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Fungal corneal ulcers are an uncommon, yet challenging, cause of vision loss. In the United States, geographic location appears to dictate not only the incidence of fungal ulcers, but also the fungal genera most encountered. These patterns of infection can be linked to environmental factors and individual characteristics of fungal organisms. Successful management of fungal ulcers is dependent on an early diagnosis. New diagnostic modalities like confocal microscopy and polymerase chain reaction are being increasingly used to detect and identify infectious organisms. Several novel therapies, including crosslinking and light therapy, are currently being tested as alternatives to conventional antifungal medications. We explore the biology of Candida , Fusarium, and Aspergillus, the three most common genera of fungi causing corneal ulcers in the United States and discuss current treatment regimens for the management of fungal keratitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: (a) To evaluate the epidemiology of equine eosinophilic keratoconjunctivitis (EK) in the western United States, (b) to ascertain the efficacy of keratectomy and diamond burr debridement vs medical management alone, (c) to determine the efficacy of various medical therapies, and (d) to further characterize the histopathologic findings of the disease in horses. Animals studied: Twenty‐nine horses (47 eyes) diagnosed with EK from 1993 to 2017. Procedure: Retrospective medical record review; owner questionnaire. Results: Average age of presentation was 11 ± 4 years. Warmbloods were significantly overrepresented (P = 0.024). Twenty horses were treated with medical therapy alone, five were treated with superficial lamellar keratectomy, and four were treated with diamond burr debridement. Follow‐up data were available for 38 eyes of 23 horses. Median time to resolution for horses treated with either superficial keratectomy or diamond burr debridement (62 days) was not statistically significantly different from those that underwent medical therapy alone (46 days; P = 0.33). Eyes treated with topical steroids had a statistically significant longer median time to resolution (61 days) compared to those that did not receive topical steroid (44 days; P = 0.023). Common histopathologic findings in keratectomy samples included the presence of eosinophils, vascularization, and an eosinophilic membrane spanning areas of ulceration. Conclusion: In this population, time to EK resolution was similar for horses treated with medical and surgical management. The use of topical steroids was associated with a prolonged time to resolution. Keratectomy samples from horses with EK had similar findings to those reported in other species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate ophthalmic educational training and confidence levels in care of patients with ophthalmic complaints in internal, emergency, and family medicine residencies in the United States. Methods: A 41-item cross-sectional survey was sent to 529 internal medicine, 237 emergency medicine and 629 family medicine Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residency program directors. The survey included the number of ophthalmic education hours residents received during their respective training programs. Respondents were asked to rate their confidence levels in performing an ophthalmic exam and treating patients with ocular conditions using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "not-confident" to "very confident". Results: In total 92.5% of internal medicine, 66.8% emergency medicine and 74.5% family medicine residents received less than 10 hours of ophthalmic education during their residencies. A majority of respondents (59.1% internal medicine, 76.0% emergency medicine, and 65.7% family medicine) reported that patients with ocular complaints constitute 1-5% of visits. Mean confidence levels in performing an eye exam and treating patients with ophthalmic conditions was highest in emergency medicine residency programs 2.9 (SD 0.7), followed by family medicine 2.3 (SD 0.6) and internal medicine 2.2 (SD 0.6). Reported higher number of ophthalmic education hour's received in residency was associated with greater confidence levels in emergency (P<0.001), family (P<0.001), and internal (P=0.005) medicine programs. Conclusion: Internal, emergency,and family medicine residents receive limited ophthalmic education and is reflected in the overall low confidence levels in performing an ophthalmic exam and treating patients with ocular complaints. An increase in ophthalmic educational hours during their respective residencies is recommended to improve upon this knowledge gap. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Filamentous fungi of the genera Aspergillus and Fusarium are major causes of corneal ulcers in the United States and in the developing world and result in significant visual impairment and blindness. Methods. RNA was extracted from 110 patients with corneal ulcers in southern India within 1 week of infection with either Fusarium solani or Aspergillus flavus, and gene expression was determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Posttransplant corneas from later stage disease (>2 weeks after infection) were also examined. Results. Expression of Dectin-1, Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), TLR4, TLR9, and NOD-like receptor protein (NLRP)3 messenger RNA was elevated >1000-fold compared with uninfected donor corneas, whereas Dectin-2 was constitutively expressed in uninfected corneas. Furthermore, interleukin 1β (IL-1β) expression was elevated >1000-fold, whereas IL-1α expression was not increased. Expression of IL-8, IL-17, and tumor necrosis factor α was also elevated. CD3+and CD4+ T cells were detected in infected posttransplant corneas. Expression of IL-17 and interferon γ was elevated but not that of IL-4. There were no significant differences in the host response between Aspergillus- and Fusarium-infected corneas at any time point. Conclusions. There is a common innate and adaptive immune response to these filamentous fungi, which includes the generation of T-helper 1 and T-helper 17 cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To describe a microsurgical approach to a selective pedunculated conjunctival flap for the treatment of chronic corneal ulceration with or without corneal perforation, and to present the results of 50 consecutive cases. Design: Retrospective, noncomparative case series and case reports. Patients: All patients who had microsurgical conjunctival flap procedures for the treatment of chronic corneal ulcers between 1982 and 1996 at the Connecticut Eyecare Center, New Haven. Interventions: Partial pedunculated conjunctival flap surgery. Methods: Review of the initial ocular diagnoses and characteristics as well as retrospective study of the postoperative course. Main Outcome Measures: Resolution of the corneal ulcer and postoperative stability of the conjunctival flap. Results: Sixty-two percent of the corneal ulcers treated were nonperforated, and 38% were perforated. The diagnoses included herpes simplex virus (14 patients), bacterial ulcer (11 patients), rheumatoid arthritis (8 patients), aphakic bullous keratopathy (6 patients), graft rejection (4 patients), herpes zoster virus (5 patients), and other (2 patients). Postoperatively, 94% of the conjunctival flaps were stable, and 3% had failed. The procedures were definitive in 64% of cases and temporary in 36%; 61% of patients received a corneal transplant 6 to 24 months postoperatively, and in 38% the flaps were removed 6 to 12 months after the original lesion had healed. Conclusion: A selective pedunculated conjunctival flap is an effective and practical surgical approach to the treatment of perforated and nonperforated corneal ulcers that have not responded to other types of medical therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To estimate the incidence of microbial keratitis in children wearing overnight orthokeratology lenses in Moscow, Russia., Methods: To estimate the number of children wearing overnight orthokeratology lenses in 2018, 1,368 patient records from 13 Doctors Lens clinics were selected at random and extrapolated to the entire patient base. To identify cases of microbial keratitis, all episodes of infiltrative keratitis from Morozovskaya City Children's Clinical Hospital in 2018 were recorded and adjudicated by three experienced ophthalmologists. Incidence was calculated as the number of cases divided by the estimated number of wearers., Results: There were 23,049 overnight orthokeratology fits between 2010 and 2018. Among the 1,368 records surveyed, 1,078 (79%) were younger than 18 years at initial fitting. Based on a 7% or 10% annual discontinuation rate, the estimated number of children wearing lenses in 2018 was 10,307 or 9,422, respectively. During 2018, there were 139 cases of corneal infiltrative keratitis in children and 45 were adjudicated as microbial keratitis (32%). Of these, 20 cases were associated with contact lens wear (44%): 15 soft lens wearers (33%) and 5 overnight orthokeratology wearers (11%). Based on the 5 cases and assuming a 7% or 10% discontinuation rate, the annual incidence is 4.9 (95% confidence interval[CI]: 2.1-11.4) or 5.3 (95% CI: 2.3-12.4) per 10,000 patient years., Conclusion: The incidence of microbial keratitis in children wearing overnight orthokeratology is lower than a previous United States study and similar to rates associated with use of daily wear soft contact lenses., Competing Interests: M.A. Bullimore is a consultant for Alcon Research, Apellis, Arctic Vision, Asclepix, CooperVision, CorneaGen, Essilor, Euclid Systems, Eyenovia, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson Vision, Lentechs, Oculus, Paragon Vision Sciences, Presbia, and Zeiss. D.S. Mirsayafov is owner of Doctor Lens Consulting. A.N. Shmakov is Director of Doctor Lens Consulting. K. Richdale receives research funding from Alcon and is a consultant for CooperVision, Paragon, Novartis, and SightGlass. The remaining authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 Contact Lens Association of Ophthalmologists.)

Introduction: Ulcerative keratitis (UK), or corneal ulcer, is a sight-threatening and readiness-lowering medical condition that begins with a corneal infiltrative event (CIE). Contact lens (CL) wear poses a particular risk for a CIE and therefore is restricted for most active duty service members (SMs). In this study, we explored a large Department of Defense/Veterans Affairs (DoD/VA) database to estimate the prevalence of UK and CIE and their association with CL wear., Materials and Methods: The DoD/VA Defense and Veterans Eye Injury Vision Registry, an initiative of the DoD/VA Vision Center of Excellence, was explored using natural language processing software to search for words and diagnostic codes that might identify cornea injuries and CL wear. The effect of UK and CIE on readiness was explored by evaluating the duration between the first and final visits noted in the database., Results: A total of 213 UK cases were identified among the 27,402 SMs for whom data were recorded in Defense and Veterans Eye Injury Vision Registry. The odds ratios of UK and CIE being associated with CL wear were 13.34 and 2.20, respectively. A less specific code (superficial corneal injury) was found to be the most commonly used diagnosis in the database, and the odds ratio of CL wearers having that diagnosis was 2.25. CL-wearing patients with corneal disease also required more clinic encounters than those who did not wear CLs., Conclusions: This study supports the current restriction on CL wear among nonpilot active duty SMs and quantifies the significantly enhanced risk of developing corneal ulcers posed by that habit., (© Association of Military Surgeons of the United States 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)