Ophthalmology and Allied Sciences

Cataracts are a leading cause of visual impairment globally, accounting for significant cases of blindness, especially in older populations. This paper explores the pathophysiology of cataracts, delves into risk factors and diagnostic methods, and highlights advances in surgical and pharmacological treatments. Emerging therapies and preventive strategies are also discussed, offering insights into future directions in cataract management
 

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the extent and nature of astigmatism following pterygium excision surgery in a sample of 50 patients at a tertiary eye care center. Astigmatism is assessed using manual keratometry and refraction. Setting & Design: This was a prospective Observation study conducted between August 2023-2024 over a period of 12 months at Tertiary Care Hospital. A total of 50 patients who underwent pterygium excision surgery were included in the study. All patients were followed up postoperatively at regular intervals to assess changes in astigmatism. Methods: Patients with pterygium who met the inclusion criteria were thoroughly examined and underwent pterygium excision with Limbal Conjunctival Autografting surgery. Statistics: Changes in astigmatism were evaluated using paired t-tests to compare preoperative and postoperative measurements. Conclusions: Pterygium excision with conjunctival autografting significantly reduces astigmatism and improves visual acuity in patients with primary pterygium.
 

Aim: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of ultrasonography in the diagnosis and management of various ocular pathologies where direct visualization is hindered by hazy media, such as cataracts, corneal opacities, vitreous hemorrhage, and other ocular media disturbances. Methods: A prospective, descriptive study was conducted on 50 patients presenting with hazy media at a tertiary care hospital. B-scan ultrasonography was performed on all patients to assess ocular pathology that could not be visualized due to media opacity. Results: Of the 50 patients, the most common ultrasonographic finding was posterior vitreous detachment (28%), followed by retinal detachment (22%), vitreous hemorrhage (16%), asteroid hyalosis (12%, and other findings such as posterior staphyloma (8%) and optic disc drusen (6%). In 8%, no significant abnormality was found. Conclusions: Ultrasonography is a valuable diagnostic tool in assessing ocular structures in patients with hazy media. It provides critical information for proper diagnosis and management.
 

Context: There is a lack of universally applicableand updated treatment protocol for retinoblastoma in India, which causes hurdles in the management of this childhood cancer. We have described the outcomes of subjects treated using our protocol (based on the International Classification of Retinoblastoma)that could be adopted for the management of retinoblastoma.  Aim: The international classification of retinoblastoma defines the prognosis-based classification of subjects. The protocol followed at our institute is based on the ICR and the retinoblastoma outcomes for the last 5 years have been analysed and presented.  Setting & Design: Tertiary care centre-based retrospective study.  Methods and Material: Five-year records of the retinoblastoma patients treated using a standard ICR-based protocol were analysed for clinical profile, treatment delivered, and outcomes. Appropriate statistical tests were used for parametric/non-parametric data and categorical variables to compare the groups. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to describe the survival probability. A p-value of 0.05 was considered significant.  Results: There were 209 subjects and 251 retinoblastoma-affected eyes which were included and analysed in the study. The overall survival rate was 90.10% and 1, 2, 3 and, 5-year survival estimates were 96.6%, 94.9%, 92.2%, 88.3% respectively. Forty-two (16.73%) eyes with retinoblastoma were retained after local tumour control and 209 (83.27%) eyes needed enucleation.  Conclusions: The retinoblastoma treatment protocol based on ICR has shown improvement in the outcomes at our centreanddefined the resources needed for the management of retinoblastoma.