Natural History and Treatment of Brown’s Syndrome: Long-Term Experience

Purpose: Brown’s Syndrome (BS) is a restrictive strabismus characterized by a limitation of elevation in adduction. Several etiologies have been described, usually involving the superior oblique muscle. Spontaneous improvement has been reported in several studies, so surgery is reserved for a minority of cases. Our purpose is to review the characteristics, natural history and treatment of this pathology and present the experience of the Instituto de Oftalmologia Dr. Gama Pinto (IOGP). Methods: A consecutive retrospective series of BS patients seen at the Strabismus Department of IOGP between 1983 and 2014 was reviewed. All patients with complete clinical data were included in this study. The epidemiologic characteristics, clinical features, treatment, and clinical progression were reviewed. Results: Thirty-nine cases were selected, with a mean age at first diagnosis of 6.5 years. Of the thirty-nine cases, 6 were iatrogenic and the remainder idiopathic. Thirty-six cases were followed for a mean period of 6.1 years. Surgical intervention for BS was performed in 11 patients, using different approaches. Of these, 9 cases were considered successful. The remaining 25 cases were kept under observation without surgery, of which 17 showed spontaneous improvement and the other 7 remained unchanged. Conclusions: The surgical success rate was 82%, which demonstrates the good efficacy of the surgery despite the complexity and variety of pathophysiological mechanisms of the syndrome. In the patients kept under observation there was spontaneous improvement in 68%, confirming that a conservative approach seems to be adequate in most cases.

Diode Laser Cyclophotocoagulation in the Management of Pain and Intraocular Pressure Control in Patients with Terminal Glaucoma--Six Years’Experience

Objective: This study aims to describe the experience with diode laser cyclophotocoagulation in the control of intraocular pressure and resolution of pain in patients with refractory glaucoma. Methods: Retrospective study. 64 eyes of 60 patients who underwent cyclophotocoagulation between January 2008 and March 2014. Evaluation of the pre- and post-operative intraocular pressure, the control of ocular pain, the number of anti-glaucoma drugs used in pre- and post-intervention, the rate of complications and the success rate. Results: There was an overall success rate of 81.3%, with 9 eyes needing a second intervention. There was a mean reduction of 52.6% of the preoperative mean intraocular pressure of 41.25 to 19.56 mmHg at 12 months observation (p < 0.001). There was also a statistically significant reduction in the number of anti-glaucoma drugs used from 3.19 to 2.01 per eye and the resolution of pain in 75% of patients. Conclusions: cyclophotocoagulation is an effective procedure, with an expected positive impact on quality of life of patients as a result from the decreased number of anti-glaucoma drugs, sustained intraocular pressure reduction and resolution of pain.

The Graft Thickness in Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty:What Is the Importance to the Final Visual Outcome?

Introduction: Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) is currently considered the procedure of choice for the treatment of endothelial dysfunctions. Despite DSAEK being a promising procedure to improve visual acuity (VA), the ideal graft thickness donor still remains under discussion. Purpose: To analyze the influence of graft thickness on postoperative VA and complications in DSAEK surgery. Methods: Retrospective study of 112 eyes that underwent DSAEK surgery. Donor grafts were obtained by dissection with automatic microkeratome, using different head sizes. Central corneal thickness (CCT) of donor corneas before dissection was measured by ultrasound pachymetry. The choice of the cutting depth was based on CCT measurements and the final desired residual corneal thickness, corresponding to the estimated donor graft thickness (EDGT). The eyes were divided into 3 groups, depending on the EDGT: 200 μm (Group 3). Intraoperative, postoperative complications and the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 6 months postoperatively were evaluated, comparing these 3 groups. Results: The average EDGT was 164 ± 10 μm in Group 1188 ± 7 μm in Group 2 and 234 ± 30 μm in Group 3. At 6 months postoperative the average BCVA was significantly better in Group 1 (BCVA: 0.74 ± 0.20), compared to Group 2 (BCVA: 0.54 ± 0.20) and Group 3 (BCVA: 0.39 ± 0.18). Intraoperative and postoperative complications included: graft perforation during cutting (0.9% of cases), graft rejection (3.6%), primary graft failure (4.5%), and graft detachment (3.6%). Its distribution was uniform between the 3 groups. Conclusion: The study proves that DSAEK is an effective surgical technique for the treatment of endothelial dysfunction, demonstrating that the use of thinner grafts (EDGT < 180 μm) can improve the final visual outcome, with a significant improvement on BCVA, without increasing the risk of complications.

Initial medication adherence in newly diagnosed glaucoma patients:three adherence measures

AIM:To determine initial medication adherence in newly diagnosed glaucoma patients treated with anti-glaucoma drugs.METHODS:This retrospective and observational study included all patients diagnosed with glaucoma in the Primary Health Care units in Portugal during the years 2012 and 2013,which in consequence received a first prescription for anti-glaucoma drugs.Data was collected from electronic prescribing records of the primary care units and from pharmacy claims records.Initiation of glaucoma treatment and early discontinuation were measured,and the combination of(non)-initiation and early discontinuation accounted for initial medication(non)-adherence.RESULTS:A total of 3548 new glaucoma patients(40.1%male;59.9%female)were included.The 1133(31.9%)patients were initially classified as non-users,since there was no pharmacy claim found for their first prescription for glaucoma treatment.Additionally,277(11.5%)patients early discontinued their treatment,acquiring only their first prescription.Overall,the initial medication non-adherence rate was 39.7%since 1410 patients either didn’t initiate treatment or discontinued it early.CONCLUSION:This study,reveals a major opportunity to improve glaucoma treatment and its control,since a large proportion of patients fail to engage with their prescribed therapy,which implies that implementation of individual or group strategies that enable patients with glaucoma to correctly perform their treatment is still needed.

The Influence of Keratometry on Visual and Refractive Outcomes after Myopic LASER <i>in Situ</i>Keratomileusis

To evaluate the effect of preoperative keratometry on visual and refractive outcomes after Myopic LASER in Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) in eyes with preoperative spherical equivalent (SE) of -6.00D or less. Material and Methods: A retrospective study enrolling clinical records of 482 eyes of 275 patients with myopia who underwent LASIK between 2009 and 2016. Subjects were grouped according to the degree of preoperative mean keratometry (Km), into three groups: Group 1 (Flat Cornea): Km ≤ 42.00 diopters (D);Group 2: 42.00 46.00D;Group 3 (Steep Cornea): Km ≥ 46.00D. To evaluate the prognostic impact of keratometry in Myopic LASIK, we considered the results measured at 6 months postoperatively, including uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), postoperative sphere, cylinder, SE and its variation. Results: The mean preoperative SE was -3.91 ± 1.54D, ranging between -0.88 and -6.00D. The percentage of eyes achieving a postoperative SE of ±0.50D was 39.5%, 31.8% and 26% in groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Moreover, in group 3, 14.3% of the eyes had a residual SE of -2.00D or greater, contrasting with the groups 1 and 2 with only 6% - 7%. These results were found to be statistically significant. Concerning UDVA, eyes achieving 20/25 or more were 81.5%, 81.8% and 71.5%, and 20/50 or less were 6.7%, 6.2% and 11.7% in groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. Conclusions: Myopic eyes with steeper corneas seem to have greater tendency to undercorrection, also presenting worse visual outcomes.