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. Purpose: To evaluate the anatomical success rate of scleral buckling surgery in the treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and to evaluate the differences in outcome between patients suffering macula-off retinal detachment and those without a macular involvement. Methods: As a retrospective interventional case series, Munster Study on Therapy Achievements in Retinal Detachment (MUSTARD) is one of the largest ever established of retinal detachment patients and their outcome after buckling surgery, with 4325 patients who underwent surgery between 1980 and 2001. In 53.94% ( n = 2134) of 3956 patients with nontraumatic retinal detachment, the macula was involved. The main outcome measure was the achievement of dry anatomical attachment of the retina. Results: The success rate in patients with macula-off retinal detachment is 80.46% and thus 7.78% lower (p < 0.01) than that in those patients with their macula intact whose success rate amounted to 88.24%. The overall success rate of all 4325 MUSTARD patients was 83.98%. Conclusions: Scleral buckling is an established and mostly successful method for the treatment of retinal detachment. As our case series has demonstrated, even eyes with macula-off can be treated successfully by this procedure, thereby avoiding the complications of primary vitrectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 67-year-old woman diagnosed with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RD) on the right eye with full-thickness macular hole (MH). Ophthalmic examination and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were conducted to confirm the diagnosis. Recommendations on the treatment of rhegmatogenous RD with concomitant MH are summarized.

. Purpose: To compare the anatomic success between repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) with superior breaks and repair of RRD with inferior breaks, by performing primary vitrectomy and using similar techniques and the same gas. Methods: Eighty-two consecutive eyes of 80 patients with RRD were included in this retrospective comparative study. The eyes were divided into two groups according to the location of the breaks: superior ( n = 62) and inferior ( n = 20). All the patients underwent a standard, 3-port, 20-gauge pars plana vitrectomy with 20% sulphur hexafluoride gas tamponade performed by the same surgeon. The main outcome measured was the primary anatomic reattachment at 3 months after surgery. Results: The primary anatomic success rate in the inferior group was significantly lower than that in the superior group (80% versus 98%, p = 0.012). In the inferior group, the primary anatomic success rate in patients whose symptoms lasted for more than 2 weeks was significantly lower than that in others (5/9 versus 11/11, p = 0.026). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified inferior break as the only independent risk factor for redetachment (odds ratio, 11.88; p = 0.034). Conclusion: The anatomic success of primary vitrectomy for RRD with inferior breaks is lower than that for RRD with superior breaks. In particular, the duration of symptoms longer than 2 weeks is associated with a worse outcome in patients who had RRD with inferior breaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose To examine the incidence of retinal detachments and to evaluate patient profiles and surgical characteristics. Methods Retrospective review of patients operated for primary retinal detachment ( RD) and redetachment between 2010 and 2012 at the Department of Ophthalmology, Odense University Hospital, Denmark. We included all RD such as rhegmatogenous retinal detachment ( RRD), tractional retinal detachment ( TRD) and exudative retinal detachment (ERD). Results In total, 779 RD surgeries were performed: 83.7% ( n = 652) primary operations and 16.3% ( n = 127) reoperation. For primary operation, pars plana vitrectomy ( PPV), scleral buckling and combined operations were performed in 95.1% ( n = 620), 4.6% ( n = 30) and 0.3% ( n = 2) respectively. Over time there was less use of silicone oil and greater use of gas tamponade (p = <0.001), less simultaneous cataract operations (p = <0.001), less use of cryotherapy (p = 0.045) and more use of peeling procedures (p = <0.001) in primary operations. The annual incidence of surgery for primary RD was 22.0 [95% confidence interval ( CI) 20.4-23.8] per 100 000 inhabitants aged >15 years. Retinal detachment (RD) was more common in males than females (1.8:1), and mean age at presentation was 61.8 years (standard deviations ± 12.3). The annual incidence for RRD and TRD operation was 20.72 (95% CI 19.11-22.43) and 1.25 (95% CI 0.9-1.7) per 100 000 inhabitants >15 years. Conclusion This study presents the first overall incidence for RD in Denmark. The highest incidence of RRD was among males aged 60 to 79 years, whereas TRD was among females at same age. Pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) was the preferred surgical technique, and during 2012 all RD patients were treated with PPV, independent of lens status and age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a clinical trial which evaluates the effects of oral colchicine on the prevention of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) in eyes undergoing scleral buckling (SB). It states that the subjects of the study were patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment undergoing SB. The findings of the study reveal that oral colchicine had no significant effect on the prevention of retinal redetachment due to PVR.

The article presents abstracts of research papers submitted at the Nordic Congress of Ophthalmology from August 20-23, 2014 in Stockholm, Sweden, including development of posterior capsular opacification (PCO), evaluation of an aberration corrected and outcomes after phacoemulsification surgeries.

. Purpose: Vitrectomy is a frequently performed surgical intervention in ophthalmology to remove vitreous traction and opacities or to treat complicated retinal detachments and diabetic changes. However, there is lack of information about cellular responses in retinal tissue after a surgical intervention such as vitrectomy. Microglia cells, the immune competent cells of neuronal tissue, are involved in nearly all neuropathological changes and are additionally activated by neurosurgical interventions. For most neurodegenerative changes, it is described that microglia activation is generally accompanied by a reactive gliosis of macroglial cells. However, it is not known whether microglial cell activation is necessarily associated with macroglial cell gliosis or whether these processes are regulated separately. Furthermore, there is an ongoing debate about possible detrimental consequences of microglial cell activation for neurons in central neural and retinal tissue. Methods: Using immunohistochemistry and whole-cell patch clamp experiments in a rabbit model of partial pars plana vitrectomy, we investigated micro- and macroglial cell reactivity after this intervention. Results: Partial vitrectomy induced a massive microglia response characterized by morphological changes, intraretinal migration and proliferation of retinal microglial cells, respectively. Microglial cell reactivity was observed 2 days after the operation and was down-regulated after 7 days. Microglia reactivity was associated with neither a general Müller cell gliosis nor an obvious neuronal cell loss. Electrophysiological examinations revealed no significant changes of whole-cell currents and membrane potentials of Müller cells from healthy and vitrectomized eyes up to 3 weeks after operation. Only a small number of individual Müller glial cells expressed GFAP or reduced their inward currents as a sign of Müller cell gliosis. Conclusion: Vitrectomy induced a massive response of microglial cells. However, microglia activation and deactivation are effectively regulated and are not necessarily associated with macroglial (Müller) cell reactivity and with obvious detrimental effects to neurons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

. Purpose: To describe the peripheral autofluorescent findings in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using ultrawide-field imaging. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the ultra-wide-field autofluorescent images of all patients diagnosed with AMD or macular drusen at the Department of Ophthalmology of Weill Cornell Medical College from July 2010 to September 2011. Peripheral autofluorescent phenotypes included normal autofluorescence, focal pinpoint hyperfluorescence, granular fluorescent changes, patchy hypofluorescence, and reticular hypofluorescence. Results: One hundred and ten consecutive patients (220 eyes) with a diagnosis of AMD or macular drusen were imaged using ultra-wide-field autofluorescent technology during the study period. Eighty-three patients (157 eyes) were included in the final analysis. Peripheral autofluorescent abnormalities were present in 63.6% of eyes with AMD versus 35.7% of control eyes (p = 0.049). Granular fluorescent changes (p = 0.0001) and patchy hypofluorescence (p = 0.0015) were more common in eyes with advanced AMD than in eyes with early AMD or control eyes. Granular fluorescent changes were also more common in eyes with choroidal neovascularization (p = 0.026) or geographic atrophy (p = 0.0001). Patchy hypofluorescence (0.0001) was more common in eyes with geographic atrophy. Conclusions: Peripheral autofluorescent abnormalities are common in eyes with AMD. The peripheral findings in eyes with AMD may represent different phenotypes, which may indicate different environmental or genetic factors in the development of AMD. Characterizing the different peripheral phenotypes may have implications for diagnosis and treatment of AMD subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts related to ophthalmology including femtosecond laser in treating moderate and high myopia, femtosecond laser assisted incisions in postkeratoplasty astigmatism and the role of Boston type I keratoprosthesis in eliminating corneal blindness.

Purpose: To propose a mechanism for the development of the outer layer retinal tears that occur with retinoschisis and the detachment emanating from it that is consistent with the limited extent of the detachment and the response to binocular occlusion and local buckles. Methods: A consecutive series of 24 patients with retinoschisis, collected over 15 years, was analysed. Seven patients developed a symptomatic retinal detachment emanating from breaks in the outer layers of retinoschisis. The detachments responded to binocular occlusion, a sponge buckle, or a temporary balloon buckle and laser coagulation to the edges of the breaks. Results: Two retinas attached completely after 48 hr of binocular occlusion, four responded to local sponge buckles and one to a temporary balloon buckle. All attached without drainage of subretinal fluid. Final visual acuity was 20/20 in six eyes and 20/25 in one eye. Conclusion: The detachment emanating from retinoschisis responds to ocular rest or a local buckle to breaks in the outer layers. It is proposed that the mechanism for the detachment that emanates from retinoschisis is intraretinal traction by residual transretinal fibres at the edge of the schisis cavity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the highlights of ophthalmology in the 20th century in Sweden. It states that the Swedish Ophthalmological Society was established on May 30-31, 1908. It notes that the first international meeting of ophthalmologists was held in Brussels, Belgium in 1857. Information on the contributions of Allvar Gullstrand to the field of ophthalmology is provided.

Purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the type and magnitude of detectable changes in pig multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) induced by the vitreoretinal surgical procedures necessary to gain access to the subretinal space. Methods: Twenty pigs underwent posterior segment surgery. Six animals had a vitrectomy (V), six had in addition a retinal bleb detachment (V + B); five had in addition a retinal diathermia on the bleb (V + B + D) and three received a retinotomy in the diathermized retinal area (V + B + D + R). mfERG evaluation was performed at baseline and 1 and 6 weeks postoperatively. Selected eyes were enucleated for histological evaluation. Results: The retinal detachments blebs all reattached spontaneously. All four surgical sequences resulted in slight, non-significant changes in the mfERG peaks. A trend towards an amplitude reduction of the mfERG peaks N1, P1 and N2 were observed within the first postoperative week. After 6 weeks, all amplitudes had normalized. Of the implicit times only that of peak N1 (after retinal diathermia) was prolonged significantly at 1 week ( P = 0.037). However, it returned to the preoperative level after 6 weeks. Histologically, the retinal detachment bleb was characterized by transient double layering of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and loss photoreceptor outer segments. Conclusion: Access to the subretinal space in pigs can be gained without permanent detectable changes in the mfERG. A short-term retinal detachment was found to cause only reversible electrophysiological and histological changes in the outer retina, which suggests that this procedure is tolerated well in the porcine retina. The size of the known destructive lesion (retinotomy) was too small to be detected, given the spatial resolution of the mfERG method applied. In the future, the presented protocol can be used to assess the functional outcome of surgery and transplantation in the subretinal space in pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces several articles featured in the journal including one on retina and Anti-VEGF treatment, another on glaucoma and one on paediatric ophthalmology.

The article discusses various reports published within the issue, including one on the discussion of the role of paediatric ophthalmologists and their interaction with paeditricians by Tear Fahnehjelm and another on the proposed implants for the treatment of glaucoma filtration surgery by Cillino.