Rosana Nogueira Pires da Cunha

Ocular Findings in Down's Syndrome

PURPOSE To identify the most common ocular findings in a pediatric group of patients with Downs syndrome. METHODS A total of 152 children with Downs syndrome between two months and 18 years of age prospectively underwent ocular examination, including visual acuity assessment, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, ocular motility, cycloplegic retinoscopy, and ophthalmoscopy. RESULTS Ocular findings in decreasing prevalence were the following: upward slanting of the palpebral fissure with the outer canthus 2 mm or higher than the inner canthus (82%), epicanthal folds (61%), astigmatism (60%), iris abnormalities (52%), strabismus (38%), lacrimal system obstruction (30%), blepharitis (30%), retinal abnormalities (28%), hyperopia (26%), amblyopia (26%), nystagmus (18%), cataract (13%), and myopia (13%). Visual acuity was assessed, and the Teller acuity cards were the most useful method of examination. The patients younger than five years old had a higher prevalence of hyperopia than did those in other age groups; patients between five and 12 years old had a higher prevalence of astigmatism; and patients older than 12 years of age had more iris abnormalities, strabismus, and cataract. Myopia and myopic astigmatism were more common in the patients with cardiac malformations. CONCLUSION The early diagnosis of the ocular abnormalities in patients with Downs syndrome, by using Teller acuity cards in assessing visual acuity facilitates the treatment of refractive errors, strabismus, and amblyopia and may minimize handicaps.

Resultados da correçäo cirúrgica de esotropias de grande ângulo, em portadores de baixa de acuidade visual unilateral

Purpose: To evaluate the surgical outcome of large angle esotropia (minimum of 60 prism diopters ¾ pd) associated with unilateral low visual acuity (LVA) in which the surgical strategy was applied in order to operate only the non-fixating eye. Patients and Methods: We selected 17 patients with non-accommodative esotropia, LVA (VA£ 0,4 in the non-fixating eye with the better visual correction) and no previous treatment. Patients were classified as good result if they had a postoperative deviation of maximally 10 pd with binocular rotations of up to ¾2 of medial rectus and +2 of lateral rectus. Exotropia/esotropia between 10 and 15 pd or binocular rotations of ±3 were considered as a regular outcome. Deviations greater than 15 pd or binocular rotations of ±4 were included regarded as poor results. Results: Thirteen (76.4%) patients had counts fingers VA in the non-fixating eye, 2 (11.7%) achieved 0.1 and another two had 0.4. Three of them were also highly myopic (spherical equivalent of ¾6.00 diopters) in both eyes. Among the 17 patients, 12 (70.5%) had a good surgical outcome, 3 (17.6%) were regular and 2 (11.7%) poor. Conclusions: Strabismus surgery under topical anesthesia proved to be reliable in these special cases of unilateral LVA and often one can avoid surgery of the fixating eye by using this method.

Alterações motoras após cirurgia refrativa no paciente estrábico

PURPOSE: To evaluate patients with strabismus submitted to excimer laser refractive procedure. METHODS: Complete eye examination was performed, including motor and sensorial evaluation in 15 patients from October, 2000 to September, 2001. Follow-up was at least 6 months after excimer laser procedure. Patients who had been submitted to laser were named the first group and those who were seen before laser formed the second group. RESULTS: All patients of the first group required strabismus surgery in order to control symptoms of double vision or to correct the ocular deviation. The majority of the patients of the second group had worsening of their sensorial condition and some also presented worsening of their motor conditions. Half of the patients of the second group showed some relief of astenopia when eyeglasses for near were used. Those with accomodative esotropia did not have any or had less symptoms after the laser procedure and the follow-up showed more stable clinical feature. CONCLUSIONS: Refractive surgeons must select their patients and avoid underestimating some conditions that might compromise fusion capability after laser. We recommend motor and sensorial evaluation as part of their preoperative work up for candidates for refractive surgery.

Dry eye evaluation and immunohistochemical study of the conjunctiva and lacrimal gland of patients submitted to bone marrow transplantation

PURPOSE: The primary ocular targets of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are the lacrimal gland (LG) and the conjunctiva, and their involvement results in keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of signs and symptoms of KCS present in patients submitted to BMT, to identify the cellular phenotype of the conjunctival and lacrimal gland biopsies of these patients by immunohistochemistry and to correlate the findings with the presence of dry eye due to GVHD. METHODS: Forty-seven patients were clinically classified into two groups: Group I, with ocular GVHD, submitted to allogeneic BMT and Group II, without ocular GVHD, submitted to autologous and allogeneic BMT. Thorough eye examination, including clinical lacrimal function tests and biopsies of the conjunctiva and of the LG were performed in the pre- and posttransplantation period. The biopsies were submitted to immunohistochemical analysis using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: Of the 28 (82.4%) patients with chronic GVHD, 13 (46.4%) presented ocular GVHD. Of the six patients without GVHD, one (16.7%) presented ocular GVHD. None of those submitted to autologous BMT presented ocular GVHD and 14 (41.2%) of 34 patients with allogeneic BMT presented ocular GVHD. All patients with ocular GVHD (Group I) had symptoms and the most frequent were burning, foreign body sensation, blurred vision and dryness. The rose bengal test was one of the most sensitive in this study and slit lamp examination was very useful in the evaluation of corneal and conjunctival alterations, since these alterations were always present in patients with dry eye in our study. Neither symptoms and signs of dry eye nor significant immunologic reaction was observed in the conjunctiva and in the LG of patients without ocular GVHD (Group II). There was an increase in the T lymphocyte population, of T helper lymphocyte (Th/i) and T suppressor-cytotoxic lymphocyte (Ts/c) subpopulation in the conjunctiva and in the LG of patients with ocular GVHD after the transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Patients submitted to allogeneic BMT may develop ocular GHVD characterized by KCS. The immunohistochemical study of the conjunctiva and lacrimal gland biopsies of these patients suggested that these tissues are the target of the T cell mediated immunological reaction.