Corneal neurotization (CN) is a novel, potentially curative surgical procedure for the treatment of neurothophic keratopathy (NK). Patients with severe NK can present with corneal opacification requiring optical keratoplasty, which would likely fail without a proper trophic support of corneal nerves in the recipient cornea. This is a pilot study on 4 patients undergoing keratoplasty after CN. Pre- and postoperative data at 12, 24 months and at the last follow-up were collected for the examination of (i) best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), (ii) slit lamp examination and photograph acquisition with and without fluorescein staining, (iii) corneal aesthesiometry, (iv) in vivo confocal microscopy of the central cornea. Neurophysiological study of the corneal reflex before corneal graft and at last follow up was performed. Four female patients (47.25 ± 5.06 y.o.) underwent keratoplasty after CN (3 penetrating keratoplasty, 1 deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty). The mean interval between CN and keratoplasty was 22 (± 12) months. The mean graft survival time was 42 (± 25) months. Graft follow-up ranged from 72 to 132 months. At the final follow-up, BCVA was improved in 2 out of 4 patients. The mean corneal sensitivity was 11.9 ± 8.3 mm at last follow-up. In vivo confocal microscopy confirmed the presence of functioning nerves at the last follow-up in all patients. NK-related complications occurred in 3 eyes (2 persistent epithelial defect, 1 corneal melting). The former complication was successfully treated by autologous serum eye drops while the latter required repeated keratoplasty. Keratoplasty is a viable strategy to improve visual acuity in patients with corneal opacity who underwent CN for the treatment of NK. Even in the presence of functioning corneal nerves before keratoplasty, surgeons should be aware of the increased rate of NK-related complications that could require the need for repeated procedure.
Purpose: The effectiveness, safety and tolerability of the preservative-free fixed combination of tafluprost and timolol (PF-TTFC) were evaluated over the 24-h in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension showing signs and symptoms of Ocular Surface Disease (OSD) and uncontrolled intraocular pressure (IOP) on prior benzalkonium chloride (BAK) – Latanoprost monotherapy. Methods: In this multi-center, prospective, interventional, non-comparative clinical trial, patients treated with BAK-Latanoprost underwent 24-h IOP measurements (8 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 5 pm, 8 pm, 11 pm, 2 am, 5 am) at baseline and after 3 months from switch to PF-TTFC. Mean 24-h IOP and daytime (8 am– 8 pm) vs nighttime (11 pm – 5 am) IOP were compared. Changes in OSD signs and symptoms, quality of life (QoL) and in-vivo corneal confocal microscopy (IVCM) were also evaluated. Results: Thirty-eight patients were analyzed. The mean 24-h IOP significantly decreased after 3 months from 17.8 mmHg (95% CI: 17.1– 18.6) to 15.3 mmHg (95% CI: 14.6– 16.1, p < 0.001). IOP was significantly reduced both at daytime (p < 0.001) and nighttime (p < 0.001), with better IOP control at night [− 2.9 (95% CI: − 3.5 to − 2.1) mmHg vs − 2.3 (95% CI: − 2.9 to − 1.6) mmHg]. In 20 patients (52.6%), corneal fluorescein staining improved, whereas in 4 patients (10.5%) it worsened. Hyperemia has improved in 24 (63.3%) patients and worsened in 2 (5.3%). Breakup time, Schirmer test and QoL scores showed no changes. At IVCM, the mean corneal wing-cell size was found significantly decreased (p < 0.005). Conclusion: The switch from BAK-Latanoprost to PF-TTFC significantly reduced IOP over the 24-h and improved OSD signs and symptoms.
In this study, we describe a case of graft dislocation into the vitreous cavity after Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), and review the risk factors and complications of posterior dislocation. A 70-year-old female with disruption of the iris–lens diaphragm experienced DSAEK graft dislocation into the vitreous cavity during air re-bubbling at 1 week postoperatively. The corneal opacity hindered adequate visualization of the vitreous cavity for the immediate retrieval of the graft. Five days after re-bubbling, vitrectomy and corneal tissue removal was performed using a temporary Eckardt keratoprosthesis, and penetrating keratoplasty was subsequently performed. Two weeks after graft removal, a retinal detachment occurred. Silicon oil was used as a tamponade to reattach the retina. Three months after the last procedure, the retina was attached, and the cornea was clear. Posterior dislocation of DSAEK graft is a rare complication. A disrupted iris–lens diaphragm and previous vitrectomy are the main risk factors. Severe vision loss is more likely to occur when corneal tissue removal is delayed. In cases of delayed removal, it is advisable to take precautions to prevent possible retinal detachment.
# Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe a case of paraproteinemic keratopathy (PPK) in a patient with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) # Methods A 56 years old man was assessed using a slit lamp and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) with Heidelberg HRT Rostock II. # Results The patient showed bilateral diffuse, symmetric, non-polychromatic, punctiform crystals in all layers of the cornea. The remaining part of the ophthalmic clinical assessment was normal. Esthesiometry was normal in all quadrants. Anterior segment OCT confirmed diffused hyperreflectivity of the epithelium and corneal stroma. IVCM was then executed, showing polymorphic (granular, needle-like, stellate) hyperreflective crystals in all layers of corneal epithelium and anterior stroma, subbasal plexus nerves beading, cytoplasmatic hyperreflectivity of the keratocytes of the posterior stroma without any endothelial involvement After considering the age, health status, and ocular signs the primary entities to be investigated were adult benign cystinosis and paraproteinemic disorder. All the diagnostic tests were negative except for a monoclonal component IgG/k of 1.37 d/dl. A hematological examination was then performed with the resulting diagnosis of MGUS. In this paper, we analyzed 11 articles about IVCM in PPK in MGUS and other paraproteinemias highlighting IVCM features compatible with our findings allowing us to generalize a first diagnostic IVCM pattern for PPK. # Conclusions In this case report we suggest the IVCM diagnostic patterns that may be used to identify PPK without corneal biopsy.