Lisa Toto

Clinical study of the 1CU accommodating intraocular lens.

Purpose: To compare the near functional capacities of patients with an accommodating intraocular lens (IOL) with those of patients with a conventional monofocal IOL. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, University of Chieti, Chieti, Italy. Methods: This prospective double‐blind case‐control study comprised 42 eyes that had phacoemulsification and implantation of 1 of 2 types of IOLs: HumanOptics accommodating 1CU® (study group) and Eurocrystal IFP 3G 6.00 (control group). The main outcome measures were subjective refraction, uncorrected distance acuity, best corrected distance acuity, distance corrected near acuity at 40 cm, best corrected near acuity at 40 cm, and subjective amplitude of accommodation. Patients were examined 7, 30, 90, and 180 days after surgery. Results: Postoperatively, both groups had excellent uncorrected distance acuity, best corrected distance acuity, and best corrected near acuity. In the study group, the mean distance corrected near acuity (Jaeger) was 5.43 ± 0.98 (SD) (range 4 to 7) at 7 days, 2.33 ± 0.48 (range 2 to 3) at 1 and 3 months, and 3.66 ± 2.12 (range 2 to 7) at 6 months. In the control group, the mean distance corrected near acuity was 7.43 ± 0.50 (range 7 to 8) during the entire follow‐up. The differences between the groups was statistically significant (P<.001). The mean amplitude of accommodation was 0.00 diopter (D) in the control group and 1.14 ± 0.44 D (range 0.75 to 2.00 D) in the study group at 7 days, 2.36 ± 0.28 D (range 2.00 to 2.75 D) at 30 and 90 days, and 1.90 ± 0.77 D (range 0.75 to 2.75 D) at 6 months. Conclusions: The 1CU accommodating IOL provided better useful spectacle‐free near visual acuity than the conventional monofocal IOL. However, the accommodating mechanism can play a role in capsule fibrosis.

Visual performance and biocompatibility of 2 multifocal diffractive IOLs: six-month comparative study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the distance and near functional capacity, wavefront error and biocompatibility in patients with 2 diffractive multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOLs). SETTING: Ophthalmology Department of Chieti‐Pescara University (Italy). METHODS: This prospective study comprised 28 eyes of 28 senile cataract patients having phacoemulsification and implantation of the Tecnis ZM900 MIOL (Group 1) and the AcrySof ReSTOR MIOL (Group 2). The main outcome measures, over a 6‐month follow‐up period, were spherical equivalent, distance visual acuity at high and low contrast, near visual acuity, and defocus curve. Wavefront error was evaluated in both groups. Capsule opacification was also assessed. RESULTS: The high and low contrast uncorrected and best corrected visual acuity for distance did not show statistically significant differences between the 2 groups. The distance corrected near visual acuity was 1.86 ± 1.66 in Group 1 and 1.93 ± 1.12 in Group 2. The depth of focus was 4.5 diopters in both groups. The root mean square of total aberration and of spherical and coma aberrations were significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2. A higher percentage of patients with Tecnis MIOLs showed a more severe grade of anterior fibrosis. Posterior opacification was minimal and not significantly different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Diffractive MIOLs were effective in improving functional capacity for distance and near and provided a good quality of vision due to a significant reduction in spherical aberration, particularly in the Tecnis MIOLs. The higher capsular biocompatibility of the ReSTOR MIOL compared with the Tecnis MIOL could ensure long‐term stability.

Prospective randomized comparison of wavefront-guided and conventional photorefractive keratectomy for myopia with the meditec MEL 70 laser

PURPOSE To study refractive results and aberrometric changes in myopic patients treated with wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in comparison with standard PRK. METHODS Sixty eyes of 60 patients with myopic astigmatism were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 included 30 eyes (mean spherical equivalent refraction -4.39 +/- 1.31 D; range -2.50 to -6.50 D) treated with wavefront-guided PRK using the WASCA workstation and the Asclepion Meditec flying spot MEL 70 excimer laser. Group 2 had 30 eyes (mean spherical equivalent refraction -4.33 +/- 1.22 D; range -2.50 to -6.50 D) that underwent conventional PRK using the same laser, and served as the control group. Wavefront analysis of high order aberrations was performed before and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS Postoperatively, wavefront error increased in both groups (5.0-mm wavefront aperture diameter). Six months after surgery, the eyes that received the WASCA ablation had a smaller increase in root-mean-square (RMS; 70% of increment) compared to the conventional PRK group (139% of increment) (P<.001). In the standard PRK group, all aberrations notably increased; in the wavefront-guided PRK group there was a smaller increase of trefoil and spherical aberrations (P<.001) and a decrease of coma aberrations (P<.001). The smaller increase of wavefront error in the wavefront-guided PRK group compared to the standard PRK group was more evident when preoperative RMS values were higher than 0.4 microm (P<.01). The visual parameters (spherical equivalent refraction, uncorrected and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity) did not show significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION Wavefront-guided PRK induced a smaller increase of postoperative wavefront-error compared to conventional PRK, particularly in patients with higher preoperative higher order aberrations.

Role of microRNAs in the modulation of diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision loss in the working-age adults. It affects a third of diabetics. Diabetic macular edema, an advanced complication of DR, develops in nearly 7% of diabetic patients. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel group of non-coding small RNAs that post-transcriptionally control gene expression by promoting either degradation or translational repression of target messenger RNA. They are implicated in a large variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes, including glucose homeostasis, angiogenesis and modulation of inflammatory response. MiRNAs also play a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetes and the related micro- and macrovascular complications. The purpose of this review is to describe the potential role of miRNAs in diabetes and evaluate their implication in DR. MiRNAs involved in the modulation of glucose metabolism (insulin secretion and sensitivity) and MiRNAs playing a role in the pathogenesis of DR with their potential target genes are reviewed. Understanding MiRNAs implication in DR could be helpful for developing new gain- or loss- of -function strategies in order to establish effective treatments and reduce the rate of visual disability due to progression of retinopathy.

Scanning electron microscopy evaluation of capsulorhexis in femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery

Purpose To use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to evaluate capsulorhexis‐cut quality obtained during femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery at different energy settings and evaluate whether there are differences between this technique and a standard manual technique. Setting Ophthalmology Clinic, Department of Medicine and Science of Ageing, University G. D’Annunzio Chieti‐Pescara, Chieti, Italy. Design Prospective nonrandomized single blinded study. Methods Sixty capsulorhexes obtained using the conventional manual technique and the femtosecond laser with different laser energy settings were divided into 5 groups as follows: Group 1 (12 capsulorhexes) obtained with the manual technique and Groups 2 to 5 (each with 12 capsulorhexes) obtained with the femtosecond laser at 7.0 &mgr;J, 13.5 &mgr;J, 14.0 &mgr;J, and 15.0 &mgr;J, respectively. All samples were evaluated using SEM to compare the thickness along the capsulorhexis edge and the overall irregularity of the cut surface. Results Capsulorhexes obtained with the femtosecond laser at all energy settings were perfectly circular with negligible deformation. Group 1 and Group 2 had a significantly higher thickness and lower thickness, respectively, of the capsulorhexis edge than the other 3 groups (P<.001). There was also a statistically significant correlation between the degree of irregularity and increasing energy (P<.001). Conclusions The use of the femtosecond laser in cataract surgery resulted in better capsulorhexis geometry and circularity than the manual capsulorhexis. The cut surface was smoother in the manual group. In the femtosecond laser groups, the degree of irregularity was higher at increasing energy settings. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

Morphological modification of the cornea after standard and transepithelial corneal cross-linking as imaged by anterior segment optical coherence tomography and laser scanning in vivo confocal microscopy.

Purpose: In vivo analysis of corneal modifications after traditional and transepithelial corneal cross-linking (CXL). Methods: Forty eyes of 35 patients underwent traditional or transepithelial CXL; there was randomization of 20 eyes to each group. By means of in vivo confocal microscopy and anterior segment ocular coherence tomography, we evaluated corneal alterations at 1 week, 1 month, and 3, 6, and 12 months after the treatment. Results: During follow-up, in vivo confocal microscopy showed a significant decrease in anterior keratocyte density (P = 0.001) and more evident stromal edema and keratocyte activation (P = 0.001) in the traditional group, whereas in the transepithelial group, no significant changes were observed (P > 0.05). Anterior segment ocular coherence tomography indicated the presence of hyperreflective stromal line significantly deeper and more persistent in the traditional group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The preliminary results suggest that traditional CXL induced marked corneal modifications, which were poorly evident in the transepithelial group.

Conjunctival goblet cells density and preservative-free tafluprost therapy for glaucoma: an in vivo confocal microscopy and impression cytology study

Purpose:  To evaluate the density of conjunctival goblet cells (GCs) in glaucomatous patients treated with preservative‐free (PF) tafluprost, using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) and impression cytology (IC).

Optical coherence tomography and 3-dimensional confocal structured imaging system–guided femtosecond laser capsulotomy versus manual continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis

Purpose To compare the features of capsulotomy obtained during femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery with those of continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis (CCC) obtained using a standard manual technique. Setting Ophthalmology Clinic, Department of Medicine and Science of Ageing, University G. D’Annunzio Chieti‐Pescara, Chieti, Italy. Design Prospective randomized clinical study. Methods Candidates for cataract extraction were randomized into 1 of 3 groups as follows: Lensx femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery capsulotomy (laser group 1), Lensar femtosecond laser–assisted cataract surgery capsulotomy (laser group 2), and manual CCC (manual group). Results Each group comprised 30 eyes (30 patients). The capsulotomies in laser group 1 and laser group 2 showed significantly better circularity than the manual CCCs at 7 days (P<.001). There was a significant correlation between the intended versus achieved capsulotomy size in the 2 laser groups. Both laser groups had better intraocular lens (IOL) centration than the manual group at all timepoints (P<.001). Between‐group differences in uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuities were not statistically significant. The residual spherical equivalent and mean absolute error were statistically significantly smaller in the 2 laser groups than in the manual group (P=.038) and increased significantly over time in all the groups (P<.001). Conclusions Femtosecond laser capsulotomies showed better circularity with more predictable size than manual CCCs. In addition, IOL centration was better immediately after surgery and over time with better refractive results in the 2 laser groups. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

Reproducibility and Repeatability of Cirrus™ HD-OCT Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness Measurements in Young Normal Subjects

Purpose: To assess the reproducibility and repeatability of peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness measurements using a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) device in healthy subjects. Methods: In this observational study, 68 young Caucasian healthy volunteers (68 eyes) were subjected to Cirrus™ high-definition (HD) OCT (Zeiss) peripapillary RNFL thickness measurements by two experienced examiners in two different sessions. Average, 4-quadrant and 12-clock-hour sector RNFL thicknesses were analysed. For each option, intra-observer, intrasession repeatability and interobserver, intersession reproducibility were tested. To assess the repeatability of measurements, the Bland and Altman plots were used and the coefficient of repeatability was calculated. Interobserver and intersession reproducibilities were analysed by means of concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs). Results: The sample age ranged from 21 to 39 years (mean 29.09, standard deviation ±5.21). The average RNFL thickness ranged from 90.97 to 91.46 and from 91.34 to 91.78 µm, for the first and the second operator, respectively. The highest repeatability and reproducibility were obtained for average RNFL thickness with coefficients of repeatability of 5.30 and 6.05 µm for the first and the second operator, interoperator CCCs of 0.95 and 0.96 for the first and the second session, and intersession CCCs of 0.96 and 0.97 for the first and the second operator, respectively. Conclusions: Cirrus OCT peripapillary average RNFL thickness measurement in young healthy subjects showed high interoperator and intersession reproducibility. Intrasession repeatability as tested by coefficient of repeatability was next to the device resolution, with very similar results between the two operators. When analysing quadrant and clock hour sector RNFL thickness measurements, both repeatability and reproducibility tend to decrease.

In vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy of the ocular surface in glaucoma.

Over the past decade, knowledge about the ocular surface in glaucoma has significantly increased through the use of in vivo laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). This in vivo imaging method can show modifications at the cellular level induced by anti-glaucoma drugs on ocular surface structures and adnexa in the eye. High-quality images of the conjunctiva, cornea, limbus, meibomian glands, and lymphoid structures during therapy can be obtained. In addition, LSCM opened new fields of research on the patho-physiology of aqueous humor (AH) hydrodynamics in untreated, and in medically or surgically treated glaucomatous patients. In these conditions, an enhancement of the trans-scleral AH outflow contributed to clarification of the mechanism of action of different anti-glaucoma medications and surgical approaches. Finally, the use of LSCM represented a huge advance in evaluation of bleb functionality after filtration surgery, defining the hallmarks of AH filtration through the bleb-wall and distinguishing functional from nonfunctional blebs. Thus, signs seen with LSCM may anticipate clinical failure, guiding the clinician in planning the appropriate timing of the various steps in bleb management. In this review we summarize the current knowledge about in vivo LSCM of the ocular surface in glaucoma.