PurposeIn Asian countries, laser iridotomy for the treatment of angle-closure glaucoma is a common cause of bullous keratopathy, which may be associated with a shallow anterior chamber and dark iris pigmentation in Asians. Several cases of corneal decompensation after argon laser iridotomy have been reported. In the present study, we evaluated the harmful effects of argon laser iridotomy on the corneal endothelium.MethodsArgon laser iridotomy was performed on the right eyes of pigmented rabbits. Changes in corneal thickness and endothelial cell density after laser iridotomy were evaluated. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) was performed for assessment of corneal endothelial cell apoptosis. Combined staining with alizarin red and trypan blue, as well as a live/dead cell assay, were performed for evaluation of damage to the corneal endothelium induced by laser iridotomy.ResultsCorneal thickness did not change immediately after laser iridotomy; however, a significant increase was observed 24 hours after iridotomy (p = 0.001). The endothelial cell density of laser-treated eyes four days after laser iridotomy was significantly decreased compared with control eyes (p < 0.001). TUNEL staining showed many TUNEL-positive cells in the corneal endothelium and corneal stroma. No endothelial trypan blue-stained cell nuclei were observed after laser iridotomy; however, several large endothelial cells with damaged membrane integrity were observed. The live/dead cell assay clearly showed a large number of dead cells stained red in several areas throughout the entire corneal button 24 hours after iridotomy.ConclusionsArgon laser iridotomy induces corneal endothelial cell apoptosis in pigmented rabbit eyes, resulting in decreased endothelial cell density.

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Purpose: To report the availability of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) when diagnosing type 1 and type 2 choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with age-related macular degeneration. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 63 eyes of 59 patients who visited the outpatient clinic from April 2018 to January 2020 with treatment-naïve type 1/2 CNV associated with age-related macular degeneration. The CNV was diagnosed through fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography on the appearance of hyperfluorescence and leakage at the late phase. The CNV type was classified by location using OCT. These results were compared with those of automatic and manual segmentations via OCTA. Results: Of the 63 eyes, 45 eyes showed type 1 CNV and 18 eyes indicated type 2 CNV. Using the automatic segmented display of OCTA, type 1 CNV was identified in 29 of 45 eyes and type 2 CNV was confirmed in 17 of 18 eyes. In addition, when manual segmentation was performed, type 1 CNV was found in 41 of 45 eyes and type 2 CNV in 18 of 18 eyes. The sensitivity of diagnosis of type 1 CNV using only automatic segmentation in OCTA was 64.44%; the sensitivity increased to 91.11% when additional manual segmentation was performed (p < 0.001). For type 2 CNV, the sensitivity was 94.44% using automatic segmentation in OCTA and 100% with additional manual segmentation (p = 1.000). Conclusions: Automatic segmentation of OCTA and OCT analyses enabled diagnosis of type 1 and type 2 CNV associated with age-related macular degeneration. The diagnosis accuracy or type 1 CNV improved significantly when manual segmentation was added.

Purpose: To investigate the functional and structural recovery period of idiopathic epiretinal membranes after phacovitrectomy with posterior capsulectomy.Methods: From March 2012 to January 2015, 57 patients diagnosed with idiopathic epiretinal membranes with cataracts who underwent combined vitrectomy and cataract surgery with pars plana posterior capsulectomy were enrolled. The best-corrected visual acuity and central foveal thickness were analyzed retrospectively.Results: The average best-corrected visual acuity before surgery was 0.30 ± 0.23 logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR), and the mean central foveal thickness was 442 ± 93 μm. As of the 12-month follow-up, the average postoperative best-corrected visual acuity had improved to 0.08 ± 0.11 logMAR, and the central foveal thickness after surgery had decreased to 386 ± 58 μm at 12 months.Conclusions: After removing the potential influence of cataracts and posterior capsular opacity, the recovery of idiopathic epiretinal membranes continued up to 12 months after surgery.