Vinícius Coral Ghanem

Topographic, corneal wavefront, and refractive outcomes 2 years after collagen crosslinking for progressive keratoconus.

Purpose: The aim was to report the corneal higher-order aberrations (HOA), the topographic metrics, and the visual and refractive outcomes 2 years after performing collagen crosslinking (CXL) for progressive keratoconus. The correlation among corneal HOAs, topographic metrics, and visual acuity changes was also investigated. Methods: This is a prospective case series involving 42 eyes from 32 patients with progressive keratoconus treated with CXL. The main outcomes measured at baseline and 6, 12, and 24 months after treatment were uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), refractive changes, topographic data, and corneal aberrations. Results: Two years after CXL treatment, the UDVA (P < 0.001), CDVA (P < 0.001), and spherical equivalent (P = 0.048) improved significantly. The corneal topographic data revealed significant decreases in apical keratometry (P < 0.001), differential keratometry (P = 0.031), and central keratometry (P = 0.003) compared with the baseline measurements. Aberration analyses revealed a significant reduction in coma (P = 0.016), trefoil (P = 0.018), secondary astigmatism (P < 0.001), quatrefoil (P = 0.031), secondary coma (P < 0.001), and secondary trefoil (P = 0.001). Corneal HOA (except quatrefoil) demonstrated a significant correlation with postoperative CDVA; the highest correlations were for coma (rho = 0.703, P < 0.001), secondary astigmatism (rho = 0.519, P = 0.001), and total HOA (rho = 0.487, P = 0.001). However, the corneal HOA changes were not statistically associated with improved visual acuity. After treatment, the reduction in apical keratometry was the only variable that correlated with the improvement in the CDVA (rho = 0.319, P = 0.042). Conclusions: After 2 years, CXL was found to be effective in improving the UDVA, CDVA, topographic metrics, and most corneal HOAs in eyes with progressive keratoconus. A significant reduction was observed in apical keratometry, and this reduction directly correlated with an improvement in visual acuity.

Prognostic Factors in Open Globe Injuries

Purposes: To evaluate the main factors related to visual outcome after open globe injuries (excluding intraocular foreign bodies). Methods: Retrospective study analyzing consecutive ocular lacerations, primarily repaired in this institution, between January 1993 and January 2000. Of the 364 cases, 283 (77.75%) lacerations were statistically analyzed, correlating the preoperative variables with the postoperative visual acuity (VA). Excluded from this study were all patients with less than 6 months of follow-up, previous ocular surgery, unreliable information on VA, intraocular foreign bodies and endophthalmitis. When a bilateral injury was detected, only 1 eye was randomly chosen. Results: It was observed, after statistical analysis (multivariate analysis), that the most important factors related to postoperative poor VA (less than 20/100) were: the length of the laceration, the elapsed time between the injury and the surgery and the presence or absence of vitreous loss, cataract (lens damage), hyphema, laceration posterior to rectus muscle insertion and retinal detachment. Conclusion: With this study, it was possible to point out the most important factors related to visual prognosis in open globe injuries. The results found are similar to results previously reported.

Pachymetry-guided intrastromal air injection ("pachy-bubble") for deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty: results of the first 110 cases.

Purpose: To report intraoperative and 1-year postoperative results of the pachy-bubble technique for deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK). Methods: This prospective interventional case series included 110 eyes of 107 patients with anterior corneal pathology who underwent DALK, including 78 with keratoconus. Outcome measures included the rate of bubble formation, rate of completing DALK, bubble types, complications, and visual and keratometric parameters. Results: Intrastromal air injection was attempted in 109 eyes, and the air bubble was achieved in 93 eyes (85.3%). Intrastromal 2% methylcellulose injection was attempted in 9 eyes, after unsuccessful air bubble formation, and the viscobubble was achieved in 7 eyes (77.8%). Manual layer-by-layer dissection was performed in 8 eyes. Bubble formation was reached in 100 eyes (90.9%). Overall, 105 eyes (95.5%) achieved DALK. Air bubble occurred as type 1 (white margin) in 96.6% of the cases and as type 2 (clear margin) in 3.4%. There was a statistically significant improvement in all visual and keratometric parameters analyzed. Macroperforations converted to penetrating keratoplasty occurred in 5 eyes (4.5%) and microperforations in 12 (10.9%). There were significantly higher rates of perforation when a bubble was not achieved (P = 0.018) and when it was achieved as type 2 (P = 0.033). Interface haze occurred in 5 eyes (4.5%) and stromal rejection in 11 (10.0%). A short learning curve was observed for air bubble formation. Conclusions: Bubble formation, especially type 1, is the key to decrease the risk of perforation in DALK. The pachy-bubble was safe, effective, and reproducible in promoting DALK with air bubble and viscobubble formation with a short learning curve.

Moderate keratoconus with thick corneas.

PURPOSE To describe two patients with moderate keratoconus and a corneal thickness exceeding 600 μm at the thinnest point. METHODS Case report. RESULTS In the first case, the steepest keratometric power was 51.50 diopters (D) in the right eye and 53.4 in the left eye and the thickness at the thinnest point was 658 and 625 μm, respectively. In the second case, the steepest keratometric power was 46.70 D in the right eye and 49.60 D in the left eye and the thickness at the thinnest point was 618 and 608 μm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Keratoconus may develop despite a very thick cornea, reinforcing the idea that biomechanical changes can signify an important factor in the development and progression of this pathology.

Transplante autólogo de conjuntiva com uso de cola de fibrina em pterígios primários

PURPOSE To assess the rate of recurrence and complications after primary pterygium removal with conjunctival autograft using fibrin tissue adhesive. Secondarily, to compare these results with a retrospective series that underwent the same surgery using sutures. METHODS A hundred and six eyes of 100 patients who underwent surgery with fibrin glue were prospectively studied, while 58 eyes of 51 patients who underwent surgery with sutures were retrospectively evaluated. Data included: age, gender, eye involved, location, grade and pterygium invasion and post-operative complications. Patients were followed for at least 5 months. RESULTS Among 106 eyes undergoing surgery with fibrin glue, 12 (11.3%) had recurrence, including 4 (3.8%) conjunctival and 8 (7.5%) corneal. Mean age was statistically inferior in the recurrence cases compared to others (mean of 34.6 vs. 43.7; P=0.033). The time for recurrence ranged from 1.6 to 13.1 months (mean of 4.4). Among the corneal recurrences, 2 eyes had invasion beyond the limbus of up to 0.5 mm and 6 eyes from 0.6 to 1.0 mm. No eye underwent reoperation. Other complications included: transitory granuloma formation in 3 cases, partial graft detachment or slippage in 3 and dellen in 1. In the suture group, 15 eyes (25.9%) had recurrence, including 8 conjunctival (13.8%) and 7 (12.1%) corneal. The time for recurrence ranged from 0.7 to 9.7 months (mean 4.5 months). The conjunctival recurrence rate was statistically inferior in the glue group compared to the suture (P=0.023), however no statistically significant difference was observed in relation to corneal recurrence (P=0.232). CONCLUSION The use of fibrin glue as an alternative to sutures in pterygium surgery was associated with good results and few complications. Despite a decrease in conjunctival recurrence rates, this technique does not appear to significantly decrease corneal recurrences.

Ceratectomia fotorrefrativa baseada em topografia para correção da hipermetropia secundária à ceratotomia radial

PURPOSE To describe a topographically guided photorefractive keratectomy technique for the management of secondary hyperopia following radial keratectomy. METHODS A retrospective study was carried out in patients where a topographically guided photorefractive keratectomy technique was performed for the management of secondary hyperopia following radial keratectomy. The patients had preoperatively at least 3 diopters of hyperopia. The minimum follow-up was 3 months. RESULTS Twenty-four eyes of 21 patients were evaluated. The mean age was 45.54+/-6.03 years (range 36 to 55 years). The average follow-up was 7.71+/-4.6 months (range 3 to 17 months). Preoperatively the average spherical equivalent was +3.92+/-1.57 (range +1.25 D to +7.75 D), and postoperatively it was -0.29+/-1.43 (range -3.75 D to +2.50 D) (p<0.01). Visual acuity of 20/25 or better was achieved in 45.83% of the eyes, 20/40 or better in 83.33% and 20/60 or better in 100%. All patients were satisfied with the results and stated subjective improvement in visual quality. CONCLUSION Considering that it is a retreatment procedure performed in unstable and irregular corneas with high degrees of hyperopia, topographically guided photorefractive keratectomy showed good results and was safe and effective for the management of secondary hyperopia following radial keratectomy.

Sudden decrease in vision caused by liquefied after-cataract

We report a case of sudden decrease to unilateral visual acuity in a 39-year-old patient who had extracapsular cataract surgery 5 years earlier. The decrease was caused by involvement of the visual axis because of a rare complication known as liquefied after-cataract. Treatment with a neodymium:YAG (Nd:YAG) laser was successfully performed. Although there was no rupture in the posterior capsule, the opacity disappeared and the visual acuity improved to 20/20. This new form of after-cataract can cause a sudden decrease in vision, and Nd:YAG laser treatment, even without a posterior capsule rupture, can be performed successfully.

Tacrolimus for the treatment of subepithelial infiltrates resistant to topical steroids after adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis.

Purpose: To describe the use of topical 0.03% tacrolimus in patients with symptomatic corneal subepithelial infiltrates (SEIs) secondary to adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis (AK) that were resistant to tapering of corticosteroid eye drops. Methods: This was a prospective, nonrandomized, noncomparative interventional case series that included consecutive patients treated with tacrolimus for resistant SEIs after AK. The patients had active SEIs and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) of 20/25 or worse when treatment was initiated. The recorded data included age, sex, CDVA, intraocular pressure, duration and intensity of symptoms, biomicroscopy findings, and duration of therapy. The treatment was considered successful if there was a reduction in SEIs, as well as CDVA stabilization or improvement. The treatment was considered unsuccessful if the patient could not tolerate tacrolimus or if there was an increase in SEIs. Results: Seven patients were included (10 eyes). The mean age was 36.7 ± 12.3 years. The mean duration of tacrolimus therapy was 8.8 ± 2.4 months, and the mean duration of follow-up was 13.6 ± 10.7 months. Treatment was successful in 8 eyes of 6 patients. One patient could not tolerate the medication. Statistically significant improvement in the CDVA was observed (from a mean of 0.29 to 0.07) (P = 0.001). No statistically significant changes in the intraocular pressure were observed (P = 0.574). SEI scores showed a significant reduction from 2.20 ± 0.92 to 0.25 ± 0.46 (P = 0.011). All patients who completed treatment had improvement in ocular symptoms. Conclusions: Topical 0.03% tacrolimus seemed to be an effective corticosteroid-sparing agent for the treatment of SEIs after AK.

Importância da ultra-sonografia ocular na avaliação pré-operatória de pacientes com catarata total

With the new techniques of cataract surgery visual success has increased and it became necessary to foresee undesirable postoperative results regarding visual acuity. PURPOSE: To verify the role of ocular ultrasonography in the preoperative evaluation of patients with mature cataract searching for pos terior segment pathologies that may affect surgical results, their prevalence and the main associated risk factors. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed analyzing records of 262 patients indicated for ocular ultrasonography because the presence of mature cataract, thus preventing fundoscopic evaluation of the posterior segment. It was also tried to associate the presence of those changes with sex, age, race, history of ocular trauma, systemic and ocular diseases and the presence of cataract in the contralateral eye. RESULTS: Ecographic changes were found in 24.8% of the examinations performed between 1996 and 2001, of which retinal detachment and vitreous condensations were the most common, with 9.9% of the findings for each. CONCLUSIONS: Among the risk factors pointed out as predisposing to findings in ocular ultrasonography, uveitis was the only statistically significant element. It was not possible to correlate positively the described posterior segment pathology to ocular trauma using obtained data.

Monoscleral fixation of IOL after extracapsular extraction of subluxated lenses in patients with Marfan syndrome

PURPOSE: To describe a technique of monoscleral fixation of the intraocular lens (IOL) after extracapsular extraction of subluxated lens in patients with Marfan syndrome. Design: Noncomparative, interventional case series. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 14 eyes of 7 consecutive patients with subluxated lens associated with Marfan syndrome. Surgery was indicated when: 1) a lens border was observed in the pupil area with the pupil under normal lighting causing glare; or 2) the best corrected visual acuity was less than 20/70; or 3) the patient complained of monocular diplopia. Patients with a history of glaucoma, retinal detachment, trauma or other systemic diseases were excluded. RESULTS: The mean postoperative follow-up was 15.43 ± 9.33 months (range, 6 to 30 months). The best spectacle-corrected visual acuity varied from 20/25 to 20/60, where 71.43% reached 20/30 or better. No case showed a worsening of visual acuity, nor were there any intraoperative or postoperative complications (intraocular lens decentration, pupilar block, glaucoma or retinal detachment). The most frequent postoperative complication was astigmatism, observed in 3 eyes (21.43%) presenting values greater than 1.5 D. CONCLUSIONS: This technique showed very good surgical and visual results and few complications, providing a surgical option for cases of ectopia lentis associated with Marfan syndrome, especially in some countries or regions where phacoemulsification is not available.