BackgroundCataract surgery is associated with the development of late-onset age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The pathogenic mechanism is still not fully established. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the possible changes in central macula thickness (CMT) and subfoveal choroid thickness (SCT) after uneventful cataract surgery.Material/MethodsA total of 65 eyes of 65 patients who underwent phacoemulsification and intracapsular lens implantation were included in this prospective study. Patients had not undergone previous ocular surgery and had no other ocular abnormality. CMT and SCT were measured at baseline and postoperatively at week 1 and months 1, 3, 6 and 12 via spectral domain optical cohorence tomography (SD-OCT).ResultsCMT was 252.4±27.6 μm (mean ±SD) preoperatively, then 253.5±29.8, 256.1±28.7, 257.4±27.2, 253.18±23.7, and 252.8±21.7 μm at postoperative week 1 and postoperative months 1, 3, 6, and 12, respectively. There were insignificant changes in CMT, and it returned to baseline at six months after surgery (all p>0.05). SCT was 237.4±21.6 μm preoperatively, and 240.5±24.8, 241.2±25.7, 242.7±26.3, 243.1±24.2, and 244.2±21.4 μm at postoperative week 1 and postoperative months 1, 3, 6, and 12, respectively. Although there was an increase in SCT during follow-up, the difference between preoperative and postoperative values was not significant (p>0.05).ConclusionsUncomplicated phacoemulsification induces subclinical changes in CMT, probably due to the inflammatory insult of surgery, and CMT returns to baseline value. There were slight, insignificant increases in choroid thickness during follow-up, and this did not return to baseline during follow-up. Changes in the choroid after cataract surgery may provide clues to the development of late-onset AMD.

Purpose. To investigate whether platelet morphology or function is altered in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods. This prospective study enrolled 85 healthy controls (HCs) (group 1) and 262 patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Patients were subclassified into three groups according to ocular findings: no DR (group 2; n = 88); nonproliferative DR (group 3; n = 88), and proliferative DR (group 4; n = 86). Mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), platelet large cell ratio (PLCR), plateletcrit (PCT) values, and platelet count were measured in the studied groups. Results. MPV, PDW, and PLCR levels were significantly altered in groups 2–4 compared with HCs (p < 0.05, p < 0.05, p < 0.05). Compared with group 2, both DR groups had higher MPV and PDW levels, with a significant difference between groups 2 and 4 for both MPV (p = 0.036) and PDW (p = 0.006). PLCR correlated with retinopathy stage, but no significant difference was found between the DR groups. Platelet count and PCT values were not significantly different between the groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion. Our findings suggest an association between mean platelet indices (MPI) (i.e., MPV, PDW, and PLCR) and DR stage. Therefore, MPI could be a beneficial prognostic marker of DR in patients with T2DM.

SIGNIFICANCE After epithelium-off crosslinking (CXL), epithelial closure time and post-operative pain are an important issue in terms of possible complications and patient comfort. We report a prospective randomized study about the use of autologous serum eye drops after CXL. PURPOSE This study aims to evaluate the effect of autologous serum eye drops on epithelial healing and post-operative pain after CXL. METHODS Sixty patients diagnosed as having progressive keratoconus and treated with accelerated CXL (9 mW/cm2 for 10 minutes) randomly received 20% autologous serum eye drops (autologous serum group, n = 30) or artificial tears (control group, n = 30). Patients were evaluated every day after the surgery, and the day of epithelial closure was recorded. All patients were asked to report the maximum pain level using the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale at the end of each day until the epithelial closure was completed. The change in topographic parameters and haze were recorded at 6 months. RESULTS The mean epithelial closure time was significantly lower in the autologous serum group than in the control group (2.37 ± 0.49 and 2.67 ± 0.47 days, respectively; P = .02). There was a statistically significant difference between the pain scores in the first and second days of surgery between the two groups (first-day autologous serum autologous serum group: 2.80 ± 0.66 and control group: 3.50 ± 0.82, P = .01; second-day autologous serum group: 1.73 ± 0.69 and control group: 2.20 ± 0.76, P = .02). Pre-operative and post-operative topographic parameters and haze at 6 months were similar between the two groups (P > .05 for all). CONCLUSIONS Use of autologous serum eye drops after CXL accelerates epithelial healing and reduces post-operative pain. Shortening the duration of epithelial closure would be beneficial in reducing possible complications and increasing patient comfort.

Although there were slight changes in choroid thickness in the long term, treatment of posterior capsule opacification with a low-energy Nd:YAG laser is a safe procedure that increases visual acuity without creating a significant increase in IOP, CMT, and SCT.