Macular recovery after retinal detachment

Macular recovery after surgery for retinal detachment (RD) depends on preoperative and postoperative predictive factors. Preoperative visual acuity is the main preoperative factor correlating positively with good macular recovery. Preoperative factors, which influence macular recovery negatively, include duration of macular detachment, height of macular detachment and vitreomacular traction. Postoperative factors, which influence macular recovery negatively, include cystoid macular oedema, epiretinal membranes, retinal folds, subretinal retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) migration and persistent subretinal fluid on optical coherence tomography (OCT). According to the latest available data, a detached macula has to be reattached within 5 days to optimize functional recovery. However, new therapeutic options such as exposure to hyperoxia or different growth factors may help to improve the final visual outcome in the presence of an already detached macula

Highlights of human toxocariasis

Human toxocariasis is a helminthozoonosis due to the migration of Toxocara species larvae through human organism. Humans become infected by ingesting either embryonated eggs from soil (geophagia, pica), dirty hands or raw vegetables, or larvae from undercooked giblets. The diagnosis relies upon sensitive immunological methods (ELISA or western-blot) which use Toxocara excretory-secretory antigens. Seroprevalence is high in developed countries, especially in rural areas, and also in some tropical islands. The clinical spectrum of the disease comprises four syndromes, namely visceral larva migrans, ocular larva migrans, and the more recently recognized "common" (in adults) and "covert" (in children) pictures. Therapy of ocular toxocariasis is primarily based upon corticosteroids use, when visceral larva migrans and few cases of common or covert toxocariasis can be treated by anthelmintics whose the most efficient appeared to be diethylcarbamazine. When diagnosed, all of these syndromes require thorough prevention of recontamination (especially by deworming pets) and sanitary education