Jk Shrestha

Methanol Poisoning: Ocular and Neurological Manifestations

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of ethanol and high-dose intravenous steroid for preserving vision in acute methanol poisoning. Methods. Eight cases of acute methanol poisoning presented to the emergency department. Detailed physical examination including neurological assessment was performed. Detailed ocular examinations were performed including visually evoked potential and electroretinography in indicated cases. All patients had visual symptoms. Pupillary abnormality was observed in all. Edema of the optic disc and nerve fiber layer were common fundus findings. The majority of cases were treated with methylprednisolone intravenously. Ethanol was given intravenously in four cases who presented within 48 h. Hemodialysis was performed in two cases having neurological manifestations and metabolic acidosis. Sodium bicarbonate was given to four patients. Folinic acid and multivitamins were also given to all the patients based on neurological advice. Results. Most of the patients showed a good response to the treatment. In 87.5% of the cases, improvements in visual acuity of at least two lines were noted in follow-up visits. Conclusions. Early presentation with prompt treatment has a significant role in preserving and improving visual acuity. Ethanol and high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone can be an alternative treatment with better visual outcome where fomepizole is unavailable.

Nd: Yag laser treatment for sub-hyaloid hemorrhage in childhood acute leukemia

INTRODUCTION Sub-hyaloid haemorrhage is common in acute leukemia. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of Nd: YAG Laser hyaloidotomy in 11 eyes of 8 patients with pre-macular haemorrhage in acute childhood leukemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS Premacular sub-hyaloid haemorrhage is one of the leading causes of visual disability in children with acute leukemia. Eleven eyes of 8 patients attending Kanti Children Hospital and BP Koirala Lions Centre for Ophthalmic Studies from January 2006 to July 2007 with premacular subhyaloid haemorrhage were included in the study and treated with Nd: YAG Laser. The haemorrhage originated from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 4 cases (6 eyes) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in 4 cases (5 eyes). RESULTS Drainage of premacular sub-hyaloid haemorrhage into the vitreous cavity within 3 months succeeded in 9 eyes out of 11 eyes treated. One eye had a dense clotted haemorrhage and the other had a re-bleed. Overall visual improvement was equal in both AML and ALL cases. No obvious epiretinal membrane, retinal breaks and tractional retinal detachment occurred in any eye. CONCLUSION Nd: Yag laser hyaloidotomy is a relatively safe, simple and alternative treatment for eyes with a dense premacular sub-hyaloid haemorrhage in acute childhood leukemia. The risks and benefits have to be weighed in randomized clinical trials to establish Nd: YAG hyaloidotomy treatment as a routine procedure in leukemic children.

Ocular injuries in the people’s uprising of April 2006 in Kathmandu, Nepal

INTRODUCTION In April 2006, the people of Nepal organised mass demonstrations demanding the restoration of democracy in the country. The ocular injuries that resulted during the riots that ensued, their pattern and the visual outcome of the injured have not yet been reported. OBJECTIVE To study the demographic profile, type, severity and the visual outcome of ocular injuries that occurred during the 2006 peoples uprising in Nepal. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This was a retrospective interventional series of cases involving 29 subjects. The main outcome measures were demography, laterality of injury, type of injury and the visual status before and after the trauma. RESULTS The age of the victims ranged from 14 to 32 years. Among the victims with eye injuries, 27 (93.1 %) were males, who were unemployed youth, students and construction workers. The left eye was injured more frequently than the right. Non-lethal bullets and explosive tear gas were the commonest agents of the major ocular injuries. The main types of injuries requiring hospitalization were closed globe injuries in eight victims and open globe in six. Surgical intervention was required in 57.2 % (n = 29) of the cases. The visual outcome was poor in cases of open globe injury with posterior segment involvement. CONCLUSION Non-lethal bullets and explosive tear gases can cause significant visual impairment. Severe open globe injury with a retained intra-ocular foreign body is associated with significant visual loss.

Anatomical and functional outcomes of surgery of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment

INTRODUCTION Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) is a potentially blinding condition. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the anatomical and functional outcome of surgery of RRD. MATERIALS AND METHODS A prospective study of interventional case series was designed including 50 consecutive patients with RRD in a tertiary level eye center in Kathmandu. The patients underwent scleral buckling (SB) or pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) according to the proliferative vitreo-retinopathy (PVR) changes. All the patients had at least 3 months of follow-up. The anatomical and physiological outcome measures were primary retinal reattachment and improvement in visual acuity respectively. The surgery was considered successful when there was attachment of retina after the first surgery. RESULTS The mean age of these patients at the time of presentation was 46.24 ± 19.82 years. Of 50, sixty-six percent of the patients underwent SB and 34 % underwent PPV. Primary surgical success rate was 88 %. While comparing the initial best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with the final, 72% had an improvement, 12 % unchanged and 16 % had a deteriorated visual acuity. CONCLUSION The visual acuity improves and the anatomical success rate is high in the majority of the patients after surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.

Ocular manifestations of childhood acute leukemia in a tertiiary level eye centre of Kathmandu, Nepal

INTRODUCTION In some instances, the understanding of the ocular manifestations in childhood leukemia is not only important to establish the diagnosis but also reflects the disease state and prognosis. OBJECTIVE To study the ocular manifestations of childhood acute leukemia among the children attending a tertiary-level hospital in Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional, descriptive study was undertaken at the B.P. Koirala Lions Centre for Ophthalmic Studies (BPKLCOS) and Kanti Children Hospital (KCH), Kathmandu, over a period of one-and-a-half years. Children diagnosed with acute childhood leukemia referred to the BPKLCOS from the Oncology Unit of the KCH and the Emergency Department of the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) were included in the study, using a non-probability sampling method. RESULTS Of the 71 cases with childhood acute leukemia, 55 (77.5%; 95% CI = 66% - 85%) had acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL)whereas the other 16 (23%) had acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). Ocular involvement were seen in 33 cases (46%) and were more frequent in cases of AML as compared to those with ALL (p=0.001, OR 5.0, 95% CI= 1.4 - 17.5). Direct ocular involvement and secondary ocular involvement were observed in 12 (16.9%) and 29 (40.8%) subjects, respectively. Ocular symptoms were present in only 11 cases (15.49%). Cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) and bone marrow examination in cases with direct ocular involvement showed 10 cases (83.3%) positive for blast cells in the CSF and 6 cases (50%) positive for blast cells in bone marrow. The most common secondary manifestation was retinal haemorrhage, seen in 23 cases (32.4%). CONCLUSION In view of the high asymptomatic ocular involvement and the significant visual morbidity, a routine ophthalmic examination is recommended as an integral part of the medical examination in all cases of childhood acute leukemia.

Ocular morbidity among the children of squatter settlements in Kathmandu.

Purpose To determine the prevalence of ocular morbidity and refractive error among the children of the squatter settlements in Kathmandu. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out at five squatter settlement areas at Kathmandu, including 366 children younger than 16 years. Detailed eye examination included the visual acuity testing, cycloplegic refraction, binocular vision assessment, anterior segment examination, and posterior segment examination. Variations in age, sex, and ethnic distribution of the study population were analyzed through analysis of variance. Pearson &khgr;2 test with Yate correction was used to analyze different types of ocular morbidity. Pearson correlation coefficient test was performed to correlate refractive error in the right eye and the left eye. Results Majority of children (28.9%) belonged to the age group 8 to 10 years, and most of them belonged to the Manohara settlement area (40.2%). Male-female ratio was 0.7. Uncorrected and best-corrected visual acuity of better than or equal to 6/9 in at least one eye was found in 87.9% and 99.0% children, respectively. Total ocular morbidity was observed in 33.7%. The common type of ocular morbidity was conjunctivitis (11.2%), refractive error (9.0%), and blepharitis (5.4%). Ocular morbidity was common in infants (57.9%; p = 0.043; odds ratio, 2.8) and 14- to 15-year-old children (52.8%; p = 0.002; odds ratio, 2.5). Conclusions Ocular infection and refractive error represent the common ocular morbidity in children living in squatter settlements.

Diabetic retinopathy with or without clinically significant macular edema: The influencing factors

INTRODUCTION Diabetic retinopathy is the commonest micro vascular complication in patients with diabetes and remains a leading cause of blindness in people of working age group. OBJECTIVE to determine the prevalence of clinically significant macular edema (CSME) and the influence of systemic risk factors Materials and methods: It is a hospital based comparative study conducted in 220 eyes of 110 diabetic patients. DR was graded according to International Clinical Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale and CSME was defined according to Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) system. The patients were grouped as 1) CSME group (DR and CSME in one or both eyes) and 2) Non- CSME group(CSME in none of the eyes but with any grade of DR).Level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C), serum total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), low density lipoprotein (LDL), high density lipoprotein (HDL) and urine for albumin were studied in both groups. RESULTS CSME was present in 36% of 110 patients. Poor glycemic control and high total cholesterol level showed positive association with CSME (p LESS THAN 0.05). LDL and TG levels were higher and HDL lower in CSME group. However, no statistical significance was found. CONCLUSION The CSME is significantly associated with poorer glycemic control and elevated total cholesterol level.