OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the changes in static and dynamic postural control after the development of acute low back pain. METHODS: Thirty healthy right-handed volunteers were divided into three groups; the right back pain group, the left back pain group, and the control group. 0.5 mL of 5% hypertonic saline was injected into L4-5 paraspinal muscle for 5 seconds to cause muscle pain. The movement of the center of gravity (COG) during their static and dynamic postural control was measured with their eyes open and with their eyes closed before and 2 minutes after the injection. RESULTS: The COGs for the healthy adults shifted to the right quadrant and the posterior quadrant during their static and dynamic postural control test (p<0.05). The static and dynamic instability index while they had their eyes closed was significantly increased than when they had their eyes open with and without acute back pain. After pain induction, their overall and anterior/posterior instability was increased in both the right back pain group and the left back pain group during the static postural control test (p<0.05). A right deviation and a posterior deviation of the COG still remained, and the posterior deviation was greater in the right back pain group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The static instability, particularly the anterior/posterior instability was increased in the presence of acute low back pain, regardless of the visual information and the location of pain.
Adult ; Back Pain ; Eye ; Gravitation ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Muscles

PURPOSE: To report a case of meibomian gland dysfunction as a chronic complication of eyelid tattooing and the corneal epithelial defect as an acute complication of eyelid tattooing well healed with proper treatment. CASE SUMMARY: A 31-year-old woman presented with severe eye pain, irritation and epiphora in both eyes. The patient underwent an eyelid tattooing procedure 2 hours before and dark pigments were placed on the inner eyelid margin. Slit lamp examination showed conjunctival injection and inferior corneal epithelial defect in both eyes. After 2 months, dry eye symptom still remained although the cornea was completely epithelialized. After 1 year, the patient improved completely, but still showed decreased tear film breakup time (TBUT). CONCLUSIONS: Due to the increased number of people who undergo cosmetic eyelid tattooing procedures, the number of reports associated with complications has increased and acute complications such as corneal epithelial defect can occur. Moreover, chronic discomfort associated with dry eye syndrome can occur when pigmentation is placed on the eyelid inner margin and lead to the destruction of meibomian glands. Thus, eyelid tattooing should be performed after careful consideration of possible complications.
Cornea ; Cosmetics ; Dry Eye Syndromes ; Eye ; Eye Pain ; Eyelids ; Female ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Meibomian Glands ; Pigmentation ; Tattooing ; Tears

BACKGROUND: Conservative techniques designed to block or delay the aging process have been utilized in various ways for many years. However, their effects can be relatively minimal and short-term in most cases compared to surgery. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of gold thread implantation for the treatment of periorbital wrinkles. METHODS: A total of 78 consecutive patients who showed mild to severe periorbital wrinkles were deemed appropriate candidates, including 69 women and 9 men ranging from 31 to 59 years (mean, 47 years). Six gold threads about 4 cm in length were inserted subdermally in each patient at intervals of about 0.5 cm. Follow-up assessments were performed 1, 4, and 12 weeks after the procedure. The efficacy was rated by the physician using the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale and patients who made global assessments of changes in periorbital wrinkles using the Visual Analog Scale. Adverse events were monitored throughout the course of the study. RESULTS: The patients showed significant improvements after the procedure. There were minor complications such as foreign body sensation in the eye (2.63%) and eye pain (1.32%) that improved spontaneously without any specific treatments. CONCLUSIONS: Subdermal implantation of gold thread improves the appearance of periorbital wrinkles and does not appear to have serious side effects. Insertion of gold thread may be an effective and safe method for facial rejuvenation.
Aging ; Eye ; Eye Pain ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Male ; Rejuvenation ; Sensation

PURPOSE: Tadalafil is a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor that is used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Previous clinical trials have assessed its efficacy and safety in Western populations, but this drug has not been investigated in a large clinical trial involving Korean men with ED. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of 20 mg tadalafil in comparison to placebo when it is taken on demand by Korean men suffering with ED over a study period of 12 weeks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Men more than 18 years of age with mild to severe ED of various etiologies were randomized to receive placebo or tadalafil 20 mg that was taken as needed (maximum once daily). Efficacy assessments included the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), the Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP) diary and Global Assessment Questions (GAQ). RESULTS: Tadalafil significantly improved erectile function, as measured by the erectile function domain of the IIEF, compared to placebo (p<0.001). At the endpoint, the patients receiving tadalafil 20mg reported a greater mean per-patient percentage of successful intercourse attempts (SEP3: 71% compared to 31% for placebo) and a greater proportion of improved erections (GAQ: 80% compared to 44%). The most common treatment emergent adverse events were headache (16.3%), flushing (5%) and eye pain (5%), and most of the adverse events were mild or moderate in severity. CONCLUSIONS: Tadalafil was an effective, well-tolerated therapy for Korean men suffering with ED of broad-spectrum severity and etiology.
Erectile Dysfunction* ; Eye Pain ; Flushing ; Headache ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Tadalafil

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effects of intradermal needling for pain and tear film stability in patients after pterygium excision. METHODS: A total of 76 patients (98 affected eyes) with primary pterygium were randomly divided into an observation group (38 cases, 53 affected eyes) and a control group (38 cases, 45 affected eyes).In the control group, only pterygium resection was performed, in the observation group, intradermal needling after pterygium resection was applied at Cuanzhu (BL 2), Yuyao (EX-HN 4), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Sibai (ST 2), Hegu (LI 4), removed after 24 h and changed three times a week. The pain level of 3 days after surgery, dry eye symptoms, the basic tear secretion test (Schirmer-Ⅰ), and the tear-break time (BUT) changes before surgery, 2 weeks after surgery and 4 weeks after surgery were compared between the two groups, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated. RESULTS: The pain level of 3 days after surgery in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (<0.05). The dry eye symptom scores at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after surgery in the two groups were significantly lower than those before surgery (all <0.05), and the dry eye symptom scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (both <0.05). The Schirmer-Ⅰ test at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after surgery was significantly prolonged than that before surgery(all <0.05), and the Schirmer-Ⅰ test in the observation group was significantly longer than that in the control group (both <0.05). The BUT at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after surgery in the two groups was significantly longer than that before surgery (all <0.05), and the BUT in the observation group was significantly longer than that in the control group (both <0.05). The total effective rate in the observation group was 89.5% (34/38), which was higher than 71.1% (27/38) in the control group (<0.05). CONCLUSION Intradermal needling can effectively reduce the pain level of patients after pterygium resection, improve dry eye symptoms, promote the secretion of tears and improve the tear film stability.
Acupuncture Points ; Dry Eye Syndromes ; Humans ; Pain ; Pterygium ; Tears

PURPOSE: We report on the clinical efficacy of the combined operation of corneal tattooing and amniotic membrane transplantation on the treatment of bullous keratopathy in patients with poor visual potentials. CASE SUMMARY: We performed corneal tattooing and amniotic membrane transplantation in 7 eyes with bullous keratopathy. Postoperatively, we assessed the status of corneal reepithelialization, postoperative pain, and cosmetic effects. In all cases but one, corneal reepithelialization was successful without pain, and the corneal tattooing persisted throughout the follow-up period. In one case, a corneal epithelial defect developed, so we performed an additional amniotic membrane transplantation. After 2 weeks, the corneal epithelial defect healed and caused no further pain. CONCLUSIONS: The combined operation of corneal tattooing and amniotic membrane transplantation is a good choice for the treatment of bullous keratopathy with regard to cosmetic problems, pain, and poor visual potential.
Amnion ; Cosmetics ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Pain, Postoperative ; Tattooing ; Transplants

PURPOSE: In the present study, the prognosis of ocular injury caused by a wasp sting was evaluated in two cases: Case 1 was treated by anterior chamber irrigation and Case 2 was simultaneously treated by anterior chamber irrigation and vitrectomy. CASE SUMMARY: Both patients had unilateral damage and complained of severe eye pain and blurred vision. Severe corneal edema, conjunctival injection, marked anterior chamber inflammatory reaction and the wasp sting through the cornea at the anterior chamber were observed in both cases. In Case 1, anterior chamber irrigation was performed, however, corneal edema was not recovered. Six months after the wasp sting, phthisis was observed. In Case 2, anterior chamber irrigation and vitrectomy were simultaneously performed, corneal edema decreased and epithelial healing occurred. Four months after the wasp sting, the eyeball was stable, but there was no wave on the electroretinogram. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike the ocular damage resulting from a bee sting, the ocular damage from a wasp sting causes severe toxic reactions and results in poor prognosis. Aggressive treatment including vitrectomy is necessary shortly after wasp sting injury to save both the vision and eyeball.
Anterior Chamber ; Bees ; Bites and Stings* ; Cornea ; Corneal Edema ; Eye Pain ; Humans ; Prognosis* ; Uveitis ; Vitrectomy ; Wasps*

PURPOSE: To compare short-term clinical results of LASEK and epi-LASIK. METHODS: Fifteen subjects (30 eyes) underwent uncomplicated LASEK on one eye and uncomplicated epi-LASIK on the other eye by a single surgeon, and uncorrected visual acuity, refractive change, postoperative pain, and postoperative satisfaction were compared at postoperative week one, at one month, and at three months. RESULTS: Postoperative uncorrected visual acuities were 0.68+/-0.20, 0.96+/-0.22, and 1.05+/-0.17 for LASEK and 0.75+/-0.21, 0.92+/-0.14, and 1.01+/-0.21 for epi-LASIK at one week, one month, and three months, respectively. Epi-LASIK showed faster improvement in visual acuity at one week, while LASEK showed faster improvement afterward. However, no statistical significance was found. Spherical equivalet of LASEK was -0.66+/-1.28D and that of epi-LASIK was -0.61+/-0.92D at postoperative week one, implying faster refractive recovery for epi-LASIK, but after one month, LASEK was faster in refractive recovery and all these changes were not statistically significant. Durations of postoperative pain were 3.13+/-1.25 days for LASEK and 3.02+/-1.32 days for epi-LASIK. Pain scores (0~10 point scale), however, were also lower for LASEK by 0.33 point, 0.57 point, and 0.45 point for postoperative day 1, 2, and 3, respectively. No statistical significance was noted in either pain duration or pain score. When asked for overall satisfaction, six subjects preferred LASIK, four subjects preferred epi-LASIK, and five subjects showed no preference. CONCLUSIONS: Both LASEK and epi-LASIK are effective for surgical correction of myopia, and no significant difference in visual recovery, refractive change or degree of postoperative pain was noted in this study.
Eye ; Keratectomy, Subepithelial, Laser-Assisted ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ ; Myopia ; Pain, Postoperative ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To investigate the influence of preservation of an epithelial sheet in Epi-LASIK on postoperative pain and epithelial wound healing time. METHODS: This prospective study included 34 eyes of 17 patients with myopia who received Epi-LASIK. An epithelial flap was created using the epikeratome (Centurion SES, Norwood Abbey EyeCare, Australia). After the stroma was ablated using the MEL 80 (Carl Zeiss Meditec. Germany) excimer laser, the epithelial sheet was replaced on the stromal bed in one randomly selected eye of each patient, and removed in the contralateral eye. The pain scores at postoperative day 0, 1, 2, 5 and the numbers of days for the complete epithelial wound healing were compared between the sheet-preserved and the sheet-removed eyes. At 1 month postoperative, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), refractive error and corneal haze were also compared. RESULTS: Pain scores on the day of operation were lower in sheet-preserved group and statistically significant (p=0.01). On postoperative day 1, 2, and 5, pain scores did not reach statistical significance (p=0.24, 0.08, 0.56, respectively). The mean epithelial healing time was 4.88+/-0.93 days for the flap-preserved eyes and 4.29+/-0.77 days for the flap-removed eyes, which showed statistical significance (p=0.01). No significant difference was noted between the 2 groups for mean UCVA, corneal haze and refractive error at 1 month postoperative. CONCLUSIONS: A preserved epithelial sheet reduced early postoperative pain but did not accelerate epithelial wound-healing rate.
Eye ; Humans ; Lasers, Excimer ; Myopia ; Pain, Postoperative ; Prospective Studies ; Refractive Errors ; Visual Acuity ; Wound Healing

An 8-year-old boy visited our clinic suffering from painful swelling of the left cheek and eye pain. His left nasal dorsum and left cheek were severely swollen with reddish discoloration and tenderness by light touch. A CT scan revealed left maxillary sinusitis and abscess extending to the left inferior turbinate and subcutaneous soft tissue beneath the skin covering the left maxillary sinus. Because of unsuccessful 3 days of medical treatment, surgical drainage of the abscess of the turbinate, nasal dorsum, and eradication of inflammation in the maxillary sinus was performed. Clinical suspicion and prompt imaging workup could hasten the definite diagnosis and appropriate surgical management, as in our case.
Abscess ; Cheek ; Drainage ; Eye Pain ; Inflammation ; Light ; Maxillary Sinus ; Maxillary Sinusitis ; Skin ; Stress, Psychological ; Turbinates