PurposeTo investigate optical coherence tomography (OCT) characteristics in diabetic macular edema (DME) over time and after treatment.Patients and methodsOCT morphological features in DME eyes treated with ranibizumab with at least 1 year of follow-up were retrospectively analyzed.ResultsThirty-five eyes were included. From baseline to Month 12, mean visual gain was 7.2±13.6 letters and mean central retinal thickness reduction was 61.9±121.8 μm. Fovea-involving ellipsoid zone (EZ) disruption was significantly associated with final vision of <70 letters. Subretinal fluid at baseline was present only in eyes naïve to previous intravitreal pharmacotherapy and was related to better visual gain and fewer injections. Treatment-naïve eyes had shorter DME duration and less EZ damage.ConclusionDME characteristics on OCT may change over time or after treatment. Subretinal fluid may be associated with earlier change and less EZ damage in DME.

PurposeTo investigate the association between baseline retinal microstructures observed with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and the need for early intervention in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC).MethodsCases of acute CSC from July 2011 to December 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. OCT images were further classified using six parameters: foveal serous retinal detachment; pigment epithelial detachment; fibrinous exudates in the subretinal space; retinal pigment epithelium bumps; thickened outer retinal layer and hyper-reflective dots in the intraretinal and/or subretinal layer. Correlation among these parameters and the need for intervention was analysed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to identify the optimal number of parameters for prediction.ResultsA total of 47 eyes from 47 patients were included. Among these, 25 eyes required treatment. The presence of subretinal hyper-reflective dots was the only OCT factor having significant association with the need for intervention. An ROC curve analysis revealed that the optimal cut-off value (Youden index) was achieved when combining subretinal hyper-reflective dots with aged ≥50 years and female sex for analysis (area under the curve, 0.735; Youden index: 0.425).ConclusionThe presence of subretinal/intraretinal hyper-reflective dots observed with OCT, female and aged ≥50 years might help predict the need for early intervention in acute CSC.

Objectives: To provide epidemiologic evidence of whether gout increases the risk of new-onset glaucoma.Methods: We conducted a 13-year nationwide, population-based, retrospective cohort study to examine the association between the history of gout and risk of glaucoma by using the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) of Taiwan. The gout cohort included 52 943 patients with newly diagnosed gout who were recruited between 2000 and 2012. Each patient was propensity score matching with 1:1 person without gout from the LHID. To determine glaucoma occurrence, the study population was followed up until the end of 2013. Cumulative incidence, hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated after adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, and ever ophthalmic visit. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyse the association between gout and incidence of glaucoma amongst patients with different potential risks. Results:The adjusted HR for newly diagnosed glaucoma in the gout cohort was 1.00 (95% CI = 0.93-1.07, P = .931), compared with the non-gout cohort. Stratified subgroup analysis revealed that the HRs of glaucoma were 1.36 (95% CI = 1.09-1.70, P = .007), 0.99 (95% CI = 0.87-1.12, P = .871), and 0.95 (95% CI = 0.87-1.03, P = .235) in patients with gout aged 20-39, 40-54, and ≥55 years, respectively (P for interaction = .011). Conclusion:This nationwide population-based cohort study revealed that gout patients in the age group 20-39 years had a higher risk of glaucoma than non-gout controls.

Background: Retinal detachment (RD) following ocular trauma often results in guarded visual prognosis and sometimes leads to loss of the eye. With the advent of microincisional vitrectomy surgery and the development of surgical techniques, the management of ocular trauma has been transformed. Case Presentation: A 34-year-old man sustained an open globe injury from fragmented glass at work. He received primary repair and another follow-up surgery 9 days later, including vitrectomy, silicone oil tamponade, and lensectomy for RD and traumatic cataract at another medical center. However, his retina was totally detached and completely curled up in a roll with choroid on display when he was seen by us 1 month later. He was managed with vigilant and patient peeling and unfolding of the retina using a 23-gauge forceps and silicone oil tamponade, and achieved anatomical success and preservation of his eye at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions: This report demonstrates that even in cases which appear to be hopeless at presentation, the surgeon’s perseverance and surgical technique can salvage an eye that may otherwise be phthisical. It also encourages retinal surgeons to use microincisional vitrectomy to manage severe traumatic RD.

Retinal artery occlusion (RAO) is most commonly caused by embolism. Evidence showed that hematocrit (Hct) levels are often associated with embolic events. In this study, we aim to investigate the relationship between Hct levels and RAO. This retrospective study enrolled RAO patients between January 2011 and March 2020, who were 1:4 matched by age, gender, index date, and relevant comorbidities with the non-RAO group. Patient characteristics and laboratory data were collected. Univariate conditional logistic regression was applied by estimating crude matched odds ratios to determine the relevant factors for the occurrence of RAO. Furthermore, a narrative review of the relevant study was conducted to explore the association between Hct levels and embolism. Between January 2011 to March 2020, 82 RAO patients and 328 non-RAO patients matched with age, gender, index date, comorbidities of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and atrial fibrillation were enrolled after excluding ineligible individuals. Conditional logistic regression analysis showed that Hct level ≥40% was associated with developing RAO. A forest plot showed a trend of a non-linear dose-response association between Hct levels and ischemic vascular events in male patients. Hct levels ≥40% in patients older than 65 years with at least six comorbidities could be associated with RAO. We suggest that older patients who have multiple comorbidities, combined with elevated Hct levels, should be informed of the possible occurrence of RAO.