Calcified amorphous tumor: A rare cause of central retinal artery occlusion.

PurposeWe report the case of a central retinal artery occlusion secondary to presumed embolus from a calcified amorphous tumor of the heart, a very rare non-neoplastic cardiac mass.ObservationsA 60-year-old female presented with acute unilateral vision loss of the left eye. Examination revealed hand motion visual acuity of the left eye and a left relative afferent pupillary defect. Fundoscopy showed whitening of the macula with a cherry red spot, consistent with a central retinal artery occlusion. Initial workup was unremarkable, including hypercoagulability labs, magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, and magnetic resonance angiography of the head and neck. Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) showed calcification of the mitral valve but no masses. Subsequently, transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) was performed, which revealed a mobile calcified amorphous tumor of the heart.ConclusionsCalcified amorphous tumor of the heart is a very rare cardiac mass that may cause retinal artery occlusion. TEE is a more sensitive imaging modality to assess for potential cardio-embolic sources if TTE is unrevealing

Optical Coherence Tomographic Angiography Imaging in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA) is emerging as a rapid, noninvasive imaging modality that can provide detailed structural and flow information on retinal and choroidal vasculature. This review contains an introduction of OCTA and summarizes the studies to date on OCTA imaging in age-related macular degeneration

Long-term Outcomes of Treat and Extend Regimen of Anti-vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: This study describes the long-term visual and anatomic outcomes of antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment using a treat and extend dosing regimen. Methods: This cross-sectional cohort study consisted of 224 treatment-naïve eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NV-AMD) from 202 patients that were treated with anti-VEGF agents bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept using a treat and extend (TAE) regimen by four physician investigators in a large urban referral center from 2008 to 2015. Subjects were evaluated for visual acuity, injection frequency, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Results: Over a seven-year follow-up period (mean 3.4 years), an average 20.2 ± 14.7 injections were administered with 8.4 injections in the first year and 5.5 injections by the seventh year of remaining eyes undergoing treatment. Visual acuity was 0.70 logMAR (20/100 Snellen) at the first visit and 0.67 logMAR (20/93 Snellen) at the final visit, with 74% of eyes maintaining or gaining more than 2 lines of vision. Long-term, 45.1% of eyes achieved 20/50 or better, while 27.1% were 20/200 or worse. Of the treated patients, 61.2% received monotherapy with no difference in visual acuity outcomes or number of injections between the agents used. OCT analysis showed decreased fluid from initial to final follow-up visit: 70.1–15.6% with sub-retinal fluid (SRF) and 47.3–18.8% with intraretinal fluid (IRF) with no difference between the agents were used. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that most patients (74%) improve or maintain visual acuity long-term using a TAE model with a significant portion (45.1%) achieving 20/50 or better visual acuity with sustained treatment

Amiodarone: A potential risk factor for retinal phototoxicity

Purpose: To report the only known case, to our knowledge, of amiodarone induced retinal phototoxicity following vitrectomy surgery. Observations: A 66-year-old male presented with visual acuity of 20/150 OS secondary to an epiretinal membrane (ERM). Patient was on oral amiodarone for atrial fibrillation. Baseline spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) revealed an ERM with retinal thickening and schisis. The patient underwent an uncomplicated pars plana vitrectomy and membrane peel using standard vitrectomy settings and illumination. Triamcinolone was used to stain the ERM intraoperatively. ICG was not used. On post-operative day one, vision was count finger (CF) at 1′. At post-operative week one, vision was unchanged and SD-OCT showed macular edema. At post-operative month one, vision remained CF at 1′ and macular edema resolved with residual pigmentary changes and subretinal fibrosis resembling phototoxic damage. SD-OCT at one month showed resolution of macular edema, retinal pigment epithelium hyperplasia and an indistinct ellipsoid layer. Fluorescein angiography did not show any neovascularization. At three month follow-up, patient's vision, exam and OCT findings remained unchanged. Conclusions and importance: Many pharmacologic agents have the ability to alter a patient's sensitivity to solar or artificial radiation. Drugs act as photosensitizers that lead to photochemical damage. Amiodarone has been reported to have such photosensitizing properties in humans. This report describes a case of retinal phototoxicity from intraoperative light exposure photosensitized by systemic amiodarone use

Clinical outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a cohort study of patients with care delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has led to both intentional and unintentional care delay among age-related neovascular macular degeneration (nvAMD) patients. Prior studies have demonstrated that patients who discontinue nvAMD treatment for prolonged intervals are at high risk for vision loss, but less is known regarding shorter-term delay, such as during the height of the pandemic. Previous studies have looked at COVID-19 related delay in care and have shown a loss of visual acuity (VA) among these patients, but studies are limited by short follow-up or insufficient comparisons. This was an observational cohort study of nvAMD patients from March 1, 2019, through July 1, 2021, who experienced care delay. VA was modeled using a linear longitudinal mixed-effects model comparing historic data pre-lockdown to data post-lockdown. Covariates included baseline anatomic variables, demographic variables, and time intervals (treatment interval, delay interval). Secondary anatomic and treatment outcomes were modeled using a multilevel binary logistic regression model. 163 eyes among 116 patients were included. Initial longitudinal mixed-effects models found that although overall VA decreased at a yearly rate, when comparing pre-lockdown and post-lockdown time periods, VA slopes were not statistically different. Single-covariate longitudinal models showed that age, sex, and delay interval significantly affected VA slope. The multivariate longitudinal model found that a longer delay interval significantly decreased rate of VA loss. Multilevel binary logistic regression models showed a significant increase in odds of anti-VEGF treatment, presence of subretinal fluid, and macular hemorrhages in the post-lockdown period. Overall, when compared to historic data, rate of VA loss among our cohort did not vary significantly in pre-versus post-lockdown time periods, although treatment and anatomic variables did worsen post-lockdown suggesting that patients may be appropriately delayed but this comes at the risk of increased need for treatment

Acute macular neuroretinopathy associated with influenza vaccination with decreased flow at the deep capillary plexus on OCT angiography

Purpose: We report a case of acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN) following routine annual inactivated influenza vaccination. Projection-resolved optical coherence tomography angiography (PR-OCTA) was used to analyze the retinal capillary flow within the AMN lesion. Observations: Our patient reported visual symptoms of her right eye nine days after routine annual influenza vaccination. Multimodal imaging revealed small vessel peripheral vasculitis and AMN in the affected eye. Infectious, immunologic, and hypercoagulable etiologies were investigated and excluded. PR-OCTA B-scans within the AMN lesion demonstrated reduced flow in the deep capillary plexus (DCP) at baseline with relatively improved flow signal in the DCP on follow up, 3 weeks later. Conclusions and importance: We report a new association of AMN following routine inactivated influenza immunization. Recent influenza vaccination should be included in the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with AMN. PR-OCTA demonstrated compromised DCP flow in the AMN lesion which has not been previously described. Keywords: Influenza vaccine, Vasculitis, Acute macular neuroretinopathy, AMN, Optical coherence tomography angiography, OCT

Scleral rupture during retinal detachment repair with primary scleral buckle and cryoretinopexy in a patient with microspherophakia

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to describe a case of a patient with microspherophakia (MSP) who had a scleral rupture during a retinal detachment (RD) repair with primary scleral buckle and cryoretinopexy. Observations: A 48-year-old woman with MSP presented with six days of expanding loss of vision and photopsias. Examination revealed a superior retinal detachment involving the macula associated with two superior retinal tears. The patient underwent successful placement of a segmental buckle. During cryoretinopexy treatment of the tears, a 4 mm full-thickness scleral rupture occurred. The sclera was immediately closed with interrupted 8-0 nylon sutures and reinforced with a processed pericardium allograft. Subsequent combined phacoemulsification with capsulectomy, zonulectomy, and pars plana vitrectomy with retinal reattachment was performed nine days post buckle placement. Conclusions and importance: This case illustrates that a patient with MSP, even observed in the absence of a genetic syndrome or familial condition, may be at increased risk of scleral rupture during RD repair. Though future investigations are necessary to confirm this association, surgeons should take a conservative approach by having a high clinical suspicion for compromised scleral integrity in patients with MSP and proceeding with caution in procedures that may pose a risk of scleral rupture. A pericardium allograft can be an effective adjunct for scleral rupture repair

Prevalence of Sensitive Terms in Clinical Notes Using Natural Language Processing Techniques: Observational Study

BackgroundWith the increased sharing of electronic health information as required by the US 21st Century Cures Act, there is an increased risk of breaching patient, parent, or guardian confidentiality. The prevalence of sensitive terms in clinical notes is not known. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to define sensitive terms that represent the documentation of content that may be private and determine the prevalence and characteristics of provider notes that contain sensitive terms. MethodsUsing keyword expansion, we defined a list of 781 sensitive terms. We searched all provider history and physical, progress, consult, and discharge summary notes for patients aged 0-21 years written between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019, for a direct string match of sensitive terms. We calculated the prevalence of notes with sensitive terms and characterized clinical encounters and patient characteristics. ResultsSensitive terms were present in notes from every clinical context in all pediatric ages. Terms related to the mental health category were most used overall (254,975/1,338,297, 19.5%), but terms related to substance abuse and reproductive health were most common in patients aged 0-3 years. History and physical notes (19,854/34,771, 57.1%) and ambulatory progress notes (265,302/563,273, 47.1%) were most likely to include sensitive terms. The highest prevalence of notes with sensitive terms was found in pain management (950/1112, 85.4%) and child abuse (1092/1282, 85.2%) clinics. ConclusionsNotes containing sensitive terms are not limited to adolescent patients, specific note types, or certain specialties. Recognition of sensitive terms across all ages and clinical settings complicates efforts to protect patient and caregiver privacy in the era of information-blocking regulations