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Glaucoma shares common risk factors with chronic kidney disease (CKD) but previous cross-sectional studies have demonstrated discrepancies in the risk of glaucoma in CKD patients. This study enrolled kidney transplantation recipients (KTRs) (n = 10,955), end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients (n = 10,955) and healthy controls (n = 10,955) from National Health Insurance Service database of the Republic of Korea. A Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to calculate the hazard ratios (HR) for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) incidences. The incidence of POAG was higher in ESRD patients (3.36/1,000 person-years, P P P = 0.07) or KTRs (P = 0.08) when adjusted for the confounding factors. The incidence of PACG was significantly higher in ESRD patients (0.41/1,000 person-years) than in healthy controls (0.14/1,000 person-years, P = 0.008). The PACG incidence was significantly lower in KTRs than in ESRD patients (HR = 0.35, P = 0.015). In conclusion, this nationwide cohort study demonstrated that kidney transplantation can reduce the risk of PACG but not POAG in ESRD patients.

In this cross-sectional study, we investigated choroidal thickness (CT) and scleral thickness (ST) in highly myopic eyes and their associations with ocular factors. Patients underwent widefield swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) to measure the CT and ST at the subfovea and 3000 μm superior, inferior, temporal, and nasal to the fovea and macular curvature. A total of 237 eyes (154 patients) were included. At all five measurement points, thinner CTs and STs were associated with longer axial lengths (r = − 0.548 to − 0.357, all P r = − 0.542 to − 0.305, all P P ≤ 0.006) but did not differ between eyes with the wide macular and narrow macular type of staphyloma. Eyes with myopic maculopathy of category ≥ 3 according to the International Meta-Analysis for Pathologic Myopia classification had significantly thinner CTs and STs than those with category ≤ 2 (all P ≤ 0.005). In highly myopic eyes, a decrease in the CT and ST was more pronounced in eyes with more structural changes, such as longer axial length, steeper macular curvature, and the presence of posterior staphyloma.

Purpose To describe the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of uveitis in patients with psoriasis in Korea. Methods The medical records of 20 patients (27 eyes) with psoriatic uveitis in two tertiary hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. We analyzed data about patient demographics, uveitis types, laterality, onset of disease, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types, intraocular pressure, visual acuity, comorbidities, and medical treatments and outcomes for uveitis and psoriasis. Results The cohort comprised 11 males and nine females (age of onset, 50.1 ± 13.2 years) and the mean follow-up period was 3.9 ± 4.0 years. Types of uveitis included anterior (85%), intermediate (10%), and panuveitis (5%). A total of 13 (65%) cases presented with unilateral involvement and 12 out of 18 patients (66.7%) were positive for HLA-B27. The average intraocular pressure of affected eyes was 11.6 ± 3.6 at the first visit and 13.8 ± 3.6 mmHg at the final visit. The average logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity of affected eyes at the initial examination was 0.16 ± 0.52 and 0.27 ± 0.71 at the last examination. Most common comorbidity (13 patients, 65%) was psoriatic arthritis (PsA). All cases underwent topical corticosteroid treatment; however, 11 (55%) required systemic corticosteroid and immunosuppressants for the treatment of uveitis. Notable deterioration in visual outcome was found in two cases (10%) due to severe intraocular inflammation and its complications (uveitic glaucoma and bullous keratopathy). Recurrent uveitis was observed in 57.9% of patients. Patients with PsA tended to have higher positive rate of HLA-B27 (83.3%). However, there was no significant correlation between visual prognosis and location of psoriatic uveitis, presence of PsA, and HLA-B27 positivity. Conclusions Psoriatic uveitis in Koreans usually presents with anterior uveitis with unilateral involvement. PsA was the most common comorbidity. In majority of patients, visual outcomes are satisfactory with appropriate topical or systemic immunosuppressive treatment.

Purpose To illustrate what is inside the so-called black box of deep learning models (DLMs) so that clinicians can have greater confidence in the conclusions of artificial intelligence by evaluating adversarial explanation on its ability to explain the rationale of DLM decisions for glaucoma and glaucoma-related findings. Adversarial explanation generates adversarial examples (AEs), or images that have been changed to gain or lose pathologic characteristic-specific traits, to explain the DLM’s rationale. Design Evaluation of explanation methods for DLMs. Participants Health screening participants (n = 1653) at the Seoul National University Hospital Health Promotion Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Methods We trained DLMs for referable glaucoma (RG), increased cup-to-disc ratio (ICDR), disc rim narrowing (DRN), and retinal nerve fiber layer defect (RNFLD) using 6430 retinal fundus images. Surveys consisting of explanations using AE and gradient-weighted class activation mapping (GradCAM), a conventional heatmap-based explanation method, were generated for 400 pathologic and healthy patient eyes. For each method, board-trained glaucoma specialists rated location explainability, the ability to pinpoint decision-relevant areas in the image, and rationale explainability, the ability to inform the user on the model’s reasoning for the decision based on pathologic features. Scores were compared by paired Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Main Outcome Measures Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivities, and specificities of DLMs; visualization of clinical pathologic changes of AEs; and survey scores for locational and rationale explainability. Results The AUCs were 0.90, 0.99, 0.95, and 0.79 and sensitivities were 0.79, 1.00, 0.82, and 0.55 at 0.90 specificity for RG, ICDR, DRN, and RNFLD DLMs, respectively. Generated AEs showed valid clinical feature changes, and survey results for location explainability were 3.94 ± 1.33 and 2.55 ± 1.24 using AEs and GradCAMs, respectively, of a possible maximum score of 5 points. The scores for rationale explainability were 3.97 ± 1.31 and 2.10 ± 1.25 for AEs and GradCAM, respectively. Adversarial example provided significantly better explainability than GradCAM. Conclusions Adversarial explanation increased the explainability over GradCAM, a conventional heatmap-based explanation method. Adversarial explanation may help medical professionals understand more clearly the rationale of DLMs when using them for clinical decisions.

Background Ocular involvement in catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS), a rare, life-threatening form of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) that results in multiorgan failure and a high mortality rate, has rarely been reported. Case presentation A 15-year-old girl presented with sudden vision blurring in both eyes. She had marked optic disc swelling and macular exudates in the right eye and intra-arterial white plaques, a few retinal blot hemorrhages, and a white ischemic retina in the left eye. Systemic examination revealed she had acute kidney injury with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), multiple cerebral infarcts, valvular dysfunction, and a high titer of triple aPL. Thus, she was diagnosed with CAPS involving the brain, eyes, heart, and kidneys. Plasma exchange and the administration of glucocorticoids, immunoglobulin, warfarin, and rituximab brought a sustained recovery of the TMA, visual symptoms, and echocardiographic findings. Conclusions Ocular involvement of both vaso-occlusive retinopathy, an APS-related thrombotic microangiopathy, and neuroretinitis, a non-thrombotic microangiopathy, can occur as an initial presentation of CAPS.

BackgroundTo investigate the relationship between estimated mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP) and peripapillary perfusion density (PD) or vessel density (VD) as measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in young healthy eyes.Methods132 healthy participants (264 eyes) under 45 years of age underwent optic disc OCTA scan sized 3×3 mm to acquire PD and VD in the superficial vascular complex (SVC). Optic nerve head (ONH) parameters including retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness, rim area and disc area were measured. MOPP was estimated from systemic blood pressure and intraocular pressure (IOP). A linear mixed model was used to find the systemic and ocular factors associated with PD and VD.ResultsThe average age of the subjects was 25.8±6.5 years. PD and VD showed a significant correlation with RNFL thickness (r=0.224, p0.05).ConclusionPD and VD in the SVC were significantly associated with ONH parameters while showing no association with estimated MOPP. OCTA-derived VD may not represent perfusion pressure, but is rather more dependent on peripapillary structure.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal dexamethasone (DEX) implant in retinitis pigmentosa patients with cystoid macular edema (CME).In this randomized, noncontrolled, paired-eye, single crossover clinical trial, one eye of retinitis pigmentosa patients with bilateral CME with central macular thickness of250 µm was randomized to intravitreal DEX implant while the fellow eye was observed. Both eyes were started on topical dorzolamide. At Month 6, DEX implant was eligible for both eyes when CME was250 µm. Patients were followed up until Month 12. Primary outcome measures were the central macular thickness and best-corrected visual acuity changes from baseline at Month 2.Fourteen patients with bilateral RP-CME were included. Study eyes showed significant central macular thickness decrease (median, -147.5 µm; P = 0.001) and best-corrected visual acuity improvement (median, +6 letters; P = 0.001) at Month 2, but not at Month 6. Intravitreal DEX implant at Month 6 produced comparable efficacy to baseline treatment in 11 fellow eyes and 12 study eyes. Topical dorzolamide did not show significant therapeutic efficacy. During 12 months, elevated intraocular pressure of21 mmHg and cataract progression were observed in 14.3% and 40.0% of study eyes.Intravitreal DEX implant can both reduce macular thickness and improve vision in RP-CME, while repeated injection is required.

PURPOSE To evaluate the impact of posterior staphyloma identified using ultra-widefield fundus imaging on the long-term progression of myopic maculopathy in highly myopic patients. METHODS In this observational cohort study, highly myopic patients who were followed up for at least 5 years using ultra-widefield fundus imaging were analysed for fundus abnormalities and the progression of myopic maculopathy based on the International Meta-analysis of Pathologic Myopia classification. RESULTS This study included 390 eyes (210 patients) with the mean follow-up period of 69.2 ± 7.5 months (range, 60-88). Posterior staphyloma was identified in 198 eyes (50.8%) in the baseline ultra-widefield fundus images. The border of staphyloma was not identified within 50° view circle corresponding to conventional fundus photography in 42 eyes (21.2%) with staphyloma, most of that were wide macular type. Progression of myopic maculopathy during follow-up was observed in 202 eyes (51.8%), and eyes with staphyloma were more likely to show progression compared to those without (142/198 [71.7%] versus 60/192 [31.3%]; p

It has been known that retinal vein occlusion (RVO) is associated with chronic kidney disease, especially end-stage renal disease (ESRD). However, little is known about the effect of kidney transplantation (KT) on RVO incidence in ESRD patients. This study aimed to compare the incidence of RVO in KT recipients (n = 10,498), matched ESRD patients (n = 10,498), and healthy controls (HCs, n = 10,498), using a long-term population-based cohort. The incidence of RVO was 2.74, 5.68, and 1.02 per 1000 patient-years, for the KT group, the ESRD group, and the HCs group, respectively. Adjusted hazard ratios for RVO development compared to the HCs group, were 1.53 and 3.21, in the KT group and the ESRD group, respectively. In the KT group, multivariable regression analysis indicated that an age over 50, a Charlson Comorbidity Index score over 4, and a history of desensitization therapy were associated with an increased risk of RVO. In summary, KT recipients have a lower risk for development of RVO than ESRD patients treated with dialysis. However, the risk is still higher compared to healthy people who have normal kidney functions.

In South Korea, the first confirmed case of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) was detected on January 20, 2020. After a month, the number of confirmed cases surged, as community transmission occurred. The local hospitals experienced severe shortages in medical resources such as mechanical ventilators and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) equipment. With the medical claims data of 7,590 COVID-19 confirmed patients, this study examined how the demand for major medical resources and medications changed during the outbreak and subsequent stabilization period of COVID-19 in South Korea. We also aimed to investigate how the underlying diseases and demographic factors affect disease severity. Our findings revealed that the risk of being treated with a mechanical ventilator or ECMO (critical condition) was almost twice as high in men, and a previous history of hypertension, diabetes, and psychiatric diseases increased the risk for progressing to critical condition [Odds Ratio (95% CI), 1.60 (1.14–2.24); 1.55 (1.55–2.06); 1.73 (1.25–2.39), respectively]. Although chronic pulmonary disease did not significantly increase the risk for severity of the illness, patients with a Charlson comorbidity index score of ≥5 and those treated in an outbreak area had an increased risk of developing a critical condition [3.82 (3.82–8.15); 1.59 (1.20–2.09), respectively]. Our results may help clinicians predict the demand for medical resources during the spread of COVID-19 infection and identify patients who are likely to develop severe disease.

Purpose To investigate the clinical findings and natural course of patients with pigmented paravenous chorioretinal atrophy (PPCRA) using multimodal imaging. Design Retrospective, observational case series. Methods We reviewed the records of consecutive patients diagnosed with PPCRA at a single center and assessed serial fundus photographs, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images. Electrophysiological findings and visual field analysis were also reviewed. Results The study included 50 eyes in 25 patients. The mean age of the population was 51.6 ± 14.6 years. Nine patients (36.0%) were asymptomatic and 9 (36.0%) complained of nyctalopia. We divided fundus appearance into one of 3 groups: paravenous (58.0%), focal (16.0%), and confluent (26.0%). Of the 50 eyes, macular involvement was present in 13 eyes (26.0%). Fifteen patients (60.0%) demonstrated a symmetric fundus appearance, whereas 10 (40.0%) had marked asymmetry. Eight eyes (16.0%) exhibited apparent changes in fundus findings, over a mean follow-up period of 8.8 years. FAF imaging was most sensitive to evaluate the extent of lesions. Sixteen eyes (44.4%) showed progressive visual field loss during the follow-up period. Most patients maintained stable vision, and 36 eyes (72.0%) had a final visual acuity of 20/50 or better. Nevertheless, some eyes with macular involvement experienced severe deterioration in vision. Electrophysiological data were variable, and interocular asymmetry was common (45.8%). Conclusions PPCRA can present with a more variable expressivity than previously described. Multimodal imaging can provide insights into its clinical characteristics to facilitate the diagnosis, classification, and follow-up of these patients.

Retinal Detachment in X-Linked Retinoschisis A 19-year-old man with X-linked retinoschisis presented with worsening vision in his right eye. Examination of the right fundus showed prominent retinal...

Purpose To evaluate the effect of adalimumab in pediatric uveitis and subsequent changes in anterior chamber inflammation following the inactivation of uveitis. Methods In this retrospective study, patients with noninfectious uveitis younger than 18 years of age who were treated with adalimumab for more than 12 months were included. The rate of complete suppression and the relapse in anterior chamber inflammation following the initiation of adalimumab therapy were evaluated using anterior chamber cell score and laser flare photometry (LFP) values, if available. Changes in visual acuity and the sparing effect of topical steroid agents were also evaluated. Results Among 22 eyes of 12 pediatric uveitis patients enrolled, 13 eyes were associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and nine eyes had idiopathic uveitis. The mean ± standard deviation age was 10.2 ± 3.6 years. Types of uveitis included anterior uveitis (n = 17) and panuveitis (n = 5). Quiescence was observed in 14 eyes (63.6%) at 3 months and in 21 eyes (95.5%) at 12 months after initiation, respectively. After achieving inactive uveitis, uveitis relapsed in two eyes at 6 months, even with adalimumab treatment. In 11 eyes, anterior chamber showed 0.5+ cell scores during the rest of the follow-up period and one of those eyes met the criteria for the relapse based on LFP values. The dosage of topical steroids decreased significantly at 3, 9, and 12 months after the initiation of therapy (p ≤ 0.05). Visual acuity did not show improvement. There were no severe adverse effects of anti-tumor necrosis factor-α treatment reported. Conclusions In this study, adalimumab achieved a quiescent state in most eyes with pediatric noninfectious uveitis for 12 months with a relapse rate of 9.5%. LFP values together with the anterior chamber cell score can be utilized to monitor the improvement or relapse in anterior chamber inflammation in pediatric noninfectious uveitis.

Purpose: To investigate the incidence and risk factors of blindness in uveitis. Methods: From a national sample cohort (n = 1,025,340), we selected 9,036 new-onset uveitis patients. Incidences of unilateral and bilateral blindness (visual acuities ���20/400) were estimated and socioeconomic and clinical risk factors for unilateral blindness in uveitis patients were identified. Result: Incidence of unilateral and bilateral blindness was 2.93 and 0.42 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. The risk factors for unilateral blindness were age >40 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.77, 95% CI [confidence interval], 1.11���6.92) and low household income (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.02���1.98) in uveitis overall, and Beh��et���s disease (HR, 4.49; 95% CI, 1.59���12.71) in non-anterior uveitis, respectively. Conclusions: Low household income and Beh��et���s disease influence the risk of blindness in uveitis patients. These findings will help in assessing blindness-related socioeconomic burdens and planning health-care strategies for uveitis patients.

The prediction of atherosclerosis using retinal fundus images and deep learning has not been shown possible. The purpose of this study was to develop a deep learning model which predicted atherosclerosis by using retinal fundus images and to verify its clinical implications by conducting a retrospective cohort analysis.Retrospective cohort study.The database at the Health Promotion Center of Seoul National University Hospital (HPC-SNUH) was used. The deep learning model was trained using 15,408 images to predict carotid artery atherosclerosis, which was named the deep-learning funduscopic atherosclerosis score (DL-FAS). A retrospective cohort was constructed of participants 30-80 years old who had completed elective health examinations at HPC-SNUH. Using DL-FAS as the main exposure, participants were followed for the primary outcome of death due to CVD until Dec. 31, 2017.For predicting carotid artery atherosclerosis among subjects, the model achieved an area under receiver operating curve (AUROC) and area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 0.713, 0.569, 0.583, 0.891, 0.404, 0.465, and 0.865 respectively. The cohort consisted of 32,227 participants, 78 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths, and 7.6-year median follow-up visits. Those with DL-FAS greater than 0.66 had an increased risk of CVD deaths compared to those with DL-FAS0.33 (hazard ratio: 8.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.16-24.7). Risk association was significant among intermediate and high Framingham risk score (FRS) subgroups. The DL-FAS improved the concordance by 0.0266 (95% CI, 0.0043-0.0489) over the FRS-only model. The relative integrated discrimination index was 20.45% and net reclassification index was 29.5%.A deep learning model was developed which could predict atherosclerosis from retinal fundus images. The resulting DL-FAS was an independent predictor of CVD deaths when adjusted for FRS and added predictive value over FRS.

Based on biomechanical theory, lamina cribrosa (LC) displacement, the key component of progressive glaucomatous change, is presumed to be dependent on intraocular pressure (IOP) as well as tissue stiffness of LC. In the performance of the Valsalva maneuver, both IOP and cerebrospinal fluid pressure can increase. The present study investigated the age-dependent variation of LC displacement during the standardized Valsalva maneuver in healthy subjects. Sixty-three (63) eyes (age range: 20–76 years) were prospectively underwent IOP measurement and Cirrus HD-OCT optic disc scans before and during the standardized Valsalva maneuver. During the standardized Valsalva maneuver, the IOP significantly increased from 13.2 ± 2.9 mmHg to 18.6 ± 5.2 mmHg (P P = 0.009), a smaller increase of IOP during the Valsalva maneuver (P = 0.002), and greater baseline maximal LC depth (P = 0.013) were associated with more anterior displacement of the LC during the standardized Valsalva maneuver. Taken together, age as well as translaminar pressure dynamics seems to play a crucial role in LC biomechanics.

Retinal fundus images provide an opportunity to visualize vessels directly and non-invasively. Here, we develop a deep learning model that estimates the patients' age using only retinal fundus images and investigate its association with abnormal carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and all-cause mortality. Using the database at the Health Promotion Center of Seoul National University Hospital, the model was trained on 96,968 fundus images and validated using 6,579 independent participants via cross-sectional and retrospective cohort analysis. The primary exposure of the study was the fundus age difference (FAD), or the fundus age minus the actual age, where the fundus age was defined as the averaged predicted age of both left and right fundus images. Compared to participants with fundus age younger than their actual age ( $\text{FAD} \leqslant 0$ ), those with $\text{FAD} > 5$ had significantly higher odds of abnormal CIMT (OR, 95%CI; 1.55, 1.07-2.23; p-trend, 0.002). Over a median follow-up of 5.6 years among 6,579 persons, $\text{FAD} > 3$ was associated with all-cause mortality (HR, 95%CI; 2.13, 1.08-4.21; p-trend, 0.040). The fundus age difference was significantly associated with abnormal CIMT and all-cause mortality. With deep learning, retinal fundus images can be used to stratify risks of atherosclerosis and all-cause mortality and may benefit the clinical evaluation of patients.

거대세포바이러스병은 혈액종양 질환을 가진 환자군에서는 주로 조혈모세포이식을 받은 환자에게서 발현하는 것으로 보고되고 있으나, 드물게 조혈모세포이식을 받지 않고 항암 치료 중에 발현하는 경우가 있다. 저자들은 발열과 시력 저하를 주소로 입원한 7세 남자에게서 백혈병 유지 치료 중 발현한 거대세포바이러스 망막염을 진단하여 보고하는 바이다. 초기에 거대세포바이러스 항원혈증검사 수치가 51 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes로 높게 보고되었으나 조혈모세포이식을 받은 병력이 없어 항바이러스 치료를 시행하지 않았다가 3주 후 항원혈증검사 수치가 170 positive cells/200,000 leukocytes로 증가하여 시행한 안과 검진에서 양안의 망막 침범 소견과 과립형 병변이 확인되어 거대세포바이러스 망막염으로 진단되었다. 총 4주간의 정맥 내 ganciclovir 치료와 6회의 유리체강 내 ganciclovir 주입술을 시행한 후 경구 valganciclovir 치료를 1달간 더 시행하였다. 치료 시작 1달 후 거대세포바이러스 항원혈증검사가 음성이 되었고 안저검사에서 호전 소견을 보였다. 본 증례와 같이 거대세포바이러스병에 이환되기 쉬운 고위험군 환자들에 대한 선별 검사와 적절한 치료 방침에 대한 논의가 필요하겠다.

Purpose: To investigate the change in nationwide incidence of endophthalmitis following cataract surgery in Korea from 2002 to 2013.Methods: From a national sample cohort (n = 1 025 340), c...

Background Anterior uveitis is the most common extra-articular manifestation of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). AS-related anterior uveitis frequently presents as acute, recurrent iridocyclitis; therefore, AS is often initially suspected by an ophthalmologist, not by a rheumatologist. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between the recurrence of anterior uveitis and the subsequent incidence of AS. Methods From a national sample cohort, 10,483 patients with new-onset uveitis between 2004 and 2013 and 52415 matched control subjects who had never experienced uveitis were selected. Among the patients with new-onset uveitis, a subpopulation of patients with recurrent uveitis, defined as a minimum 120-day reported interval between consecutive claims of uveitis (based on diagnostic codes) treated with local or systemic steroids or immune-modulating drugs, was identified. The incidence rates of AS were calculated according to the number of episodes of uveitis, and the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were derived on the basis of the incidence rate in the control group. Results The incidence rate per 100,000 person-years of AS after the first uveitis episode was 121.5, whereas the incidence in the control group was 16.9 (IRR, 7.40; 95% CI, 4.99–10.98); after the second uveitis episode, the IRR increased to 17.71 (95% CI, 10.44–30.06). In male and female patients with recurrent uveitis, the incidence rates of AS were 284.1 and 268.7 per 100,000 person-years, respectively. In patients aged under 40 years, the IRR of the recurrent uveitis group was 46.78 (95% CI, 19.61–111.61). In patients aged over 59 years, AS incidence in the recurrent uveitis group did not differ from that in the control group. Conclusions The risk of subsequent AS increased with the number of episodes of anterior uveitis. This quantitative evidence could contribute to the establishment of a rationale for ancillary workup for possible systemic associations in patients with recurrent uveitis. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13075-018-1522-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

PURPOSE To compare clinical outcomes after full-fluence and half-fluence photodynamic therapy (PDT) in chronic central serous chorioretinopathy, focusing on changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. METHODS Retrospective, comparative interventional case series. RESULTS In the full-fluence (n = 25) and half-fluence groups (n = 43), SFCT decreased from 351 ± 70 μm and 362 ± 63 μm at baseline to 276 ± 65 μm and 322 ± 70 μm at 3 months and remained at 267 ± 66 μm and 318 ± 76 μm at 12 months, respectively (all P < 0.001, for each comparison with baseline). The change in SFCT was greater in the full-fluence group than in the half-fluence group (P = 0.001). In the half-fluence group, SFCT was thicker in the treated eye than in the fellow eye (P = 0.045), whereas in the full-fluence group, the difference in SFCT was not significant (P = 0.209). Best-corrected visual acuity and central retinal thickness improved after PDT in both groups (all P < 0.001). However, the differences between the groups were not significant (P = 0.873 and P = 0.124, respectively). CONCLUSION The results at 1 year show that full-fluence PDT reduces SFCT more than half-fluence PDT, and that SFCT after half-fluence PDT was still thicker than that in the fellow eye. The clinical implications of this finding for long-term outcomes including recurrence rate remain to be elucidated.

Background Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease typically diagnosed in young age and follows a chronic progressive course. Its impact on the patient is life-long and the burden that AS exerts on society is increasing cumulatively every year. We aimed to quantify the burden of AS and to identify the factors associated with comorbidity, disability, and healthcare expenditure in Korean AS patients. Methods We conducted a nationwide, population-based study using health insurance data (2003–2013). The analysis included individuals with incident AS (1,111 patients) and controls (5,555 patients) matched by age, sex, income, and geographic region. The incidence rates of extra-articular manifestations (EAMs), comorbidities, mortality, and disability (type and severity) were compared between AS patients and controls. Annual health expenditure per patient was also analyzed. Associations were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs). Results During the follow-up, 28% of AS patients experienced at least one EAM. AS diagnosis was significantly associated with Charlson comorbidity index ≥3 (OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.91–2.48). Disability rate was higher in AS patients than in controls regardless of cause and severity (OR 2.94, 95% CI 2.48–3.48), but crude incidence rate ratios for mortality were not significantly higher. On multivariate analysis, male sex (OR 3.18, 95% CI 2.13–4.75), presence of an EAM (OR 1.63, 95% CI 1.15–2.32), and older age at diagnosis (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.20–1.35) were evidently associated with increased disability in AS. Presence of an EAM was also associated with increased AS-unrelated expenditures in biologic-naive patients (median, 1112 vs. 877 USD per person, P < 0.05). Conclusions In patients with AS, demographic factors and systemic manifestations including EAMs and other comorbidities were associated with increased disability and healthcare expenditures.

To investigate the validity and reliability of Microsoft Kinect-based head tracker (KHT) for measuring head posture.Considering the cervical range of motion (CROM) as a reference, one-dimensional and three-dimensional (1D and 3D) head postures of 12 normal subjects (28-58 years of age; 6 women and 6 men) were obtained using the KHT. The KHT was validated by Pearson's correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation (ICC) coefficient. Test-retest reliability of the KHT was determined by its 95% limit of agreement (LoA) with the Bland-Altman plot. Face recognition success rate was evaluated for each head posture.Measurements of 1D and 3D head posture performed using the KHT were very close to those of the CROM with correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.97 (p0.05), respectively, as well as with an ICC of0.99 and 0.98, respectively. The reliability tests of the KHT in terms of 1D and 3D head postures had 95% LoA angles of approximately ±2.5° and ±6.5°, respectively.The KHT showed good agreement with the CROM and relatively favourable test-retest reliability. Considering its high performance, convenience and low cost, KHT could be clinically used as a head posture-measuring system.

Purpose To determine the factors influencing the anterior lamina cribrosa (LC) surface depth (LCD) in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG), focusing on the association between LCD and the position of the central retinal vessel trunk (CRVT) at the anterior LC surface. Methods Optic nerve heads of 205 OAG eyes were scanned using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). After processing the images using adaptive compensation, the LCD was determined from 11 horizontal B-scan images that divided the optic disc vertically into 12 equal parts. Eyes were divided into two groups (central or peripheral) according to where the CRVT exits from the anterior LC surface. The influence of CRVT position on LCD was evaluated, taking into account age, gender, untreated intraocular pressure (IOP), IOP at optic-disc scanning, retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness, visual-field mean deviation, central corneal thickness, and axial length. Results Patients in the peripheral CRVT group were younger and more myopic, and had a larger mean LCD and thinner global RNFL than those in the central CRVT group (all P≤0.023). On multivariate analysis, the peripheral CRVT location was significantly associated with a larger LCD (P = 0.002), together with the significant association of younger age (P

Traumatic eye injury is the leading cause of unilateral blindness worldwide, especially in developing countries. Open globe injuries, which have the tendency to lead to severe visual impairment, account for about 10% of these injuries (1). The risk for open globe injury was highest in young adults (2) who were actively engaged in economic activities; therefore, open globe injuries not only affect the quality of life and economic condition of patients, but also cause a great deal of cost for society as a whole (3).

Although dermal/subcutaneous injection of filler into the face is a popular aesthetic surgery, severe complications related to arterial occlusion, including skin necrosis and visual loss, have been reported. Herein, we report a case of intra-arterial hyaluronidase infusion in the ophthalmic artery and other arteries supplying the facial skin following hyaluronic acid injection at the glabella and nasal ala. Despite direct hyaluronidase infusion into the ophthalmic artery, retinal arterial perfusion was not restored, but branches of the ophthalmic and facial arteries were recanalised. Skin discoloration was normalised, and partial recovery of retinal and choroidal perfusion and complete recovery of ocular movement were achieved.

Purpose To compare the clinical outcomes between deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) and penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) with same-size grafts in patients with keratoconus. Methods Medical records of 16 eyes from 15 patients treated from June 2005 through April 2011 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with contact lens intolerance or who were poor candidates for contact lens fitting due to advanced cone underwent keratoplasty. The transplantations consisted of 11 DALK and 5 PKP with same-size grafting for keratoconus. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), refractive error, corneal topographic profiling, and clinical course were compared between DALK and PKP groups. Results The follow-up period was 30 ± 17 months in the DALK group and 45 ± 20 months in the PKP group (p = 0.145). At final follow-up, the DALK and PKP groups achieved a BCVA (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) of 0.34 and 0.52, respectively (p = 0.980). Postoperative refractive error and mean simulated keratometric index showed myopic astigmatism in both groups without any statistical difference. Corneal irregularity index measured at 5 mm in the DALK group was less than that of the PKP group at 1-year follow-up (p = 0.021); however, at final follow-up, there was no longer a statistically significant difference. Endothelial cell counts were lower in the PKP group than in the DALK group at final follow-up (p = 0.021). Conclusions The optical outcomes of DALK with same-size grafts for keratoconus are comparable to those of PKP. Endothelial cell counts are more stable in DALK compared to PKP.