Search

Background: Although relationship between the retinal vessel caliber (RVC) and glaucoma is well known, there has been a paucity of information on the effects of glaucoma-related optic nerve head (ONH) structural factors on the RVC. Information on this relationship should be useful in studying possible roles of ocular circulation in the development and progression of glaucoma.Method: Subjects were from Kumejima Study participants aged 40 years and older in Kumejima, Japan. Normal subjects and eyes were defined according to standardized systemic and ocular examinations. The central retinal artery and vein equivalents (CRAE and CRVE) were determined on fundus photographs by correcting the magnification using the refractive error, corneal curvature, and axial length (AL) of an individual eye and paraxial ray tracing; the ONH structural parameters were determined by planimetry.Results: In a total of 558 right eyes (558 normal subjects), aged 49.0 ± 7.1 (standard deviation) years with gradable photographs and planimetric results, CRAE averaged 136.1 ± 12.3 μm and CRVE 216.9 ± 17.4 μm. After adjustment for the effects of confounding factors in multivariate analysis, the AL (P < 0.001), rim area (P = 0.019), disc area (P = 0.042), and smoking (P = 0.035-0.043) correlated positively, and the mean blood pressure (P < 0.001) negatively with CRAE; the AL (P < 0.001), rim area (P = 0.001), disc area (P = 0.005), smoking (P < 0.001), and male sex (P = 0.013) correlated positively, and the β-peripapillary atrophy (β-PPA) area (P = 0.044), vertical Cup/Disc ratio (v-C/D) (P = 0.035), and age (P < 0.001) negatively with CRVE.Conclusion: The current study showed significant effects of rim area, v-C/D or β-PPA area determined on the photographs on the RVC measurement results. Further, it showed a necessity to incorporate the glaucoma-related ONH structural parameters as co-variables to correctly estimate the effects of various factors on the RVC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To evaluate the effects of pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) on recurrent macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) after intravitreal injections of bevacizumab (IVB). Methods.This retrospective study included 22 eyes of 22 patients who underwent single or multiple IVB injections for macular edema due to BRVO and showed a recurrence of macular edema. All patients then underwent PPV and were followed up for more than 6 months after the surgery with examinations of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). OCT parameters were central macular thickness (CMT) and average retinal thickness in a 1-mm-diameter circular region at the fovea (MRT). Results. Mean BCVA, CRT, and MRT were significantly improved from the baseline after PPV. Greater improvement of BCVA, CRT, and MRT was obtained after 1 month of IVB than after 6 months of PPV. No eyes showed worsening of macular edema after the surgery. Conclusion. PPV improved BCVA and recurrent macular edema due to BRVO, but PPV that was less effective than IVB had been in the same patients. PPV may be one of the treatment options for recurrent macular edema due to BRVO after IVB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the visual outcomes of three different treatments for macular edema associated with a branch retinal vein occlusion. Methods: A 1-year, non-randomized study was conducted at 21 ophthalmological institutes in Japan. All of the patients received one of three treatments: medication per-oral (PO), photocoagulation (PC) or pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). Retinal hemorrhage that was lower than that shown in reference photographs was considered an inclusion criteria. Results: Ninety-eight patients were studied. Twenty-six (26.5%) patients were in the PO, 37 (37.8%) in the PC and 35 (35.7%) in the PPV group. The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved significantly after 1 year in all groups ( P < 0.001). There was no significant difference among those groups in the degree of the BCVA improvement. However, the BCVA in the PPV group improved significantly at 6 months, significantly earlier than in the other two groups. The BCVA at entry in the PPV group was significantly worst among patients whose eyes had a BCVA of ≥0.7 at 1 year ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: PPV had a slight advantage over PC and PO, although the improvement to the BCVA did not differ significantly following any of the three treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To describe the findings of fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Methods. In this institutional, retrospective, observational case series, FAF was evaluated in 65 eyes with BRVO in 64 consecutive patients and compared with visual acuity, OCT findings, and other clinical observations. Results. Five types of autofluorescence appeared during the course of BRVO: (1) petaloid-shaped hyperautofluorescence in the area of macular edema and (2) hyperautofluorescence coincident with yellow subretinal deposits. (3) Diffuse hyperautofluorescence appeared within the area of serous retinal detachment (SRD) and OCT showed precipitates on the undersurface of the retina in 5/5 of these eyes (100%). (4) The area of vein occlusion showed diffuse hyperautofluorescence after resolution of the retinal bleeding. (5) Hard exudates exhibited hyper- or hypoautofluorescence. OCT indicated that most of the hard exudates with hyperautofluorescence were located on the retinal pigment epithelium. Conclusions. Hyperautofluorescence associated with subretinal fluid or hard exudate appeared in the subretinal space. This type of hyperautofluorescence may be attributed to blood cell or macrophages. FAF and OCT are noninvasive modalities that provide additional information regarding macular edema due to BRVO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]