Objective: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Suprachoroidal Triamcinolone Acetonide (SCTA) injection in patients with treatment resistant Diabetic Macular Edema (DME). Methods: This was a prospective non randomized interventional study conducted in the vitreoretinal department of Al Ehsan Welfare Eye Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan from March 2018 to September 2018. A total of 24 eyes of 24 patients were included. Baseline Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA), Intra Ocular Pressure (IOP) and Central Subfield Thickness (CST) was recorded. After SCTA, patient was followed up at one and three months and same clinical parameters were recorded again and results analyzed. Results: Out of 24 patients, 11(45.83%) were males and 13(54.16%) were females. Mean pre injection CST was 636.5 ± 200.11 um. Mean pre injection BCVA was 0.8 ± 0.24 on ETDRS chart. Mean post injection CST at one and three months was 304.54 ± 67.43 and 302.66 ± 66.93 um. Mean post injection BCVA at one and three months was 0.47 ± 0.3 and 0.45 ± 0.27 on ETDRS chart. The results were statistically significant for pre and post injection CST at both one and three months (p-value < 0.00001). Pre and post injection BCVA was also statistically significant (p-value < 0.05). Conclusion: Preliminary evidence suggests that SCTA is well tolerated and may help in improving functional and structural outcomes of treatment resistant DME. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.1194 How to cite this:Tayyab H, Ahmed CN, Sadiq MAA. Efficacy and safety of suprachoroidal triamcinolone acetonide in cases of resistant diabetic macular edema. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(2):42-47. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.1194 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Retinal degeneration, characterized by the progressive loss of photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium cells, and/or ganglion cells, is a leading cause of vision impairment. These diseases are generally classified as inherited (e.g., retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease) or acquired (e.g., age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma) ocular disorders that can lead to blindness. Available treatment options focus on managing symptoms or slowing disease progression and do not address the underlying causes of these diseases. However, recent advancements in regenerative medicine offer alternative solutions for repairing or protecting degenerated retinal tissue. Stem and progenitor cell therapies have shown great potential to differentiate into various retinal cell types and can be combined with gene editing, extracellular vesicles and exosomes, and bioactive molecules to modulate degenerative cellular pathways. Additionally, gene therapy and neuroprotective molecules play a crucial role in enhancing the efficacy of regenerative approaches. These innovative strategies hold the potential to halt the progression of retinal degenerative disorders, repair or replace damaged cells, and improve visual function, ultimately leading to a better quality of life for those affected.

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of a novel and simple smart phone-based Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) screening approach in a resource-constrained setting. Methods: This cross-sectional validation study was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of The Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan, from January 2022 to April 2022. A total of 63 images of eyes with active ROP (stage-1, 2, 3, 4 and/or plus or pre-plus disease) were included in this study. The stage of ROP was documented by the principal investigator using an indirect ophthalmoscope and retinal images were obtained using this novel technique. These images were shared with two masked ROP experts who rated the image quality and determined the stage of ROP and presence of plus disease. Their reports were compared with the initial findings reported by principal investigator using indirect ophthalmoscope. Results: We reviewed 63 images for image quality, stage of ROP and presence of plus disease. There was significant agreement between the gold standard and the Rater-1 and 2 for the presence of plus disease (Cohen’s kappa was 0.84 and 1.0) and the stage of the disease (Cohen’s kappa 0.65 and 1.0). There was significant agreement between the Rater for presence of plus disease and any stage of ROP (Cohen’s κ: 0.84 and 0.65 for plus disease and any stage of the ROP, respectively). Rater-1 and 2 rated 96.83% and 98.41% images as excellent / acceptable respectively. Conclusions: High quality retinal images can be captured with a smartphone and 28D lens without using any additional adapter equipment. This approach of ROP screening can form basis of telemedicine for ROP in resource constrained areas. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.3.7053 How to cite this: Choudhary RA, Hashmi S, Tayyab H. Smartphone-based fundus imaging for evaluation of Retinopathy of Prematurity in a low-income country: A pilot study. Pak J Med Sci. 2023;39(3):638-643. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.39.3.7053 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety profile of combined phacoemulsification with 23G pars plana vitrectomy when compared to pars plana vitrectomy alone in phakic patients.Methods: This study was performed at Al-Ehsan Eye Hospital (tertiary care eye hospital in Lahore, Pakistan) from January 2016 to August 2016. A total of 40 eyes in two equal groups of 20 eyes each, were enrolled in this prospective study. Group-A underwent combined phaco-vitrectomy, whereas Group-B underwent vitrectomy only for various vitreoretinal pathologies. We evaluated the safety of combined surgery, intra-operative and postoperative complications and short term surgical outcome.Results: The most common reason for vitreoretinal intervention was rhegmatogenous retinal detachment followed by vitreous haemorrhage in combined study population. There was statistically significant difference in best corrected visual acuity pre-operatively and post operatively within the groups and between the groups. The most significant immediate post operative observation in Group-A was enhanced anterior chamber inflammation as compared to Group-B, whereas most signification observation in Group-B was development of visually significant cataract (35%) at 6 months follow-up. There was no other significant sequel or complication difference between both groups.Conclusions: Combined phaco-vitrectomy is a safe and effective procedure with minimum complication profile and it avoids the need of subsequent cataract surgery.doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.335.13430How to cite this:Tayyab H, Khan AA, Javaid RMM. Clinical outcome of 23g Trans-Conjunctival pars plana vitrectomy: A prospective comparison of Phaco-Vitrectomy with only vitrectomy in phakic eyes. Pak J Med Sci. 2017;33(5):1123-1127.

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) significantly contributes to childhood blindness globally, with a disproportionately high burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) due to improved neonatal care alongside inadequate ROP screening and treatment facilities. This study aims to validate the performance of Postnatal Growth and Retinopathy of Prematurity (G-ROP) screening criteria in a cohort of premature infants presenting at a tertiary care setting in Pakistan. This cross-sectional study utilized retrospective chart review of neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at The Aga Khan University Hospital, Pakistan from January 2018 to February 2022. The complete G-ROP criteria were applied as prediction tool for infants with type 1 ROP, type 2 ROP, and no ROP outcomes. Out of the 166 cases, 125 cases were included in the final analysis, and remaining cases were excluded due to incomplete data. ROP of any stage developed in 83 infants (66.4%), of whom 55 (44%) developed type 1 ROP, 28 (22.4%) developed type 2 ROP, and 19 (15.2%) were treated for ROP. The median BW was 1060 gm (IQR = 910 to 1240 gm) and the median gestational age was 29 wk (IQR = 27 to 30 wk). The G-ROP criteria demonstrated a sensitivity of 98.18% (95% CI: 90.28–99.95%) for triggering an alarm for type 1 ROP. The G-ROP criteria achieved 100% sensitivity (95% CI: 87.66 to 100%) for type 2 ROP. The overall sensitivity of G-ROP criteria to trigger an alarm for any type of ROP was 98.8% (95% CI: 93.47 to 99.97%). Thus, the G-ROP screening model is highly sensitive in detecting at-risk infants for ROP in a Pakistani tertiary care setting, supporting its use in LMICs where standard screening criteria may not suffice.