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Results indicate that using 5% povidone-iodine for 15 minutes or 10% povidone-iodine for 5 minutes can prevent the growth of most post-cataract surgery endophthalmitis bacterial isolates.

Background: Thalassaemia major is associated with characteristic findings in craniofacial bony structures and thereby may render abnormal bony orbit and subsequently distinctive ocular biometry. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the ocular refractive and biometric characteristics in patients with thalassaemia major. Methods: This case-controlled study comprised 94 eyes of 47 patients with thalassaemia major and 88 eyes of 44 age-and sex-matched healthy control subjects. All participants had a complete ocular examination including slitlamp biomicroscopy, fundoscopy, ocular biometry, keratometry, refraction and analysis using Fourier transformation. Results: There were no significant differences in spherical equivalent (p = 0.66) and total astigmatism (p = 0.83) between groups. Mean uncorrected vision and visual acuities (logMar) were similar (p = 0.32 and p = 0.71, respectively). Compared with controls, thalassaemic patients had a shorter axial length (23.01 Ϯ 0.12 [SEM] mm versus 23.46 Ϯ 0.12 mm, p = 0.035), thicker crystalline lens (4.01 Ϯ 0.11 mm versus 3.87 Ϯ 0.1 mm, p = 0.046) and steeper average keratometry (44.02 Ϯ 0.24 D versus 43.44 Ϯ 0.24, p = 0.03). Fifty-seven per cent of thalassaemic patients had against-the-rule astigmatism (total), while 64.6 per cent of controls showed a with-the-rule pattern (p < 0.05). These patterns were also found for corneal astigmatism. The magnitudes of total, corneal and lenticular astigmatism were similar among groups. Regression analysis showed significant correlation between corneal ( J0 and J45) and total ( J0 and J45) astigmatism. The correlations were less prominent between lenticular and total J0 and J45. The mean intraocular pressure was 14.68 Ϯ 0.27 mmHg and 13.3 Ϯ 0.26 mmHg in the thalassaemia and control groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Six eyes (12.8 per cent) of four patients in the thalassaemia group had posterior subcapsular cataract, while the condition had not been observed in controls (p = 0.049). Conclusions: Shorter axial length, thicker lens, steeper corneal curvature and more against-the-rule pattern were characteristic findings in patients with thalassaemia major. Key words: astigmatism, biometry, refraction, thalassaemia major Haemoglobin is essential for normal oxygen delivery to tissues. Betathalassaemia is one of the most common haemoglobinopathies (with an incidence of up to 14 per cent in some populations) and has an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. In this disorder, abnormalities in b-globin biosynthesis diminish production of haemoglobin tetramers, resulting in hypochromia and microcytosis. Management of thalassaemia major consists of regular long-life blood Functional changes such as abnormalities in the electro-retinogram, the electrooculogram, the visual-evoked potentials and contrast sensitivity function have been demonstrated in these patients. 13Thalassaemia major patients have characteristic skeletal changes, including typical craniofacial changes and deformities of the long bones that result from expansion of t...

Besides the widely accepted use of bevacizumab in cancer therapy and chorioretinal neovascularization, the initial, striking, short-term response and patients' high tolerance of local bevacizumab therapy offer encouraging results for the potential role of anti-VEGF agents in treating anterior segment neovascular disorders. Controlled prospective trials are needed to establish the long-term safety, efficacy, and dosing guidelines for the use of anti-VEGF agents in anterior segment neovascularization.