Srinivasan Sanjay

Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus

Opinion statementThe management of herpes zoster (HZ) usually involves a multidisciplinary approach aiming to reduce complications and morbidity. Patients with herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) are referred to ophthalmologists for prevention or treatment of its potential complications. Without prompt detection and treatment, HZO can lead to substantial visual disability. In our practice, we usually evaluate patients with HZO for corneal complications such as epithelial, stromal, and disciform keratitis; anterior uveitis; necrotizing retinitis; and cranial nerve palsies in relation to the eye. These are acute and usually sight-threatening. We recommend oral acyclovir in conjunction with topical 3% acyclovir ointment, lubricants, and steroids for conjunctival, corneal, and uveal inflammation associated with HZO. Persistent vasculitis and neuritis may result in chronic ocular complications, the most important of which are neurotrophic keratitis, mucus plaque keratitis, and lipid degeneration of corneal scars. Postherpetic complications, especially postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), are observed in well over half of patients with HZO. The severe, debilitating, chronic pain of PHN is treated locally with cold compresses and lidocaine cream (5%). These patients also receive systemic treatment with NSAIDs, and our medical colleagues cooperate in managing their depression and excruciating pain. Pain is the predominant symptom in all phases of HZ disease, being reported by up to 90% of patients. Ocular surgery for HZO-related complications is performed only after adequately stabilizing pre-existing ocular inflammation, raised intraocular pressure, dry eye, neurotrophic keratitis, and lagophthalmos. Cranial nerve palsies are common and most often involve the facial nerve, although palsy of the oculomotor, trochlear, and abducens nerves may occur in isolation or (rarely) simultaneously. In our setting, complete ophthalmoplegia is seen more often than isolated palsies, but recovery is usually complete. Vasculitis within the orbital apex (orbital apex syndrome) or brainstem dysfunction is postulated to be the cause of cranial nerve palsies. A vaccine of a lyophilized preparation of the oka strain of live, attenuated varicella-zoster virus is suggested for patients who are at risk of developing HZ and has been shown to boost immunity against HZ virus in older patients.

Optic neuropathy associated with dengue fever

PurposeTo report a case series of three patients of optic neuropathy associated with dengue fever.MethodsObservational case series.ResultsThree patients aged of 19, 31, and 40 years (cases 1, 2, and 3) complained of unilateral blurring of vision within a week of being diagnosed with dengue fever. Their presenting visual acuities were counting fingers in cases 1 and 2, and 6/6 in case 3, with features suggestive of optic neuropathy. Two of the three patients (cases 2 and 3) had bilateral ocular signs. The visual acuity recovered to 6/9 in case 1, worsened to no light perception in case 2, and remained unchanged in case 3.ConclusionsAlthough spontaneous visual recovery is possible, optic neuropathy associated with dengue fever may result in severe and permanent visual loss.

Ophthalmic Complications of Dengue Fever: a Systematic Review

IntroductionIn recent years there has been a spurt of peer-reviewed publications on the ophthalmic complications of dengue fever. The authors aim to review the ocular manifestations, utility of relevant diagnostic tests, management, prognosis, and sequelae of dengue-related ocular complications.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was conducted on Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases. Only articles published or translated into the English language were considered, and key data from the full article of each paper was extracted and evaluated.ResultsThe authors’ search yielded 29 articles. A total of 686 patients with a mean age of 33.4xa0years (range 14–73xa0years) were included. Blurring of vision was the most common presenting symptom followed by scotoma. Ocular findings were mostly seen in the posterior pole of the fundus, manifesting as retinal hemorrhages, macular edema, foveolitis, vasculitis, and optic neuropathy. Most patients with dengue-related ophthalmic complications recover spontaneously without any treatment. Patients with severe visual loss or bilateral involvement were treated with systemic steroids and occasionally immunoglobulins. Prognosis of dengue-related ophthalmic complications is favorable; almost all patients had normal or showed improvement in visual acuity and complete resolution of dengue ophthalmic complications was noted in almost all cases.ConclusionThe pathological process of dengue ophthalmic complications is complex and clinical manifestations varied. Ophthalmic complications are usually seen in young adults who often present at the nadir of thrombocytopenia. Despite good recovery of vision and resolution of clinical signs in most patients, ophthalmologists and physicians should be aware and vigilant as isolated reports of cases of dengue ophthalmic complications with poor visual acuity refractory to treatment have been reported.

Clinical spectrum of microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis

The purpose of this paper was to analyse the causes, pathogenesis, diagnostic modalities and treatment outcomes of microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis (MKC). Microsporidia are increasingly recognized as opportunistic infectious pathogens in immunocompromized patients causing keratoconjunctivitis. In the recent years, there has been a surge in reports of MKC in immunocompetent individuals presenting with stromal keratitis. A detailed literature search was done using Medline, OVID, Cochrane Library, UptoDate and Google Scholar databases with the terms microsporidia, keratitis, conjunctivitis, immunocompromized and immunocompetent. The articles were reviewed to determine the spectrum of clinical presentation, disease course, investigations, treatment modalities and outcome. Thirty-six publications were reviewed, and 151 cases of MKC were included for this review. The main presenting features included pain, redness, photophobia, epiphora and blurring of vision. Duration of the symptoms lasted between 4xa0days and 18xa0months. Light microscopy with modified trichrome stain was most commonly used to diagnose MKC. Resolution of symptoms was most commonly achieved with oral albendazole and/or topical fumidil B. Topical fluoroquinolones are also effective as a monotherapy as suggested by recent studies. Clinical outcome was good (visual acuityxa0≤xa06/12) for the patients who presented earlier (≤1xa0month) (75% of cases with documented final best-corrected visual acuity). MKC occurs more commonly in immunocompetent individuals than expected and can be diagnosed in earlier stages. From our review, we conclude that the patients, who were diagnosed early and treated, had complete resolution of symptoms with a better clinical outcome.The purpose of this paper was to analyse the causes, pathogenesis, diagnostic modalities and treatment outcomes of microsporidial keratoconjunctivitis (MKC). Microsporidia are increasingly recognized as opportunistic infectious pathogens in immunocompromized patients causing keratoconjunctivitis. In the recent years, there has been a surge in reports of MKC in immunocompetent individuals presenting with stromal keratitis. A detailed literature search was done using Medline, OVID, Cochrane Library, UptoDate and Google Scholar databases with the terms microsporidia, keratitis, conjunctivitis, immunocompromized and immunocompetent. The articles were reviewed to determine the spectrum of clinical presentation, disease course, investigations, treatment modalities and outcome. Thirty‐six publications were reviewed, and 151 cases of MKC were included for this review. The main presenting features included pain, redness, photophobia, epiphora and blurring of vision. Duration of the symptoms lasted between 4u2003days and 18u2003months. Light microscopy with modified trichrome stain was most commonly used to diagnose MKC. Resolution of symptoms was most commonly achieved with oral albendazole and/or topical fumidil B. Topical fluoroquinolones are also effective as a monotherapy as suggested by recent studies. Clinical outcome was good (visual acuityu2003≤u20036/12) for the patients who presented earlier (≤1u2003month) (75% of cases with documented final best‐corrected visual acuity). MKC occurs more commonly in immunocompetent individuals than expected and can be diagnosed in earlier stages. From our review, we conclude that the patients, who were diagnosed early and treated, had complete resolution of symptoms with a better clinical outcome.

Spontaneous closure of traumatic macular hole

Macular hole formation is a well-known complication following ocular trauma. Less commonly recognised is the spontaneous closure of such holes. A 27-year-old man presented with a history of blunt trauma to his left eye. Eye evaluation showed conjunctival laceration, diffuse retinal oedema and multiple retinal haemorrhages in that eye. A month later, he developed a full thickness macular hole. Two months later, there was spontaneous complete closure of the full-thickness macular hole in the left eye as confirmed on optical coherence tomography. Spontaneous closure of hole is not uncommon. Observation for a period of up to 12xa0months is a reasonable management option. Macular hole surgery for traumatic macular holes may be delayed in such cases.

Benefits of early awareness in age-related macular degeneration

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Awareness of HbA1c and Its Relationship With Diabetic Retinopathy Among Adult Diabetic Patients Attending a Tertiary Ophthalmic Center

A major contributing factor to poor compliance to maintain HbA1c <7% has been found to be a lack of patient awareness (1). Wang et al. (1) showed only 17% of participants understood HbA1c, and 49% of participants had heard of the HbA1c test. Their study also concluded that there was greater awareness of HbA1c among the younger age groups and those with higher education levels. Despite the high prevalence of patients with diabetes in Asia, data on the association between awareness of HbA1c and diabetic retinopathy are not available in the Singapore population.nnOur study was a hospital-based, cross-sectional study of 506 diabetic patients aged 23–88 years in Singapore with different racial groups, including Chinese, Malay, Indian, and others.nnOf the 623 patients invited, 507 were …

Visual disturbance as the first symptom of chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a well-studied entity and advances made in diagnosis and treatment have improved the disease outcome. Patients with ophthalmic manifestation of CML have been reported to have lower 5-year survival rates. Hence, recognizing the early fundus changes may improve outcome by allowing earlier diagnosis and treatment. We report a case of a previously healthy 30-year-old Myanmarese male, who presented with a minor visual disturbance, complaining of seeing a ‘black dot’ in his left visual field for the past 1 week. Fundoscopic examination revealed bilateral retinal blot hemorrhages, white-centered hemorrhage, and preretinal hemorrhage over the left fovea. The full blood count and peripheral blood film were abnormal, and bone marrow biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of CML. Cytoreduction therapy was promptly commenced and his symptoms resolved, with improvement in visual acuity. No complications were recorded at 1-year follow-up.

Ophthalmia due to spitting cobra venom in an urban setting--a report of three cases.

To describe three presentations of spitting cobra venom induced ophthalmia in urban Singapore. Case notes and photographs of three patients with venom ophthalmia who presented to our clinic between 2007 and 2012 were reviewed. Two patients encountered the spitting cobra while working at a job site while the third patient had caught the snake and caged it. The venom entered the eyes in all 3 cases. Immediate irrigation with tap water was carried out before presenting to the Accident and Emergency department. All patients were treated medically with topical antibiotic prophylaxis and copious lubricants. The use of anti-venom was not required in any case. All eyes recovered with no long-term sequelae. If irrigation is initiated early, eyes can recover with no significant complications or sequelae.

Corneal Manifestations of Chronic Systemic Drug Therapy

We report 2 cases of incidental ocular pathology secondary to systemic drug therapy. Two male patients aged 67 and 66 of Malay and Indian origin respectively presented to the eye clinic for routine eye evaluation for diabetic retinopathy. On eye evaluation, both patients were found incidentally to have corneal deposits secondary to chronic ingestion of amiodarone and chlorpromazine respectively. Both these medications are known to have ocular side effects. The Malay patient had additional lenticular deposits secondary to chlorpromazine. These drug-induced deposits can be visually significant and in some cases irreversible. We herein describe the ocular manifestations of amiodarone and chlorpromazine in these 2 patients respectively with the aim to increase awareness and highlight the importance of ophthalmic review for patients on chronic medications with known ocular side effects.