Purpose: To analyze the retinal and choriocapillaris changes in diabetic patients with no or with early signs of diabetic retinopathy using high-definition (HD) angio optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) software and spectral-domain (SD) OCT. Methods: A total of 112 eyes (54 eyes from 27 diabetic patients and 58 eyes from 29 control subjects) were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study of healthy and diabetic adults. Retinal microvascular changes were assessed by using HD-OCTA software to calculate vascular density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ). SD-OCT was used to assess retinal thickness and volume in parafovea as well as ganglion cell complex (GCC) parameters. Results: The VD-whole image was significantly higher in the healthy control group (MW z = 1109.5, p = 0.012; t = 2.611, p = 0.010). Also, VD-parafovea was significantly higher in the healthy subjects (MW z = 1053.5, p = 0.004; t = 3.207, p = 0.002). GCC focal loss volume (FLV) was significantly decreased in diabetic patients (p = 0.051). Non-flow FAZ did not show a statistically significant difference between groups, although the FAZ was larger in the diabetic patients. Conclusions: Diabetic patients with no or early signs of diabetic retinopathy have decreased VD compared to healthy individuals. They also present retinal changes at the GCC that are correlated with initial neurodegeneration. HD-OCTA and SD-OCT can detect vascular changes and structural signs of retinal neurodegeneration before clinically apparent diabetic retinopathy. Potentially, these methods may offer new biomarkers for monitoring disease progression and visual prognosis.

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of combined intravitreal bevacizumab and triamcinolone in the treatment of macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion. A prospective randomized trial was conducted in the...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common causes of severe visual loss in middle and old-age population, and often leads to serious deterioration in quality of life. Currently, the first-line treatment for neovascular AMD (nAMD) are intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) medications, including bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept and also latest commercially available drug, brolucizumab. During initial examination and imaging and treatment follow-up for patients with nAMD, optical coherence tomography (OCT) is used to predict and assess the therapeutic response and guide the treatment. Several OCT-based biomarkers, including the central subfoveal thickness (CSFT), the presence of intraretinal cysts (IRCs) or subretinal fluid (SRF), and the presence of pigment epithelial detachment (PED), were found to influence baseline visual acuity or visual improvements. Recent analyses of large randomized control trials (RCTs) summarized the usefulness of these OCT-based biomarkers. However, many of these early studies relied on time-domain OCT to evaluate the retinal structures thus providing less precise evaluation of the retinal details. After introduction of spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) which provided high resolution images, recent studies offered new insights in specific morphological changes and their different impact on visual function in nAMD. For example, these advancement in resolution offered new classification of IRCs into degenerative and exudative which impacts treatment strategy and final outcome in the treatment of nAMD. Moreover, the recent data disclose a substantial difference between RCTs and real-world studies regarding the response to anti-VEGF therapy. In conclusions, IRCs and PED are associated with poor visual improvement in nAMD in a realworld setting. Both IRCs and SRF responded better than PED to anti-VEGF therapy. These observations mandate large longitudinal studies focusing on the usefulness of these high resolution SD-OCT biomarkers in real-world situations.

Objective: To report a rare case of bilateral iris metastasis from small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and systematically review the literature on SCLC-associated iris metastases, with emphasis on clinical presentation, management, and outcomes. Materials and Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science were comprehensively searched on 10 July 2025. Eligible studies included English-language reports of iris metastasis originating from SCLC in human subjects. Case report: A 58-year-old woman with previously treated SCLC developed bilateral iris metastases one year after complete remission of the primary tumor. Ophthalmic examination revealed whitish-gray, vascularized iris masses with iridocorneal angle involvement, associated with secondary angle-closure glaucoma and markedly elevated intraocular pressure (48 mm Hg) in the left eye. Cyclocryotherapy, preceded by systemic and topical antiglaucoma therapy, resulted in pain relief and a reduction in intraocular pressure; the patient died four months later due to pneumonia. Results (Systematic Review): Seventeen studies comprising 17 patients were included; the median age was 60 years, and 64.7% were male. The median interval from SCLC diagnosis to ocular presentation was 4 months, although iris metastasis was occasionally the initial or concurrent manifestation of disease. The most common presenting features were visual impairment (58.8%), ocular pain (41.2%), and elevated intraocular pressure (41.2%), while iris neovascularization (35.3%) and synechiae (29.4%) were also frequent. Bilateral involvement was reported in only one previous case. Treatment approaches were heterogeneous and included antiglaucoma therapy, systemic chemotherapy, local radiotherapy, anti-VEGF therapy, and enucleation. Among patients with available follow-up (n = 12), 58.3% died within a median follow-up of 7.5 months. Conclusions: Bilateral iris metastasis from SCLC is rare and may occur as a manifestation of recurrent disease after remission. It is an aggressive condition characterized by nonspecific ocular symptoms, variable management, and poor survival, underscoring the importance of early recognition and the need for evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Background: Psychological outcomes among patients receiving anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy for diabetic macular edema (DME) remain insufficiently investigated. This study assessed symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as life satisfaction, in patients undergoing intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy for DME. Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients receiving intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy for DME at Clinical Hospital Centre Osijek, Croatia, from 15 December 2025 to 15 February 2026. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and life satisfaction using the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was categorized as ≥0.5, 0.1–0.49, or <0.1. Multivariable linear regression models were adjusted for age, sex, and diabetes duration. Results: A total of 156 patients were included; 51.3% were male, and the median age was 71 years (IQR 64.75–76.25). Mild-to-extremely severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were present in 39.7%, 48.7%, and 28.8% of participants, respectively, while 37.2% reported some degree of life dissatisfaction. In adjusted analyses (N = 155), worse-seeing eye BCVA < 0.1 was associated with higher stress scores compared with BCVA ≥ 0.5 (B = 2.667, 95% CI 0.526–4.808, p = 0.015; standardized effect size = 0.583). Associations with depression and anxiety were not significant, and no BCVA associations remained significant after Benjamini–Hochberg correction. The number of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections was not significantly associated with the assessed psychological outcomes and life satisfaction in univariable analyses. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of assessing psychological symptoms and life satisfaction in patients receiving anti-VEGF therapy for DME. Further research should examine the associations of visual acuity, the number of anti-VEGF injections, and other clinical and psychosocial factors with these outcomes.

Background/Objectives: To describe the presentation, diagnostic evaluation, management, and clinical outcome of unilateral corneal ulcer in an otherwise healthy infant without identifiable predisposing factors. Methods: We report a case of a 2-month-old infant who presented with a visible white corneal lesion. Initial examination revealed a 2 × 1 mm fluorescein-positive corneal ulcer with a surrounding stromal infiltrate. There was mild conjunctival injection without ocular discharge. The anterior chamber was deep, without cells or flare. Corneal scraping was deferred because specimen collection would have required sedation or general anesthesia. Consequently, the microbial etiology remained unconfirmed, and empirical antimicrobial treatment was initiated. Results: The patient was treated with topical azithromycin, tobramycin, moxifloxacin, and aciclovir, as well as liposomal ozonized oil eye drops. During empirical treatment and close clinical monitoring, the corneal epithelial defect resolved within seven days, and the surrounding stromal infiltrate progressively decreased in size and opacity. At the one-month follow-up, a small residual stromal scar remained outside the visual axis. Conclusions: This case illustrates the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges of managing corneal ulcer in early infancy when microbiological confirmation is unavailable. The favorable clinical course observed during empirical treatment and close monitoring does not establish an infectious etiology or demonstrate a causal effect of antimicrobial therapy.