Neodymium:YAG laser intraocular lens damage results in opacities in the pseudophakos. When located in the visual axis, these opacities may cause glare and image degradation. In this paper, we report a patient who experienced disabling glare sufficient to require the explanation of the YAG-damaged intraocular lens. The patient, her management and clinical course, and the pathology of the explanted lens are discussed.
Polymethylmethacrylate and silicone intraocular lenses were subjected to controlled Nd:YAG laser irradiation. Following damage, each lens was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Highly specific morphologic patterns, believed to be pathognomonic for each material, were observed. The physics of damage mechanisms and clinical correlation of damage morphology are discussed.
* BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Improvements in care of low birth weight preterm infants has led to an increased survival of this population. It is not known whether the improved care has decreased the prevalence of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), or whether the survival of even smaller infants has increased the prevalence. The purpose this study was to determine the prevalence of ROP in an inner-city hospital during two time periods to determine whether the prevalence is changing.
* PATIENTS AND METHODS: The frequency and characteristics of ROP were compared between a 10-month observation period in 1995-1996 and published data from a similar time period in 1988-1989.
RESULTS: There were fewer cases of ROP per live births less than 1500 g during 1995-1996 compared with 1988-1989 (P < .0001). This included both mild and severe ROP. When the two racial subgroups were examined separately, there was a statistically significant decline for the black (P < .001) but not the Hispanic population (P = .12). The Mantel-Haenszel χ
p 2
test confirmed that the decline was statistically significant when the two groups were combined (P < .001).
* CONCLUSIONS: In this population, the prevalence of ROP appears to have decreased between 1995-1996 and 1988-1989. The subgroup experiencing the biggest decline was black infants. Other studies should be performed to investigate whether the frequency of ROP has also declined in other settings.
[Ophthalmic Surg Lasers 1999; 30: 12-16.]
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