PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate whether any stage of diabetic retinopathy (DR) is associated with levels of plasma erythropoietin and other plasma parameters.MethodsIt was examined a representative sample of 180 type 2 diabetes patients aged 40 to 79 years. Ophthalmic examination including a funduscopic examination, performed by an experienced ophthalmologist and the retinal finding were classified according to the grading system for diabetic retinopathy of ETDRS (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study). It was measured the levels of plasma erythropoietin, cholesterol, triglyceride, apolipoproteins A and B, C-reactive protein, fasting blood glucose and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) in 88 DR patients and 92 controls without DR. Risk factors correlated with DR were compared between groups.ResultsThe study group of 180 patients included 72 males and 108 females. The mean age of the patients with and without DR was 57.36 ± 8.87 years and 55.33 ± 8.28 years, respectively. Of the 88 patients with DR, only 9 (10%) had proliferative DR and the rest suffered from non-proliferative DR. The mean plasma levels of erythropoietin in proliferative DR group showed a significant difference in comparison to other groups. The mean plasma levels of cholesterol, triglyceride, apolipoproteins A and B, C-reactive protein, and fasting blood glucose were not significantly different in the three groups except for HbA1C. The absolute relative risk (ARR) also showed that erythropoietin was an increasing risk for proliferative DR (ARR, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.060 to 1.420; odds ratio,1.060).ConclusionsOf the factors studied, erythropoietin level showed significant increase in proliferative DR group. The stepwise raised in mean plasma erythropoietin level which demonstrates significant correlation with proliferative DR versus remaining two groups, will be an indication of its role in proliferative DR.

Purpose: Pterygium is a common fibro-vascular-related eye disease. The fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) helps reduce neovascularization. Previous studies have shown that the serum level of FGF21 correlates with vascular eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity. In this study, the serum FGF21 is compared in patients with and without pterygium. Methods: This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study examines individuals with pterygium who visited the Ophthalmology Clinic of Khatam-al-Anbia Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, during 2017–2018. Control subjects were selected from healthy people without pterygium disease. Patients with a history of acute illness, chronic liver and kidney disease, diabetes, cancer, malnutrition and drug use, women who were pregnant or breastfeeding, and subjects who were taking anticonvulsants or glucocorticoids were excluded as these may affect insulin and glycosuria levels. Sixty people (30 in each group) were chosen using the convenient sampling method. Intravenous blood samples were taken from all patients. After preparing the patients, the freeze was checked using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method after samples had been taken. Data were analyzed by SPSS using an independent t-test, Mann–Whitney, Chi-square, Kruskal–Wallis, and Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests (

A previously healthy 28-year-old white man complained of acute headache and mildly blurred vision since a month earlier which did not respond to analgesics. Brain magnetic resonance imaging was normal. He did not agree to be admitted and nor to additional testing by a neurologist and did not respond to oral acetazolamide. At the next visit (a month later), the ophthalmic examination showed the best corrective vision of 7/10 in both eyes, and 2 + cell in the right eye anterior chamber. Except for leukocytosis and positive C reactive protein, other tests (including cerebrospinal pressure and composition and brain magnetic resonance angiography) were normal. The rheumathologist consultation revealed a history of Behçet in the patient and his brother and HLA B5 was positive. Optic disc swelling significantly decreased with interavenous stroid and the headache disappeared. Two weeks later, visual acuity reached 9/10 and papillitis resolved.

Purpose: This study was conducted to show diverse clinical presentation of ocular surface squamous neoplasia with a rare presentation of caruncle squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods: All cases that had suspicious ocular lesion were included in the treatment study. A detailed history including demographic data was obtained. Clinical features regarding the type of lesion, location, and the involvement of cornea were evaluated. For all patients, excisional biopsy following “Shield’s no-touch technique” with 3 to 4 mm margins of uninvolved tissue and cryotherapy at excisional margins was done. All specimens were sent for a histopathological evaluation. Topical chemotherapy (mitomycin C, 0.02%) was used as an adjunctive therapy following surgical excision for large and diffuse ocular surface tumors. All patients were subjected to long-term regular follow-ups. Results: Twenty-six patients (18 men and 8 women) with a mean age of 54.2 years were enrolled in this study. The results showed that the most common localization was bulbar conjunctiva (92%). Nodular lesions (46.5%) and SCC (57.5%) were the most common clinical and histopathological features, respectively. We observed one rare case of primary SCC of the left caruncle in a 68-year-old man who had an asymptomatic medial canthal mass. Recurrence was found in two patients with SCC, one of them having an orbital extension. Conclusion: The early suspicion of ocular surface neoplasia will be accomplished with a simple excision in most cases, leading to a favorable outcome except in severe progressive cases.

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