ObjectiveTo compare patients’ acceptance of and correlate their pain level for bimanual versus metal speculum fixation in intravitreal injections.DesignProspective analysis.ParticipantsSeventy-three eyes of 56 patients.MethodsA questionnaire indicating patients’ discomfort and pain grading immediately after intravitreal injections using either bimanual fixation or metal speculum fixation (Barraquer Wire Speculum).ResultsFifty-six patients who underwent intravitreal injections were enrolled in this study for various conditions. Patients’ overall pain and discomfort were as follows, right eye – bimanual was 0.3 on our grading scale with a standard deviation of 0.54, right eye – metal was 1.6 on our grading scale with a standard deviation of 1.5, left eye – bimanual was 0.41 on our grading scale with a standard deviation of 0.87, and left eye – metal was 1.91 on our grading scale with a standard deviation of 1.14 (P=0.003).ConclusionPatients who underwent bimanual fixation had a much more comfortable experience with less pain in comparison to patients who underwent metal speculum fixation.
Background
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of blindness worldwide, threatening the vision of approximately 10% of patients with diabetes. Many studies have demonstrated that intensive control of the risk factors for DR is essential to reduce the onset and progression of DR. Currently, the relationship between lipid profile and DR is still unclear, especially in Saudi Arabia. We aimed to assess the correlation between both the development and severity of DR with lipid profile and blood pressure among the diabetic patients at the King Abdul-Aziz University hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Methods
This was a retrospective record review study of 298 diabetic patients diagnosed with DR. Retinal findings were correlated to serum lipids levels using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis.
Results
This study included 298 participants with DR. Triglyceride levels, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, and presence of macular edema were significantly associated with DR progression (P = 0.012, P = 0.001, P = 0.002). Other parameters, including total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, HbA1C, body mass index, age, were not significantly associated with DR.
Conclusion
Elevation in serum triglyceride levels and systolic blood pressure showed a statically significant association with diabetic retinopathy. Controlling these factors may help preventing progression and occurrence of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.