Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.)
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Incidence estimates for perioperative vision loss (POVL) after nonocular surgery range from 0.013% for all surgeries up to 0.2% following spine surgery. The most common neuro-ophthalmologic causes of POVL are the ischemic optic neuropathies (ION), either anterior (AION) or posterior (PION). We identified 111 case reports of AION following nonocular surgery in the literature, with most occurring after cardiac surgery, and 165 case reports of PION following nonocular surgery, with most occurring after spine surgery or radical neck dissection. ⋯ The incidence of POVL following ocular surgery appears to be much lower than that seen following nonocular surgery. We identified five cases in the literature of direct optic nerve trauma, 47 cases of AION, and five cases of PION following ocular surgery. The specific pathogenesis and risk factors underlying these neuro-ophthalmic complications remain unknown, and physicians should be alert to the potential for loss of vision in the postoperative period.
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Diabetic macular edema (DME) is one of the manifestations of diabetic retinopathy leading to loss of central vision and visual acuity. It manifests itself with swelling around the central part of the retina, the area responsible for sharp vision. Current treatment includes laser therapy and intravitreal steroids with preventative measures including diabetes control. No one treatment has guaranteed control of diabetic macular edema which leads to deteriorating visual acuity, function and quality of life in patients. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been shown to be a critical stimulus in the pathogenesis of macular edema secondary to diabetes.1 Antiangiogenic therapy encompassed treatment with anti-VEGF which inhibits VEGF-driven neovascularization hence macular edema leading to decreased visual acuity. ⋯ Anti-VEGF has been associated with an improvement in visual acuity and central macular thickness in the analysis, however trial analysis was of a short duration and further research is needed to determine long-term benefits.
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Optic neuropathy is a frequent cause of vision loss encountered by ophthalmologist. The diagnosis is made on clinical grounds. The history often points to the possible etiology of the optic neuropathy. ⋯ Visual field testing by either manual kinetic or automated static perimetry is critical in the diagnosis. Neuro-imaging of the brain and orbit is essential in many optic neuropathies including demyelinating and compressive. Newer technologies in the evaluation of optic neuropathies include multifocal visual evoked potentials and optic coherence tomography.
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Ocular myositis represents a subgroup within the idiopathic orbital inflammatory syndrome, formerly termed orbital pseudotumor. Ocular myositis describes a rare inflammatory disorder of single or multiple extraocular eye muscles. Unilateral or sequential bilateral subacute painful diplopia is the leading symptom of eye muscle myositis. ⋯ Contrast-enhanced orbital magnetic resonance imaging most sensitively discloses swelling, signal hyperintensity, and enhancement of isolated eye muscles. Typically, corticosteroid treatment results in prompt improvement and remission within days to weeks in most patients. Compiled data of five patients and a review of the clinical pattern, diagnostic procedures, differential diagnoses, and current treatment options are given.