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Neovascular glaucoma (NVG) is a refractory form of glaucoma, associated with important morbidity, for which no consensus exists regarding the optimal choice of therapy. The primary aim of our study was to compare the performances of micropulse transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (MP-TSCPC) and continuous wave transscleral cyclophotocoagulation (CW-TSCPC) in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma (NVG). A total of 24 eyes for MP-TSCPC and 22 eyes for CW-TSCPC, all with NVG were included. The procedures were performed using either the Iridex Cyclo G6 (IRIDEX Laser System), the MP3, or the G-Probe devices. Intraocular pressure (IOP), visual acuity (VA), the mean number of antiglaucoma medications, and postoperative complications were monitored. The minimum follow-up was 12 months. The success rate at 12 months was 54.5% in the CW-TSCPC group and 33.3% in the MP-TSCPC group. The mean IOP at baseline was 35.82 mm Hg for CW-TSCPC and 34.71 mm Hg for MP-TSCPC. The change from baseline in IOP at 12 months was 11.95 mm Hg in the CW-TSCPC group and -8.04 mm Hg in the MP-TSCPC group. There was a significant difference in the occurrence of serious complications (worsening of VA, hypotony, and phthisis bulbi) between the two methods, with CW-TSCPC associated with more important adverse effects (P=0.045). There was a decrease in the number of topical antiglaucoma medications in both groups: in the MP-TSCPC group from a mean number of 2.6 at baseline, to 1.7 at 3 months, followed by a slight increase to 2.1 at 12 months and in the CW-TSCPC group from 2.8 at baseline, to 1.4 at 3 months and 1.9 at 12 months. Our study concluded that both MP-TSCPC and CW-TSCPC could manage NVG, but, while CW-TSCPC revealed higher IOP control in the long term (which did not reach statistical significance), it also had a significantly lower safety profile.

Infectious keratitis is a leading cause of visual morbidity, including blindness, all across the globe, especially in developing countries. Prompt and adequate treatment is mandatory to maintain corneal integrity and to recover the best possible final visual acuity. Although in most of the cases practitioners chose to employ empirical broad-spectrum antimicrobial medication that is usually effective, in some instances, they face the need to identify the causative agent to establish the appropriate therapy. An extensive search was conducted on published literature before December 2020 concerning the main laboratory investigations used to identify the microbial agents found in infectious keratitis, their indications, advantages, and disadvantages, as well as the results reported by other studies concerning different diagnostic tools. At present, the gold standard for diagnosis is still considered to be the isolation of microorganisms in cultures, along with the examination of smears, but other newer techniques, such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), next-generation sequencing (NGS), and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) have gained popularity in the last decades. Currently, these newer methods have proved to be valuable adjuvants in making the diagnosis, but technological advances hold promise that, in the future, these methods will have increased performance and availability, and may become the new gold standard, replacing the classic cultures and smears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most common disorders of the ocular surface are dry eye disease (DED) and ocular allergy (OA). These conditions are frequently coexisting with or without a clinical overlap and can cause a severe impact on the patient's quality of life. Therefore, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish between DED and OA because similar changes and manifestations may be present. Atopic patients can also develop DED, which can aggravate their manifestations. Moreover, patients with DED can develop ocular allergies, so these two pathological entities of the ocular surface can be considered as mutual conditions that share the same background. Nowadays, by using different techniques to collect tissue from ocular surfaces, the changes in molecular homeostasis can be detected and this can lead to a precise diagnosis. The article provides an up-to-date review of the various ocular surface biomarkers that have been identified in DED, OA, or both conditions. Abbreviations: DED = dry eye disease, OA = ocular allergy, SS = Sjogren syndrome, TBUT = tear break up time, TFO = tear film osmolarity, AKC = Atopic keratoconjunctivitis, ANXA1 = Annexin 1, ANXA11 = Annexin 11, CALT = Conjunctival associated lymphoid tissue, CCL2/MIP-1 = Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand2/Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, CCL3/MIP-1α = Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 3/Macrophage inflammatory protein 1 alpha, CCL4/MIP-1β = Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 4/Macrophage inflammatory protein 1 beta, CCL5/RANTES = Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 5 /Regulated on Activation, Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted, CCR2 = Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 2, CCR5 = Chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5, CD3+ = Cluster of differentiation 3 positive, CD4+ = Cluster of differentiation 4 positive, CD8+ = Cluster of differentiation 8 positive, CGRP = Calcitonin-gene-related peptide, CX3CL1 C-X3 = C motif -chemokine ligand 1 /Fractalkine, CXCL8 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 8, CXCL9 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 9, CXCL10 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10, CXCL11 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 11, CXCL12 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 12, CXCR4 = Chemokine (C-X-C motif) receptor 4, EGF = Epidermal growth factor, HLA-DR = Human leukocyte antigen-D-related, ICAM-1 = Intercellular adhesion molecule 1, IFN-γ = Interferon-gamma, IgG = Immunoglobulin G, IgE = Immunoglobulin E, IL-1 = Interleukin-1, IL-1α = Interleukin-1 alpha, IL-1β = Interleukin-1 beta, CGRP = Calcitonin-Gene-Related Peptide, IL-3 = Interleukin-3, IL-4 = Interleukin-4, IL-6 = Interleukin-6, IL-8 = Interleukin-8, IL-10 = Interleukin-10, IL-17 = Interleukin-17, IL-17A = Interleukin-17A, LPRR3 = Lacrimal proline-rich protein 3, LPRR4 = Lacrimal proline-rich protein 4, MUC5AC = Mucin 5 subtype AC, oligomeric mucus/gel-forming, MUC16 = Mucin 16, OCT = Optical coherence tomography, OGVHD = Ocular graft versus host disease, PAX6 = Paired-box protein 6, VKC = Vernal keratoconjunctivitis, TGF-β = Transforming growth factor β, S100 = proteins Calcium activated signaling proteins, Th1 = T helper 1 cell, Th17 = T helper 17 cell, MGD = Meibomian gland dysfunction, TFOS = Tear film and ocular surface society, SS-KCS = Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca, MMP-9 = Matrix metalloproteinase 9, MMP-1 = Matrix metalloproteinase 1, ZAG = Zinc alpha glycoprotein, CBA = Cytometric bead array, MALDI TOF-MS = matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight, SELDI TOF-MS = surface-enhanced laser desorption ionization-time of flight, IVCM = in vivo confocal microscopy, AS-OCT = anterior segment optical coherence tomography, iTRAQ = Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation, LC-MS = Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, LCN-1 = lipocalin 1, PIP = prolactin induced protein, NGF = Nerve growth factor, PRR4 = proline rich protein 4, VIP = Vasoactive intestinal peptide, ELISA = enzyme linked immunoassay, TNF-α = tumor necrosis factor alpha, PAC = perennial allergic conjunctivitis, SAC = seasonal allergic conjunctivitis, IC = impression cytology, RT-PCR = reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, PCR = polymerase chain reaction, APCs = antigen-presenting cells, NK cells = natural killer cells, HEL = hexanoyl-lysine, 4-HNE = 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, MDA = malondialdehyde., (#x00A9; The Authors.Romanian Society of Ophthalmology.)