Subconjunctival injections of triamcinolone acetonide to treat uveitic macular edema

AIM:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of subconjunctival triamcinolone acetonide(TA)injections for treating uveitic macular edema(UME).METHODS:This retrospective case series study included patients with UME who received subconjunctival TA injections with a minimum follow-up period of 6 mo.The main outcome measure was central macular thickness(CMT).The secondary outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity(BCVA),recurrence rate and intraocular pressure(IOP).RESULTS:In total,65 patients(80 eyes),mainly including idiopathic uveitis in 33 patients(50.77%)and VogtKoyanagi-Harada(VKH)syndrome in 19 patients(29.23%),were enrolled in this study.The mean CMT decreased from 457.6±173.0μm at baseline to 325.9±176.8,302.7±148.2,332.2±177.3 and 270.6±121.6μm at 1-,2-,3-and 6-months postinjection,respectively(all P<0.001).BCVA increased from log MAR 0.5±0.3 at baseline to log MAR 0.4±0.3,0.4±0.3,0.4±0.4 and 0.4±0.3 at the 1-,2-,3-and 6-months postinjection visits,respectively(all P<0.001).Twenty-one(21/80,26.25%)eyes underwent relapse of UME within 6 mo.A total of 20/80(25%)eyes exhibited elevated IOPs,of which 13 eyes were controlled with topical IOP-lowering agents and 7 eyes underwent surgical removal of subconjunctival TA deposit.CONCLUSION:Subconjunctival TA injections appear to be safe and effective for UME.

Subconjunctival conbercept for the treatment of corneal neovascularization

·AIM:To investigate the effectiveness and safety of subconjunctival injection of conbercept in the treatment of corneal neovascularization(CNV).·METHODS:The data on 10 consecutively recruited patients with CNV who received a subconjunctival conbercept(1 mg)once,and measured the area,length,and diameter of neovascularization before and after(1d,1,2wk,and 1mo)treatment as well as the occurrence of systemic and ocular complications after treatment were analyzed.·RESULTS:There was a statistically significant reduction in the area of CNV one day after treatment(mean±SD:38.46±11.36 mm^(2)),compared with before treatment(42.46±12.80 mm^(2),P<0.01).There was also a statistically significant reduction in the length(3.86±1.80 mm vs 4.64±1.77 mm,P<0.01)and diameter(0.044±0.022 vs 0.060±0.026,P<0.05)of CNV,one week after treatment comparing to before treatment.The reduction in all three parameters was maximized at two weeks after treatment(area:29.49±8.83 mm^(2),P<0.001;length:3.50±1.88 mm,P<0.001;and diameter:0.038±0.017 mm,P<0.01).No severe systemic or ocular complication was observed during the study.·CONCLUSION:During the observation period of onemonth,subconjunctival injection of conbercept is an effective and safe method for the reduction of CNV.It may be effective as a preoperative drug for neovascular corneal transplantation.

Comparison of subconjunctivally injected bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and pegaptanib for inhibition of corneal neovascularization in a rat model

AIM: To compare the efficacies of subconjunctival bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and pegaptanib sodium injections for the inhibition of corneal neovascularization in an experimental rat model. METHODS: Sixteen corneas of 16 rats were chemically cauterized and randomized into four groups: bevacizumab group that treated with 0.05mL/1.25mg bevacizumab, ranibizumab group that treated with 0.05mL/0.5mg ranibizumab, pegaptanib group that treated with 0.05mL/0.15mg pegaptanib sodium, and control group that treated with 0.05mL saline solution. Digital photographs of the corneas were taken and analyzed using an image analysis software program. All corneas were excised and examined histologically on the 15 th day. RESULTS: Each treatment group had significantly less neovascularized corneal areas and fewer blood vessels than the control group (all P 【0.05). In addition, bevacizumab group had significantly less neovascu-larized corneal areas and fewer blood vessels than ranibizumab and pegaptanib groups (both P 【0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the ranibizumab and pegaptanib groups regarding percentage of neovascularized corneal areas and number of blood vessels (both P 】0.05). CONCLUSION: Subconjunctival bevacizumab, ranibiz-umab, and pegaptanib sodium were effective with no corneal epitheliopathy for inhibiting corneal neovascularization after corneal burn in rats .Bevacizumab was more effective than ranibizumab and pegaptanib sodium.

Incidence of endophthalmitis after phacoemulsification cataract surgery:a Meta-analysis

AIM:To evaluate the overall endophthalmitis incidence and the effectiveness of potential prophylaxis measures following phacoemulsification cataract surgery(PCS).METHODS:The Pub Med and Web of Science databases were searched from inception to April 30^(th),2021.We included studies that reported on the incidence of endophthalmitis following PCS.The quality of the included studies was critically evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa quality assessment scale.The random effect or the fixed-effects model was used to evaluated the pooled incidence based on the heterogeneity.The publication bias was assessed by Egger’s linear regression and Begg’s rank correlation tests.RESULTS:A total of 39 studies containing 5 878 114 eyes were included and critically appraised in the Meta-analysis.For overall incidence of endophthalmitis after PCS,the Meta-analysis yielded a pooled estimate of 0.092%(95%CI:0.083%-0.101%).The incidence appeared to decrease with time(before 2000:0.097%,95%CI:0.060%-0.135%;2000 to 2010:0.089%,95%CI:0.076%-0.101%;after 2010:0.063%,95%CI:0.050%-0.077%).Compared with typical povidone-iodine solution(0.178%,95%CI:0.071%-0.285%) and antibiotics subconjunctival injections(0.047%,95%CI:0.001%-0.095%),the use of intracameral antibiotics significantly reduced the incidence of endophthalmitis after PCS(0.045%,95%CI:0.034%-0.055%,RR:7.942,95%CI:4.510-13.985).CONCLUSION:Due to the advancement of phacoemulsification technology and the widespread use of intracameral antibiotics,the incidence of endophthalmitis following PCS shows a decreasing trend over time.The use of intracameral antibiotics administration will significantly reduce the risk of endophthalmitis.