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Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety profile of T-shaped pars plana scleral incision technique in removing large intraocular foreign bodies, during 23-gauge pars plana vitrectomy., Methods: Retrospective interventional case series that included patients diagnosed with a large intraocular foreign body (IOFB). Possible postoperative complications were recorded 24 h, 1 month, 3 and 6 months postoperatively., Results: Thirty eyes of 30 patients (48 ± 5 years old) were enrolled. All IOFBs were successfully removed: mean diameters of 7.8 ± 2.0 mm and 2.6 ± 0.3 mm. Silicone oil and sulfur hexafluoride were used in 27 and 3 eyes, respectively. Lensectomy was performed in 27 eyes. Intraocular lens was implanted at first attempt in 12 eyes; during a second operation in 12 eyes and 6 eyes remained aphakic. At any follow-up, no signs of postoperative complications were observed. Secondary retinal detachment occurred in 12 eyes. Mean preoperative corrected distance visual acuity was 0.04, on the Snellen scale; it increased to 0.07, at last follow-up. Mean intraocular pressure was 17.97 mmHg. All eyes were preserved., Conclusion: T-shaped scleral incision could be an effective, safe and easy-to-perform standard procedure to remove large IOFBs during pars plana vitrectomy, without increasing the risk of surgical complications and additional damage to the ocular tissues., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision., (Copyright © 2024 Toro, Nowomiejska, Concilio, Motta, Rekas, Costagliola, Avitabile, Castellino, Caputo, Choragiewicz and Rejdak.)

Aim: To assess the severity of dry eye disease (DED) in humans, its impact on quality of life (QoL) and to grade the damage incurred by the anterior ocular surface in patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM)., Patients and Methods: Forty-six patients (mean age ± SD = 63.8 ± 6.7 years) diagnosed with T2DM were enrolled in the experimental group and 26 healthy individuals constituted the control group (67.9 ± 8.9 years). The diagnosis and gradation of DED were conducted in accordance with the International Task Force severity grading scheme. Disease-specific questionnaires were used to obtain the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and assess the negative effects of the disease on the patient's QoL. The severity of conjunctival redness and corneal/conjunctival staining was assessed by Efron and Oxford scales, respectively., Results: According to OSDI scores, the entire experimental group presented symptoms of DED: 54.4% were diagnosed with mild DED and 46.6% with moderately severe DED. No cases of severe DED were diagnosed in either the experimental or control group. In the control group, 57.7% of individuals did not have the disease. A significant difference between the experimental and control groups was recorded for both OSDI scores ( p   < 0.01) and health-related QoL ( p < 0.01). It was observed that keratopathy influenced the mean OSDI values of patients. The mean OSDI value was 25.14 ± 3 in the experimental group diagnosed with keratopathy, 19.3 ± 3.5 in the subgroup with no indications of corneal injury ( p  = 0.000002), and 13.0 ± 3.0 in the control group ( p   <  0.000002). Based on the DEWS scheme, a grade I severity level was observed in 46% of control subjects and 33% of patients diagnosed with T2DM ( p  = 0.4915); grades II and III were detected in the bulk of the experimental group ( p  = 0.0051; p  = 0.1707). None of the subjects in the control or experimental groups manifested grade IV severity of DED., Conclusion: In comparison to healthy adults, DED adversely impacts the QoL of type 2 DM patients, regardless of the disease's association with keratopathy., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Zhmud, Malachkova, Redjak, Costagliola, Concilio, Drozhzhyna, Toro Mario and Veretelnyk.)