Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND: Resident procedure minimums have been established in surgical training programs to ensure adequate training experience. However, achievement of these minimums may fluctuate. Review of resident experience is essential for maintaining successful training curricula. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate trends in ophthalmology resident surgical experience from 2009 to 2015. METHODS: This was a database study reviewing Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education ophthalmology resident surgical case logs. Case logs from 2,797 US ophthalmology residents were reviewed for trends in average surgical cases performed by residents as primary surgeon in the area of cataract, cornea, retina, glaucoma, pediatrics, plastics, and trauma from 2009 to 2015. RESULTS: Significant trends in resident surgical experience were demonstrated in the areas of cataract, retina, and glaucoma, while experience in cornea, pediatrics, plastics, and trauma remained stable. These trends included an increase in average cases of phacoemulsification cataract surgery from 143.8 to 173.6, vitreous tap/inject procedures from 31.3 to 93.1, and glaucoma shunt surgery from 4.5 to 6.7, with a decline in average cases of nonphacoemulsification cataract surgery from 3.8 to 2.2, retinal photocoagulation from 59.6 to 45.5, and filtering surgery from 6 to 4.5. CONCLUSION: Trends in ophthalmology surgical experience in cataract, retina, and glaucoma paralleled new surgical or therapeutic developments as well as practice pattern shifts in these fields. Educators should be cognizant of the impact of such trends on resident experience and determine if curricular adjustments should be made to maintain comprehensive education of physicians-in-training.

PURPOSE: To identify the most common etiologies of corneal disease and the risk factors associated with worse visual outcomes in Changsha, Hunan, located in southern China. METHODS: This observational, cross-sectional study evaluated 100 consecutive patients seen at the cornea clinic of The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University. Ocular history, demographic information, and ocular use of traditional Chinese medicine were recorded and analyzed. Causes of infectious keratitis were diagnosed clinically. Fungal and acanthamoeba keratitis were confirmed by confocal microscopy. Visual impairment was categorized based on visual acuity according to World Health Organization recommendations. A binary logistic regression model was used to calculate odds ratio (OR). RESULTS: One hundred consecutive patients were evaluated. Sixty patients (60%) had noninfectious corneal diseases, most commonly dry eye syndrome (26.7%, n=16), followed by corneal abrasion (18.3%, n=11). Forty-five patients had infectious keratitis, five of whom had both infectious and noninfectious etiologies. Of the patients with infectious keratitis, viral keratitis was the most frequent cause (57.8%, n=26), followed by fungal (20%, n=9) and bacterial (20%, n=9). Older age (OR =5.08, P=0.048), male sex (OR =3.37, P=0.035), and rural residence (OR =3.11, P=0.017) had increased odds of having worse visual impairment. Rural residence was also associated with infectious keratitis (P=0.005), particularly bacterial and fungal keratitis (P=0.046), and a history of ocular trauma (P=0.003). Occupation was not a significant risk factor in this population. Fourteen patients reported use of traditional Chinese medicine, with no association with visual outcomes found. CONCLUSION: Older age, male sex, and rural residence were associated with worse visual impairment. Prevalence and outcome of corneal diseases may be improved with an increased awareness in these populations.

PURPOSE: To investigate the frequency and clinical features of exfoliation syndrome (XFS) and exfoliative glaucoma (XFG) in northern China. DESIGN: A retrospective medical chart review. METHODS: The review was conducted in Beijing Tongren Hospital. Using diagnosis codes, all consecutive patients with XFS/XFG were included in the study. Exfoliation syndrome was diagnosed if the patient had exfoliationmaterial (XFM) on the pupillary margin or anterior lens capsule. RESULTS: Of 73,976 inpatient records, 45 patients (75 eyes) with XFS/XFG were identified (27 men, 18 women). Exfoliation syndrome/XFG accounted for 0.55% (45/8205) of hospitalized patients with cataract aged 60 years or older. The mean (SD) age of the inpatients was 72.1 (8.1) years (range, 47-85 years). Thirty-six patients had XFG, comprising 4.3% (36/838) of hospitalized patients with open-angle glaucoma. The presence of XFM on the pupillary margin (66.7%) and anterior lens surface (65.3%) were the most common features. Loss of pupillary ruff (13.3%) was uncommon. Increased pigmentation (49.3%) and flecks of XFM (9.3%) were seen on the trabecular meshwork, and 25 eyes (33.3%) had narrow angles. For those with bilateral XFS/XFG (66.7%, 30/45), 7 patients had bilateral XFS, 15 patients had bilateral XFG, and 8 patients had XFS in 1 eye but XFG in another eye. Twenty-two patients (44.4%) had hypertension, and 7 (15.6%) had ischemic heart diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Exfoliation syndrome/XFG is still uncommon in the northern Chinese population. Its major clinical characteristics are the deposit of XFM on the pupil rim or anterior lens surface and increased trabecular meshwork pigmentation.