Glaucoma, retina, uveitis

PURPOSE: Increased ophthalmology-specific risk of novel coronavirus 2019 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission is well-established, increasing the fear of infection and causing associated decreased rates of procedures known to save vision. However, the potential transmission from exposure to clinic instrumentation is unknown, including which additional pathogens may be spreading in this context. This study seeks to fill this gap by characterizing the microbiota of instrumentation in ophthalmology clinics during the COVID-19 pandemic and identifying potential sources of pathogenic spread encountered by patients and healthcare workers...

Metformin is one of the most prescribed drugs in the world giving potential health benefits beyond that of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Emerging evidence suggests that it may have protective effects for retinal/posterior segment diseases including diabetic retinopathy (DR), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), inherited retinal degeneration such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP), primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), retinal vein occlusion (RVO), and uveitis. Metformin exerts potent anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, and antioxidative effects on the retina in response to pathologic stressors...

In the real-world setting, there is suboptimal compliance with treatments that require frequent administration and assessment visits. This undertreatment frequently has negative consequences in eye disease and carries a real risk to vision. For example, patients with glaucoma risk progression of visual loss even with a small number of missed doses, and patients with neovascular age-related degeneration (nAMD) who fail to attend a bi-monthly clinic appointment to receive an intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug injections may lose the initial vision gains in vision...

The cornea is a transparent, avascular and abundantly innervated tissue through which light rays are transmitted to the retina. The innermost layer of the cornea, also known as the endothelium, consists of a single layer of polygonal endothelial cells that serve an important role in preserving corneal transparency and hydration. The average corneal endothelial cell density (ECD) is the highest at birth (~3,000 cells/mm2 ), which then decrease to ~2,500 cells/mm2 at adulthood. These endothelial cells have limited regenerative potential and the minimum (critical) ECD required to maintain the pumping function of the endothelium is 400-500 cells/mm2 ...

The microbiome has become a hot issue in recent years. The composition, modification, alteration, and disturbance of gut microbiota were found to influence important physiological processes, including energy metabolism and microenvironmental homeostasis, and lead to various diseases, including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus and one of the leading causes of blindness and vision impairment. The underlying mechanisms in DR pathogenesis remain limited...

Purpose: To analyze the changes in ophthalmological emergencies during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown at a Spanish primary level hospital. Methods: The number and type of emergencies attended in the emergency department of Hospital Universitario del Henares between March 10 and August 31, 2020 (COVID-19 cohort) were compared with the emergencies attended during the same period of 2019 (pre-COVID-19 cohort). Data on the diagnosis, patient age, and gender was retrospectively collected from the electronic medical records of the hospital...

PURPOSE: To perform a retrospective analysis on patients with HLA-B27 negative hypertensive acute anterior uveitis. Aqueous humor samples were obtained on which a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was performed. The patients were then classified into 3 groups depending on whether they were positive for cytomegalovirus (CMV) or herpesvirus (HSV-VZV) or negative for both. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Different variables were collected in successive visits (baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months)...

Ghrelin has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic effects, and it may be beneficial for the treatment of many ophthalmic diseases, such as cataract, uveitis, and glaucoma. Our previous work proved that ghrelin pretreatment reduced the apoptosis of lens epithelial cells induced by hydrogen peroxide, reduced the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and effectively maintained the transparency of lens tissue. However, no study has yet investigated the effect of ghrelin on retina. In this study, we conducted in vitro and in vivo experiments to explore the effect of ghrelin on high-glucose- (HG-) induced ARPE-19 cell damage and diabetic retinopathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats...

Increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus warrants recognition of factors related to asymmetric diabetic retinopathy (DR). This thematic synthesis based on an iterative literature review conducted in Medline and Google Scholar pertaining to diabetes with coexistent asymmetry of retinopathy included 45 original articles, 21 case reports and series, and 18 review articles from 1965 to 2020. Asymmetric DR is defined as proliferative DR (PDR) in one eye and nonproliferative, preproliferative, background, or no DR in the other eye lasting for at least 2 years...

The only time is now. Every "now" is unique. Responsible persons ask themselves, "How can I act well now?" The answers will differ for every person, because just as every situation is unique, so is every person different from every other person. But surely there must be some algorithm that will assist us in coming to the right answer. Unfortunately, no, for there is no right answer. There is only an answer that is as appropriate as we can conclude at that moment in that situation. No written guidelines can apply appropriately to every unique situation...

The sphingolipids ceramide (Cer), ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P), sphingosine (Sph), and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)) are key signaling molecules that regulate many patho-biological processes. During the last decade, they have gained increasing attention since they may participate in important and numerous retinal processes, such as neuronal survival and death, proliferation and migration of neuronal and vascular cells, inflammation, and neovascularization. Cer for instance has emerged as a key mediator of inflammation and death of neuronal and retinal pigment epithelium cells in experimental models of retinopathies such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinitis pigmentosa...

Retinal inflammation underlies multiple prevalent ocular and neurological diseases. Similar inflammatory processes are observed in glaucomatous optic neuropathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, posterior uveitis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. In particular, human and animal studies have demonstrated the important role microglia/macrophages play in initiating and maintaining a pro-inflammatory environment in degenerative processes impacting vision. On the other hand, microglia have also been shown to have a protective role in multiple central nervous system diseases...

PURPOSE: To assess the gender distribution of major ophthalmology society awards. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational study. METHODS: The study population included award recipients from nine ophthalmological societies: American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus (AAPOS), American Glaucoma Society (AGS), American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS), American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), American Uveitis Society (AUS), Cornea Society, and North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (NANOS)...

INTRODUCTION: The dexamethasone (DEX) implant is an FDA approved treatment for diabetic macular edema, non-infectious posterior uveitis, and macular edema secondary to branch or central retinal vein occlusions. We describe a case of anterior chamber (AC) migration of a DEX implant in a patient with a history of congenital glaucoma and perform a review of the literature on this particular complication, summarizing the common risk factors, subsequent complications, and management options...

PURPOSE: To perform a retrospective analysis on patients with HLA-B27 negative hypertensive acute anterior uveitis. Aqueous humor samples were obtained on which a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was performed. The patients were then classified into 3 groups depending on whether they were positive for cytomegalovirus (CMV) or herpesvirus (HSV-VZV) or negative for both. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Different variables were collected in successive visits (baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months)...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study aimed to predict the possibility of steroid-induced ocular hypertension (OHT) after intravitreal dexamethasone (DEX) implantation and to identify a proper safety zone for such injections. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted and included 908 patient eyes that underwent DEX implant injection due to various retinal diseases. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was measured before injection, at 1 week, and at 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months thereafter...

PURPOSE: To evaluate eye-related quality of life (ER-QOL) and functional vision across a wide range of pediatric eye conditions, using the Pediatric Eye Questionnaires (PedEyeQ). METHODS: A total of 1,037 children with an eye condition and 254 visually normal controls, across 0-4, 5-11, and 12-17 years age groups, completed the following questionnaires: Child PedEyeQ (Functional Vision, Bothered by Eyes/Vision, Social, Frustration/Worry domains), Proxy PedEyeQ (same domains plus Eye Care), and Parent PedEyeQ (Impact on Parent and Family, Worry about Child's Eye Condition, Worry about Child's Self-perception and Interactions, and Worry about Functional Vision domains)...

PURPOSE: To analyze the incidence, risk factors and time to onset of ocular hypertension (OHT) after intravitreal injections (IVI) of Dexamethasone implant (DEX-I) and to evaluate the long-term cumulative probability of intraocular pressure elevation. METHODS: Eyes of patients having received at least one DEX-I IVI between October 2010 and February 2015 were included in the present study. OHT was defined as IOP > 25 mmHg and/or an increase of 10 mmHg over the follow-up period compared with baseline IOP...

Sphingolipids have emerged as bioactive lipids involved in the regulation of many physiological and pathological processes. In the retina, they have been established to participate in numerous processes, such as neuronal survival and death, proliferation and migration of neuronal and vascular cells, inflammation, and neovascularization. Dysregulation of sphingolipids is, therefore, crucial in the onset and progression of retinal diseases. This review examines the involvement of sphingolipids in retinal physiology and diseases...

BACKGROUND: Ophthalmology consultations are more thorough on outpatient basis, but inpatient evaluation cannot be over looked especially in terms of care of patients admitted in other specialties. OBJECTIVES: This is to assess the profile of inpatient consultation and eye problems evaluated and managed by the ophthalmology department of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. METHODS: All consecutive inpatients who had ophthalmic consultations requested for by various departments in the hospital between July 2018 and June 2019...