PURPOSE: To compare U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–reported visual and refractive outcomes following surgical correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism using the Visian Toric Implantable Collamer Lens (STAAR Surgical, Monrovia, CA) (Toric ICL), small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), and topography-guided laser in situ keratomileusis (TG-LASIK). METHODS: FDA summary of safety and effectiveness data (SSED) were analyzed for each of the three platforms. Primary outcomes measured were efficacy, safety, stability, and accuracy of refractive correction. Stratified mean refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE) data were assessed. RESULTS: One hundred twenty-four Toric ICL patients (210 eyes), 357 SMILE patients (357 eyes), and 212 TG-LASIK patients (249 eyes) were included. SMILE eyes had a significant improvement in postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity with respect to preoperative corrected distance visual acuity from 3 to 12 months ( P < .001), whereas TG-LASIK had no further improvement from 3 to 12 months ( P = .79). For preoperative MRSE greater than 10.00 diopters (D), there was a significant difference in the percentage of eyes achieving postoperative MSRE within ±0.50 D between Toric ICL (66%) and SMILE (100%) ( P < .001). SMILE was consistently more accurate than Toric ICL for cylinder within ±0.25 D ( P < .001), ±0.50 D ( P < .001), and ±1.00 D ( P = .0014). CONCLUSIONS: All three platforms analyzed in this study had excellent efficacy, safety, stability, and accuracy. Stratified analysis revealed that SMILE may be comparable to Toric ICL for patients with high myopia or myopic astigmatism, and SMILE may have a longer visual recovery compared to TG-LASIK than previously indicated. [ J Refract Surg . 2019;35(11):699–706.]

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Purpose. The ocular sequelae of syphilis are devastating and may cause blindness. The ambiguous nature of its ocular manifestations makes syphilis difficult to detect. Though uncommon, the rise of syphilis in the United States requires a renewed understanding of its ophthalmic presentation to prevent devastating outcomes. We present this case to raise awareness for the increasing prevalence of ocular syphilis and appropriate serologic testing. Observations. We describe a 65-year-old HIV-positive male with worsening retinitis, uveitis, and rapid visual loss. Initial lab results showed a nonreactive rapid plasma reagin (RPR) for syphilis. However, subsequent Treponema pallidum antibody testing was positive 48 hours after initial false-negative serologic screening. The patient had a rapid and successful recovery following treatment with penicillin. Conclusions and Importance. The incidence of syphilis is on the rise once again, and patients living with HIV are at increased risk. Ocular syphilis should be considered in susceptible populations in the clinical setting of retinitis, uveitis, and worsening visual loss with unknown cause. In addition, retesting for syphilis will decrease the prevalence of false-negative results, especially in patients with high clinical suspicion.

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Objectives:To determine the feasibility of integrating pre-intubation ultrasound into airway course and assess emergency medicine (EM) residents' confidence and comfort level in using ultrasound for pre-intubation hemodynamic stabilization and identifying cricothyroid membrane after the training session. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study. Pre-intubation ultrasound training was delivered with the following ultrasound components (didactics and hands-on sessions using human models) to EM residents: (1) sonoanatomy and scanning technique to identify cricothyroid membrane and (2) pre-intubation echocardiography for recognition of acute right ventricular failure and pre-intubation hemodynamic stabilization. Results: A total of 56 EM residents participated in this study. Only 21% [95% confidence interval (CI), 10-31%] reported using ultrasound for pre-intubation hemodynamic stabilization. After the training session, 89% (95% CI, 81-97%) reported that ultrasound-based teaching increased their knowledge of pre-intubation hemodynamic stabilization compared with traditional teaching methods. On a scale of 1 (low) through 10 (high), the average comfort level for integrating ultrasound findings into medical decision making for pre-intubation hemodynamic stabilization was 6.8 (95% CI, 6.3-7.3). Seventy-nine percent (95% CI, 68-89%) reported that focused training in airway ultrasound is adequate to identify cricothyroid membrane. On a scale of 1 (low) through 10 (high), the average confidence level for identifying cricothyroid membrane using ultrasound was 6.6 (95% CI, 6.1-7.1). Conclusion: At our institution, we successfully integrated pre-intubation ultrasound into an airway course. Emergency medicine residents had a moderate level of comfort and confidence level using ultrasound for pre-intubation hemodynamic stabilization and identifying cricothyroid membrane after the training session.