adverse events. Here we report a patient with poliosis and symptomatic depigmentation of the choroid and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) associated with checkpoint inhibitor therapy for cutaneous melanoma. Case Presentation: The patient presented with floaters in both eyes and concerns for intraocular metastases of metastatic cutaneous melanoma after 1 month of therapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab. External examination revealed poliosis of her eyebrows and eyelashes. Fundus photography demonstrated multiple 1–3 disc-diameter hypopigmented placoid flat areas in the RPE/choroid exposing underlying choroidal vessels in both eyes. At subsequent evaluation 7 months later (after an additional 6 months of checkpoint inhibitor therapy), the lesions appeared more blanched. Evaluation nearly 20 months after the initial presentation showed no significant changes from her prior visit despite cessation of checkpoint inhibitor therapy for 13 months. Conclusion: Checkpoint inhibitor therapy for cutaneous melanoma metastases can cause depigmentation of the choroid and RPE that must be differentiated from progression of intraocular melanoma

Bilateral Optic Neuropathy Associated with Necrotizing Sarcoid Granulomatosis

Necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis is a rare subtype of sarcoidosis which only infrequently affects the visual system. Moreover, isolated optic nerve involvement in absence of other ocular or systemic stigmata of the disease is rare. This is a case presentation of biopsy-confirmed necrotizing sarcoid granulomatosis leading to progressive bilateral optic neuropathy due to presumed adhesive arachnoiditis compressing the optic nerves

Timing of vitrectomy for retained lens fragments after cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: To determine the outcomes of early (less than 7 inter-operative days) versus late (7 or greater inter-operative days) vitrectomy in patients with retained lens fragments in the posterior segment after cataract surgery. METHODS: This was a retrospective review of all patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy for retained lens fragments at the University of Virginia Hospital from 2002 to 2015. RESULTS: Forty-one eyes were included in the analysis. Mean follow-up time was 25.3 months (range 3.2 months-13 years). Patients in the early vitrectomy group had poorer baseline visual acuity than those in the late vitrectomy group (mean logMAR, 1.10 vs. 0.53, p = 0.030). No other pre-operative differences existed between the two groups. At the final follow-up, there was no significant difference in visual acuity between the early (mean logMAR, 0.41) and the late (mean logMAR, 0.45) vitrectomy groups. There were no differences in rates of glaucoma, retinal detachment, or cystoid macular edema between the groups. Factors associated with final visual acuity of worse than 20/40 were diabetes mellitus, placement of anterior chamber intraocular lens at cataract surgery, cortical as opposed to nuclear retained lens fragments, post-cataract extraction complications, need for glaucoma medications, and additional surgery after vitrectomy. Separate analysis was done for patients with pre-existing eye disease resulting in worse than 20/40 vision, which showed. CONCLUSION: Clinical outcomes were similar in patients undergoing early and late vitrectomy. Patients with poorer baseline visual acuity were more likely to receive early vitrectomy. Worse final visual acuity was seen in patients with baseline diagnosis of diabetes and in those who experienced post-operative complications

Tissue glue for management of large iris cyst

Purpose: To present a novel technique utilizing fibrin glue-assisted adhesion as adjuvant to fine needle aspiration for management of post-surgical peripheral iris stromal cyst. Observations: A 61 year-old male presented with a 4.20 × 7.56 × 8.22 mm well-circumscribed, fluid-filled peripheral cystic lesion involving the central visual axis with local posterior displacement of the intraocular lens. Surgical drainage was performed with the adjuvant use of fibrin glue to enhance the annealing of cyst walls. The patient tolerated the procedure without significant complications. At final post-operative visit, vision improved to 20/30 and there was no recurrence of the cyst. Conclusions and importance: To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the use of fibrin glue to successfully treat a post-surgical peripheral iris stromal cyst. Fibrin glue may serve as an effective alternative to ethanol and sclerosing agents in the management of iris cysts

Clinical Performance and Management Outcomes with the DecisionDx-UM Gene Expression Profile Test in a Prospective Multicenter Study

Uveal melanoma management is challenging due to its metastatic propensity. DecisionDx-UM is a prospectively validated molecular test that interrogates primary tumor biology to provide objective information about metastatic potential that can be used in determining appropriate patient care. To evaluate the continued clinical validity and utility of DecisionDx-UM, beginning March 2010, 70 patients were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter, IRB-approved study to document patient management differences and clinical outcomes associated with low-risk Class 1 and high-risk Class 2 results indicated by DecisionDx-UM testing. Thirty-seven patients in the prospective study were Class 1 and 33 were Class 2. Class 1 patients had 100% 3-year metastasis-free survival compared to 63% for Class 2 (log rank test p=0.003) with 27.3 median follow-up months in this interim analysis. Class 2 patients received significantly higher-intensity monitoring and more oncology/clinical trial referrals compared to Class 1 patients (Fisher’s exact test p=2.1×10-13 and p=0.04, resp.). The results of this study provide additional, prospective evidence in an independent cohort of patients that Class 1 and Class 2 patients are managed according to the differential metastatic risk indicated by DecisionDx-UM. The trial is registered with Clinical Application of DecisionDx-UM Gene Expression Assay Results (NCT02376920)