The case reports highlights the growing threat to the ocular health of airline crew and, potentially, passenger safety due to the lack of regulatory oversight of high powered laser devices obtained from the internet. We strongly believe high powered handheld laser devices should not be in the possession of the general public.

Précis: Irrigating goniectomy with the TrabEx+ device can lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma, as a standalone procedure or combined with cataract surgery. Purpose: The aim was to describe the efficacy and safety of irrigating goniectomy performed using the TrabEx+ device, either as a standalone procedure or combined with cataract surgery, in eyes with medically treated open-angle glaucoma. Methods: A retrospective case series of eyes treated by a single surgeon at a single UK teaching hospital. Data was collected at follow-up visits at 1 week, 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postoperatively. Primary outcomes included IOP and glaucoma medication reduction after surgery. Proportion of eyes achieving >20% IOP reduction, IOP <21 mm Hg, and no reoperation were classified as surgical success. Results: Seventy-three consecutive eyes of 64 patients (mean age 68.4±13.7 y) were enrolled. 62% were treated as combined procedures with cataract surgery. Overall, mean IOP decreased from 31.3±7.3 to 20.9±10.4 mm Hg at the latest follow-up (34% reduction) (P<0.001) at the latest follow-up (16.1±10.3 mo) with mean preoperative medications decreased from 2.9±1.2 to 1.9±1.3 (P<0.001). 73% met the definition of success at latest follow-up. Postoperative complications were recorded including hyphaema (17%), uveitis (3%), hypotony (1%), and persistent vitreous hemorrhage (1%). Eighteen percent required reoperation because of treatment failure. Conclusion: TrabEx+ appears to be effective in lowering IOP and medication with or without cataract surgery. However, long-term safety and efficacy will be better understood in a prospective study with longer follow-up.

AimsTo investigate the success and recurrence rates and visual outcomes in a large case series of amelanotic posterior choroidal melanomas treated by means of primary photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin.MethodsRetrospective case series from a single specialist ocular oncology centre. All patients had a clinical diagnosis of choroidal melanoma and were selected for PDT based on tumour characteristics. Included patients had at least 24 months of follow-up from initiation of treatment and all but one had not received treatment prior to PDT.Results69 patients were included. Mean tumour thickness was 1.9 mm (range 0.5–4.4), while the mean basal diameter was 6.9 mm (range 2.4–11.0). Included lesions were stage cT1a (n=66) or cT2a (n=3). The mean duration of follow-up from treatment initiation was 57 months (range 24–116 months). Seven lesions (10%) failed to respond to PDT. 10 patients (16%) experienced recurrence during follow-up. Overall success rate in this series was 75% (n=52). 83% of successfully treated patients (n=43) maintained or gained vision by final follow-up. Visual outcomes were significantly better in those patients who received PDT therapy alone in comparison to those who needed other treatments for their melanoma (Fisher’s exact test, p=0.004). Unfortunately, one patient (1.4%) in the series developed systemic metastases and died.ConclusionSelected amelanotic posterior uveal melanomas may be successfully treated with PDT with retention of good vision in the majority of cases, maintained with a mean of 57 months (minimum of 24 months) of follow-up.