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Purpose: We compared the efficacy of sub-Tenon triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) to intravitreal triamcinolone aceto­nide (IVTA) injections during cataract surgery (CS) for patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods: The medical records of 33 eyes (26 patients) with DME which had undergone CS with STTA were compared to those of 34 eyes (27 patients) with DME which had undergone CS with IVTA. Central foveal thickness and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were measured at the baseline and 1, 3, and 6 months after the surgery. Results: The BCVAs after STTA and IVTA were significantly improved at 3 and 6 months. Thirteen eyes in the IVTA group and 21 eyes in the STTA group required other therapies (p < 0.05). One case developed intraocular pressure elevation after IVTA and underwent selective la ser trabeculoplasty. Conclusions: Ophthalmologists should consider the merits and demerits of IVTA and STTA for DME treatment after CS.

Aim: To compare the results of vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling to that without ILM peeling for macular edema associated with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Methods: The medical records of 47 eyes of 47 patients with BRVO-associated macular edema were examined. To treat the macular edema, a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) was created, and the ILM was removed in 13 eyes (ILM-removed group), whereas a PVD was created and the ILM was not removed in 34 eyes (ILM-preserved group). The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the optical-coherence-tomography-determined foveal thickness were obtained preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. Results: The mean postoperative BCVA was significantly better than the preoperative BCVA in both the ILM-removed and in the ILM-preserved groups (p = 0.0017 and p = 0.0002, respectively). The fovea was significantly thinner at 1 month after surgery in both groups (p = 0.0007 and p < 0.0001, respectively). The postoperative improvement of the mean BCVA and the foveal thickness were not significantly different for the two groups at any postoperative period. Conclusions: Because there was no significant difference in the improvement of BCVA between the two groups at 6 months postoperatively, there may be no additional benefit in removing the ILM for BRVO-associated macular edema.

The effect of an intravitreal injection of ornithine on the retina of rats was studied electroretinographically. Rats were injected intravitreally with 5 µl of 0.02, 0.25 and 0.5 M ornithine. Electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded before, and 1, 3 and 9 days after the injection. High doses of ornithine (0.5 M) reduced while low doses (0.02 M) enhanced the ERG amplitudes. The implicit time of the a-wave was delayed at all concentrations after ornithine injection, which suggests that implicit times may be a more sensitive parameter of the ornithine effect. There were significant changes in the stimulus intensity necessary to obtain the one half of the maximum amplitude of the b-wave that may have been caused by damage of the photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium cells by ornithine. We conclude that the effect of ornithine on retinal function is dose dependent and can either enhance or depress the ERG amplitudes.