Purpose: To describe the clinical outcomes of combined prolene gonioscopy assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) with phacoemulsification in patients with open-angle glaucoma. Methods: Retrospective study of patients with cataract and open-angle glaucoma treated with GATT and phacoemulsification with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Patients with neovascular glaucoma, corneal decompensation, unstable IOL, and with bleeding disorders were excluded. The cumulative probability of failure was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were the complete success rate, the mean change on intraocular pressure (IOP), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and number of glaucoma medications at the last follow-up. The frequency of complications was also recorded. Results: Thirty two eyes (25 patients) were included. Nineteen (59.3%) were females, with a mean age of 73.4± 12.4 (23– 87 years) and a mean baseline BCVA of 1.1± 0.75 (0.3– 3) LogMAR units. The cumulative probability of failure was 3.2% at 1 month and 6.3% at 6 and 12 months. Sixty-eight and 65.5% of eyes achieved complete success at 3 and 6 months, respectively. The reduction of IOP and number of glaucoma medications at 6 months were statistically significant (p< 0.0001 and p=0.0002, respectively). There was a statistically significant improvement of BCVA (from 1.1± 0.7 to 0.4± 0.7) at 6 months (p< 0.0001). IOP spikes (18.7%) and transient hyphema (9.3%) were the most common complications. Conclusion: Combined GATT with cataract surgery reduced the IOP and was associated with low failure rates and few ocular complications. This procedure offers the advantage to avoid the need for a bleb, scleral, or conjunctival incision, allowing the possibility for future glaucoma procedures.

Health needs and access to health care is a huge challenge in developing countries, especially in some isolated indigenous communities. Amantani is an island located at 3854 m above sea level in Lake Titicaca, Peru. There is no official date on key local health needs and determinants, which precludes the prioritization and efficient implementation of health interventions. The objective of this study is to validate a health need assessment tool and ascertain the main health needs of the indigenous high-altitude population living on Amantani. We conducted a cross-sectional study to describe the health needs of the indigenous population of Amantani using a questionnaire based on the “Peruvian Demographic and Health Survey”. The questionnaire underwent expert and field-work validation. We selected a random sample of the island residents using two-stage cluster sampling. We estimated the prevalence of key health needs and determinants, and evaluated their distribution by age, sex and education through prevalence ratio. All analyses accounted for the complex sampling design. We surveyed 337 individuals (223 adults and 144 children) in 151 houses. The most frequent health needs were: (i) lack of access to medical screening for a)non-communicable diseases (> 63.0%) and b)eye problems (76.5%); and (ii) poor knowledge about communicable diseases (> 54.3%), cancer (71.4%) and contraception (> 32.9%). Smoking and alcohol use was more frequent in males (PR = 4.70 IC95%:1.41–15.63 and PR = 1.69 95% CI:1.27–2.25, respectively). People with higher education had more knowledge about TB/HIV and cancer prevention (p < 0.05). Regarding children’s health, > 38% have never undergone eye or dental examination. Corporal punishment and physical bullying at school in the last month were relatively common (23 and 33%, respectively). The main health needs in Amantani are related to poor healthcare access and lack of awareness of disease prevention. Our findings can be used to develop and implement efficient health interventions to improve the health and quality of life of indigenous populations living in the islands in Southern Peru/Northern Bolivia.

Objectives: This systematic review aimed to assess the prevalence and incidence of diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes of Latin America and the Caribbean. Methods: We searched Web of Science (WoS)/Core Collection, WoS/MEDLINE, WoS/Scielo, Scopus, PubMed/Medline and Embase databases until January 16, 2023. We meta-analyzed prevalences according to type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Results: Forty-three prevalence studies (47 585 participants) and one incidence study (436 participants) were included. The overall prevalence of retinopathy in patients with T1DM was 40.6% (95% CI: 34.7 to 46.6; I²: 92.1%) and in T2DM was 37.3% (95% CI: 31.0 to 43.8; I²: 97.7), but the evidence is very uncertain (very low certainty of evidence). In meta-regression, we found that age (T1DM) and time in diabetes (T2DM) were factors associated with the prevalence. On the other hand, one study found a cumulative incidence of diabetic retinopathy of 39.6% at 9 years of follow-up. Conclusions: Two out of five patients with T1DM or T2DM may present diabetic retinopathy in Latin America and the Caribbean, but the evidence is very uncertain. This is a major public health problem, and policies and strategies for early detection and opportunely treatment should be proposed.

Purpose: To describe a modified ab interno technique for the tube implantation from a glaucoma draining device into the ciliary sulcus. Materials and methods: The modified ab interno technique was performed on four eyes of four patients. Results: After the plate was fixed, a 21G needle is inserted through a paracentesis 180° away from the tube position into the anterior chamber and advanced to the posterior chamber through the sclera; finally, the needle exits the eye, then the tube is inserted into the lumen of the needle. The tube is then inserted simultaneously as the 21G needle is pulled out so the tube is placed on the ciliary sulcus. Conclusions: We report a simple and novel technique for the tube implantation from a glaucoma draining device into the ciliary sulcus, in which the tube is guided with a 21G needle from an accessory paracentesis in order to achieve a posterior placement of the tube.