Charles C. Barr

Postoperative Intraocular Pressure Abnormalities in the Silicone Study: Silicone Study Report 4

BACKGROUND Chronically abnormal intraocular pressure (IOP) may follow surgery for proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), using either long-acting gas or silicone oil tamponade. Its prevalence and clinical significance are unclear. METHODS In the Silicone Study, 241 eyes with severe (> or = C-3) PVR were treated with vitrectomy, randomized to perfluoropropane gas (C3F8) or silicone oil, and followed for 6 months or longer. Chronic IOP abnormalities, based on findings at two consecutive or any three postoperative visits, were defined as (1) low IOP (hypotony), 5 mmHg or less, or (2) elevated IOP, more than 25 mmHg. RESULTS Eleven (5%) eyes had chronically elevated IOP and 58 (24%) had chronic hypotony. Chronically elevated IOP was more prevalent in eyes randomized to silicone oil than in those randomized to C3F8 gas (8% versus 2%; P < 0.05). Chronic hypotony was (1) more prevalent in eyes randomized to C3F8 gas than in those randomized to silicone oil (31% versus 18%; P < 0.05); (2) more prevalent in eyes with anatomic failure (48% versus 16%; P < 0.01); and (3) correlated with poor postoperative vision (P < 0.0001), corneal opacity (P < 0.001), and retinal detachment (P < 0.001). Factors prognostic of chronic hyotony included preoperative hypotony (P < 0.01), diffuse contraction of the retina anterior to the equator (P < 0.01), rubeosis (P = 0.02), and large retinal breaks (P = 0.02). In a multivariate analysis, diffuse contraction of the retina anterior to the equator remained an independent factor prognostic of chronic hypotony (odds ratio = 4.2), regardless of whether the retina was attached postoperatively. CONCLUSION Intraocular pressure abnormalities are a common postoperative complication in eyes with PVR, and may occur with either C3F8 gas or with silicone oil. The presence of diffuse contraction of the retina anterior to the equator should alert the vitrectomy surgeon that the eye is likely to be hypotonus postoperatively.

Endogenous aspergillus endophthalmitis: Clinical features and treatment outcomes

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the clinical features and treatment outcomes in patients with endogenous Aspergillus endophthalmitis. DESIGN The study design was a multicenter retrospective chart review. PARTICIPANTS Ten patients (12 eyes) with culture-proven endogenous Aspergillus endophthalmitis treated by 1 of the authors were studied. INTERVENTION Intravitreous amphotericin B injection, pars plana vitrectomy, systemic amphotericin B therapy, and oral anti-fungal therapy were performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Elimination of endogenous Aspergillus endophthalmitis and Snellen visual acuity, best corrected, were measured. RESULTS All patients had a 1- to 3-day history of pain and marked loss of visual acuity in the involved eyes. Varying degrees of vitritis was present in all 12 eyes. In 8 of 12 eyes, a central macular chorioretinal inflammatory lesion was present. Four patients (six eyes) had associated pulmonary diseases and were receiving concurrent steroid therapy. One of these patients with chronic asthma also was abusing intravenous drugs. Overall, six patients (six eyes) had a history of intravenous drug abuse, whereas a seventh patient (one eye) was suspected of abusing intravenous drugs. Blood cultures and echocardiograms were negative for systemic aspergillosis. Management consisted of a pars plana vitrectomy in 10 of 12 eyes. Intravitreous amphotericin B was administered in 11 of 12 eyes. Systemic amphotericin B therapy was used in eight patients. One patient was treated with oral antifungal agents. In three eyes without central macular involvement, final visual acuities were 20/25 to 20/200. In eight eyes with initial central macular involvement, final visual acuities were 20/400 in three eyes and 5/200 or less in four eyes. Two painful eyes with marked inflammation, hypotony, and retinal detachment were enucleated. CONCLUSIONS Endogenous Aspergillus endophthalmitis usually has an acute onset of intraocular inflammation and often has a characteristic chorioretinal lesion located in the macula. Although treatment with pars plana vitrectomy and intravitreous amphotericin B is capable of eliminating the ocular infection, the visual outcome generally is poor, especially when there is direct macular involvement.

Photocoagulation to Prevent Retinal Detachment in Acute Retinal Necrosis

Retinal detachment (RD) occurs in more than 50% of eyes with acute retinal necrosis (ARN) and is the leading cause of visual loss in this syndrome. In order to decrease the incidence of RD in ARN, the authors treated 12 eyes of 10 patients with prophylactic laser photocoagulation. Retinal detachment occurred in two eyes (17%). Over the same time period, seven eyes with ARN did not receive prophylactic laser treatment, most often because of dense vitreous debris, with a 67% rate of RD. Prophylactic photocoagulation treatment should be considered in the management of patients with ARN.

Primary retinal detachment repair: comparison of 1-year outcomes of four surgical techniques.

Purpose: To compare functional and anatomical outcomes of modern methods of repair of primary retinal detachment. Materials and Methods: Retrospective interventional comparative case series. A total of 1,226 patients with primary retinal detachment were included in the study. All patients completed 1-year follow-up and were divided into 4 groups: 322 patients underwent scleral buckling surgery, 442 patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy surgery, 316 patients underwent a combination of scleral buckling and vitrectomy surgery, and 56 patients underwent pneumatic retinopexy surgery for the primary repair of retinal detachment. Reattachment success rates, pre- and postoperative visual acuity, complications, and change in refractive error were reviewed. Results: Initial success rate for retinal reattachment was 86% for scleral buckling only, 90% for vitrectomy only, 94% for the combination of scleral buckling and vitrectomy, and 63% for pneumatic retinopexy surgery. Although patients undergoing pneumatic retinopexy had a lower initial success rate, there was no statistically significant difference in initial reattachment rates between the other three groups. There was no statistically significant difference in final visual acuity between the four groups. Complication rates varied among the techniques used. Conclusion: Postoperative visual acuity at 1 year did not differ among the various techniques used to repair primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachments. However, scleral buckling, vitrectomy, or a combination of both resulted in an initially better anatomical success rate and fewer operative procedures than pneumatic retinopexy.

Macular Pucker after Successful Surgery for Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy: Silicone Study Report 8

BACKGROUND The prevalence of postoperative macular pucker and the factors associated with its development after successful surgery for proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) using silicone oil or gas tamponade are unknown. METHODS The postoperative status of the macula was determined by reviewing the photographs of 336 eyes taken 6 months after randomization. Two hundred eleven eyes with attached maculas were identified and analyzed to determine the prevalence of macular pucker after silicone oil and gas tamponades in eyes without (group 1) and with (group 2) previous vitrectomy surgery. Data obtained at baseline, from the primary study surgery, and from subsequent examinations and repeat surgeries during a follow-up period of 6 months were analyzed for factors associated with postoperative macular pucker. RESULTS The 6-month-point prevalence rate of postoperative macular pucker was 15% (32 of 211 eyes). Ten of the 32 eyes were new cases of macular pucker. The authors were unable to document a difference in the 6-month-point prevalence of postoperative macular pucker between group 1 and group 2 eyes (13% versus 18%) or between eyes randomized to gas versus silicone oil (19% versus 12%). Postoperative pucker was three times as likely to develop in aphakic/pseudophakic eyes compared with phakic eyes (P = 0.02). Focal contraction posteriorly causing starfolds, and intravitreal contraction involving the vitreous base or vitreous cavity, were significantly less prevalent in eyes with postoperative macular pucker (P < 0.05). Large (> or = 2 disc diameters) retinal breaks (P = 0.04) were associated significantly with postoperative macular pucker (P = 0.04). The authors were unable to document an association between postoperative macular pucker and the type of adhesive modality used or the extent of its application. Postoperative visual acuity was significantly better if the macula was not puckered (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The occurrence of macular pucker after successful surgery for retinal detachments complicated by severe PVR is not influenced by the choice of intraocular tamponade. Certain preoperative factors may be associated with postoperative macular pucker.

The histopathology of successful retinal reattachment.

Fifteen eyes with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment that were successfully reattached with scleral buckling were studied histopathologically after enucleation or autopsy. Postoperative visual acuities ranged from 20/25 to 5/200. Epiretinal membranes were present in 9 of 15 eyes (60%) and cystoid macular edema was present in 4 of 15 (26%). Although the reattached retina was of normal morphology by light microscopy in 9 of 15 eyes, significant atrophy of outer retinal layers was noted in 4 of 15 eyes (26%). In 5 of 13 patients, reduced postoperative vision could be histopathologically correlated with macular edema or lack of retinal regeneration, but there was no compelling histopathologic explanation for reduced vision noted in 5 other cases.

Postinjection Endophthalmitis in the Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT)

OBJECTIVE To describe the incidence and outcomes of endophthalmitis after intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents in the Comparison of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials (CATT) and to assess the effect of prophylactic topical antimicrobials on incidence. DESIGN Cohort study within a randomized clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS Patients enrolled in CATT. METHODS Patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration received intravitreal injections of ranibizumab or bevacizumab under 1 of 3 dosing regimens. The study protocol specified preinjection preparation to include use of a sterile lid speculum and povidone iodine (5%). Use of preinjection and postinjection antibiotics was at the discretion of the treating ophthalmologist. Patients were followed up monthly for 2 years. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Development of endophthalmitis and visual acuity. RESULTS Endophthalmitis developed after 11 of 18 509 injections (1 per 1700 [0.06%]; 95% confidence interval, 0.03%-0.11%), and in 11 of 1185 patients (0.93%; 95% confidence interval, 0.52-1.66). Incidence of endophthalmitis was 0.15% among injections with no antibiotic use, 0.08% among injections with preinjection antibiotics only, 0.06% among injections with postinjection antibiotics only, and 0.04% among injections with preinjection and postinjection antibiotics (P = 0.20). All eyes were treated with intravitreal antibiotics and 4 underwent vitrectomy. Among the 11 affected eyes, the final study visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 4 eyes (36%), 20/50 to 20/80 in 2 eyes (18%), 20/100 to 20/160 in 3 eyes (27%), and worse than 20/800 in 2 eyes (18%). The final visual acuity was within 2 lines of the visual acuity before endophthalmitis in 5 eyes (45%). CONCLUSIONS Rates of endophthalmitis were low and similar to those in other large-scale studies. Use of topical antibiotics either before or after injection does not seem to reduce the risk for endophthalmitis.

RETINAL PERIPHLEBITIS AS THE INITIAL CLINICAL FINDING IN A PATIENT WITH HODGKIN’S DISEASE

A 28-year-old woman noted decreased vision in one eye and was found to have bilateral optic disc swelling, periphlebitis, focal chorioretinitis, and vitritis. Subsequent lymph node biopsy revealed nodular sclerosing. Hodgkins disease, stage II-A. The ocular manifestations of the disease resolved in response to systemic radiation therapy. The relationship of the ophthalmic findings to the systemic disease are discussed.

Management of retained lens fragments after cataract surgery with and without pars plana vitrectomy

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical course of patients with retained lens particles after phacoemulsification who had early or late pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and removal of retained lens fragments or who were managed medically. SETTINGS: Private practice and University of Louisville, School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. METHODS: This retrospective review comprised patients who had cataract fragments dislocated into the vitreous during attempted cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation over an 8‐year period. Patients were divided into 3 groups. The early surgery group was treated with PPV and removal of lens fragments within 1 week of cataract surgery. The late surgery group had PPV more than 2 weeks after cataract surgery. The medical therapy group was managed with topical and systemic medications alone. The visual acuity, degree of corneal edema, inflammation, and intraocular pressure (IOP) were measured. Postoperative follow‐up was at 7, 14, and 30 days and 1 year. RESULTS: The study evaluated 42 patients (12 early surgery, 15 late surgery, and 15 medical therapy). Demographic characteristics, visual acuity, and mean IOP values at presentation were similar between the 3 groups. Visual acuity was not statistically significantly different between groups at 30 days and 1 year. There was no statistically significant difference in IOP between groups throughout the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Retained lens fragments were managed conservatively with good visual results. Vitrectomy was effective in patients with retained lens fragments not responding to topical and oral medication. Results indicate that surgery can be successfully delayed in certain patients.

Visual Loss Complicating OKT3 Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

OKT3 is a murine monoclonal antibody used for immunosuppression of solid-organ transplant rejection. We studied severe visual loss after administration of OKT3 in two patients who received renal transplants (one 25-year-old woman with interstitial nephritis and severe hypertension and one 27-year-old woman with diabetic nephropathy). Both patients lost visual acuity to the level of light perception after a second or third dose of OKT3. Ophthalmoscopy disclosed arteriolar constriction, but there was no evidence of optic atrophy. The electroretinogram was extinguished in one patient, indicating an effect on the outer retina or retinal pigment epithelium. Ophthalmologists should be aware that OKT3 may cause profound visual loss in patients who receive organ transplants.