Philip Alexander

Hormone therapy and intraocular pressure in nonglaucomatous eyes.

Objective: The influence of sex hormones on intraocular pressure (IOP) has been the focus of recent debate. Previous studies investigating the effects of hormone therapy (HT) on IOP in postmenopausal women have produced conflicting results but have been limited by small numbers of participants. The aim of our study was to compare IOP in women without glaucoma taking HT with those not taking HT. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study of postmenopausal women visiting a single ophthalmic medical practitioner was conducted. All women with a history of intraocular disease, a family history of glaucoma, or refractive error exceeding ±5 diopters were excluded. Applanation tonometry was used to measure IOP, and participants were then asked if they were current HT users. Results: A total of 263 participants were recruited, of whom 91 reported current use of HT; 172 had never used HT. Within the HT group, 33 were taking an estrogen-therapy and 58 were taking a estrogen-progesterone therapy. Mean IOP in the HT group was significantly lower than that in the non-HT group; the mean difference was 1.41 mm Hg (P < 0.001). This difference remained statistically significant after statistical correction for age, use of systemic &bgr;-blockers, and time of IOP measurement. There was no significant difference in mean IOP between women taking combined versus those taking estrogen-only preparations. Conclusions: Our study showed that IOP was significantly lower in women taking HT than in those who had never taken HT, even after removing other possible influences on IOP. The IOP-lowering effect of HT deserves further investigation to explore whether it may represent a possible new therapeutic modality for glaucoma.

Management of intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome-associated iris prolapse using a single iris retractor

Tamsulosin is an alpha(1)-adrenergic antagonist known to be linked with intraoperative floppy-iris syndrome (IFIS), which is characterized by iris atonicity and a propensity toward progressive intraoperative pupil constriction and iris prolapse. We present 2 strategies for managing IFIS-associated iris prolapse. Placement of a single subincisional iris retractor following reposition of the prolapsed iris was the more successful approach. We recommend consideration of this approach in all cases of iris prolapse.

Eyelid avulsion repair with bi-canalicular silicone stenting without medial canthal tendon reconstruction

Aims To evaluate the functional and cosmetic success rate of combined canalicular laceration and eyelid avulsion repairs using the bi-canalicular Crawford stent, without the concomitant placement of a medial traction suture to repair medial canthal tendon (posterior limb) avulsion. Methods Retrospective, non-comparative consecutive case series of 40 consecutive patients with traumatic eyelid avulsion injuries associated with canalicular laceration from 1997 to 2003 who underwent surgical repair using the bi-canalicular Crawford stent were included. All patients underwent surgical repair of the canalicular laceration under general anaesthesia using the bi-canalicular stent. Meticulous anastomosis of the torn canaliculus was undertaken. No attempt was made to suture the avulsed medial canthal tendon (posterior limb) to the periosteum of the posterior lacrimal crest. Results Blunt trauma was the most common mechanism of injury and the inferior canaliculus was most commonly involved. Of the 37 patients who attended postoperative follow-up, 24 patients had no subjective symptoms of epiphora. Minimal, mild and moderate epiphora was present in seven, five and one patient respectively. Thirty-three patients had excellent cosmetic repositioning of the lid; two developed medial ectropia and a further two patients had lid margin notching but good lid position. Eight patients had premature stent loss. Conclusions Bi-canalicular stenting achieved excellent cosmetic results in eyelid avulsion injuries, by facilitating adequate tissue realignment without the need for a posterior lacrimal crest fixation suture. Good functional results were achieved and were comparable with previous studies.

Bilateral, acute angle-closure glaucoma associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome variant

A 55-year-old man presented with bilateral reduced visual acuity, limitation of extraocular movements, areflexia and ataxia. He was diagnosed with Miller Fisher Syndrome, precipitating bilateral simultaneous acute angle closure glaucoma due to autonomic dysfunction. He was subsequently treated for both conditions and made an excellent recovery.

Severe conjunctivochalasis in association with classic type Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

BackgroundInferior conjunctivochalasis is common, but is rarely severe enough to require conjunctival excision. This report describes a patient with severe conjunctivochalasis who was subsequently diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Classic Type.Case presentationA patient suffering from foreign body sensation, frequent blinking and bilateral inferior conjunctivochalasis was referred and treated by topical ocular lubrication. However, no improvement was observed prompting potential excision of conjunctivochalasis. Following patient consultation and clinical diagnosis including hypermobile joints and skin elasticity, poor wound healing and wide scar morphology, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome was confirmed in the patient.ConclusionThis case highlights the need for direct patient questioning and provides the first reported association between conjunctiovochalasis and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

United Kingdom national cataract training survey

&NA; A nationwide postal survey of all consultant ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom was conducted to determine attitudes and techniques of cataract surgery trainers, identify trainer‐related factors that determine surgical opportunity, and ascertain whether trainers had received adequate training in how to teach surgery. The response rate was 43% (410/950). Seventy‐nine percent of respondents were men; 46% worked in a university teaching hospital (UTH). University teaching hospital consultants provided more surgical opportunities to their trainees (P<.001). Surgical opportunity was directly correlated with number of vitreoretinal surgeons in the department independent of UTH status (P<.001). Eighty‐three percent of trainers had received no formal training in how to teach surgery; only 12% of these expressed a desire to undertake such training. Further research is required to determine optimal methods for delivery of ophthalmic surgical training. Financial Disclosure: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

Postcoital visual loss due to valsalva retinopathy

A 29-year-old male patient presented to eye emergency clinic after noticing a left paracentral scotoma on waking. On direct questioning the patient revealed an episode of vigorous sexual intercourse the preceding evening. During orgasm the valsalva manoeuvre can produce a sudden increase in retinal venous pressure resulting in vessel rupture and haemorrhagic retinopathy. Valsalva retinopathy is managed conservatively and the patients symptoms resolved spontaneously without intervention. This case report highlights the importance of focused history taking of patients which can thereby obviate the need for further investigations. This case also emphasises the importance of considering sexual activity as a cause of stress-induced pathology.

Analysis of post-DSEK corneal profile and relationship to hyperopic shift

confidence interval 0.46 to 6.6 infections per 1000 patient-years) among surgeons who do not routinely remove the sutures. The between-group difference was statistically significant (P Z .02) (unpublished data). We agree with Hillier et al. that nonabsorbable corneal sutures must be removed after routine phacoemulsification surgery. We hope that our series of patients alongwith the suggestions fromHillier et al. will encourage others to have a heightened awareness of this problem and to consider changing their practice patterns if they do not routinely remove these sutures.dBrian J. Lee, MD, Scott D. Smith, MD, MPH, Bennie H. Jeng, MD

Macular pseudohaemorrhage secondary to Allen Dot artefact

A 34-year-old highly myopic (−11.00 D) woman presented to eye clinic with a 3 day history of right eye paracentral blurring. Visual acuities were 6/6 bilaterally. Clinical examination was normal. Fundus photography showed the classic appearance of a macular haemorrhage. This is a recognised complication of high myopia and would have accounted for the patients symptoms. However, further photography showed that the haemorrhage seemed to ‘jump’ around the fundus and was even present in the fellow eye. The apparent haemorrhage was revealed to be an imaging artefact. The ‘Allen Dot’ is a 6 mm black mask incorporated into retinal cameras to reduce reflection. Rarely, in highly myopic eyes, optical artefact can result. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first in the literature to report artefacts from the Allen Dot masquerading as ophthalmic disease. This case re-iterates the importance of clinical examination, especially in high myopes, given the current trend towards virtual clinics.