Middle East African Journal of Ophthalmology

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate pre- and perioperative factors related to time for the evolution of ectopic inner foveal layers (EIFL) following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for epiretinal membrane (ERM) peeling. METHODS: This retrospective study included 81 consecutive eyes with idiopathic ERM that underwent vitrectomy surgery. Standard PPV + internal limiting membrane peeling was performed in all cases. A comprehensive ophthalmic examination was performed for all patients before and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, and the last follow-up after surgery...

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant proliferative disorder involving the bone marrow and lymphatic system. Retinal involvement is a rare form of presentation in patients with CML. We report a case of a 49-year-old woman who presented with an acute bilateral visual disturbance. Her initial visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. Fundus examination revealed multiple yellowish retinal infiltrates, vascular sheathing, and peripheral sclerosed blood vessels. Fundus fluorescein angiography revealed bilateral peripheral retinal ischemia...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify biomarkers that predict the response of treatment-naive idiopathic choroidal neovascularization (iCNV) to anti-VEGF treatment. METHODS: Fourteen eyes diagnosed with iCNV underwent a dilated fundus examination, Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography (SS-OCT) and Optical Coherence Tomography - Angiography (OCT-A), and were given an anti-VEGF injection. The same examinations were repeated at every follow-up visit...

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between the presence and severity of retinopathy in women with diabetes mellitus and sleep quality assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). METHODS: Among 90 female patients with type 2 diabetes, 30 patients without retinopathy were classified into Group 1, 30 patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy as Group 2, and 30 patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy as Group 3. People who had a known sleep problem, had a history of using medication other than sleeping pills that would affect sleep, had lower or upper respiratory tract disease, had history of previous surgery, or were unable to answer the survey questions appropriately were excluded from the study...

PURPOSE: The high recurrence rate of idiopathic orbital inflammation (IOI) has been reported. This study aims to determine existing predictive factors for the recurrence of IOI. METHODS: This was an 11-year retrospective study with at least a 12-month follow-up. Fifty patients with biopsy-proven IOI admitted between 2006 and 2017 at our tertiary hospital were observed. We compared the clinical characteristics, histopathological profile, and biomarker expressions (mast cell, immunoglobulin G4, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta) of 16 patients with recurrence (Group I) and 34 patients with no recurrence (Group II)...

PURPOSE: The objective of the study was to examine the effect of dorzolamide-timolol (DT) eye drop used before intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) injection on intraocular pressure (IOP) change. METHODS: 50 eyes of 50 patients who received DT eye drops 1 h before IVR injection due to diabetic retinopathy and macular edema were considered Group 1, and 50 eyes of 50 patients who did not receive DT eye drops were considered Group 2. Those patients who had previously undergone intravitreal injection had intraocular surgery, and used any eye drops were not included in the study...

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to audit the primary and final success rate for primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) surgery performed between 2017 and 2022 at the Department of Ophthalmology in Salmanyia Medical Complex, the Kingdom of Bahrain. In addition, secondary outcomes for our study include assessments of risk factors for recurrence, final visual outcomes and complication rates. METHODS: Prospective observational study showed data analysis of case series for 75 RRD patients operated during the study period...

Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide which affects all age groups. It is often identified by high intraocular pressure, characteristic optic neuropathy, and vision loss. Due to multifactorial nature of glaucoma pathogenesis, the molecular events responsible for its precipitation are currently poorly understood. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variations which are inherited maternally are being closely studied in recent times to elucidate the effect on glaucoma. Mitochondrial genetic studies till date have found a possible link between Leber hereditary optic neuropathy loci and glaucoma but with conflicting views...

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to study the relationship between the timing of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) in cases of nucleus drop during phacoemulsification. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 83 patients, who underwent PPV for nucleus or nuclear fragment drop from July 2017 to November 2019. Timing of PPV (≤2 weeks and >2 weeks) after the primary cataract surgery was noted. The primary endpoint was CDVA at 1 month, which was compared with the time of PPV...

PURPOSE: The objective is to analyze the radiological diagnosis of orbital lesions and their correlation with the final histopathological findings. We compared the initial reports by extramural radiologists and an in-house radiologist specialized in orbital imaging to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy in the interpretation of orbital imaging. METHODS: This was a retrospective chart review of forty patients referred to a Tertiary Eye Care Center in South India over a period of 7 years...

PURPOSE: Survivors of Ebola virus disease (EVD) are at risk for ocular complications after infection. We sought to identify demographic factors associated with the likelihood to present for eye examination among Ebola survivors enrolled in a longitudinal natural history study of EVD. METHODS: The Partnership for Research on Vaccines and Infectious Diseases in Liberia (PREVAIL) III Ebola natural history study is a 5-year study that seeks to identify long-term sequelae of EVD, including ocular sequelae...

We report two glaucoma patients who experienced unusual instances of spontaneous globe rupture. The patients arrived at the Bowen University Teaching Hospital's emergency ophthalmology unit with a history of bleeding from one eye without any history of ocular trauma. They were known glaucoma patients with poor control of their intraocular pressures (IOP). They eventually underwent evisceration shortly after presentation. Spontaneous eyeball rupture in glaucomatous eyes is extremely unusual and has a very poor prognosis for vision...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the refractive outcomes of patients who underwent indirect laser photocoagulation for prethreshold type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and high-risk type 2 prethreshold ROP in comparison to conservatively managed low-risk prethreshold type 2 ROP. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was carried out on infants screened for ROP between the years 2015 and 2020. Surviving children who had developed ROP in one or both eyes and received diode laser photocoagulation and those with conservatively managed regressed type 2 ROP who underwent at least one cycloplegic retinoscopy were included in the study...

PURPOSE: The purpose is to to explore the effects of the Lebanese economic crisis on the ophthalmology workload in Lebanon, and the concomitant influence of the COVID-19-related lockdown and Beirut port explosion. METHODS: Data pertaining to all the clinic visits to the Ophthalmology Department at the American University of Beirut Medical Center between January 01, 2019, and December 31, 2021, were extracted. Completed visits to different subspecialties were used to analyze the different parameters...

Scleral rupture is a rare but significant complication that can occur due to multiple risk factors. In this report, we discuss two instances of scleral perforation that happened during a silicone oil injection and after a peribulbar injection. Our study suggests that prior ocular surgery is a further risk factor for intraoperative scleral rupture, and more investigation is required to identify additional relevant risk factors that weaken the sclera.

PURPOSE: The purpose was to study the choroidal thickness and its profile, derived from different point locations in healthy Asian Indian subjects using RTVue XR 100 optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to determine its correlation with age, refractive error, and axial length. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 300 eyes of 150 healthy subjects, with no ocular pathology, were scanned in a single session, using a line scan protocol of RTVue XR 100 OCT. Choroidal thickness was measured at the subfoveal region, and six measurements were obtained on either side of the fovea (temporal and nasal) at 500 μm interval apart, up to 3000 μm...

PURPOSE: The aim was to study the characteristics of recurrence patterns in the form of scar recurrence, new lesions, and vitreous seeds which is necessary in anticipating future events for the management of retinoblastoma (RB). METHODS: This retrospective analytical observational study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in South India; we included 64 eyes of 45 patients having RB from January 2019 to July 2020. The inclusion criterion was treatment-naïve patients with > 12 months of follow-up period...

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis of articles published in Ophthalmology Journals from Arab countries from 2012 to 2022. METHODS: This cross-sectional analysis of all original ophthalmology research and review articles published by authors with an affiliation with an institution from Arab countries and indexed in the ISI Web of Science between January 2012 and December 2022. RESULTS: For the years 2012-2022, 4292 articles published in Ophthalmology Journals by authors from Arab-based institutions were identified...

PURPOSE: The digital eye strain (DES) is of public health magnitude in students undertaking online studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The DES prevention strategies will be effective if all stakeholders, including parents, work together. We present an awareness level of preventive measures among parents of students studying online for 1 year. METHODS: This web-based survey was held in December 2021. Parents of Saudi students in the Qassim region responded to 15 questions about the preventive measures for DES...

5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is an important chemotherapy adjunct for the management of conjunctival and corneal dysplasia. Since it is possible for this agent to gain access to the anterior chamber, several reports in the literature have demonstrated 5-FU long-term safety and efficacy. Although recent publications reported that topical 5-FU has no cytotoxic effect on the corneal endothelium, we report a patient affected by bilateral ocular surface squamous neoplasia who has developed significant endothelial density and morphology changes after starting a course of 5-FU...