We are entering a new era of ophthalmic pharmacology where new drugs are rapidly being developed for the treatment of anterior and posterior segment of the eye disease. The pharmacokinetics of drug delivery to the eye remains a very active area of ophthalmic research. Intraocular drug delivery systems allow the release of the drug, bypassing the blood–ocular barrier. The main advantage of these preparations is that they can release the drug over a long time with one single administration. These pharmaceutical systems are of great important in the treatment of the posterior segment diseases, and they can be prepared from biodegradable or nonbiodegradable polymers. Biodegradable polymers have the advantage of disappearing from the site of action after releasing the drug. The majority of intraocular devices are prepared from nonbiodegradable polymers, and they can release controlled amounts of drugs for months. Nonbiodegradable polymers include silicone, polyvinyl alcohol, and ethylene-vinyl acetate. The polymers usually employed to prepare nanoparticles for the topical ophthalmic route are poly (acrylic acid) derivatives (polyalquilcyanocrylates), albumin, poly-μ-caprolactone, and chitosan. Dendrimers are a recent class of polymeric materials with unique nanostructure which has been studied to discover their role in the delivery of therapeutics and imaging agents. Hydrogels are polymers that can swell in aqueous solvent system, and they hold the solvents in a swollen cross-linked gel for delivery. This review exhibits the current literature regarding applications of polymers in ophthalmic drug delivery systems including pharmacokinetics, advantages, disadvantages, and indications aimed to obtain successful eye therapy. Method of Literature Search: A systematic literature review was performed using PubMed databases into two steps. The first step was oriented to classification of intraocular polymers implants focusing on their advantages and disadvantages. The second step was focused on the role of polymers therapy for intraocular pathology with clinical examples. The search strategy was not limited by year of publication.

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Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the incidence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and the maternal/neonatal risk factors at a tertiary care hospital in Oman, compared to other countries. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of premature neonates born with gestational age (GA) 24–32 weeks at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman, from January 2007 to December 2010. Maternal and neonatal in-hospital course was retrieved. The incidence of ROP was reported. Risk factors analyses were performed using univariate and multivariate statistics. Results: A total of 171 neonates (57% males, 43% females) were included for analysis. The incidence of ROP (any stage) was 69/171 (40.4%). Infants with ROP had significantly lower GA (27.7±2 weeks) compared to non-ROP group (30.2±1.7 weeks), P < 0.001),P < 0.001) and significantly lower birth weight (BW) (948 ± 242 g in ROP group vs. 1348 ± 283 g in non-ROP group;P < 0.001). Other significant risk factors associated with ROP were: small for GA, respiratory distress syndrome, requirement for ventilation, duration of ventilation or oxygen therapy, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, hyperglycemia, late onset sepsis (clinical or proven), necrotizing enterocolitis, patent ductus arteriosus, seizures, and number of blood transfusions. There was no significant difference in maternal characteristics between the ROP and non-ROP groups except that mothers of infants with ROP were found to be significantly younger. Logistic regression analysis revealed early GA, low BW, duration of Oxygen therapy, and late-onset clinical or proven sepsis as independent risk factors. Conclusion: ROP is still commonly encountered in neonatal practice in Oman and other countries. Early GA, low BW, and prolonged oxygen therapy continue to be the main risk factors associated with the occurrence of ROP in our setting. In addition, an important preventable risk factor identified in our cohort includes clinical or proven late-onset sepsis.

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Background: The decrease in intraocular pressure (IOP) within exercise has been recently suggested; however, this change remained ambiguous following exercise test. The present study aimed to assess changes in IOP induced by exercise test in patients who suspected to coronary artery disease (CAD) and indicated for exercise test evaluation. Methods: In a cross-sectional study at the cardiovascular research center of Amin Heart Hospital in Isfahan, 101 eyes from 51 consecutive patients suspected to CAD aged 30–70 years referred for exercise testing were evaluated. IOP was measured at the three time points of before exercise test as well as 5 and 20 min after completing exercise test using Schiotz tonometer. All exercise tests were programmed by the treadmill. Results: The mean IOP in all assessed eyes was 16.12 ± 2.61 mmHg initially that was gradually decreased to 13.79 ± 2.40 mmHg 5 min after the exercise test, but elevated to 15.67 ± 2.26 mmHg 20 min after the test. Assessing IOP following exercise testing showed a significant decrease in IOP in 75 eyes (74.3%), remained unchanged in 19.8% of eyes, and even elevated in 5.9% of eyes. There was a significant direct association between patients' age and IOP changes assessed by the Pearson's correlation test (r = 0.350,P = 0.009). No significant difference was revealed in the trend of the changes in IOP after exercise test between men and women, between left-sided and right-sided eyes as well as between different body mass index subgroups. Conclusion: IOP temporarily reduced after exercise test, but return to baseline value shortly after test. This lowering is more evident in advanced aging.

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A 44-year-old male patient presented with features suggestive of transient central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) followed by permanent CRAO and lateral posterior ciliary artery occlusion. He had diagnostic features of polycythemia vera (PV). When presented for the first time, the patient had features of ocular ischemia such as ocular pain, conjunctival congestion, and retinal opacification but with normal arm-to-retina time and normal arteriovenous transit time. During the second presentation, he had ocular pain, congested conjunctiva, retinal opacification, cherry red spot with box-carrying of retinal vessels, and choroidal infarct (Amalric's sign). He had lost light perception in that eye. Patients with polycythemia are prone to multifocal vascular occlusions and this can be the presenting feature in PV. A timely diagnosis and prompt management can prevent these repeated thromboembolic occlusive episodes.

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Retrobulbar anesthesia is still used before ocular surgery; however, it has various complications including ocular penetration. The penetration/perforation of the globe can cause complications such as endophthalmitis, retinal detachment, and scotoma. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is rarely seen, following choroidal rupture in penetrating eye injuries. Here, we present a patient who underwent a pars plana vitrectomy for vitreous hemorrhage secondary to ocular penetration during a retrobulbar injection for cataract surgery. This patient later developed CNV at the penetration site during follow-up. Physicians should remember that CNV can occur as an unusual late complication of ocular penetration during retrobulbar anesthesia.

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Sclerochoroidal calcification (SCC) is a frequent masquerader of choroidal melanoma with important systemic associations such as hyperparathyroidism and parathyroid adenoma. Herein, we describe a case of a 67-year-old male who presented with an amelanotic choroidal lesion in the right eye (OD) and a history of kidney stones. Ultrasonography showed the lesion to be flat and calcified OD. Incidentally, a subclinical calcified plaque was also found in the fellow eye. Optical coherence tomography showed an elevated suprachoroidal mass in a table mountain configuration OD and flat configuration left eye, consistent with type 4 and type 1 SCC. The patient was referred for metabolic testing to rule out the underlying electrolyte imbalance and was found to be normal.

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Vitreopapillary traction (VPT) is an unusual clinical entity and its management and prognosis have been sparsely studied. It has been described in adults with various vitreomacular pathologies and the possible effects on visual functions. However, the role of surgical intervention in altering the course of the disease is not well understood. Hereby, we describe a case of idiopathic VPT in a 16-year-old girl who presented with decreased vision and visual field changes corresponding to the area of retinal traction. This case was managed with pars plana vitrectomy and epiretinal membrane removal that resulted in improved visual field sensitivity; thus, emphasizing the role of surgical intervention in such eyes.

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Background: Senile cataract is the most common type of cataract characterized by gradual progressive thickening of the lens of the eye. Previously, many studies investigated the association between genetic polymorphism and senile cataract. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D polymorphism is the potential risk factor for many eye-related diseases such as retinopathy and glaucoma. CYP46A1 enzyme converts cholesterol to 24S-hydroxycholesterol; human lens' membranes contain the highest cholesterol content. Defects in enzymes of cholesterol metabolism can be associated with cataracts. Hence, the present study was carried out to investigate the association of ACE and CYP46A1 genes polymorphism with senile cataract cases and controls. Materials and Methods: ACE (rs 4646994) and CYP46A1 (rs 754203) genes polymorphism in cases and controls were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: This study included 103 senile cataract cases (55 were males and 48 were females) and 102 controls (53 were males and 49 were females). Mean age of cases in this study was 52.02 ± 12.11 years while in control group 53.74 ± 11.87 years. Frequencies of ACE ID, DD, and II genotypes in senile cataract cases were 64.07%, 4.85%, and 31.06% and controls were 61.76%, 26.47%, and 11.76%, respectively. The CYP46A1 gene CT, CC, and TT genotype frequencies were 48.54%, 8.73%, and 42.71% in senile cataract cases and 28.43%, 3.92%, and 67.64% in healthy controls, respectively. ACE DD and II genotypes (P < 0.001,P = 0.0008) and CYP46A1 CT and TT genotypes (P = 0.003,P = 0.0003) were significantly associated with senile cataract cases compared to the controls. Conclusion: Findings of this study suggest that ACE and CYP46A1 genes polymorphism may be a predictive marker for early identification of population at risk of senile cataract. This potential role of ACE and CYP46A1 genes polymorphism as a marker of susceptibility to senile cataract needs further validation in studies involving larger number of patients from different regions.

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Introduction: The Van Herick method is a quick and easy way to estimate anterior chamber depth, which allows grading of patients according to the likelihood of having primary acute closed-angle glaucoma. However, as the test is highly subjective, measurements and thus grading may vary between observers. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of variation of Van Herick scores among observers and to investigate agreement between temporal and nasal scores. Materials and Methods: A total of 15 observers measured the temporal and nasal Van Herick scores from 18 patients, grouped into cohorts at outpatient glaucoma and corneal clinic. Analysis of data involved assigning a patient to a Van Herick grade based on the median score and then determining the mean standard deviation and percentage consistency for each grade. Results: We found that Grades 1 and 4 had a high mean percentage consistency (80% and 84.6%, respectively) and a low mean standard deviation (0.45 and 0.26, respectively). Grades 2 and 3 had low mean percentage consistencies (57.5 and 5, respectively) and high mean standard deviations (0.71 and 0.89, respectively). The temporal and nasal scores showed good agreement (κ = 0.61P < 0.001). Conclusion: The Van Herick score has a good interobserver reliability for Grades 1 and 4; however, Grades 2 and 3 require further tests such as gonioscopy or ocular coherence tomography. Temporal and nasal scores demonstrated good agreement; therefore, if the nasal score cannot be measured due to nasal bridge size, the temporal can be used as an approximation.

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We describe a rare case of scleral buckle (SB) infection with Serratia species. A 48-year-old male with a history of retinal detachment repair with scleral buckling presented with redness, pain, and purulent discharge in the left eye for 4 days. Conjunctival erosion with exposure of the SB and scleral thinning was noted. The SB was removed and sent for culture. Blood and chocolate agar grew Gram-negative rod-shaped bacillus identified as Serratia marcescens. On the basis of the susceptibility test results, the patient was treated with oral and topical antibiotics. After 6 weeks of the treatment, his infection resolved.

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We describe a case of recurrent spontaneous vitreous haemorrhage due to congenital retinal arterial loop. The pre-optical coherence tomography showed the loop to be intraretinal rather than pre retinal. Thus the term pre retinal arterial loop is a misnomer. The arterial loop is in the superficial layer of retinal nerve fiber layer. We also demonstrated preretinal posterior hyaloid tissue attached on the retinal arterial loop, which may be the cause of traction and spontaneous recurrent VH.

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Purpose: To study the outcomes and impact of a mobile unit for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening and management at urban Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Study Design: Public health intervention study. Methods: This study was conducted in 2012. Staff of a mobile unit assessed all infants aged 32 weeks or less and/or weight 1250 g or less admitted in five NICUs between 2009 and 2011. An ophthalmologist performed bedside ROP screening through dilated pupils using indirect ophthalmoscopy. ROP was graded and managed as per the International Classification of ROP treatment guidelines. Counseling and laser treatment were the interventions. The incidence, grade, and determinants of ROP were estimated. Direct and indirect costs were calculated to estimate the unit cost of screening and managing a child with ROP using the mobile unit. Result: The study sample included 104 preterm/underweight infants. The prevalence of ROP of different grades in either eye was 32.7% (95% confidence intervals: 23.7–41.7). ROP Stage I was present in 75% of these eyes. The mobile unit could help in preventing/reducing visual disability in 5 infants with advanced stages of ROP. The unit cost of ROP screening, identifying one child with ROP, and addressing visual disability due to ROP was US $310, 950, and 6500, respectively. Conclusion: A mobile screening is likely feasible and cost-effective method to detect ROP and offer timely intervention in urban areas with limited resources.

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A first case report of autoimmune retinopathy (AIR) from India. A middle-aged female patient presented with subacute loss of vision in both eyes. Clinical examination revealed a near normal fundus in both the eyes. A presumed diagnosis of nonparaneoplastic AIR was made based on clinical features and suggestive investigations. Early detection and management with steroids or immunosuppression may be beneficial to patients with AIR.

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We present a rare case of lipemia retinalis secondary to familial lipase deficiency.

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Pigment dispersion syndrome (PDS) is an ocular condition characterized by a dispersion of iris pigment throughout the eye. This pigment is deposited in a characteristic manner on the corneal endothelium as Krukenberg's spindle, anterior surface of the iris, in the trabecular meshwork, on the lens and zonule and occasionally on the anterior hyaloid face. Even with deposition of pigment on zonular fibers, no zonular weakness, or zonular dehiscence has been reported in these cases. We report a unique case of PDS with bilateral spontaneous subluxation of crystalline lens. With characteristic findings of pigment distribution in both his eyes, the patient had concave iris configuration with heavily pigmented trabecular meshwork confirming the diagnosis of PDS. The patient had bilateral 180° temporal subluxation of crystalline lens in both his eyes. The usual cause of lens subluxation such as Marfan's Syndrome and Ehler's Danlos Syndrome was ruled out. The patient underwent right eye followed by left eye intracapsular cataract extraction with ab-interno technique with postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 6/9 in both eyes. Spontaneous subluxation of crystalline lens in isolated PDS is not known to occur and has been reported by means of this case. We recommend a thorough assessment of zonular status in all cases of PDS.

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