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Purpose To assess the association between insufficient follow-up and clinical parameters such as disease severity and medication use among glaucoma patients at a metropolitan county hospital. Design Cross-sectional study Methods Two-hundred and six patients with established glaucoma were recruited from San Francisco General Hospital. Subjects were classified based upon compliance with recommended follow-up examination intervals over the year preceding commencement of the study as determined by patient medical records. Glaucoma severity was determined based upon the American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Patterns guidelines. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between adherence with follow-up visits and disease severity. Results After adjustment for the impact of potential confounding variables, subjects with severe glaucomatous disease were found to have been less adherent to their recommended follow-up than those patients with mild or moderate glaucomatous disease (adjusted OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.21–2.94; P = .01). Subjects who were on glaucoma medications were found to be less adherent to follow-up recommendations (adjusted OR 3.29, 95% CI 1.41–7.65, P = .01). Conclusion Subjects with poor follow-up adherence were significantly more likely to have severe glaucomatous disease suggesting that poor follow-up may contribute to disease worsening or, alternatively, those with more severe disease are less inclined to follow up at appropriate intervals.

Purpose: Epiretinal proliferation is a distinct clinical entity from epiretinal membrane that is classically associated with lamellar macular holes, but its prevalence and association with full-thickness macular holes (FTMH) have not been well described. We characterize MHEP macular hole associated epiretinal proliferation (MHEP) and its effects on long-term surgical outcomes. Design: Multi-center, interventional, retrospective case control study. Subjects: Consecutive eyes that underwent surgery for FTMH with a minimum of 12-months follow-up. Methods: All eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy, removal of any epiretinal membranes, and gas tamponade, with or without internal limiting membrane peeling. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography imaging was obtained pre- and post-operatively. Main Outcome Measures: Improvement in visual acuity and single surgery hole closure rates in eyes with, versus without, MHEP at 12 months. Results: 725 charts were analyzed, and 113 patients met inclusion criteria. Of 113 eyes with FTMH, 30 (26.5%) had MHEP. Patients with FTMH and MHEP were older (P < 0.002), more often male (P = 0.001), and with more advanced macular hole stages than those without MHEP (P = 0.010). A full posterior vitreous detachment was more common in eyes with MHEP (P < 0.004). FTMH with MHEP had significantly less improvement in visual acuity 12-months postoperatively (P = 0.019) with higher rates of ellipsoid and external limiting membrane defects (P < 0.05) and with a higher rate of failure to close with one surgery compared to FTMH without MHEP (26.7% versus 4.8% [P = 0.002]). Peeling the internal limiting membrane was associated with improved rates of hole closure in FTMH with MHEP (P < 0.001). Multivariable testing confirmed that the presence of MHEP was an independent risk factor for less visual improvement (P = 0.031), single-surgery non-closure (P = 0.009), and that ILM peeling improved single-surgery closure rates (P = 0.026). Conclusions: We found that FTMH with MHEP has poorer anatomic and visual outcomes after vitrectomy compared to FTMH without MHEP. ILM peeling was associated with improved closure rates and should be considered when MHEP is detected preoperatively.

Objective To assess the association between disease severity and adherence with glaucoma medications in a county hospital population. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants One hundred and twenty-six patients diagnosed with glaucoma receiving intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering medication were recruited from the San Francisco General Hospital Ophthalmology Clinic. Methods Subjects completed an oral questionnaire to assess demographic information, knowledge of glaucoma, and perceptions of glaucoma medication adherence. Glaucoma disease severity was classified according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Preferred Practice Pattern guidelines. Medication adherence was measured for each patient by obtaining pharmacy refill data and calculating medication possession ratio (MPR)—ratio of total days’ supply of medication during a 365-day period. Adherence was measured retrospectively over the 18-month period prior to study entry. Subjects with a MPR > 80% were considered adherent. Main Outcome Measure Medication adherence Results Subjects with mild or moderate glaucoma were more likely to be non-adherent to their prescribed glaucoma medications than those with severe disease (adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.54; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.03–2.31; P = 0.04). Age, gender, race, education level, years of glaucoma, number of medications and glaucoma diagnosis were not found to be statistically significantly associated with adherence. Conclusion Patients with severe glaucoma were more likely to adhere to their topical IOP lowering medication regimen than those with milder glaucomatous disease.

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We describe the benefits of perfluoro-N-octane (PFO), a perfluorocarbon liquid, in the removal of nonmagnetic intraocular foreign bodies (IOFBs) from the macula and posterior segment. Two consecutive cases of posterior segment IOFB were reviewed. An 18-year-old male presented to the emergency room after a motor vehicle accident with a zone 1 open globe injury and large glass IOFB in the left eye. A 53-year-old male presented to the emergency room with a history of a 3-week delayed presentation of a zone 1 open globe injury from a nail to the right eye. He was found to have a metallic IOFB. In both cases, PFO was used to slide the nonmagnetic IOFBs outside of the macula for safer retrieval. PFO was also able to protect the posterior pole from IOFB drops during early attempts at removal. PFO can be a useful surgical adjunct to pars plana vitrectomy in the removal of certain nonmagnetic IOFBs.