No abstract

Introduction:Infective Keratitis refers to the diseases affecting cornea caused by infective agents which leads to necrosis and suppuration resulting in corneal tissue ulcers. It is a potentially blinding condition that must be treated emergently to preserve vision. Fungal corneal ulcers are the most common, accounting for 30-40% of the cases followed by bacterial, viral and amoebic corneal ulcers.Methods: It was a prospective, open labelled, interventional study including 75 patients of infective keratitis reporting to the Ophthalmology OPD at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala. Cases diagnosed with microbial keratitis were evaluated clinically using slit lamp biomicroscope and microbiologically using smears and cultures. The patients were treated accordingly and followed up to analyze the treatment response and outcomes in these patients.Results: Out of 75 patients enrolled in the study, 31 were diagnosed to have fungal keratitis (41.3%), 22 had bacterial keratitis (29.3%) and 6 had mixed infection (8%). 9 patients were diagnosed with viral keratitis based on the clinical picture. Aspergillus was the most commonly isolated fungal species followed by Fusarium and Staphylococcus was the most common isolated bacteria. Fungal keratitis took the longest to heal and had maximum complications compared to other etiologies. Conclusion:Being an agricultural state the incidence of fungal keratitis is much more in Punjab compared to other microbes. Treating a fungal corneal ulcer is very challenging inspite of the available diagnostic and treatment methods.

Aim: To compare effects of 0.1% and 0.01% topical atropine eyedrops in myopic children.Methods : This prospective randomized study was conducted on 80 eyes of 40 myopic children irrespective of age, type of myopia and amount of spherical equivalent correction. 40 eyes were subjected to 0.1% (Group A) and 40 to 0.01% (Group B) topical atropine once at night. Follow-up was done at 3 months,6 months, 1 and 2 years. The effect of atropine on mean change in spherical equivalent, axial length, pupil diameter, keratometry and intra ocular pressure was recorded and compared between two groups. Any adverse effect as well as drop in near vision due to atropine was also noted.Results: Mean age group studied in two groups was 10.5 years (range 5-13 years). The mean change in spherical equivalent after 2 years of atropine therapy was -0.35 ± 0.93 D in group A and -0.04 ± 0.57 D in group B (p < 0.05), the mean change in axial length was 0.27 ± 0.38 mm in group A and 0.05 ± 0.30 mm in group B (p > 0.05) and the mean change in pupil diameter was 1.05 ± 0.36 in group A and 0.84 ± 0.14 in group B (p < 0.05). 11 (55%) patients of group A and 6 (30%) patients of group B had difficulty while reading.However no statistical significant change was found in intraocular pressure and keratometric readings. Conclusion:Both 0.1% and 0.01% topical atropine have comparable role in stabilization of myopia over 2 years. However, fewer visual side effects were noted with 0.01% atropine vs 0.1% atropine.

No abstract

Introduction: Uveitis can directly or indirectly lead to ocular hypertension which can lead to glaucoma. Ripasudil has a different mechanism of action than other anti-glaucoma medications available commercially and in contrary to these drugs, ripasudil also has anti-inflammatory properties providing an upper edge over other intraocular pressure lowering drugs. In addition to primary glaucoma, these new Rho kinase associated inhibitors can provide satisfactory results in glaucoma with secondary pathologies. Aim: To study the role of ripasudil as first line treatment for ocular hypertension in uveitis cases. Materials and Methods: A prospective randomised study comprising 40 patients of Ocular Hypertension (OHT) associated with uveitis was conducted in the Outpatient Department (OPD) of Ophthalmology at a tertiary care hospital in North India from October 2020 to January 2021. The diagnosis of uveitis was made clinically with detailed medical history and slit lamp biomicroscopic examination. All the diagnosed patients were started with topical ripasudil hydrochloride hydrate 0.4% eye drops twice daily along with anti-inflammatory medications. Intraocular Presure (IOP) was recorded after 4 weeks and 12 weeks at 8 am, 10 am and 4 pm. Effectiveness of the drugs was calculated in terms of mmHg fall in mean intraocular pressure using t-test and p-values. Results: Out of 40 patients with uveitis associated OHT, 20caseswere inflammation related (mean age was 56.2±16.3years,13 males, 7 females) and 20 cases were categorised as corticosteroid induced (mean age was 58.9±15.69 years, 14 males, 6 females). At 12 weeks there was 5.67±0.59 mmHg fall in IOP (22.70%) in inflammation related OHT and there was 6.37±0.07 mmHg fall in IOP (25.34%) in corticosteroid related OHT. There was statistically significant fall in IOP (p-value=0.001). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that topical ripasudil hydrochloride hydrate 0.4% eye drops is effective in lowering the IOP, also there were no side effects, so it is safe and well-tolerated. So, ripasudil can provide a safe and effective alternative for lowering of IOP among uveitis related OHT.