Ophthalmology

Vitrectomy versus Phaco-vitrectomy Ahmed Sulaiman Al-Hinai Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):71-72

Android mobile applications in eye care Siddharth Karuppasamy Karthikeyan, Rajesh Thangarajan, Nagarajan Theruvedhi, Krithica Srinivasan Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):73-77 Google Play Store was used to search for eye care-related applications the android simulator using various general terms related to eye care to review and categorize various interactive eye care-related applications in android platform from the details available in the application website. Data collected from application description and application developer's webpage include target audience, category of apps, estimated number of downloads, average user rating, involvement of eye care professionals in developing the application, and cost of the app. All these data were collected only from the details provided in the application website considering on online user perspective and the developers were not contacted to collect any other details. In total, 475 applications were identified and grouped into 13 categories depending on the type of service the application provide. Out of which, only 107 (22.53%) applications had mentioned about the eye care professional involvement in their design or development of the application. The applications were also stratified according to the target audience, and many had no user rating with very few downloads. The lack of evidence-based principles and standardization of application development should be taken into consideration to avoid its negative impact on the community, especially in eye care.

The epidemiology of ocular trauma in Northern India: A teaching hospital study Rajendra P Maurya, Tanmay Srivastav, Virendra Pratap Singh, CP Mishra, Abdullah Al-Mujaini Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):78-83 AIM: The aim was to determine the epidemiology of ocular trauma in a large teaching hospital in northern India over 4 years from 2010 to 2014. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective, hospital-based, observational study was conducted at the Ophthalmology and Emergency Outpatient Departments of S. S. Hospital, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, from March 2012 to February 2016. Detailed history was taken with special consideration to time, place and session of trauma, mode of injury, and type and nature of traumatic agent. All patients were thoroughly examined as per the standard clinical procedures to identify the type, extent, and severity of injury and impact on ocular structure and vision. Follow-up period was 6 months. Statistical analysis was based on age, sex, residence, marital status, occupation, per capita income, type of trauma and nature of damage, etc. RESULTS: Out of 402 patients, 293 (72.9%) were male and 109 (27.1%) were female. Overall male-to-female sex ratio was 2.7:1. Patients were aged between 2 and 70 years (mean: 26.48 ± 15.88, median: 23 years). The most vulnerable age group was 6–15 years (24.38%) followed by 16–25 years (23.88%). Maximum patients belonged to rural background (61.94%). The extent of ocular trauma was 3.93% (95% confidence interval: 3.23–4.63). Majority of participants were single (78.11%) and rest were married. About 112 (27.9%) participants were illiterate and 24.4% had primary education only. One hundred and eighty-eight (46.8%) participants belonged to lower and lower middle socioeconomic status. The cases were clustered in Rs. 1000–5000 per capita income. Most of the injuries occurred in summer season (46.18%) and in afternoon between 12.00 and 17.59 h (48.8%). Majority of trauma occurred away from home (66.20%) mainly on street (28.6%) and playground (9.2%). The most common injury was nonoccupational (82.3%) including sports related (23.9%) and road traffic accident (23.6%). Mechanical injuries were accounted for 89.3% of all eye injuries, and most common source was wooden object (24.9%) followed by metallic objects (20.9%). Traumatic agents were blunt and sharp in 56% and 17% of cases, respectively. Majority of traumatic agents were solid (82.1%). Seven percent of victims were drowsy during trauma and 98.4% of participants were not using any protective device at the time of injury. In 60.7% of cases, time elapsed between injury and treatment was between 1 and 24 h. Around 44.5% had isolated ocular trauma and rest 55.5% were polytrauma cases. Three hundred and sixty-eight (91.5%) participants had unilateral involvement and 8.5% had bilateral involvement. Almost 52.8% had injuries of adnexa and 32.8% had globe injuries. More than half of the study participants had ≥3 ocular structure involvement. After 6 months, 14.8% of the right eyes and 25.5% of the left eyes showed poor outcome. CONCLUSION: This study highlights epidemiology of ocular trauma in northern India. Mass health education and awareness about risk of ocular trauma, morbidity caused by delayed presentation, and need to adopt safety or preventive strategies should be focused, especially during travel, playground, and at workplace.

The feasibility and efficacy of intraoperative laser retinopexy in scleral buckling surgery Roshija Khanal Rijal, Deepesh Mourya Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):84-87 BACKGROUND: This study was performed to assess the feasibility and efficacy of intraoperative laser retinopexy in scleral buckling (SB) surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective, noncomparative, and interventional study. Records of 25 patients who had undergone intraoperative laser retinopexy during SB were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: All patients were phakic and macula was off in all cases. Adequate intraoperative laser retinopexy was achieved in 22 (88%) patients, and 3 (12%) patients required additional postoperative laser. Retina was attached in all patients at 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative laser retinopexy can give comparable results to cryoretinopexy with lesser postoperative complications in SB surgery. Although further comparative studies are needed, this study establishes the feasibility of intraoperative laser retinopexy in SB which has never been described before in the literature as per our knowledge.

Sensitivity and specificity of teachers for vision screening among primary school children in South India R Muralidhar, P Vijayalakshmi Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):88-93 AIMS: This study aims to determine the sensitivity and specificity of vision screening by school teachers among primary school children. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Prospective nonrandomized clinical trial. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study was carried in primary school children of Madurai, Tamil Nadu from April 2007 to October 2007. Sixty-five primary school teachers from 57 schools around Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India, underwent a half-day training programme at the hospital. Each teacher on return to the school screened around a hundred children using the tumbling E. All screened children were subsequently screened by a team from the hospital. The optometrists used tumbling E (Snellen's 20/30 and Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) 20/32) to check the vision of all children. Any child complaining of defective vision or noted to have defective vision on screening underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic evaluation. The sensitivity and specificity of teacher screening was assessed based on the data obtained. RESULTS: Screening was completed for 5150 children. The prevalence of vision <20/30 was 2.82%. Teacher screening was noted to have a sensitivity of 24.8% and a specificity of 98.65%. Tumbling E ETDRS screening by the optometrist had the highest sensitivity of 94.48% and specificity of 97.09%. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that vision screening by trained optometrists is a very useful tool to identify visual impairment in primary school children. Measures need to be taken to improve the sensitivity of teacher screening before recommending its generalized use.

Risk factors for endothelial cell damage in diabetics after phacoemulsification Niruban Ganesan, Renuka Srinivasan, K Ramesh Babu, Muthukrishnan Vallinayagam Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):94-98 Background: To assess the corneal endothelium, central corneal thickness and the factors associated with endothelial cell damage after phacoemulsification in diabetics in comparison with non-diabetics Methods: It was a case control study with 80 eyes each in the diabetic group and the control group. Intraoperative mydriasis, effective phaco time (EPT) and postoperative inflammation were measured. Preoperative, 1st week, 6th week and 3rd month postoperative endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV), hexagonality and central corneal thickness (CCT) were also measured using Konan noncon robo specular microscope (Model - NSP 9900). Results: In the control group, patients in the age group of 60-69 years were 3.8 times more at risk of ECL compared to patients in the age group of 50-59 years. Patients in whom EPT was ≥0.50 min, were 8.8 times more at risk of ECL when compared to patients in whom EPT <0.25 min. In the diabetic group, patients who had an inflammatory score of 1+ in the first postoperative week; also had 5.7 times more risk of ECL when compared to patients in whom the inflammatory score was 0.5+ in the first postoperative week. There was a significant increase in CV (p-0.03) and CCT (p-0.03), significant decrease in the hexagonality (p-0.01) and no statistically significant difference in the endothelial cell loss (ECL) (p-0.34) in diabetics after phacoemulsification when compared to controls. Conclusion: The present study reveals postoperative inflammation as a risk factor for ECL in diabetics and not intraoperative mydriasis and EPT.

Twenty-four-month real-world visual outcomes of intravitreal aflibercept as monotherapy for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration Thomas Siempis, Mariam El Abiary, Radhika Patel, Manish Gupta Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):99-103 BACKGROUND: Aflibercept is widely used as a treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Nevertheless, there is no consensus in the optimal injection frequency in the 2nd year of treatment along with little real-world data on visual outcomes. On that basis, the primary aim of this study was to assess the visual acuity (VA) and the total number of injections needed on average for these patients during the 24-month follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective observational study from an electronic medical record of consecutive patients treated with intravitreal aflibercept (both naïve and nonnaïve eyes) who had completed the 24-month follow-up since the commencement of treatment. Patients followed the VIEW protocol in year 1 whereas in year 2, an as required approach/Pro Re Nata (PRN) was used. RESULTS: Eighty-seven eyes of 78 patients were analyzed. 43.7% were nonnaive eyes. Baseline VA for all eyes (logMAR) was 52.6 letters, improving to 56.2 letters at 12 months and 55 at 24 months. Almost 83.9% of the treated eyes (81.3% of the patients) did not experience any significant visual loss receiving on average of 9.9 injections in the 24 months of follow-up and attending the hospital eye service 20.3 times in total. CONCLUSIONS: Aflibercept as monotherapy for the treatment of nAMD is associated with good 2nd year outcomes in a real-world setting using the PRN approach in year 2 and fewer injections comparing to the clinical studies, but a higher proportion of follow-up visits compared to the treat and extend regimen.

Outcomes of lacrimal gland injection of botulinum toxin in functional versus nonfunctional epiphora Swati Singh, Akshay Gopinathan Nair, Md Shahid Alam, Bipasha Mukherjee Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):104-107 PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to assess the outcomes of lacrimal gland injections of botulinum toxin A (BoNTA) for epiphora secondary to lacrimal drainage disorders and functional epiphora. METHODS: This was a retrospective interventional case series where cases were divided into functional and nonfunctional epiphora. RESULTS: A total of 37 eyes of 31 patients were identified: 13 males and 18 females. The mean age was 52 years (median = 53, range 29–86). The functional epiphora group had seven patients (8 eyes), subcategorized into hypersecretion (5), crocodile tears (1), and post seventh nerve palsy (1). Obstructive group (nonfunctional) had 24 patients (29 eyes), subcategorized into proximal canalicular block (12), common canalicular block (6), punctal stenosis (3), posttraumatic nasolacrimal duct obstruction (1), and partial nasolacrimal duct obstruction (1). Median preinjection Munk scores were similar in both groups (Grade 4). At 1 month, the median Munk score improved to 1 and 2 in functional and nonfunctional groups, respectively, after receiving a median dose of 4 units of BoNTA. Median reduction in Munk score was 75% in functional group versus 50% in nonfunctional group (P = 0.07). No difference in terms of complications was noted (transient ptosis). CONCLUSIONS: Reduction in epiphora after lacrimal gland injection of botulinum toxin is seen in cases with functional epiphora as well as those with a physical obstruction in the lacrimal drainage pathway. While the symptomatic improvement was more in functional epiphora, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.

Evaluation of interface reflectivity and corneal aberrations following Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty Hamid Khakshour, Malihe Nikandish, Maryam Salehi, Haleh Ghooshkhanehei, Amirhosein Vejdani Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):108-113 PURPOSE: This study aims to evaluate visual outcome after Descemet's membrane stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and relate to interface and corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 16 eyes of 16 patients (eight males and eight females) in this interventional case series and followed DSAEK operation for about two to 20 months. OCULUS Pentacam, as well as other ophthalmic evaluations in follow-up visits, examined interface reflectivity and HOAs. Statistical relations were analyzed. RESULTS: There was statistically significant correlation between interface reflectivity and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) (r = 0.56, P = 0.021). Pachymetry (central corneal thickness) and BCVA had a moderate correlation (r = 0.6, P = 0.013). There was no statistically significant correlation between pachymetry and follow-up time (r = −0.36, P = 0.16). Negative correlation between follow-up and interface reflectivity was also not statistically significant (r = −0.24, P = 0.35). Coma had a significant correlation with BCVA in cornea and cornea front maps (r = 0.74, P = 0.009 and r = 0.71, P = 0.013, respectively). CONCLUSION: Significant correlation between interface reflectivity and BSCVA was found, and anterior corneal HOAs are significantly higher than posterior HOAs.

Refractive error of Saudi children enrolled in primary school and kindergarten measured with a spot screener Ziaul Haq Yasir, Nada Almadhi, Salma Tarabzouni, Abdulrahman Alhommadi, Rajiv Khandekar Oman Journal of Ophthalmology 2019 12(2):114-118 AIMS: To evaluate the refractive status of young Saudi schoolchildren with a “Spot Screener.” SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted from January to July 2016 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Children of kindergarten (3–5 years) and grades 1 and 2 (6–7 years) were screened for refractive error (RE) using the handheld Spot Screener (Welch Allyn, Skaneateles Falls, NY, USA). Data were collected on age, gender, and spectacle use. The pass/fail notation from the Spot Screener and the RE were documented. Children with a “fail” were re-tested with an autorefractor (AR). The rate of agreement was evaluated for the spherical equivalent (SE) from the Spot Screener and AR. RESULTS: We examined 300 schoolchildren and 114 preschool children. The prevalence of RE was 22% in schoolchildren and 25% in preschoolers. There were 183 (61%) hyperopes, 110 (36.7%) myopes, 6 (2%) emmetropes, and 29 (9.7%) astigmats (>2 D cylinder) in grade 1 and 2. There were 85 (74.6%) hyperopes, 22 (19.3%) myopes, 7 (6.1%) emmetropes, and 10 (8.8%) astigmats among preschoolers. The SE differed between the AR and the Spot Screener in 17 (28%) children of 61 failed Spot Screener tests. Accommodation (9, 53%) and high astigmatism (8, 47%) were the main underlying causes of the difference. The Spot Screener could identify RE for the first time in 51 (17%) schoolchildren and 26 (22%) preschoolers. End-users suggested that Spot Screener was child-friendly and quick to test RE. CONCLUSIONS: The Spot Screener could be a good initial screening tool for RE in young schoolchildren.

Alexandros Sfakianakis
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