Real-world outcomes of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy for retinal vascular vein occlusion in Tibet,China

AIM: To evaluate the outcomes of intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor(anti-VEGF) agents for patients with retinal vein occlusion(RVO) related-macular edema(ME) in Tibetan.METHODS: A retrospective, observational, single-center study. The demographic and clinical data of 90 RVO Tibetan patients(93 eyes) treated with either ranibizumab or conbercept in Tibet Autonomous Region People’s Hospital from Jan 2018 to December 2019 were collected.RESULTS: The mean patient age was 56.8±10.6y, 45(50%) of them were female. The mean living altitude was 3867.8±567.9 m. At the last visit, the best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA) significantly increased(52.2±21.8 letters) in comparison with the baseline(38.2±24.1 letters, P<0.001);while the central retinal thickness(CRT) significantly reduced(245.5±147.6 μm) in comparison with the baseline(504.1±165.2 μm, P<0.001). The 43.0% of the eyes gained≥15 letters, 60.2% of the eyes gained ≥10 letters, and 78.5% of the eyes gained ≥5 letters. No vision loss was noted in 92.5% of the eyes, 4 eyes lost more than 10 letters during follow-up period. The mean number of injections was 2.4±1.8. No severe ocular or systemic adverse events related to either the drug or injection were noted.CONCLUSION: Anti-VEGF therapy is effective and safe in Tibetan patients for the treatment of RVO related ME.

Neovascular Glaucoma: An Update on Etiopathogenesis, Diagnostics and Management

Neovascular glaucoma (NVG) is a severe secondary and refractory *severe secondary conditio, that accounts for a varying prevalence between 0.01% to 5.1% of all glaucoma those studied in different regions of the world. **This is a pathological condition, which is caused by the new vessels over iris surface and followed by fibrovascular membrane formation over the trabecular meshwork, secondary to a local angiogenic stimulus. The fibrovascular membrane over trabecular meshwork obstructs the aqueous outflow at an angle of the anterior chamber. ***The obstruction in outflow of the aqueous results increase of intraocular pressure (IOP), within the eyeball. NVG results from a number of ocular and systemic conditions with retinal ischemia leading to anoxia as a mediator in over 95% of cases. Most of them are affected with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) followed by central retinal venous occlusion (CRVO), and ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS) along with other uncommon causes or all those causes that causes retinal anoxia which led to angiogenic activity in retina and iris of eye. Although NVG overall prevalence is low, but it is a dreadful condition led to blindness. The objective of this review is to provide detailed information on its basic and clinical aspects, to enable us to manage it logically. Here its etiopathogenesis, methods of early diagnosis and management are discussed. It was concluded that if NVG is detected earlier and managed systematically (both medical and surgical) along with an eye on alleviation of different aggravating factors of the retinal hypoxia, it could be a sight-saving measure to the affected person.

Polycythemia, Ablepsia, and Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome： A Case Report

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome （OHS） is defined as obesity （body mass index, 〉30 kg/m^2） with daytime hypoventilation （PCO2, 〉45 mmHg） that is not secondary to cardiopulmonary or neurologic disease. Around 80-90% of the patients with OHS have obstructive sleep apnea and severe arterial oxygen desaturation. Obstructive sleep apnea has been found to be associated with a variety of eye diseases, including floppy eyelid syndrome, glaucoma, papilledema, nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, and retinal vein occlusion （RVO）. While the association between OHS and ophthalmologic disorders is not well-known, our case report sheds light on this association.