Journal français d'ophtalmologie
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Multicenter Study
[Ocular and neuro-ophthalmic manifestations of sarcoidosis: retrospective study of 30 cases].
The purpose of this study was to describe the diagnostic strategy and therapeutic approach when sarcoidosis of the visual pathways is suspected, by way of a descriptive study of sarcoidosis patients in the ophthalmology services in Tours, Rennes and Angers. ⋯ Positive diagnosis of sarcoidosis requires a careful history and clinical examination, ancillary testing, and collaboration among several medical specialties. Normal angiotensin-converting enzyme levels do not rule out the diagnosis, since in our series, they were normal in almost half the cases. The tests with highest sensitivity included: a negative tuberculin skin test (100%), an elevated CD4/CD8 ratio in the BALF (100%), radiographic evidence of sarcoidosis on chest CT (79%) and brain MRI (80%). Other factors contributing to the diagnosis were: female gender (83%), age over 40 (67%), arthralgia (41%), asthenia (50%), vitritis (67%) and multifocal choroiditis (30%). In our study, treatment with corticosteroids resulted in significant improvement in over 80% of patients.
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The increased utilization of medical applications for smartphones provides new opportunities for doctors, including ophthalmologists. In this study, we examined the availability of ophthalmological applications in the two largest smartphone app stores (Apple App store and Android Play Store) and then proposed a classification for smartphone ophthalmological applications according to their functionalities. ⋯ There are numerous benefits of smartphone use for ophthalmologists as well as their patients. Ophthalmological applications are turning cell phones into medical devices. In addition, smartphones may play a very important role in patient education, self-monitoring, and low-vision aids via magnifying systems.