Yohko Murakami

Prospective, randomized comparison of self-reported postoperative dry eye and visual fluctuation in LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy.

PURPOSE We sought to prospectively compare postoperative symptoms of dry eye, visual fluctuations, and foreign body sensation in patients undergoing LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). DESIGN Randomized clinical trial. PARTICIPANTS Sixty-eight eyes of 34 patients were treated with wavefront-guided LASIK and PRK. METHODS One eye was treated with LASIK and the fellow eye was treated with PRK. Eyes were randomized by ocular dominance. Patients completed a questionnaire preoperatively and at each postoperative visit evaluating symptoms of dry eye, dry eye severity, vision fluctuations, and foreign body sensation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Change in self-reported dry eye with secondary outcome measure of visual fluctuations and foreign body sensation scores after LASIK and PRK. RESULTS Both groups of eyes experienced significant increases in symptoms of dry eye, vision fluctuation, and foreign body sensation after LASIK and PRK at postoperative months 1, 3, and 6. However, by the 12-month postoperative visit, there was no increase in dry eye symptoms over the preoperative baseline levels in either group. Patients undergoing PRK experienced significantly higher levels of vision fluctuation at postoperative month 1 than those undergoing LASIK. CONCLUSIONS Both LASIK and PRK caused an increase in dry eye symptoms and severity, vision fluctuations, and foreign body sensation over baseline in the early postoperative period. At postoperative month 1, PRK caused greater vision fluctuations than LASIK. By 1 year postoperatively, all symptoms of dry eye, vision fluctuations, and foreign body sensation returned to their baseline, preoperative levels.

Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP): 12-month experience with telemedicine screening

Background/aims: To report the 1-year experience of the Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) telemedicine initiative. Methods: Forty-two consecutively enrolled infants who met ROP examination criteria were screened between 1 December 2005 through 30 November 2006 with the RetCam II and evaluated by the SUNDROP reading centre at Stanford University. Nurses obtained five images in each eye. All patients also received a dilated examination by the author within 1 week of discharge from the hospital. Outcomes included referral-warranted disease, need for treatment and anatomical outcomes. Referral-warranted disease was defined as any Early Treatment Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Disease Type 2 or greater, or any plus disease. A retrospective analysis of 84 eyes, 131 unique examinations and 1315 unique images from the SUNDROP archival data is reported here. Results: In the initial 12-month period, the SUNDROP telemedicine screening initiative had not missed any referral warranted ROP. Calculated sensitivity and specificity was 100% and 95%, respectively. No patient progressed to retinal detachment or other adverse outcomes. Conclusions: The SUNDROP telemedicine screening initiative for ROP has proven to have a high degree of sensitivity and specificity for identification of referral warranted disease. These results indicate that telemedicine may improve accessibility of ROP screening.

Stanford University network for diagnosis of retinopathy of prematurity (SUNDROP): 36-month experience with telemedicine screening.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE to report the 36-month experience of the Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) telemedicine initiative. PATIENTS AND METHODS retrospective analysis of the SUNDROP archival data between December 1, 2005, and November 30, 2008, to evaluate this diagnostic technology for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening. A total of 230 consecutively enrolled infants meeting ROP examination criteria were screened with the Ret-Cam II (Clarity Medical Systems, Pleasanton, CA) and evaluated by the SUNDROP reading center at Stanford University. Outcomes included referral-warranted ROP, treatment-warranted ROP, and anatomic outcomes. RESULTS in the initial 36-month period, the SUNDROP telemedicine initiative did not miss any treatment-warranted ROP. A total of 230 infants (460 eyes) were imaged, resulting in 1,059 examinations and 10,921 unique images. Ten infants were identified with referral-warranted ROP: nine underwent laser photocoagulation and one regressed spontaneously. The sensitivity was 100% with a specificity of 99.5%. No patient progressed to retinal detachment or other adverse outcomes. CONCLUSION the SUNDROP telemedicine screening initiative for ROP has demonstrated high reliability for identification of treatment-warranted disease. All cases of treatment-warranted disease were captured. There were no adverse outcomes.

Racial and ethnic disparities in adherence to glaucoma follow-up visits in a county hospital population.

OBJECTIVES To identify predictors of inconsistent attendance at glaucoma follow-up visits in a county hospital population. METHODS Prospective recruitment from August 1, 2008, through January 31, 2009, of 152 individuals with glaucoma, with 1-to-1 matching of patients (those with inconsistent follow-up) and controls (those with consistent follow-up). Data were collected via oral questionnaire. Survey results were correlated with attendance at follow-up examinations, using the t test, χ(2) test, and multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS After adjusting for covariates in the logistic regression analysis, factors independently associated with inconsistent follow-up included black race (adjusted OR, 7.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.64-31.24), Latino ethnicity (adjusted OR, 4.77; 1.12-20.29), unfamiliarity with necessary treatment duration (adjusted OR, 3.54; 1.26-9.94), lack of knowledge of the permanency of glaucoma-induced vision loss (adjusted OR, 3.09; 1.18-8.04), and perception that it is not important to attend all follow-up visits (adjusted OR, 3.54; 1.26-9.94). CONCLUSIONS Demographic factors, including race and ethnicity, may directly or indirectly affect adherence to recommended glaucoma follow-up visits. Lack of information regarding irreversible vision loss from glaucoma, need for lifelong treatment, and lack of visual symptoms may be significant barriers to follow-up in this population. Targeted glaucoma education by physicians may improve follow-up, thereby decreasing the morbidity associated with glaucomatous disease.

Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP): 24-month experience with telemedicine screening

Purpose:  To report the 24‐month experience of the Stanford University Network for Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (SUNDROP) telemedicine initiative.

Comparison of intraoperative subtraction pachymetry and postoperative anterior segment optical coherence tomography of laser in situ keratomileusis flaps

PURPOSE: To prospectively compare intraoperative subtraction pachymetry flap thickness measurements and postoperative anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS‐OCT) flap thickness measurements in eyes that had laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) flap creation with a femtosecond laser or a mechanical microkeratome. SETTING: Stanford Eye Laser Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA. DESIGN: Comparative case series. METHODS: Each patient received wavefront‐guided LASIK using an Intralase femtosecond laser in 1 eye and a Hansatome mechanical microkeratome in the fellow eye. Flap morphology was assessed with an ultrasound pachymeter intraoperatively and an AS‐OCT system postoperatively at 1 year. RESULTS: Thirty‐six eyes (18 patients) were enrolled. Intraoperative subtraction pachymetry consistently underestimated mechanical microkeratome flap thickness compared with postoperative AS‐OCT (P<.001). There was no significant difference between intraoperative subtraction pachymetry and postoperative AS‐OCT measurements for femtosecond flaps (P=.38). The overall mean variation in flap thickness (ie, mean deviation from targeted flap thickness) was 2.6 μm (range 3 to 11 μm) with the femtosecond laser and 14.2 μm (range 17 to 52 μm) with the mechanical microkeratome (P<.001). Postoperative AS‐OCT measurements showed femtosecond flaps had a planar configuration and mechanical microkeratome flaps had a meniscus‐shaped configuration. CONCLUSIONS: The femtosecond laser created more uniformly planar flaps than the mechanical microkeratome as measured by intraoperative subtraction pachymetry and postoperative AS‐OCT. Postoperative AS‐OCT measurements varied less than intraoperative subtraction pachymetry measurements for mechanical microkeratome flaps. Financial Disclosure: Neither author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

The Association Between Compliance With Recommended Follow-up and Glaucomatous Disease Severity in a County Hospital Population

PURPOSE To assess the association between insufficient follow-up and clinical parameters such as disease severity and medication use among glaucoma patients at a metropolitan county hospital. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. METHODS Two-hundred and six patients with established glaucoma were recruited from San Francisco General Hospital. Subjects were classified based on compliance with recommended follow-up examination intervals over the year preceding commencement of the study, as determined by patient medical records. Glaucoma severity was determined based on the American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Patterns guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between adherence with follow-up visits and disease severity. RESULTS After adjustment for the impact of potential confounding variables, subjects with severe glaucomatous disease were found to have been less adherent to their recommended follow-up than those patients with mild or moderate glaucomatous disease (adjusted OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.21-2.94; P = .01). Subjects who were on glaucoma medications were found to be less adherent to follow-up recommendations (adjusted OR 3.29, 95% CI 1.41-7.65, P = .01). CONCLUSION Subjects with poor follow-up adherence were significantly more likely to have severe glaucomatous disease, suggesting that poor follow-up may contribute to disease worsening or, alternatively, those with more severe disease are less inclined to follow up at appropriate intervals.

Retcam fluorescein angiography findings in eyes with advanced retinoblastoma

Purpose To characterise the fluorescein angiogram (FA) findings of eyes with advanced retinoblastoma evaluated with the Retcam contact fundus camera. Methods A retrospective case series was performed on all new retinoblastoma patients evaluated with Retcam FA between 2000 and 2012. Inclusion criteria included (1) patients with advanced retinoblastoma (group D or E), (2) eyes studied with early, mid-phase and late-phase Retcam FA photographs and (3) no prior treatment. Results A total of 100 eyes fulfilling the inclusion criteria were identified. For the 47 group D eyes, FA findings included iris neovascularisation (10/47), large retinal vessel dilatation (46/47), small retinal vessel changes (35/47) and retinal venous leakage (20/47). Among the 53 group E eyes, FA findings included iris neovascularisation (45/53), large retinal vessel dilatation (43/53), small retinal vessel changes (37/53) and vascular abnormalities at multiple levels (11/53). Conclusions Advanced intraocular retinoblastoma is associated with multiple retinal vascular abnormalities on Retcam FA. These findings may be helpful in defining the extent of disease and distinguishing this tumour from other paediatric ocular conditions. Key clinical findings were subclinical iris neovascularisation, a variety of small vessel changes, intrinsic tumour vessels and retinal venous leakage. Retcam FA was not found to be clinically useful after 3 min.

Patient-related and system-related barriers to glaucoma follow-up in a county hospital population.

PURPOSE To identify the barriers to glaucoma follow-up and to assess how ethnicity influences the effect of such barriers among patients in a county hospital population. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 152 patients, 76 with poor clinic follow-up and 76 with good clinic follow-up, who were recruited at the San Francisco General Hospital glaucoma clinic as part of a case-control study. All subjects were required to be established patients with glaucoma initially seen and diagnosed in the clinic at least 1 year before enrollment. An oral questionnaire pertaining to the barriers to follow-up for glaucoma, as well as patient ethnicity, was administered to all participating subjects. The main outcome measure was the prevalence of significant barriers to follow-up, both overall and stratified by ethnicity. RESULTS The most prevalent barriers to follow-up included long clinic waiting times (75%), appointment scheduling difficulties (38%), the effect of other medical or physical comorbidities (29%), and difficulties related to medical interpretation (23%). While several barriers were cited as being important across different ethnicities, Latinos and Asian-Pacific Islanders were particularly affected by difficulties related to medical interpretation (P = 0.0001) and long waiting times in the clinic (P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS Understanding patient-reported barriers to glaucoma follow-up and their variation based on ethnicity may give providers insight as to why patients do not adhere to follow-up recommendations. Strategies to improve follow-up may include reduced clinic wait times, simplified appointment scheduling, and provision of appropriate education and counseling regardless of the patients native language and ethnicity.

A Population-Based Assessment of the Agreement Between Grading of Goniophotographic Images and Gonioscopy in the Chinese-American Eye Study (CHES)

Purpose To compare grading of goniophotographic images and gonioscopy in assessing the iridocorneal angle. Methods In a population-based, cross-sectional study, participants underwent gonioscopy and goniophotographic imaging during the same visit. The iridocorneal angle was classified as closed if the posterior trabecular meshwork could not be seen. A single masked observer graded the goniophotographic images, and each eye was classified as having angle closure based on the number of closed quadrants. Agreement between the methods was analyzed by calculating kappa (κ) and first-order agreement coefficient (AC1) statistics and comparison of area under receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC). Results A total of 4149 Chinese Americans (3994 eyes) were included in this study. The agreement for angle closure diagnosis between gonioscopy and EyeCam was moderate to excellent (κ = 0.60, AC1 0.90, AUC 0.76–0.80). Conclusions Detection of iridocorneal angle closure based on goniophotographic imaging shows moderate to very good agreement with angle closure assessment using gonioscopy.