Purpose: To assess efficacy, safety, and tolerability of the preservative-free (PF) fixed-dose combination (FC) of tafluprost 0.0015%/timolol 0.5% (PF tafluprost/timolol FC) in treatments-naive patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: This was a retrospective, real-world clinical practice setting study that included 107 eyes of 107 subjects with POAG who had never been treated for glaucoma. All subjects were received PF tafluprost/timolol FC once daily. Intraocular pressure (IOP) levels were documented for each eye at the untreated baseline and up to 6 months after the initiation of medical treatment. All adverse events, including ocular and systemic adverse reactions, were recorded. Additionally, the reasons for medication discontinuations were thoroughly documented. Results: A total of 32 POAG patients with high-baseline IOP (>21 mmHg) and 75 with normal-baseline IOP were included in the study. The subjects’ baseline mean age was 62.4 ± 8.7 years (range, 26.0–85.0 years); among them, 42 were female (39.3%). Mean IOP at baseline for all patients was 18.6 ± 4.3 mmHg. The mean IOP at 6 months was 12.6 ± 4.7 mmHg, representing a significant decrease compared to the baseline (–32%, p < 0.001). In POAG patients with high-baseline IOP, mean IOP was significantly lowered from 28.0 ± 5.7 mmHg at baseline to 18.0 ± 5.5 mmHg (–35%, p < 0.001); in patients with normal-baseline IOP, from 14.6 ± 3.4 mmHg at baseline to 10.3 ± 4.1 mmHg (–29%, p < 0.001). PF tafluprost/timolol FC was well-tolerated and safe. After 6 months, 97.2% of all patients remained on therapy. Conclusions In this real-world observational study, once-daily treatment with PF tafluprost/timolol FC demonstrated clinically relevant and statistically significant efficacy, as well as safety and good tolerability, in treatment-naive patients diagnosed with POAG.

No abstract available.
Adult ; Behcet Syndrome/*complications/diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Optic Disk/*pathology ; Optic Neuritis/diagnosis/*etiology ; Time Factors ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To evaluate the agreement in axial length (AL), keratometry, and anterior chamber depth measurements between AL-Scan and IOLMaster biometers and to compare the efficacy of the AL-Scan on intraocular lens (IOL) power calculations and refractive outcomes with those obtained by the IOLMaster. METHODS: Medical records of 48 eyes from 48 patients who underwent uneventful phacoemulsification and IOL insertion were retrospectively reviewed. One of the two types of monofocal aspheric IOLs were implanted (Tecnis ZCB00 [n = 34] or CT Asphina 509M [n = 14]). Two different partial coherence interferometers measured and compared AL, keratometry (2.4 mm), anterior chamber depth, and IOL power calculations with SRK/T, Hoffer Q, Holladay2, and Haigis formulas. The difference between expected and actual final refractive error was compared as refractive mean error (ME), refractive mean absolute error (MAE), and median absolute error (MedAE). RESULTS: AL measured by the AL-Scan was shorter than that measured by the IOLMaster (p = 0.029). The IOL power of Tecnis did not differ between the four formulas; however, the Asphina measurement calculated using Hoffer Q for the AL-Scan was lower (0.28 diopters, p = 0.015) than that calculated by the IOLMaster. There were no statistically significant differences between the calculations by MAE and MedAE for the four formulas in either IOL. In SRK/T, ME in Tecnis-inserted eyes measured by AL-Scan showed a tendency toward myopia (p = 0.032). CONCLUSIONS: Measurement by AL-Scan provides reliable biometry data and power calculations compared to the IOLMaster; however, refractive outcomes of Tecnis-inserted eyes by AL-Scan calculated using SRK/T can show a slight myopic tendency.
Anterior Chamber ; Biometry ; Cimetidine* ; Humans ; Lenses, Intraocular* ; Medical Records ; Myopia ; Phacoemulsification ; Refractive Errors ; Retrospective Studies

Purpose: Investigation of myopic open-angle glaucoma (OAG) prevalence in Northeast Asia by systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: Systematic PubMed, Embase and Cochrane database searches for Northeast Asian population-based studies published up to 30 November 2020 and reporting on myopia and OAG diagnosis. By random-effect models, pooled OAG prevalence in a myopic population and pooled myopic OAG prevalence in a general population were generated, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: The meta-analysis encompassed five population-based studies in four countries (12,830 individuals, including 7,723 patients with myopia and 1,112 patients with OAG). In a myopic population, OAG prevalence was 4.10% (95% CI, 3.00–5.70; I2 = 93%); in a general population, myopic OAG prevalence was 1.10% (95% CI, 0.60–1.70; I2 = 94%). A visual examination of funnel plot symmetry raised a suspicion of publication bias. Notwithstanding, Begg and Mazumbar’s adjusted rank correlation test showed no such evidence (p = 0.6242). Conclusions Our systematic review and meta-analysis returned an estimate of OAG prevalence in a myopic Northeast Asian population. Our findings will inform future glaucoma studies as well as public health guidelines for Northeast Asian populations.

PURPOSE: To investigate the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness concordance when measured by spectral domain (SD) and swept source (SS) optical coherence tomography (OCT), and to compare glaucoma-discriminating capability. METHODS: RNFL thicknesses were measured with the scan circle, centered on the optic nerve head, in 55 healthy, 41 glaucoma suspected, and 87 glaucomatous eyes. The RNFL thickness measured by the SD-OCT (sdRNFL thickness) and SS-OCT (ssRNFL thickness) were compared using the t-test. Bland-Altman analysis was performed to examine their agreement. We compared areas under the receiver operating characteristics curve and examined sdRNFL and ssRNFL thickness for discriminating glaucomatous eyes from healthy eyes, and from glaucoma suspect eyes. RESULTS: The average ssRNFL thickness was significantly greater than sdRNFL thickness in healthy (110.0 ± 7.9 vs. 100.1 ± 6.8 µm, p < 0.001), glaucoma suspect (96.8 ± 9.3 vs. 89.6 ± 7.9 µm, p < 0.001), and glaucomatous eyes (74.3 ± 14.2 vs. 69.1 ± 12.4 µm, p = 0.011). Bland-Altman analysis showed that there was a tendency for the difference between ssRNFL and sdRNFL to increase in eyes with thicker RNFL. The area under the curves of the average sdRNFL and ssRNFL thickness for discriminating glaucomatous eyes from healthy eyes (0.984 vs. 0.986, p = 0.491) and glaucoma suspect eyes (0.936 vs. 0.918, p = 0.132) were comparable. CONCLUSIONS: There was a tendency for ssRNFL thickness to increase, compared with sdRNFL thickness, in eyes with thicker RNFL. The ssRNFL thickness had comparable diagnostic capability compared with sdRNFL thickness for discriminating glaucomatous eyes from healthy eyes and glaucoma suspect eyes.
Glaucoma ; Nerve Fibers* ; Optic Disk ; Retinaldehyde* ; ROC Curve ; Tomography, Optical Coherence*

Brimonidine Tartrate ; Disease Management ; Drug Combinations ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intraocular Pressure ; Retrospective Studies

Purpose: To investigate the current management patterns of glaucoma subspecialists with regard to normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) in Korea and to determine the effect of the two largest NTG trials on their clinical practice. Methods: A questionnaire survey was sent to glaucoma subspecialist members of the Korean Glaucoma Society. The questionnaire concerned regular practice with respect to NTG and the extent to which it has been influenced by the Collaborative Normal-tension Glaucoma Study and the Low-pressure Glaucoma Treatment Study (LoGTS). Results: A total of 134 glaucoma subspecialists completed the survey, with a response rate of 56%. The survey reported that 88% and 78% of glaucoma subspecialists were familiar with the Collaborative Normal-tension Glaucoma Study and the LoGTS, respectively. With respect to mild or moderate NTG, most of the respondents (87%–91%) tended to treat their patients immediately without waiting for structural or functional progression. Among the respondents, 47 indicated that the LoGTS results—according to which, 20% of the respondents tended to use brimonidine more often—affected their management. The first-choice topical drugs for NTG were prostaglandin analogues (76%), brimonidine (9%), beta-blockers (8%), and topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (6%). Conclusions Regarding mild-to-moderate NTG, Korean glaucoma subspecialists tended to initiate treatment without waiting for further progression. The impact of the LoGTS on NTG management was not dominant in clinical practice in Korea. Prostaglandin analogs are the most frequently selected first-choice drugs for the management of NTG in Korea.

Purpose: To investigate the current management patterns of glaucoma subspecialists with regard to normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) in Korea and to determine the effect of the two largest NTG trials on their clinical practice. Methods: A questionnaire survey was sent to glaucoma subspecialist members of the Korean Glaucoma Society. The questionnaire concerned regular practice with respect to NTG and the extent to which it has been influenced by the Collaborative Normal-tension Glaucoma Study and the Low-pressure Glaucoma Treatment Study (LoGTS). Results: A total of 134 glaucoma subspecialists completed the survey, with a response rate of 56%. The survey reported that 88% and 78% of glaucoma subspecialists were familiar with the Collaborative Normal-tension Glaucoma Study and the LoGTS, respectively. With respect to mild or moderate NTG, most of the respondents (87%–91%) tended to treat their patients immediately without waiting for structural or functional progression. Among the respondents, 47 indicated that the LoGTS results—according to which, 20% of the respondents tended to use brimonidine more often—affected their management. The first-choice topical drugs for NTG were prostaglandin analogues (76%), brimonidine (9%), beta-blockers (8%), and topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor (6%). Conclusions Regarding mild-to-moderate NTG, Korean glaucoma subspecialists tended to initiate treatment without waiting for further progression. The impact of the LoGTS on NTG management was not dominant in clinical practice in Korea. Prostaglandin analogs are the most frequently selected first-choice drugs for the management of NTG in Korea.

Purpose: To compare the safety and consistency of manual capsulorhexis and precision pulse capsulotomy performed using pulsed energy during bilateral cataract surgery and to explore the differences in clinical outcomes. Methods: A total of 101 patients with bilateral cataracts were selected. Precision pulse capsulotomy was performed on one eye and manual continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis on the other. The independent-samples t-test was used to compare the duration of continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis, incisional size and roundness, complications such as radial tears, the cumulative dissipated energy, the visual acuity after surgery, and the corneal epithelial cell count. Results: There was no significant difference in the capsulorhexis time between the pulse energy and manual groups. The extent of capsulorhexis was significantly smaller and the circularity of capsulorhexis was higher in the former group. Complications occurred in two manual capsulorhexis patients but in no pulse energy capsulotomy patient. There was no significant between- group difference in any of postoperative visual acuity, best-corrected visual acuity, or the corneal endothelial cell count. Conclusions During bilateral cataract surgery on the same patients, precision capsulotomy using pulse energy afforded smaller and more circular capsulorhexis and fewer complications than did manual capsulorhexis. However, there was no significant between- group difference in the postoperative clinical outcomes.

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of warm saline and anti-fog solution for preventing fogging of a non-contact wide-field viewing system during vitrectomy. Methods: Five liters of water at 36°C were placed in a transparent container. The fogging areas of wide-field lenses were microscopically measured. We created three groups: lenses soaked in normal saline at 25°C for 1 minute (control), lenses soaked in normal saline at 50°C for 1 minute (warm saline), and lenses that were wiped with a sponge soaked in anti-fog solution (ULTRASTOP pro med. Solution, Sigmapharm, Vienna, Austria) after prior soaking in normal saline at 25°C for 1 minute (anti-fog). Images of fogged areas were acquired at 10 seconds and 1, 3, and 5 minutes. Extent of fogged areas and central lens invasion were determined. All experiments were repeated 10 times. Results: In the control group, the entire areas were always completely fogged. The average fog coverage values were 4.34 ± 1.28, 6.30 ± 1.38, 56.00 ± 25.01, and 93.81 ± 5.88% at 10 seconds and 1, 3, and 5 minutes in the warm saline group and 4.74 ± 0.57, 7.35 ± 0.96, 10.13 ± 1.09, and 11.74 ± 1.74% in the anti-fog group, respectively. There were significant differences at 3 and 5 minutes (p = 0.029, p = 0.012). Fogging of the central lens was detected in 8 tests after 3 minutes and all 10 tests after 5 minutes in the warm saline group, but no fogging was detected in the anti-fog group. Conclusions Application of an anti-fog solution to a wide-field viewing lens prevents lens fogging during vitrectomy.