Transient vacuolar changes of the crystalline lens in patients using a dispersive ophthalmic viscosurgical device

AIM:To report the clinical prognosis and pathological findings of accidental lens vacuolar changes in eyes with intraoperative exposure to a dispersive ophthalmic viscosurgical device(OVD).METHODS:Two patients who developed transient lens vacuolar changes during uneventful persistent pupillary membrane(PPM)removal surgery were presented and followed up.This event was speculated to be associated with an intraoperative dispersive OVD DisCoVisc(hyaluronic acid 1.6%-chondroitin sulfate 4.0%)exposure.Then,to provide the pathological basis for our speculation,another four cataract patients were randomly exposed to different OVDs,and their anterior lens capsules were investigated with transmission electron microscopy(TEM).RESULTS:After months,the subcapsular vacuoles in both PPM cases were gradually disappeared without visual deterioration.For the cataract patients,similar lens changes were observed intraoperatively in those exposed to a dispersive DisCoVisc but not a cohesive OVD IVIZ(sodium hyaluronate gel 1.0%).In addition,marked ultrastructural changes,including chromatin condensation,extensive cytoplasmic vacuoles,and obvious intercellular space between lens epithelial cells in the anterior lens capsules of all eyes exposed to DisCoVisc,were observed by TEM.CONCLUSION:The lens vacuolar changes may be associated with a dispersive OVD exposure.Therefore,it is not preferable to use dispersive OVDs in patients with transparent lenses or without the intention of lens extraction.In addition,close follow-ups instead of immediate lens extraction are recommended for the occurrence of similar lens lesions.

Combined pars plana vitrectomy and suture less scleral fixation of foldable intraocular lens:single surgery visual rehabilitation of dislocated lens/intraocular lens

Background:To evaluate efficacy and safety of combined pars plana vitrectomy(PPV)and scleral fixated intraocular lens(SFIOL)surgery as a single procedure.Methods:Retrospective interventional case series done at a tertiary eye care center in Northern India.Eleven patients who underwent combined PPV and SFIOL surgery were included and analyzed retrospectively.Results:Mean age of the patients was 43.36±15.12 years(range,22-64 years).Eight were male.Mean baseline best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)was 0.78±0.63 logMAR units while the mean post-operative BCVA at 6 months follow-up was 0.37±0.29 logMAR units,the visual gain being statistically significant(P=0.021).None of the patients had a drop in BCVA with nine patients having final BCVA better than 0.48 logMAR units.Choroidal detachment(CD)was the only notable complication,seen in three patients.Other complications included two cases of intraoperative retinal breaks,a case each of reversible corneal edema,ocular hypertension and cystoid macular edema.Conclusions:Combined PPV and SFIOL is an efficacious procedure for managing IOL/lens dislocation and aphakia in a single surgery.There may be short-term reversible complications with no impact on final visual gain.

Analysis of changes in crystalline lens thickness and its refractive power after laser in situ keratomileusis

AIM: To evaluate changes in the anterior chamber depth (ACD), crystalline lens thickness (LT) and its refractive power after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). METHODS: In all cases, the preoperative and postoperative central ACD which were measured with Pentacam, Orbscan, IOL-Master and A-scan ultrasonography, central corneal true net power which was measured with the Pentacam, Orbscan and IOL-Master, axial length (AL) which was measured with IOL-Master and LT which was measured with the A-scan ultrasonography were compared using the paired sample t test. Ocular refractive errors and lens refractive power at corneal plane were calculated and their correlations were also evaluated before and after LASIK. RESULTS: At 1 week after LASIK, LT and crystalline lens refractive power at corneal plane (Dlens) which were associated with the IOL-Master and Pentacam increased significantly (P <= 0.005), ACD decreased significantly (P <= 0.001), but no significant increase was observed in the Diens which was associated with the Orbscan(P=0.261). Significant correlations between the changes in the ocular refractive errors and Diens which were associated with the Pentacam were observed at 1 week and 6 months after LASIK (P = 0.028; P=0.001). CONCLUSION: LT increased significantly after LASIK, and this might partially lead to ACD decrease, Diens increase and a small quantity of myopic regression.

Iatrogenic crystalline lens injury during intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide: A report of two cases

BACKGROUND Intravitreal injection has become an efficient approach for delivering drugs at therapeutic levels to the posterior segment in retinal diseases.However,the increased frequency and number of intravitreal injections have raised concerns about their side effects.As manipulation during surgery is relatively simple,details of the procedure are easily overlooked.Iatrogenic crystalline lens injury is a rare complication caused by improper manipulation during surgical procedures.We report two cases of crystalline lens injury during intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide(TA)with the hope of providing an insight into this treatment.CASE SUMMARY Case 1 was a 62-year-old woman with macular edema caused by central retinal vein occlusion in her right eye,and Case 2 was a 65-year-old man with macular edema caused by branch retinal vein occlusion in his right eye.In view of the patients’condition and economic constraints,an intravitreal injection of TA was administered.Due to inappropriate manipulation during surgery,the lens was injured.The site of lens injury and clinical manifestations were different in the two cases.Symptomatic treatment and continuous follow-up were carried out.The therapeutic effect following phacoemulsification of the cataract was satisfactory.CONCLUSION Well-defined surgical incision under proper anesthesia,sufficient patient information and proficient anatomical skills of the physician are mandatory to prevent this rare adverse event.Careful and meticulous phacoemulsification of the cataract is suggested.

Objective evaluation of the changes in the crystalline lens during accommodation in young and presbyopic populations using Pentacam HR system

AIM: To quantify the changes in the lens profile with accommodation in different age groups. METHODS: The Pentacam HR system was used to obtain the images of the anterior eye segment from 23 young and 15 presbyopic emmetropic subjects in unaccommodated (with an accommodation stimulus of 0.0D) and accommodated (with an accommodation stimulus of 5.0D for the young group and 1.0D for the presbyopic group) states. The phakic crystalline lens shape, including curvature of crystalline lens and central lens thickness (CLT), and the measurements of anterior segment length (ASL), central anterior chamber depth (CACD) were investigated. The anterior chamber volume (ACV) was also measured. RESULTS: The reduction of CACD and ACV were significant in both groups after accommodation stimulus. From the profile of anterior eye segment, a significant decrease in anterior crystalline lens radii of curvature (-2.52mm) and a mean increase in CLT (0.222mm) and ASL (0.1138mm) were found in the. young group with an accommodation stimulus of 5.0D. However, no statistically significant changes of CLT, ASL, or crystalline lens radii of curvature were found in the presbyopic group. CONCLUSION: Our data showed that the shallowing of anterior chamber during accommodation was caused by the forward bulging of the anterior lens surface, rather than by anterior shifting of lens position in either young or presbyopic subjects.

Preoperative evaluation of human crystalline lens hardness using A-scan ultrasound biometry： a pilot study

Dear Editor,I write to present the results of a study on the correlation between the ultrasound energy consumed during phacoemulsification with various preoperative parameters,including best corrected distance visual acuity（BCDVA）,the signal to noise ratio（SNR）obtained by partial coherence laser interferometry and primarily,lens spikes measurements derived by A-scan ultrasound biometry.Quantification of crystalline lens hardness before cataract removal has been attempted by several researchers in the past.These have been in humans and in animals,in vivo and in vitro,and have used a variety of imaging modalities.

23-Gauge Pars Plana Vitrectomy Alone by a Bimanual Technique for the Removal of Dense Posteriorly Dislocated Crystalline Lens

Background: We sought to verify the efficacy and safety of transconjunctival 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) alone by our bimanual technique for the removal of dense posteriorly dislocated crystalline lens. Methods: A retrospective, noncomparative, interventional study of 31 consecutive cases of patients who underwent 23-gauge PPV alone for the removal of dense posteriorly dislocated crystalline lens following complicated cataract surgeries using our bimanual technique was conducted. The main outcomes measured included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), postoperative IOP and postoperative complications. Results: In all 31 cases included in this study, those dense posteriorly dislocated crystalline lenses were successfully removed. The enrolled patients consisted of 17 males and 14 females with a mean age of (75.84 ± 6.17) years (range 59 - 90). The mean follow-up length was (7.61 ± 1.87) months with a range of 6 months to 1 year. The mean preoperative BCVA was 0.22 ± 0.11 logMAR system, and the postoperative BCVA was 0.33 ± 0.07 logMAR system after 6 months of follow-up. The mean operative time was 46.32 ± 4.80 minutes with a range of 38.00 to 57.00 minutes. All of the conjunctival incisions self-closed within the first week with no wound leakage or hemorrhage. The postoperative complications were relatively rare. Conclusions: The removal of dense posteriorly dislocated crystalline lens might be a challenge for micro-incision vitrectomy. Our bimanual technique was proved to be an effective and safe method for those particular dense lenses using 23-gauge alone.

Intraocular lens optic capture in pediatric cataract surgery

Posterior capsule opacification（PCO） remains the most common complication of pediatric cataract surgery despite continuous efforts to reduce its incidence. For this reason, pediatric cataract surgeons have expended considerable effort into preventing and mitigating PCO. The intraocular lens（IOL） optic capture technique has been used for the prevention of PCO after pediatric cataract surgery for more than 20 y, but there is still no professional consensus. However, recent research has shown encouraging results. The IOL optic capture technique can be performed without anterior vitrectomy to prevent PCO, even in younger children. The type and characteristics of IOLs used for optic capture technique, the location of IOL and the complications of IOL optic capture in children are here reviewed.

Human lens epithelial cell apoptosis and epithelial to mesenchymal transition in femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery

AIM： To evaluate human lens epithelium cell apoptosis and epithelial to mesenchymal transition （EMT） induced by femtosecond laser in femtosecond laser assisted cataract surgery （FLACS）. METHODS： Sixty cataract patients with N2 to N3 stage according to the LOCS III were enrolled in this study and divided into three groups randomly： FLACSl group （cataract surgery by FLACS with LenSx）, FLACS2 group （cataract surgery by FLACS with LensAR） and manual group （cataract surgery by phacoemulsification）. Patients in two FLACS groups performed anterior capsulotomy by LenSx or LensAR laser system. Patients in the manual group were performed continuous curvilinear capsulorrhexis （CCC） manually. The anterior capsules were fixed right after moved out of eye. Hematoxylin-eosine staining, immunofluorescence staining and real-time PCR were performed in order to observe human lens epithelium cells changes after cataract surgery. RESULTS： The capsule cutting edge was shown irregularity and roughness in two FLACS groups and smooth edge in manual capsulotomy by pathologic staining. Irregularities of the cell configuration with partly swollen and destroyed nuclei were observed in two FLACS groups. Femtosecond laser could induce a significantly higher cell apoptosis in human lens epithelium cell than manually performed CCC （P〈0.05）. Lens epithelium cells apoptosis were correlated with femtosecond laser duration according to Pearson correlation analysis. Decreased N-cadherin expression, alpha-SMA and FSP-1 level in two FLACS groups showed the inhibition of cell EMT. CONCLUSION： Femtosecond laser may affect the apoptosis and EMT of lens epithelium cells which are under the peeled central lens capsule.

Intraocular lens removal or not during vitrectomy for acute infectious endophthalmitis after cataract surgery

At present, the incidence of infectious endophthalmitis after cataract surgery has been significantly reduced, but it is still a serious complication. Removal or not of the intraocular lens(IOL) during vitrectomy in cases with a moderate or severe inflammation is controversial. In order to call upon more discussion, we publish the article entitled “Timely vitrectomy without intraocular lens removal for acute endophthalmitis after cataract surgery” written by Guo et al in this issue. With recent advanced vitrectomy techniques, and critical measures for management of risk factors related to occurrence of infection, IOL remaining during timely vitrectomy for acute endophthalmitis can possibly be safe and effective in selected cases.

Evaluation of the safety and efficacy of therapeutic bandage contact lenses on post-cataract surgery patients

AIM： To evaluate the safety of therapeutic bandage contact lens for post-cataract surgery patients and to illustrate its efficacy on post-operative comfort and tear-film stability. METHODS： A total of 40 participants were recruited and randomly divided into two groups. Group one was instructed to wear bandage contact lenses for a week and use antibiotic eye drops for a month since the first day after surgery. Group two received sub-conjunctival injection of tobramycin and was asked to wear eye pads on the first day after surgery and then were instructed to use antibiotic eye drops as the first group did. Ocular surface disease index（OSDI） questionnaire, slit-lamp microscope examination of tear break-up time（TBUT）, corneal fluorescein score（CFS）, tear meniscus height（TMH） together with anterior segment optical coherence tomography（AS-OCT） and corneal topography were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS： The subjective feeling（P=0.004）, TBUT（P〈0.001） and TMH（P=0.02） post-surgery had improved in patients who used bandage contact lenses compared with those who did not at 1wk post-surgery. Until three month postoperatively, the comfort degree（P=0.004） and TMH（P=0.01） of group two were still worse than group one. Moreover, TBUT（P〈0.001） and CFS（P=0.004） of the group with eye pads got worse than the results before, whereas the group with bandage contact lenses recovered to normal. None of these patients had infections or other complications. CONCLUSION： Wearing therapeutic bandage contact lens after cataract surgery, compared with traditional eye-pads, is a safe method to improve tear-film stability and reduce post-operative discomfort without hindering corneal incision recovery.

Effect of femtosecond laser-assisted lens surgery on the optic nerve head and the macula

AIM: To evaluate the effect of femtosecond laser-assisted lens surgery(FLALS;cataract surgery or refractive lens exchange) on the structure of the optic nerve head and the macula.METHODS: This prospective longitudinal study included healthy eyes undergoing FLALS. Eyes with glaucoma or any other ocular disease that could alter optical coherence tomography results were excluded. Retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL), Bruch’s membrane opening-minimum rim width(BMO-MRW) and macular thickness(MT) were measured preoperatively, 1 and 6 mo after surgery using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography(SD-OCT). Changes between preoperative and postoperative values were evaluated.RESULTS: A total of 87 eyes of 46 patients were included in this study. Preoperative RNFL, BMO-MRW and MT in microns(μm) were 100.77±10.39, 330.31±49.99 and 276.30±33.39, respectively. Postoperative RNFL, BMO-MRW and MT were 104.74±11.55, 348.32±54.05 and 279.83±22.65 1 mo after surgery and 102.93±11.17, 343.11±53.4 and 278.90±22.19 6 mo after surgery, respectively;which equals an increase of 3.93%, 5.45% and 1.27%,respectively, 1 mo after surgery, and 2.14%, 3.87% and 0.94% 6 mo after surgery. The differences between the preoperative and the postoperative RNFL and BMO-MRW values were statistically significant(P<0.001). Regarding MT values, there were not statistically significant differences(P=0.26).CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that FLALS does not have a negative impact on the structural status of the optic nerve head in healthy eyes, assessed by SD-OCT. There is a slight increase in the values of RNFL, BMO-MRW and MT 1 mo and 6 mo after surgery.

Using Topical Anesthesia for Standing Phacoemulsification Cataract Surgery and Intraocular Lens Implantation

Introduction: To report by using topical anesthesia for standing phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation for two patients who need cataract extraction but unable to lie flat with marked cervical kyphosis due to long-standing ankylosing spondylitis and chronic uveitis. Methods: Two patients are unable to lie flat respectively during phacoemulsification underwent this technique in Jingdong and Tonghai county Hospital of Yunnan province in China. Each patient was positioned erect or semirecumbent in a standard reclining cataract surgical chair. The ceiling-mounted microscope was rotated 60 degrees from the vertical to point toward the patient. Results: The intraoperative and postoperative periods were uneventful in two patients, with good visual outcomes after surgery. Conclusion: This technique is valuable for situations where the patient requires upright positioning because of the inability to recline flat, and should be considered for cases where standard surgical positioning is not possible.

The effect of lens aging and cataract surgery on circadian rhythm

Many organisms have evolved an approximately 24-hour circadian rhythm that allows them to achieve internal physiological homeostasis with external environment.Suprachiasmatic nucleus（SCN） is the central pacemaker of circadian rhythm,and its activity is entrained to the external light-dark cycle.The SCN controls circadian rhythm through regulating the synthesis of melatonin by pineal gland via a multisynaptic pathway.Light,especially shortwavelength blue light,is the most potent environmental time cue in circadian photoentrainment.Recently,the discovery of a novel type of retinal photoreceptors,intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells,sheds light on the mechanism of circadian photoentrainment and raises concerns about the effect of ocular diseases on circadian system.With age,light transmittance is significantly decreased due to the aging of crystalline lens,thus possibly resulting in progressive loss of circadian photoreception.In the current review,we summarize the circadian physiology,highlight the important role of light in circadian rhythm regulation,discuss about the correlation between age-related cataract and sleep disorders,and compare the effect of blue light-filtering intraocular lenses（lOLs） and ultraviolet only filtering lOLs on circadian rhythm.

Bimanual microincision cataract surgery with implantation of the new Incise~? MJ14 intraocular lens through a 1.4 mm incision

AIM：To analyze the visual outcomes and the posterior capsule opacification（PCO）with the new Incise？MJ14intraocular lens（IOL）implanted through a 1.4 mm clear corneal incision（CCI）in patients who underwent bimanual microincision cataract surgery（B-MICS）.METHODS：Eighty eyes which underwent cataract surgery using B-MICS technique performed by the same experienced surgeon were included in the study：40 eyes were implanted with an Incise？MJ14 IOL through a 1.4 mm CCI（group A）without enlargement of the main CCI,while 40 eyes were implanted with an Akreos？MI60 IOL with enlargement of the main CCI to 1.8 mm（group B）.Best corrected visual acuity（BCVA）,astigmatism and endothelial cell loss were evaluated before and after surgery at 7,30d and 6mo.Anterior segment-optical coherence tomography（AS-OCT）of CCI was performed at 1,3,7,30d,6 and 18mo.PCO incidence was evaluated at 18mo using EPCO 2000 Software.RESULTS：Mean BCVA improvement and endothelial cell loss were statistically significant at 18mo in both groups with no difference between the two groups;no statistically significant difference in surgically induced astigmatism（SIA）was noticed in the two groups.At AS-OCT the only significant alterations in the CCI were endothelial gaping and local detachment of Descemet’s membrane at 1 and 7d after surgery;no statistically significant alterations were found at 1,6 and 18mo.PCO score at 18mo was 0.03±0.07for group A and 0.08±0.18 for group B（P=0.11）with no sign of central optic plate invasion in both groups.CONCLUSION：The implant of the new Incise？MJ14 IOL through a 1.4 mm CCI and B-MICS technique appeared to be a safe and effective procedure with rapid visual recovery.PCO rate resulted very low and the CCI presented few morphological alterations which were only detectable in the first days postoperatively and achieved fast corneal healing during the long-term follow-up.

Severe prelenticular membrane formation on the surface of a hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens after cataract surgery in an eye with an Ahmed valve implant

【正】Dear Sir,Iam Yong-Sun Ahn,from the Department of Ophthalmology of St.Vincent Hospital of Suwon,Kyungki-do,South Korea.Cataracts are a common problem in eyes with a glaucoma drainage device(GDD),because tube shunt surgery increases the incidence and progression of cataracts[1].An Ahmed valve,the most commonly inserted GDD,is composed of a silicone tube connected to a flat plate sewn to the sclera,and aqueous humor flows from the

Alteration of Crystallin Polypeptides in Rat Lenses during the Development of Galactose-induced Cataract

Some striking differences in relative polypeptide abundanceof crystallins were observed in normal and galactose-induced cataractouslenses of rat by means of SDS-PAGE.In the cataractous lenses aprominent band appeared at about 25 kDa and the αA chain increasedmarkedly,whereas the relative amount of the 31 kDa band decreasedsubstantially.These alterations are similar to the changes observed duringthe incubation of young mouse lenses in glucose-free medium.Eye Science1993;9:143-145.

Comparative Studies of the Carbohydrate of Human Gamma-Crystallins from Fetal and Adult Lenses with Agglutinins

Using gel chromatography of Sephadex G-75 superfine connectedwith Sephadex G-50 fine column,three human γ- crystallins(γ1,γ2,γ3)couldbe obtained.Seven agglutinins(LCA,SBA,DBA,PNA,BSL,RCA and UEA)were used to detect the sugar of sub-γ-crystallins,which had been transferredto nitrocellulose membrane and finally stained with ABC reagents and the sub-strate of HPR.These results suggested that γ2-and γ3-crystallin contain sugar,but γ1-crystallin has no sugar.There is a decrease of carbohydrate of γ2 and γ3as...

Potassium Iodide and Acrylamide Fluorescence Quenching Studies on Gamma-Crystallins of Human Lenses in Development and Aging

γ_1-γ_2-and γ_3-crystallin(corresponding to γs-,γC-and γD- crys-tallin respectively)of human fetal,2 year and 20^+ year old lenses areseparated by Sephadex gel chromatography.lodide and acrylamide are usedto quench the tryptophane fluorescence of sub-γ-crystalline fractions and Ksvand fa values are calculated.The results show that iodide has no clear quench-ing effects on all γ-crystallins,the quenching effects of acrylamide on the tryp-tophan fluorescences of γ1-γ2-and γ3-crystallin from lenses of the ...

Case report:simultaneous femtosecond laser astigmatic keratotomy and toric intraocular lens implantation in femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in a patient with surgically induced high corneal astigmatism

Background:Femtosecond laser astigmatic keratotomy(FSAK)and toric intraocular lens(IOL)implantation have been studied individually for comparison to treat astigmatism at cataract surgery.We report a case of surgically induced high corneal astigmatism by laser thermal keratoplasty(LTK)in a patient with cataract who was successfully treated with simultaneous combination of FSAK and toric IOL implantation with femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery(FLACS).This is the first report of both procedures combined simultaneously,with or without history of LTK.Case Description:A 68-year-old male presented with a history of LTK with two enhancements each eye in 2004,with subsequent surgically induced high corneal astigmatism,and with age-related nuclear cataract of both eyes.IOL master demonstrated+7.71 diopters of astigmatism at 163 degree right eye and+3.29 diopters of astigmatism at 4 degree left eye.After extensive discussion of the risks and benefits,the patient agreed to undergo FLACS with FSAK with two 61 degrees of relaxation incisions(RIs)and toric IOL(Alcon SN6AT9)right eye;FLACS with toric IOL(Alcon SN6AT7)alone left eye.At 2-year follow-up,uncorrected visual acuity was 20/30 right eye,20/25 left eye.His best corrected visual acuity was 20/25(+0.25+1.00 axis 21)right eye and 20/20(plano+0.25 axis 90)left eye;his best corrected near visual acuity was J1+with add+2.50 diopters right eye and left eye.Conclusions:Patients with age-related cataract and LTK induced high corneal astigmatism can hardly be sufficiently treated with FSAK or toric IOL alone at the time of cataract surgery.An effective way is to combine large FSAK and toric IOL of the highest cylindrical power of T9,in our case,simultaneously,which can achieve an excellent long term visual outcome.