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This review is intended to describe the therapeutic approaches for corneal blindness, detailing the steps and elements involved in corneal wound healing. It also presents the limitations of the actual surgical and pharmacological strategies used to restore and maintain corneal transparency in terms of long-term survival and geographic coverage. In addition, we critically review the perspectives of anabolic agents, including vitamin A, hormones, growth factors, and novel promitotic and anti-inflammatory modulators, to assist corneal wound healing. We discuss the studies involving nanotechnology, gene therapy, and tissue reengineering as potential future strategies to work solely or in combination with corneal surgery to prevent or revert corneal blindness.

"AIM: To analyze the crosslinking (CXL) effects in pediatric keratoconus, and to identify the patients’ corneal characteristics whose pachymetry could not be adequately evaluated by Scheimpflug method after procedure. METHODS: Consecutive pediatric patients with progressive keratoconus underwent CXL were included. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and spheric equivalent (SE) were measured before and after CXL. After CXL, groups 1 and 2 were divided based on the posterior surface Pentacam quality specifications (QS): “OK” (Group 1) and “not OK” (Group 2). The mean (RmF and RmB) and minimum (RminF and RminB) radius of curvatures of the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces, and the thinnest pachymetry (Pmin) were measured preoperatively at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36mo. Haze was annotated. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (14 men, mean age 14±1.8y) and median Kmax of 59.9 D initially and 61.4 D preoperatively were treated. BCVA was not different before and 24mo after CXL. Group 2 statistically differed to group 1 in that SE was more myopic before and with no difference 24mo after CXL; RmF and RmB were steeper and Pmin was thinner pre-surgically. Group 2, in which pachymetric changes could not be adequately evaluated after surgery, presented with significant RmF flattening, a shift to hyperopia, and more haze after CXL. CONCLUSION: Patients whose pachymetry could not be adequately evaluated after CXL had steeper and thinner corneas before surgery. The predictive factors for impaired QS after CXL are RmF, RmB, and Pmin. In advanced keratoconus, alternative methods to analyze pachymetry and the posterior surface should be considered."

The degree to which viral infection and the host’s immune reaction to viral particles participate in the inflammatory process across various forms of herpetic keratitis has remained controversial. This fact has created conflicts regarding the classification of and therapeutic planning for such morbidities. This review aims to stimulate reflection on the classifications’ adequacy, nomenclatures, and therapeutic approaches related to these entities. RESUMO O grau de participação da infecção viral e da reação imunológica do hospedeiro às partículas virais no processo infamatório das diferentes formas de ceratites herpéticas ainda é objeto de controvérsia. Esse fato gera conflitos de classificação e planejamento terapêutico relativos a essas morbidades. Esta revisão visa estimular a reflexão sobre a adequabilidade das classificações, nomenclaturas e abordagens terapêuticas dessas entidades.

To describe the medium-term ophthalmological findings in patients recovering from COVID-19. Patients recovered from the acute phase of COVID-19 underwent a complete ophthalmological evaluation, including presenting and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), refractometry, biomicroscopy, tonometry, break-up time and Schirmer tests, indirect ophthalmoscopy, color fundus picture, and retinal architecture evaluation using optical coherence tomography. Socio-demographic data and personal medical history were also collected. According to the severity of systemic manifestations, patients were classified into mild-to-moderate, severe, and critical. Sixty-four patients (128 eyes) were evaluated 82 ± 36.4 days after the onset of COVID’s symptoms. The mean ± SD duration of hospitalization was 15.0 ± 10.7 days. Seven patients (10.9%) had mild-to-moderate, 33 (51.5%) severe, and 24 (37.5%) critical disease. Median [interquartile ranges (IQR)] presenting visual acuity was 0.1 (0–0.2) and BCVA 0 (0–0.1). Anterior segment biomicroscopy was unremarkable, except for dry eye disease, verified in 10.9% of them. The mean ± SD intraocular pressure (IOP) in critical group (14.16 ± 1.88 mmHg) was significantly higher than in severe group (12.51 ± 2.40 mmHg), both in the right (p 0.02) and left eyes (p 0.038). Among all, 15.6% had diabetic retinopathy, and two patients presented with discrete white-yellowish dots in the posterior pole, leading to hyporreflective changes at retinal pigment epithelium level, outer segment, and ellipsoid layers. The present study identified higher IOP among critical cases, when compared to severe cases, and discrete outer retina changes 80 days after COVID-19 infection. No sign of uveitis was found.

PURPOSE Iris mammillations (IM) were previously described in patients with keratoconus, but the clinical implications of this finding have never been studied. Our aim was to investigate demographic, tomographic, and clinical characteristics potentially associated with the presence of IM among patients with keratoconus. METHODS This was a cross-sectional study performed among patients with keratoconus in a public-affiliated university hospital. All patients under follow-up were considered eligible to participate in the study. Participants were evaluated by 2 trained ophthalmologists and submitted to corneal tomography (Pentacam). Selected demographic, clinical, and tomographic characteristics were assessed and compared among participants with IM (IM group) and without IM (No-IM group) using the Wilcoxon test or 2-tailed Fisher exact test, as appropriate. RESULTS The study population consisted of 106 subjects and 19 (17.9%) presented with IM. The median age and interquartile range were 18 years old (14-24) in the IM group and 20 years old (17-24) in the No-IM group (P = 0.135). The female proportion was 47.3% in the IM group and 52.8% in the No-IM group (P = 0.801). Median (interquartile ranges) pachymetric values of the right eyes were 498 (466-525) for the IM group and 459 (421-482) for the No-IM group (P = 0.005). For the left eyes, the values were 490 (456-523) in the IM group and 450 (418-485) in the No-IM group (P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS Subjects with keratoconus presenting with IM have thicker corneas than those without IM. Follow-up studies should be performed to evaluate the clinical implications of this finding.

Purpose: To describe the presence of iris mammillations (IM) in keratoconus. Design: Retrospective case series and literature review. Observations: This is a retrospective case series of eight patients presenting with keratoconus and IM, who were examined between January 2016 and December 2017 in the ophthalmology outpatient clinic. They had a median age of 14 (11–30), and all had bilateral keratoconus and diffusely distributed IM. The IM had similar presentations and similar iris colors. None had relevant medical or family diseases associated with IM. Three eyes previously had penetrating keratoplasty. Four (31%) out of 13 eyes had mean keratometry (Km) > 55D, and 4 (31%) had the thinnest pachymetry between 300 and 400μm. Conclusions and importance: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that IM was observed in association with keratoconus patients. The possibility that IM is an early finding in otherwise healthy patients may help to predict the future diagnosis of keratoconus. Future studies are needed to show the frequency and possible association between IM and a keratoconus prognosis. This may also demonstrate that there is a subgroup of patients with a distinct etiology of keratoconus. Keywords: Keratoconus, Cornea, Iris

Congenital cranial dysinnervation disorders are a group of complex strabismus syndromes that present as congenital and non-progressive ophthalmoplegia. The genetic defects are associated with aberrant axonal targeting onto the motoneurons, development of motoneurons, and axonal targeting onto the extraocular muscles. We describe here the surgical management of a 16-year-old boy who presented with complex strabismus secondary to hypoplasia of the third cranial nerve and aberrant innervation of the upper ipsilateral eyelid.

Purpose To report a peculiar case of adult-onset buphthalmos. Methods Review of the medical record of a 24-year-old patient with Down syndrome who developed buphthalmos in the left eye after corneal transplantation for keratoconus. Results In the next 2 years after surgery, the operated eye evolved with chronic anterior uveitis that led to progressive peripheral synechiae, oscillating intraocular pressure, cataract, graft failure, and buphthalmos. Conclusions The finding of buphthalmos of adult-onset in Down syndrome raises important issues concerning the classification of this eye condition and the responsibility for detecting and monitoring eyes with glaucoma in individuals with chromosome 21 trisomy.

Purpose: To study visual acuity, refractive errors, eccentric fixation, and reading performance in patients with toxoplasmic macular retinochoroiditis. Methods: Twenty-three participants with bilateral toxoplasmic macular retinochoroiditis and 4 with toxoplasmic macular retinocho­roiditis in their unique eye were evaluated. Participants reported their eye dominance, confirmed by the Portus and Miles test. Best corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent refraction, magnification need, and reading speed were measured. Microperimetry (MAIA, Centervue - Padova, Italy) recorded the preferred retinal locus and fixation stability by means of the bivariate contour ellipse area. Fourteen eyes from 14 normally sighted subjects served as controls. Results: Mean ± SD best corrected visual acuity was better in the dominant eye than in the nondominant eye: 0.9 ± 0.2 (logMAR 0.5 to 1.4) vs. 1.2 ± 0.3 (logMAR 0.6 to 1.7) (p

Purpose A group of keratoconus subjects (KG) and a control group (CG) were evaluated for sensory and motor status. We tried to clarify the factors (best-corrected visual acuity [BCVA]), heterophorias, fusional amplitude, anisometropia, astigmatism) that may be associated with a binocular disturbance. Methods BCVA (logMAR) was measured. Binocular vision was checked using cover tests, striate Maddox, and a 6Δ base-down prism (simultaneous perception), a prism bar (fusion and fusional convergence break point), and Titmus Fly Test (stereopsis). Results Fifty-four subjects of the KG, 27 men (median 16 years), and 29 of the CG, 15 men (median 20 years), were evaluated. In the KG, 8 (15%) subjects had strabismus. Those whose BCVA in the worse eye was logMAR ≥0.7 had a significantly higher frequency of strabismus and absence of simultaneous perception. Spherical equivalent anisometropia ≥ 1.0 diopter (D) was significantly different in both groups as was the frequency of gross stereopsis. In comparing fine and gross stereopsis in both the KG and the CG, there was a significant difference in the frontal astigmatism between eyes in the KG (P = 0.03) and CG (P = 0.01). Conclusions In our study, the KG presented a higher frequency of strabismus and impaired binocular vision. Frontal astigmatism was different between groups with gross and fine stereopsis, in both the CG and KG. Future studies are needed to elucidate or reinforce the factors associated with the loss of binocularity in keratoconus. Testing for stereopsis may be helpful to consider in the treatment guidelines for keratoconus.

OBJETIVOS: Determinar as variações no ângulo de posicionamento ocular pós-operatório em pacientes submetidos a cirurgias para correção de estrabismo e identificar possíveis fatores de risco associados a tal ocorrência. MÉTODOS: Foi realizado estudo retrospectivo de 819 pacientes portadores de estrabismo submetidos à cirurgia para correção do desvio ocular entre janeiro de 1995 e dezembro de 2005 no Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo. Os pacientes foram divididos em quatro grupos quanto ao tipo de desvio pré-operatório (esotropia alternante, esotropia monocular, exotropia alternante e exotropia monocular) e as variações no posicionamento ocular foram quantificadas em cada grupo. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de variações no posicionamento ocular (pós-operatório) maiores que 10∆ entre o total de pacientes estudado foi de 33,5% (274 pacientes). Entre estes, foi verificada maior frequência de desvios no sentido exotrópico (178 pacientes ou 65,0%) do que no sentido esotrópico (96 pacientes ou 35,0%), diferença esta que foi estatisticamente significativa (teste do qui-quadrado; p

This article presents the experience of its authors regarding the basic principles that guide them in the surgical treatment of horizontal strabismus. It addresses subjects such as the surgical classification of strabismus, minimal conditions for surgical indication, ideal age for surgery, principles of operating on the extraocular musculature, muscle response to shortening and recession, and other aspects relevant to a successful treatment of this type of oculomotor disorders.

Objetive: Description of a clinical case of a child presenting Opitz syndrome, strabismus and other oculomotor disturbances. Case report: A 3-year-old child, with penoscrotal hypos-padia, bifid scrotum, micrognathy, high palate, proeminent forehead, low nasal bridge, hypertelorism, epicanthus, low-set ears, clinodactyly, bifid spine, delayed motor develop-ment and anteriorly placed anus as manifestations of the Opitz syndrome (OMIM *145410). He presented also an alternating esotropia with crossed fixation (Ciancia's syndrome), associated with manifestations of a bilateral Duane's syndrome and a vertical deviation (L/R), possibly due to dissociated actions between the RSR and the palpebral muscles of the right eye. The child died after a surgery for an anorectal reconstruction. Discussion: Although presenting ocular manifestations, there are no papers referring to the Opitz syndrome in ophthalmological publications. Those which mention strabismus have no proper descriptions of the ocular motility conditions. The present case showed important oculomotor dissociations, but their causes could not be clarified, due to the premature death of the child.

The authors report a case of a 56-year-old woman with high myopia and a very pronounced restrictive progressively developed eso- and hypotropia. The surgical access to the complete section of the medial rectus muscle was easily obtained by a transcaruncular orbitotomy, not only because of the impossibility of using conventional techniques but also because the scleral rupture becomes highly risky in such cases. The lateral rectus was resected and reinserted above its original path, after being found in the inferotemporal quadrant of the eye. The immediate surgical result (an exotropia of about 12D) was considered a very good outcome, since such deviations tend to recur.

Homem de 25 anos apresentou diplopia em todas as posições do olhar, associada à movimentação ocular dolorosa, após sofrer traumatismo contuso em região orbitária direita. Tomografia computadorizada revelou fratura isolada indireta de parede medial de órbita direita. A correção cirúrgica da fratura levou ao desaparecimento da queixa de diplopia e melhorou o campo de visão binocular.