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Objective: To show morphologic and angiographic changes in the peripheral retina in patients with agerelated macular degeneration (AMD) using wide-field fundus imaging, and to compare these findings with those from healthy controls. Design: Cross-sectional clinical study. Participants: In total, 152 patients with clinical AMD and 150 healthy controls (without AMD in either macula) were studied. Subjects were 50 years of age. Exclusion criteria were diabetic retinopathy, previous retinal surgery, high myopia, or dense cataract, as well as any retinal inflammatory, degenerative, or occlusive disease. Methods: For both groups of patients, color fundus images were captured with the Optos P200 MA camera (Optos, Dunfermline, Scotland). Image analysis software was used to characterize each image. Angiography was performed on the AMD group only. Morphological and angiographic peripheral retinal changes were studied per the frequency of their occurrence, the affected peripheral retina (clock hours), and the localization of peripheral changes with regard to the eye equator. Statistical significance was defined at a level of P < 0.05. Main Outcome Measures: Peripheral changes in both groups according to their type and frequency (percentage of eyes with detected retinal changes), the number of clock hours of affected peripheral retina, and their localization with regard to the equator of the eye. Results: Drusen, reticular pigmentary changes, and paving stone degeneration occurred more frequently in the AMD group than in controls (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001 respectively), whereas white without pressure occurred more frequently in the control group (P ¼ 0.027). In both groups, peripheral retinal changes were observed peripheral to the equator in more than 40% of analyzed eyes. In control Croatian subjects, peripheral drusen were seen in 38% of subjects compared with 68% of AMD subjects. Conclusion: Drusen, reticular pigmentary change , and paving stone degeneration occur significantly more frequently in subjects with AMD compared with controls. White without pressure degeneration was present in a high percentage of control subjects.

The aim of the study was to assess short-term efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab in a series of patients with neovascular glaucoma. Eleven patients with neovascular glaucoma and symptomatic elevation of intraocular pressure were treated with 1.25 mg/0.1 mL of bevacizumab. In three patients, intravitreal bevacizumab was administered preoperatively, one day before pars plana vitrectomy. Additional therapy was only performed if topical medication failed to result in satisfactory control of intraocular pressure. Patients were followed-up for a minimum of 8 weeks. In all study patients, intravitreal application of bevacizumab resulted in marked regression of iris neovascularization within the first three postoperative days. Appropriate control of intraocular pressure was achieved in seven patients, whereas four patients required additional therapy for intraocular pressure regulation. No side effects of intravitreal bevacizumab were recorded. Thus, intravitreal bevacizumab seems to be a potent adjunct in the management of neovascular glaucoma. Additional studies of bevacizumab long-term safety and efficacy are warranted.

Aim: To study the association between genetic variants in myocilin and collagen type I alpha 1 genes and high myopia in an isolated island population. Methods: A total of 944 examinees from the genetic epidemiology study conducted on the island of Korcula, Croatia, were included in the study. We selected 2 short nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) available in our genome-wide scan set of SNPs that were previously associated with high myopia and used them to replicate previous claims of possible association. Results: Nineteen cases of high myopia, defined as the refraction of

The aim of the study was to assess short-term efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab in a series of patients with neovascular glaucoma. Eleven patients with neovascular glaucoma and symptomatic elevation of intraocular pressure were treated with 1.25 mg/0.1 mL of bevacizumab. In three patients, intravitreal bevacizumab was administered preoperatively, one day before pars plana vitrectomy. Additional therapy was only performed if topical medication failed to result in satisfactory control of intraocular pressure. Patients were followed-up for a minimum of 8 weeks. In all study patients, intravitreal application of bevacizumab resulted in marked regression of iris neovascularization within the first three postoperative days. Appropriate control of intraocular pressure was achieved in seven patients, whereas four patients required additional therapy for intraocular pressure regulation. No side effects of intravitreal bevacizumab were recorded. Thus, intravitreal bevacizumab seems to be a potent adjunct in the management of neovascular glaucoma. Additional studies of bevacizumab long-term safety and efficacy are warranted., Cilj ove studije bio je procijeniti kratkotrajni učinak intravitrealne primjene bevacizumaba u skupini bolesnika s neovaskularnim glaukomom. U studiju je bilo uključeno jedanaestoro bolesnika s neovaskularnim glaukomom i simptomatskim povišenjem očnog tlaka. Kod svih bolesnika primijenjen je bevacizumab u dozi od 1,25/0,1 mL intravitrealno. Kod troje bolesnika je bevacizumab primijenjen jedan dan prije pars plana vitrektomije. Dodatna antiglaukomska terapija primijenjena je samo kod onih bolesnika u kojih očni tlak nije bio dobro kontroliran lokalnom antiglaukomskom terapijom. Najkraće razdoblje praćenja bolesnika bilo je 8 tjedana. Intravitrealna primjena bevacizumaba dovela je kod svih bolesnika do značajne regresije neovaskularizacije šarenice, što je trećega dana od primjene bevacizumaba potvrđeno biomikroskopski te fluoresceinskom angiografijom. U sedmoro bolesnika je očni tlak bio dobro kontroliran samo lokalnom antiglaukomskom terapijom. Kod četvoro bolesnika bilo je potrebno daljnje kirurško antiglaukomsko liječenje. Nisu zabilježene nuspojave kao niti komplikacije za vrijeme ili poslije intravitrealne injekcije bevacizumaba. Zaključuje se kako se intravitrealna primjena bevacizumaba čini dobrom dodatnom metodom u kombinaciji s ostalim terapijskim modalitetima liječenja neovaskularnog glaukoma. Dodatne studije kojima se ispituje dugotrajniji učinak i sigurnost intravitrealne primjene bevacizumaba su u tijeku i one će doprinijeti boljem razumijevanju farmakokinetike, toksičnosti i putova primjene bevacizumaba u liječenju neovaskularnog glaukoma.

The purpose of the study was to present operative technique and results of a passive hydrodynamic expression of silicone oil through planned posterior capsulorhexis during cataract surgery in patients after pars plana vitrectomy. The retrospective analysis was done on 57 eyes with cataract after a previous pars plana vitrectomy, operated on between 2001 and 2004 at the Clinical hospital »Sestre milosrdnice« Zagreb. Preoperative and postoperative best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), preoperative and postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), and postoperative complications were reviewed. Visual acuity improved or stabilized in all patients with an attached retina. Retinal detachment occurred in 11 eyes. Transient vitreous hemorrhage, that resolved within 1 week of surgery without treatment, was observed in 4 eyes. Asymptomatic intraocular lens (IOL) decentration occurred in 2 eyes. Our findings suggest that silicone oil removal and cataract surgery can be performed as a single procedure in selected patients in the absence of macular pucker and retinal reproliferation, and in a presence of a stable retina.

It seems that patient's knowledge about ophthalmologist's work is very insufficient, especially about what type of examination should be undertaken for refraction condition during the "simple" eye check-up and which serious systemic diseases could be discovered thorough eye examinations. The aim of the study was to determine patients' knowledge about ophthalmologist examinations during the check-up for refraction condition, knowledge about differences between ophthalmologists and opticians, main sources of patients' ophthalmologic cognition and the main reasons for coming to special locations. Patients (311) were examined by applying the questionnaire, immediately before the eye check-up at three various refraction units. Statistical analysis used Chi-square test and test of significance between proportions, except for patients' age where Student t-test was used. Differences were statistically significant at p = 0.05. The findings show that the patients' knowledge about eye examination during the check-ups for refraction abnormalities was not satisfactory. Twenty-two percent (22%) of examined patients did not know the differences between ophthalmologists and opticians and 16% believed that after computer testing of refraction further ophthalmologic examinations were not necessary. The main sources of medical cognition were the mass media while twenty percent (20%) of the participating patients named doctor's lectures as the source of their cognition. This study revealed that a lot of work needs to be done to improve patients' education and indirectly for better screening of very serious systemic diseases and blind threatening diseases which could be discovered during the first visit for spectacle prescription.