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Purpose: To describe a case with an unusual presentation of Propionibacterium acnes ( P acnes) with ultimately a good visual outcome. Methods: A case report with review of approaches to P acnes endophthalmitis. Results: We describe a patient with an unusual presentation of P acnes of panuveitis with white, circular preretinal lesions without intracapsular deposits. Diagnosis was made from cultures from pars plana vitrectomy. Eventually, she was definitively managed with capsulectomy, repositioning of her intraocular lens via sutureless intrascleral fixation, and intravitreal vancomycin injection. Conclusion: This is a report of P acnes endophthalmitis presenting with discrete preretinal lesions where surgical and medical management lead to a complete resolution of uveitis and symptoms after a 3-year follow up where the patient’s final visual acuity was Snellen 20/20 OU.

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to investigate automated segmentation measurements of the outer nuclear layer to differentiate patients with hydroxychloroquine toxicity from healthy individuals. Methods: A 5-year retrospective, case-controlled, interventional study of hydroxychloroquine toxicity patients was conducted. Measurements of the outer nuclear layer were obtained with use of commercially available segmentation software and compared with controls. Results: Seven participants (13 eyes) with toxicity and 16 controls (16 eyes) were included. The data comparing the parafoveal, perifoveal, foveal, and overall regions were significant both in thickness ( P < .0001, P < .0001, P = .0029, and P < .0001, respectively) and volume ( P < .0001, P < .0001, P < .0001, and P < .0001, respectively). The CI indicates there is 95% confidence that toxicity patients have between 147 μm and 201 μm less thickness (average 174 μm) and between 0.39 mm3 and 0.55 mm3 less volume (average 0.47 mm3). Conclusions: The automated segmentation function can correctly differentiate thinner outer nuclear layer measurements in patients with toxicity. This study is the first to establish the ranges of thickness and volume of the outer nuclear layer with commercially available segmentation. These results provide the first step in determining whether automated segmentation measurements of the outer nuclear layer can be used as an objective screening tool for hydroxychloroquine toxicity.

Purpose: This work aimed to assess postoperative outcomes associated with relaxing parafoveal nasal retinotomy for refractory macular hole repair. Methods: This was a retrospective interventional study of patients with persistent or recurrent macular holes following 1 or more standard repair procedures with pars plana vitrectomy and internal limiting membrane peeling. Patients received an additional pars plana vitrectomy and relaxing parafoveal nasal retinotomy, followed by fluid-air and air-gas exchange. Key postoperative outcomes included the achievement of macular hole closure and changes in visual acuity from baseline. Results: Thirteen patients with refractory macular holes were included, with a median age of 65 years (range, 49-90 years). The aperture diameter of the 13 macular holes ranged from 180 to 799 µm (median, 538 µm). Vitrectomy and relaxing parafoveal nasal retinotomy were performed in all 13 eyes, and after a median follow-up of 12 months (range, 3-34 months), anatomical closure was achieved in 12 of 13 eyes (92.3%). Overall, visual acuity (mean ± SE) improved significantly from 1.20 ± 0.15 logMAR (approximate Snellen equivalent, 20/320) at baseline to 0.84 ± 0.11 logMAR (Snellen, ∼ 20/125) during postoperative follow-up ( P < .05). Central and paracentral scotomas were observed in 8 of 11 eyes with postoperative Humphrey visual field 10-2 and/or 24-2 data available. Conclusions: Relaxing parafoveal nasal retinotomy may be an effective method to promote anatomical closure and improve vision outcomes in patients with recalcitrant macular holes.

The influenza vaccination has greatly benefited public health, leading to significant reductions in flu season hospitalizations and deaths. However, with more widespread administration of this vaccine, it is expected that the absolute number of patients that present with unusual, adverse reactions will increase. Here, we report a case of a 55-year-old woman who developed a progressive optic neuropathy and severe visual loss associated with optic disc edema following influenza virus vaccination. Our patient also experienced other concurrent symptoms, including bilateral knee effusions, muscle spasms and a facial rash. The strong temporal connection between the vaccine administration and the development of sequelae suggests that the optic neuropathy was an adverse reaction. Furthermore, HLA typing of our patient revealed alleles that have been linked to autoimmune reactions, consistent with the notion that specific HLA alleles could be involved in the pathophysiology of these adverse reactions.

PURPOSE To evaluate the anatomical closure rate and visual outcome in patients undergoing pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling without dye enhancement and with indocyanine green or triamcinolone acetonide assistance. METHODS This is a retrospective, comparative interventional case series. The electronic charts of 435 eyes of 415 patients with idiopathic macular holes who underwent macula hole surgery were reviewed from January 2003 to April 2010. The patients were assigned to 3 groups: no dye assistance (Group 1), indocyanine green-assisted (Group 2), and triamcinolone acetonide-assisted internal limiting membrane peel (Group 3). The data were recorded for 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up visits. Main outcome measures were postoperative visual acuity and macular hole closure. RESULTS The overall macular hole closure rate with a single surgery was 94.7% (108 of 114). In Group 1: 91.4% (191 of 209), in Group 2: 94.1% (112 of 119), and in Group 3: 95.9% (93 of 97) achieved closure. Closure rate for holes that were ≤400 μm in diameter was 98.8% compared with >400 μm, which was 90.4% (P = 0.001). There was a statistically significant (P < 0.001) improvement from preoperative visual acuity to postoperative visual acuity in all groups across all time points. There was no statistically significant visual acuity difference among three groups. At 12-month follow-up, 77.7% in Group 1, 66.1% in Group 2, and 81.3% in Group 3 achieved 20/50 visual acuity or better. CONCLUSION The study shows that good anatomical and functional results can be achieved with no dye and with indocyanine green or triamcinolone acetonide dye assistance for internal limiting membrane peeling during macular hole surgery. Overall, visual acuity levels did not differ among groups, although subanalysis of the results suggests subtle indocyanine green toxicity.

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in aging Westem societies. The objective of the lutein antioxidant supplementation trial (LAST) is to determine whether nutritional supplementation with lutein or lutein together with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, improves visual function and symptoms in atrophic ARMD.The study was a prospective, 12-month, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial conducted at an urban midwestern Veterans Administration Hospital from August 1999 to May 2001. Ninety patients with atrophic ARMD were referred by ophthalmologists at two Chicago-area veterans medical facilities. Patients in Group 1 received lutein 10 mg (L); in Group 2, a lutein 10 mg/antioxidants/vitamins and minerals broad spectrum supplementation formula (L/A); and in Group 3, a maltodextrin placebo (P) over 12 months.In Groups 1 L and 2 L/A, mean eye macular pigment optical density increased approximately 0.09 log units from baseline, Snellen equivalent visual acuity improved 5.4 letters for Group 1 L and 3.5 letters for Group 2 L/A, and contrast sensitivity improved. There was a net subjective improvement in Amsler grid in Group 1 L. VFO-14 questionnaires conceming subjective glare recovery were nearly significant at 4 months for Group 2 L/A. Patients who received the placebo (Group 3) had no significant changes in any of the measured findings.In this study, visual function is improved with lutein alone or lutein together with other nutrients. Further studies are needed with more patients, of both genders, and for longer periods of time to assess long-term effects of lutein or lutein together with a broad spectrum of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in the treatment of atrophic age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE To describe a rare case of a patient who underwent a therapeutic arteriovenous fistula embolization and developed painful vision loss in one eye and to describe the clinical course, present sequential images, and propose an explanation. METHODS The record of one patient with subretinal deposits, including fundus photographs and fluorescein angiography, was reviewed. RESULTS Fundus photographs show creamy white circumscribed subretinal deposits. Fluorescein angiography shows evidence of retinal and choroidal ischemia. CONCLUSION This patient had anomalous anatomy with an ophthalmic artery arising from the middle meningeal artery. This allowed the embolic material to reflux into the ophthalmic circulation and deposit in the retinal and choroidal circulation, causing infarcts.

The purpose of this study is to report clinical, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fluorescein angiogram/indocyanine green angiography (FA/ICG) findings in patients with long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase (LCHAD) enzyme deficiency in two siblings. A 13-year-old girl and her 14-year-old brother presented with progressive decrease in central vision. Clinically, there were blond-looking fundi, diffuse retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) disruption/atrophy in the macula and peripheral retina with choriocapillaris atrophy in both of them. OCT showed RPE irregularity and diffuse disruption of the RPE layer. FA/ICG imaging demonstrated transmitted choroidal fluorescence secondary to diffuse RPE atrophy with no evidence of leakage. Electroretinogram and electrooculogram findings were suggestive of primary abnormality of pigment epithelium. The boy died of cardiac/respiratory illness, whereas his sister is alive at the last follow-up. Abnormal chorioretinal findings in LCHAD patients should be carefully followed. Regular follow-up is recommended to monitor the ocular and systemic status.

We report three new cases of patients with Sturge-Weber Syndrome and symptomatic retinal detachments from diffuse choroidal hemangiomas successfully treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) and review medical literature on the available treatment options for choroidal hemangiomas. All patients were treated with a single session of PDT with verteporfin infused at a concentration of 6 mg/m 2 and treated for 83 seconds with 689-nm Zeiss laser that was delivered with total energy level of 50 J/cm 2 with an intensity of 600 mW/cm 2 . The exudative retinal detachment (RD) and macular edema completely resolved in all cases by 1–4 months after PDT treatment. Visual acuity improved in all three cases with diminished tumor size in the areas of treatment. One case was followed for 5 months, another for 2 years, and the third case for 6 years, with no recurrence of exudative RD. PDT is an effective treatment option for visual deterioration from exudative retinal detachment in patients with diffuse choroidal hemangiomas.