Usha Vasu

Mechanical eye (globe) injuries in children.

PURPOSE The epidemiology of mechanical eye injuries in children was studied to identify the agents of injury and their contribution to the severity of visual loss and to suggest preventive measures. METHODS The mode, type, and severity of injury were correlated with the visual acuity 6 months after the injury in all children with mechanical eye injuries between January 1994 to January 1999. RESULTS Of the 68 children with mechanical eye injuries, the mode of injury was host (child) related in 12 (17.65%) patients, agent related in 40 (58.82%) patients, and environment related in 16 (23.53%) patients. Mild injuries were seen in 22 (32.35%) patients, 31 (45.59%) patients had moderate injuries, and 15 (22.06%) patients had severe injuries. None of the patients with host-related injuries had a severe injury. Six (66.67%) patients with host-related injuries had a good visual outcome and none had a poor outcome. Among patients with agent-related injuries, 11 (25%) had a good outcome, 14 (40%) patients had a fair outcome, and 10 (22.5%) patients had a poor outcome. Of the patients with environment-related injuries 3 (33.33%) each had good, fair, and poor visual outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Agent and environment-related injuries had a far worse outcome than host-related injuries. This epidemiological classification directly suggests practical preventive measures that can be adopted at home or at school to reduce the incidence and severity of ocular injuries. The other predictors of the final visual outcome were the severity of the injury at presentation and the necessity for a secondary surgical procedure.

Serum lipids and diabetic retinopathy: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: To evaluate the association of elevated serum lipids with retinal hard exudates formation, the occurrence clinically significant macular edema (CSME), occurrence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and loss of vision in type 2 diabetics. Materials and Methods: Type 2 diabetic patients seeking ocular evaluation for diabetic retinopathy were included in this cross-sectional study. They were assessed for presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR), presence of hard exudates, clinically significant macular oedema (CSME) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA). Retinal findings were correlated to serum lipids levels using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results: Totally 330 patients were included, of which 141/330 had diabetic retinopathy of any grade. Retinal hard exudate formation, was found to have statistically significant correlation with the presence of dyslipidemia (p=0.02), increased total cholesterol (p=0.002) and LDL levels (p=0.001). On multivariate analysis, after correcting for duration, glycemic control and albuminuria, increased cholesterol remained significantly associated with increased hard exudate formation (p=0.02). Elevated cholesterol also showed independent association with visual loss (p=0.04). The occurrence CSME showed a statistically significant correlation with dyslipidemia (p=0.04) and increased LDL levels (0.04), which did not persist on multivariate analysis. However the there was no correlation with the occurrence and severity of diabetic retinopathy Conclusion: Elevated serum lipids showed a significant association with retinal hard exudate formation, CSME and loss of vision in type 2 diabetics. Lipid lowering agents may help in reducing the occurrence of these retinal findings and loss of vision in diabetic patients.

Transconjunctival orbital emphysema caused by compressed air injury: A case report

Orbital emphysema following conjunctival tear in the absence of orbital wall fracture, caused by air under pressure is rare. Usually orbital emphysema is seen in facial trauma associated with damage to the adjacent paranasal sinuses or facial bones. To the best of our knowledge, there have been only eight reports of orbital emphysema following use of compressed air during industrial work. The air under pressure is pushed through the subconjunctival space into the subcutaneous and retrobulbar spaces. We present here a rare cause of orbital emphysema in a young man working with compressed air gun. Although the emphysema was severe, there were no orbital bone fracture and the visual recovery of the patient was complete without attendant complications.

Efficacy of expressed breast milk in reducing pain during ROP screening--a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effectiveness of expressed breast milk (EBM) on neonatal pain during screening for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). METHODS Neonates who were on oral feeds undergoing ROP screening were included. Babies were randomized into intervention group (EBM + Standard practice) and control group. The standard practice is proparacaine, nesting and swaddling. Pain was assessed by PIPP scale, during and at 1 and 5 min after the procedure by the principal investigator who was blinded. RESULTS The groups were similar in baseline characteristics. The group receiving EBM had significantly lower PIPP scores during the procedure 12.7 ± 1.69 compared to the control group 15.5 ± 1.78 (p < 0.05). The beneficial effect persisted at 1 min and 5 min after the procedure 6.20 ± 1.9 vs. 12.4 ± 2.54 (p ≤ 0.05) at 1 min; 3.2 ± 1.5 and 6.85 ± 2.4 (p < 0.05) at 5 min. CONCLUSION Oral EBM significantly reduces pain during and after ROP screening.

Neurothekeoma of the eyelid: A case report

The purpose of this article is to describe a rare benign tumor of nerve sheath origin arising from the eyelid in an elderly male. Local excision was done and histopathological examination revealed a neurothekeoma. Six months later the patient was doing well with no recurrence. The case was unique in that the patient was an elderly male while neurothekeoma is commonly seen on the face of young adults, especially females.

Paradoxical Growth of Presumed Optochiasmatic Tuberculomas Following Medical Therapy

IMPORTANCE Tuberculosis is an endemic infectious disease in developing countries. Patients receiving treatment for systemic tuberculosis may develop paradoxical growth of tuberculomas in the brain, which can lead to vision loss. OBSERVATIONS We describe 3 patients who had paradoxical development of tuberculomas in the anterior optic pathway during treatment for tuberculosis and presented with acute vision loss. These optochiasmatic tuberculomas were not present at the initial presentation of tuberculosis and appeared on brain magnetic resonance imaging at the time of presentation with vision loss. Vision improved on instituting systemic corticosteroids in addition to antituberculous treatment. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE As there was visual recovery after patients began receiving systemic corticosteroids and there was no worsening of the systemic condition, it is reasonable to assume that the optochiasmatic tuberculomas resulted from a paradoxical reaction. It is important to recognize this condition and initiate prompt treatment to reduce visual morbidity.

Retinoblastoma in patients with regressed retinopathy of prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a well-known clinical entity in premature babies. We report two patients (1 and 2) with regressed ROP who later presented with retinoblastoma (RB). To the best of our knowledge, there is only one such report in the literature so far. Two unrelated patients 1 and 2, born at 32 weeks gestation were screened for ROP at 34 weeks gestation. This showed Zone II Stage II ROP which regressed by 38 weeks of gestation on follow-up. Both patients were lost to follow-up by 40 weeks of gestation. They presented at four years of age with white reflex in the eye. Patient 1 was found to have unilateral and patient 2 bilateral RB. The occurrence of RB in these patients with regressed ROP is probably coincidental.