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Objective: To determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with noninfectious uveitis at a university hospital in Paraguay. Methodology: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study was performed. Consecutive patients who attended the Ophthalmology Service of the Hospital de Clínicas from January 2020 to October 2021 and who were diagnosed with non-infectious uveitis were included. The variables studied were sex, age, origin, reason for consultation, anatomical classification, clinical course, systemic and ocular associations, and bilaterality. Results: A total of 78 medical records of patients meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria were analyzed. Of the patients, 66.7% were female and 42 (53.8%) were from the Central Department. The anterior anatomical location of uveitis was the most frequent (53.9%), followed in decreasing order by panuveitis, posterior uveitis, and intermediate uveitis. Regarding anterior uveitis, 24 patients (57.1%) had unilateral uveitis, 40 (95.2%) were non-granulomatous, 19 (45.2%) presented an acute clinical course, the most frequent reason for consultation was "red and painful eye" with 15 patients (35.7%), the most frequent systemic association was HLA- B27+ in 16 patients (38.1%). As for panuveitis, 13 patients (50%) were associated with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, and of the latter, two patients were related to rheumatoid arthritis. Conclusion: The clinical and epidemiological patterns observed in this study were largely consistent with those reported in the literature. Notably, the most frequent associations differed from those reported in the literature: HLA-B27+ for anterior uveitis, rheumatoid arthritis for posterior uveitis, and a significant percentage of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome among panuveitis cases.

Introduction: Scleral contact lenses (SCLs) are gas-permeable and are placed entirely on the sclera without contacting structures such as the cornea or limbus. These ECLs are designed to rehabilitate reduced vision of eyes with irregular corneas. Irregular astigmatism caused by corneal pathologies such as keratoconus, post-transplant, post-refractive surgery, or corneal degeneration produces poor visual acuity that cannot be corrected with air lenses, and the appearance of scleral contact lenses could be a therapeutic option in the treatment and optical correction of corneal pathologies. To determine the degree of improvement in visual acuity with adaptation of scleral lenses. Methodology: This was an observational, descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional, retrospective study. Results: Forty cases of irregular astigmatism with different initial visual acuity effects were observed prior to the fitting of Scleral Lenses. The mean visual acuity (VA) prior to correction with scleral lenses observed in the 40 cases was 20/200 with correction on the Snellen scale with a minimum (worst VA) equal to "finger-count vision" (represented as cases with 20/ 400 vision for quantification purposes) and a maximum (best VA) of 20/70. Nineteen cases (47.5%) restored their VA to normal values (20/20), and 30 cases (75%) improved their VA by at least 10-fold from the baseline. Discussion: In this study, a remarkable and constant improvement in visual acuity was observed in all the patients. Some patients experienced an increase of up to 20 times their initial visual acuity, achieving, in many cases, a visual acuity of 20/20 on the Snellen scale. These results indicate a promising treatment strategy with fewer adverse effects.

Two species of sandperch (Pinguipedidae: Perciformes), Prolatilus jugularis and Pinguipes chilensis, inhabit the coastal waters of the South Pacific. Both species have pelagic larvae with similar morphology, but their diet preferences are unknown. Diet composition, feeding success, trophic niche breadth and dietary overlap were described during larval stages for both species. In the austral spring, larval P. jugularis (3.83-10.80 mm standard length [SL]) and P. chilensis (3.49-7.71 mm SL) during their first month of life had a high feeding incidence ( > 70%) and fed mostly on copepod nauplii ( > 80% IRI), Rhincalanus nasutus metanauplii and Paracalanus indicus copepodites. The number of prey ingested was low (mean: 4-5 prey per gut) and independent of larval size; total prey volume and maximum prey width increased as larvae grew. Mouth opening and ingested prey were greater in larval P. jugularis than in P. chilensis, leading to significant differences in prey composition among larval species, in terms of prey number and volume. Pearre’s trophic niche breadth was narrow for both species (0.159±0.07 for P. jugularis; 0.156±0.03 for P. chilensis) and independent of larval size. Dietary overlap was high inter- and intra-species in larvae with a mouth gape < 900 μm. These results suggest the relative importance of both larval species as primary consumers of the pelagic web in nearshore environments of rocky temperate areas.

Purpose: To report the clinical and microbiological profiles of microbial keratitis and its antimicrobial resistance before, during, and after COVID-19., Methods: This was a retrospective case-note review of all corneal scrape specimens collected from patients with microbial keratitis from January 2018 to December 2023. Case records were analyzed for demographic characteristics, microbiological diagnosis, and antibiograms. All outcome variables were collected, stratified, and compared between 3 periods: the pre-COVID-19 group (January-December 2019), the COVID-19 group (January 2020-December 2022), and the post-COVID-19 group (January-December 2023)., Results: A total of 947 corneal cultures from 947 patients were reviewed. Gram-positive bacteria predominated in all periods, with no significant differences in their distribution. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most frequently identified organism. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common Gram-negative bacterium, with its incidence significantly lower in the post-COVID period. Fungal infections showed a significant increase in the post-COVID group, with Fusarium sp. being the most common fungus and showing a significant increase in incidence in the post-COVID group., Conclusions: Despite a stable incidence of microbial keratitis, this study highlights a concerning trend in antibiotic resistance. Although some pathogens became less common, those that persisted have become increasingly difficult to treat. Understanding the clinical and microbiological profiles of microbial keratitis and antimicrobial resistance patterns before and after the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial for informed treatment decisions., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest. There is no funding received., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of mitomycin C intravascular chemoembolization (MICE) for corneal neovascularization (CNV)., Methods: This is a prospective, nonrandomized, interventional study. Patients with stable CNV irrespective of the underlying etiology were enrolled in the study. 0.1% mitomycin C was injected intravascularly in CNV at the slit lamp under topical anesthesia. To evaluate the regression of vessels, the ImageJ software was used to trace and quantify vasculature by a pixel count in standardized clinical slit-lamp photographs., Results: Eight eyes from 8 patients with corneal neovascularization and lipid keratopathy were studied. The mean age at treatment was 37 ± 12.75 (range 17-64) years. The median follow-up was 419.5 days (74-1166 days). Herpes simplex keratitis was the main underlying etiology (75%). The visual axis was compromised in 75%, and 100% had stromal scarring. The mean pixel count before MICE was 5983.41 ± 5004.96 pixels. After the treatment, the mean pixel count was 2060.38 ± 3142.96 pixels (delta: 3923.03, P = 0.029). No complications were recorded during the follow-up period. No recurrence of the CNV was observed at the last follow-up. Two eyes (25%) underwent a successful keratoplasty 4 months after MICE., Conclusions: MICE effectively reduced neovascularization with no immediate safety concerns, though its impact on vision and long-term safety requires further investigation with larger, longer term studies., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate all recorded corneal and ocular surface research by Mexican authors., Methods: The output data was extracted from SCOPUS to account for all publications regarding the corneal or ocular surface by Mexican authors. Data screening, extraction, and critical revision were performed by two of the authors to avoid duplication and ensure the authenticity of all papers. Performance analysis, science mapping, and network metrics were employed to retrieve trends in publication., Results: A total of 1,091 indexed journal documents by 3965 authors were retrieved, covering the period the period from 1919 to 2022. In performance analysis, the document types included 881 articles, 20 book chapters, 17 conference papers, three editorials, 37 letters to the editor, nine notes, and 123 reviews. A total of 3,965 contributing authors made 6,081 author appearances. In terms of total citations per country, Mexican authors received a total of 7,087 citations, with an average article citation of 8.76 per author., Conclusion: This bibliometric analysis highlights impactful research contributions to corneal and ocular surface research from Mexican authors, identifies influential authors and institutions, and also emphasizes the need for increased interaction in the international arena., Competing Interests: Human subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve human participants or tissue. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Jimenez-Collado et al.)