Sana Tinwala

Caregiver Burden Assessment in Primary Congenital Glaucoma

Purpose To assess the magnitude of caregiver burden and depression in primary caregivers of patients with primary congenital glaucoma. Methods Fifty-five primary caregivers of children diagnosed with primary congenital glaucoma were evaluated. The magnitude of burden on caregivers was assessed using a Caregiver Burden Questionnaire (CBQ). The overall aggregate burden and burden across 3 domains—socioeconomic, emotional, and psychological—was evaluated. Depressive symptomatology was evaluated using a Patient Health Questionnaire–9 (PHQ-9) standard questionnaire and graded from mild to severe. Results The mean age of the presenting children was 8.11±46.71 months; all of them were male. The mean age of the study participants was 33.6±8.36 years (53 female, 2 male). Thirty-nine (71%) individuals were identified to have moderate aggregate burden and 3 (5%) had severe aggregate burden. Twelve (22%) subjects were noted to have moderate depression, while 6 of them (11%) had either severe or very severe grades of depression. Conclusions Caregivers of patients with primary congenital glaucoma have significant emotional and psychological burden. Moderate to severe depression may be present in one-third of individuals giving primary care to children with congenital glaucoma.

Clinical presentation and surgical outcomes in primary myopic macular hole retinal detachment.

Purpose To describe the clinical presentation of primary macular hole retinal detachment (MHRD) secondary to high myopia and to evaluate the surgical outcomes. Methods Nine eyes of 9 patients with primary myopic MHRD (axial length ≥26.5 mm) were enrolled. A standardized surgical protocol was performed using vitrectomy with preservative-free triamcinolone acetonide–assisted internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and silicone oil tamponade and were followed for at least 6 months from the first surgery. Results There were 6 women and 3 men with a median age of 52 years. Six (66.6%) patients presented with inferior bullous configuration and 3 had subtotal retinal detachment. The mean preoperative refractive error (spherical equivalent) and mean axial length was 12±3.553 D (range 8.50-19.50) and 28.13±1.65 mm (range 26.50-31.50), respectively. The patients were followed up for a period of at least 6 months. The retina was attached and macular hole closed in all the eyes. There was significant visual acuity improvement from mean preoperative visual acuity of logMAR 1.85±0.11 (range 1.76-1.93) to postoperative visual acuity of logMAR 0.95±0.14 (range 0.84-1.06) (p<0.001). Conclusions Retinal detachment in highly myopic eyes can often be secondary to a macular hole with predominance of inferior bullous configuration and primary vitrectomy with ILM peeling with silicone oil tamponade results in good anatomic and functional outcomes.

Late post-traumatic flap dislocation and macrostriae after laser in situ keratomileusis

We report an unusual flap-related complication that occurred 4 years after uneventful laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) performed in the eye of a 20-year-old woman. She developed dislocation with partial infolding of the LASIK flap with macrostriae and epithelial ingrowth in her left eye after trauma by a wooden chip. The flap was refloated, stretched, smoothened, and hydrated on both under and outer surfaces after epithelial debridement. At 1 week, the uncorrected visual acuity was 20/20 with absence of flap striae. The present case highlights that flap adhesions are not very strong even months and years after LASIK. Flap refloatation and stretching with hydration on both sides of the flap are effective in removing flap striae.

Modified Approach in Management of Submacular Hemorrhage Secondary to Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate the surgical outcomes of a modified approach in the management of thick submacular hemorrhage in patients with wet age-related macular degeneration. DesignThis was a retrospective study. MethodsA retrospective chart review was performed on 10 eyes of 10 patients with submacular hemorrhage secondary to wet age-related macular degeneration treated with 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy, followed by submacular injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (12.5 &mgr;g/0.1 mL), bevacizumab (2.5 mg/0.1 mL), and air (0.3 mL). Gas tamponade was given with 20% SF6 and postoperative propped-up positioning. Patients were evaluated for displacement of hemorrhage, preoperative and postoperative best-corrected visual acuity, occurrence of intraoperative and postoperative complications, and recurrence of hemorrhage. All patients were followed up for 6 months. ResultsDisplacement of the submacular bleed was achieved in all cases. Improvement of best-corrected visual acuity was seen in 8 of 10 patients. Rebleed was seen in 2 eyes that were retreated with intravitreal injection of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator, bevacizumab, and 20% SF6 gas. ConclusionsThis modified technique aids in the effective displacement of thick submacular hemorrhage with simultaneous treatment of the underlying choroidal neovascular membrane, which halts the disease progression resulting in significant improvement of visual acuity.

Effect of change in macular birefringence imaging protocol on retinal nerve fiber layer thickness parameters using GDx VCC in eyes with macular lesions

This study evaluates the effect of two macular birefringence protocols (bow-tie retardation and irregular macular scan) using GDx VCC on the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness parameters in normal eyes and eyes with macular lesions. In eyes with macular lesions, the standard protocol led to significant overestimation of RNFL thickness which was normalized using the irregular macular pattern protocol. In eyes with normal macula, absolute RNFL thickness values were higher in irregular macular pattern protocols with the difference being statistically significant for all parameters except for inferior average thickness. This has implications for monitoring glaucoma patients who develop macular lesions during the course of their follow-up.