Faculty Bibliography

We evaluated the hypothesis that higher serum levels of micronutrients with antioxidant capabilities may be associated with a decreased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration by comparing serum levels of carotenoids, vitamins C and E, and selenium in 421 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration and 615 controls. Subjects were classified by blood level of the micronutrient (low, medium, and high). Persons with carotenoid levels in the medium and high groups, compared with those in the low group, had markedly reduced risks of neovascular age-related macular degeneration, with the levels of risk reduced to one half and one third, respectively. Although no statistically significant protective effect was found for vitamin C or E or selenium individually, an antioxidant index that combined all four micronutrient measurements showed statistically significant reductions of risk with increasing levels of the index. Although these results suggest that higher blood levels of micronutrients with antioxidant potential, in particular, carotenoids, maybe associated with a decreased risk of the most visually disabling form of age-related macular degeneration, it would be premature to translate these findings into nutritional recommendations

The objective of this case-control study of idiopathic retinal detachment was to evaluate previously suggested hypotheses about risk factors for retinal detachment and to investigate whether new ocular or systemic risk factors could be identified. Between 1986 and 1990, data were obtained at five US clinical centers on 253 patients with idiopathic retinal detachment and 1, 138 controls. Patients with pathologic myopia were excluded. Data were collected from interviews, clinical examinations, and laboratory analyses of blood samples. Only one clearly relevant risk factor, myopia, emerged from the analyses. An eye with a spherical equivalent refractive error of -1 to -3 diopters had a fourfold increased risk of retinal detachment compared with a nonmyopic eye; if the refractive error was greater than -3 diopters, the risk was increased 10-fold. The data suggest that almost 55% of nontraumatic detachments in eyes without previous surgery are attributable to myopia. The etiology of retinal detachment appears to be related to the architecture of the eye. The study found no evidence that systemic factors, particularly cardiovascular factors, play a role. $$:

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of five retinal disorders studied in the Eye Disease Case-Control Study. Data were obtained from 421 patients with neovascular AMD and 615 controls on a broad array of possible risk factors through interviews, clinical examinations, and laboratory analyses of blood samples. Decreased risk of neovascular AMD was associated with higher levels of carotenoids in the serum samples, higher horizontal cup-to-disc ratios, and use of postmenopausal exogenous estrogens in women. Increased risk of neovascular AMD was associated with cigarette smoking, higher levels of serum cholesterol, and parity greater than zero. No support was found for sunlight exposure, serum zinc levels, or iris color as risk factors for this disease. Although no association was found with a history of cardiovascular disease itself, the associations with post-menopausal exogenous estrogen use, cigarette smoking, and serum cholesterol level are consistent with a hypothesis linking risk factors for cardiovascular disease with neovascular AMD. The association noted between serum carotenoid levels and neovascular AMD supports the hypothesis that higher levels of micronutrients with antioxidant capabilities may decrease the risk of AMD. $$:

We describe six patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration who had retinal pigment epithelial detachments with associated overlying neurosensory detachments. During fluorescein angiography, each patient demonstrated a solitary, intense, central serouslike leak at the edge of the retinal pigment epithelial detachment with passage of fluorescein into the subretinal space. In patients in whom the location of associated choroidal neovascularization was evident, the leakage site was remote to the area of neovascularization. Our observations suggest that these leaks result from small retinal epithelial rips, which we termed 'microrips,' that differ from conventionally described retinal pigment epithelial rips in clinical course and response to laser treatment. We hypothesize that the mechanisms and forces that generate these microrips are different from those producing conventionally described retinal pigment epithelial rips

The Authors report laser treatment of 18 eyes (14 patients) with a variant of central serous chorioretinopathy associated with widespread decompensation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in the macula, diffuse retinal pigment epitheliopathy (DRPE). All eighteen eyes with DRPE were treated with Krypton red laser photocoagulation in a grid pattern to leaking RPE in areas of neurosensory retinal detachment. All eyes showed anatomic improvement with resolution of the serous macular detachment and lipid exudation. The visual acuity was stabilized in 15 eyes (83%) at 6 months' follow-up, but only 3 eyes (17%) demonstrated improved visual acuity in the same time interval. At eighteen months, 2 of 15 eyes (13%) retained improved visual acuity, 11 eyes (74%) remained unchanged, and 2 eyes (13%) had visual loss. In this series of patients with DRPE, grid laser photocoagulation treatment was uniformly successful in producing an anatomic improvement in the exudative manifestations of the macula and in preventing or slowing progression of vision loss

Posterior scleritis was diagnosed in four adolescent boys. These patients represented a distinct subgroup of patients with posterior scleritis that differed from the adult variant by gender, lack of systemic disease, and absence of the associated ocular findings often seen in the adult variant of the disorder. The four patients had diminished visual acuity, ocular pain, and exudative retinal detachments at initial examination. Fluorescein angiography demonstrated multiple pinpoint leaks at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium in three patients with late-phase patchy staining of a mass-like lesion in one patient. B-scan ultrasonography demonstrated choroidal and scleral thickening with increased acoustic density of the choroid in all patients. Systemic evaluation of these patients disclosed no underlying disease. Clinical signs and symptoms resolved in three of the patients after treatment with low-dose, orally administered corticosteroid or noncorticosteroid anti-inflammatory medication. High systemic doses of corticosteroid in combination with noncorticosteroid anti-inflammatory medication and local corticosteroid therapy was required to induce remission in one patient. All patients recovered good visual acuity

A 51 year old man with biopsy proven pulmonary sarcoidosis and skin test positive for tuberculosis presented with features of an amelanotic flat choroidal mass suggestive of choroiditis. The mass enlarged despite corticosteroids and anti-tuberculous medications. A thorough systemic evaluation for possible primary tumor metastatic to the choroid was negative. Further clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging suggested a diffuse primary choroidal malignant melanoma with optic nerve invasion. The eye was enucleated and the mass proved histopathologically to be a mucin secreting adenocarcinoma of unknown origin despite a repeat systemic work-up. The patient died three months after the onset of symptoms and three weeks after enucleation with diffuse metastases from an unknown primary cancer. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is usually helpful in the differentiation of uveal melanoma from uveal metastasis. In this case, however, it suggested the diagnosis of a diffuse choroidal melanoma. The reason for the atypical MRI findings will be discussed

A 24-year-old Caucasian female presented with acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) and associated infiltration round some of the larger choroidal blood vessels. This infiltration dissipated as the patient's clinical condition improved and did not induce any permanent alteration of the overlying retinal pigment epithelium. We suggest that the infiltration round the choroidal vessels was due to a choroidal vasculitis. The finding of choroidal inflammation in this case lends support to the hypothesis that choroidal vasculitis is an underlying pathological process in APMPPE. $$:

A 24-year-old Caucasian female presented with acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) and associated infiltration round some of the larger choroidal blood vessels. This infiltration dissipated as the patient's clinical condition improved and did not induce any permanent alteration of the overlying retinal pigment epithelium. We suggest that the infiltration round the choroidal vessels was due to a choroidal vasculitis. The finding of choroidal inflammation in this case lends support to the hypothesis that choroidal vasculitis is an underlying pathotogical process in APMPPE. $$: