Dry eye disease causes ocular discomfort and visual disturbances. Older adults are at a higher risk of developing dry eye disease as well as needing for ophthalmic surgery. Anterior segment surgery may induce or worsen existing dry eye symptoms usually for a short-term period. Despite good visual outcomes, ocular surface dysfunction can significantly affect quality of life and, therefore, lower a patient’s satisfaction with ophthalmic surgery. Preoperative dry eye disease, factors during surgery and postoperative treatment may all contribute to ocular surface dysfunction and its severity. We reviewed relevant articles from 2010 through to 2021 using keywords “cataract surgery”, ”phacoemulsification”, ”refractive surgery”, ”trabeculectomy”, ”vitrectomy” in combination with ”ocular surface dysfunction”, “dry eye disease”, and analyzed studies on dry eye disease pathophysiology and the impact of anterior segment surgery on the ocular surface.

Macular edema (ME) is associated with various conditions; however, the main causes of ME are retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and diabetes. Laser photocoagulation, formerly the gold standard for the treatment of ME, has been replaced by anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) intravitreal injections. Despite its efficiency, this treatment requires frequent injections to preserve the outcomes of anti-VEGF therapy, and as many patients do not sufficiently respond to the treatment, ME is typically a chronic condition that can lead to permanent visual impairment. Generalized recommendations for the treatment of ME are lacking, which highlights the importance of reviewing treatment approaches, including recent anti-VEGFs, intravitreal steroid implants, and subthreshold micropulse lasers. We reviewed relevant studies, emphasizing the articles published between 2019 and 2021 and using the following keywords: macular edema, diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion, laser photocoagulation, anti-VEGF, and intravitreal injections. Our results revealed that a combination of different treatment methods may be beneficial in resistant cases. Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) is likely to help select the best treatment option for patients in the near future.

As there is some evidence that the risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is partially attributable to environmental exposure to some metals and metalloids, we examined an association between AD and arsenic, chromium, and selenium in 53 AD patients and 217 controls. Urinary arsenic, blood chromium, and selenium were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Logistic regression models calculating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to estimate AD association with arsenic, chromium, and selenium. In AD patients, urinary arsenic and blood chromium were significantly higher, while blood selenium was significantly lower compared to controls. Increased blood selenium was related to a significant decrease in the odds of AD after adjustment for risk factors. Blood selenium per 1 kg × 10⁻⁹/m³ × 10⁻⁴ increment was associated with 1.4 times lower risk of AD (OR = 0.71; 95% CI 0.58–0.87). A significant increase in the odds of AD associated with increased blood chromium was also seen in the adjusted model: the OR per 1 kg × 10⁻⁹/m³ × 10⁻³ chromium increment was 2.39 (95% CI 1.32–4.31). The association of urinary arsenic with the risk of AD was not significant. The data obtained provide evidence that selenium reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, while chromium increases it.

Background and Objectives: Open globe injuries (OGI) remain an important cause of visual impairment and loss, impacting all ages. A better understanding of the factors influencing visual outcomes is important in an attempt to improve the results of the treatment of OGI patients. The author aimed to contribute to this knowledge with the analysis of clinical characteristics, prognostic factors, and visual outcomes of their cohort of OGI patients. Materials and Methods: A retrospective medical record review was performed for 160 patients (161 eyes) who sustained an open globe injury between January 2015 and December 2017 and presented to the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Data analyzed included age, sex, type, cause, place of OGI, initial visual acuity (VA), final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and tissue involvement. Open globe injuries were classified using the Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology (BETT) and Ocular Trauma Classification System (OTCS). Univariate analysis was conducted to evaluate the prognostic factors. Results: The mean age of the patients was 41.9 years. The male-to-female ratio was found to be 8.4:1. The home was the leading place of eye injury (59.6%), followed by an outdoor environment (14.3%) and workplace (11.8%). Penetrating injury accounted for 43.5%, followed by intraocular foreign body injury (39.1%) and globe rupture (13%). Overall, 19.5% of patients regained a good final vision of ≥0.5, but for 48.1% of them, eye trauma resulted in severe visual impairment (BCVA ≤ 0.02). In the univariate analysis, a bad visual outcome of less than 0.02 was correlated with bad initial VA, iris dialysis, hypotony, vitreous hemorrhage, and vitreous prolapse at presentation. Phthisis bulbi was correlated with eyelid laceration, iris prolapse, iris dialysis, hyphema, vitreous prolapse, vitreous hemorrhage, and choroidal rupture at initial examination. Conclusions: Open globe injury remains an important preventable cause of ocular morbidity. This study provides data indicating that open globe injuries are a significant cause of visual impairment in our research group.

Purpose. To review the most recent evidence on the association of ambient air pollution with posterior segment ocular diseases. Methods. A search of the most recently published medical literature was performed in PubMed and Google Scholar on 10 December 2022. Articles published between 2018 and December 2022 were included in this rapid review. Studies that evaluated the association between ambient air pollutants (nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), ozone (O₃), particulate matters (PM_s), total hydrocarbons (THC), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC), benzene), and ocular posterior segment diseases (glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinal vascular diseases) were included. Results. Nineteen research articles met the inclusion criteria. Significant associations were found between PM_2.5 and glaucoma, including primary open angle, primary angle closure, and normal tension glaucoma. An increased risk of AMD was linked to increased exposure to PM_2.5, NO₂, and CO. Single studies suggested that increased exposure to PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ is associated with diabetic retinopathy; THC and NMHC increased the risk of retinal vein occlusion; and CO, NO₂, and PM₁₀ are linked to an increased risk of central retinal artery occlusion. Conclusions. There is increasing evidence that toxic air pollutants have an impact on posterior segment ocular diseases, hence determining it as a potential modifiable risk factor for visual impairment.