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Purpose: To report the prevalence of subclinical keratoconus (KC), and KC suspects, in pediatric Egyptian population with astigmatic error ≥2 diopters (D), with the use of CSO Sirius tomographer. Methods: A cross-sectional study that included all the children aged 6-18 years with an astigmatic error of ≥2 D who attended the pediatric ophthalmology clinic for routine checkups during the period between March 2017 and December 2017 was done. All subjects underwent comprehensive ophthalmic examination, and corneal imaging using CSO Sirius instrument, a pentacam with Scheimpflug technology. Results: There were 547 subjects enrolled in our study. Mean age was 11.34 ± 3.03 (range 6-18) years. There were 278 subjects (50.8%) between 6 and 12 years, and 269 subjects (49.2%) between 12 and 18 years. Males represented 48.4% and females represented 51.6% of patients. Among all the subjects, there were 26 (4.8%) KC patients, 24 (4.4%) KC suspects, and 497 (90.9%) were normal. Conclusion: Prevalence of subclinical KC among pediatric age group with astigmatism is relatively high, hence the importance of corneal tomography screening of children with astigmatic error ≥2 D.

PURPOSE: We present the KAP levels and the determinants for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening and management at a private hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A chart review was performed of DM patients to collect the demographics and diabetes related information in June to December 2017. A close ended questionnaire was used that queried knowledge (7), attitude (5) and practice for DR screening (7). RESULTS: Two hundred participants were interviewed half from endocrinology unit and half from the eye clinic. An excellent knowledge of the ophthalmic effects of diabetes was noted in 91 [45.5% (95% Confidence Interval CI 38.6–52.4) of participants. Thirty-eight [19% (95% CI 13.6–24.4)] participants had a positive attitude. None had an excellent grade of practice and poor practice was noted in 168 [74% (95% CI 78.9–89.1)] participants. Longer duration of DM (P = 0.07) and systemic complications (P = 0.06) were associated with good knowledge. Attitude was not significantly associated with any determinants. Good practice was associated with the presence of systemic complications of DM (P < 0.01) and those recruited to the eye clinic (P = 0.06). Only 35% of patients had undergone an annual DR screening. Only 4 patients had a history of laser treatment. CONCLUSION: The KAP of diabetic patients regarding DR screening and management is less than desired. Establishing protocols and public health promotion activities directed at early detection and management are urgently needed in private sectors of Saudi Arabia.

Background: At completion of transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (t-PRK) surgery, the eye is usually fitted with a bandage contact lens to reduce discomfort and promote epithelial healing. This study aimed to compare the outcomes of eyes fitted with lotrafilcon B versus comfilcon A, silicone hydrogel bandage contact lenses after t-PRK for the correction of low to moderate myopia, with or without astigmatism. Methods: In this comparative, prospective study, patients with myopia < -6 D with or without astigmatism (< 1.75 D), who underwent t-PRK between January and June 2018, were randomly allocated to the lotrafilcon B and comfilcon A groups. Preoperative characteristics, including age, sex, eye treated, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best-corrected visual acuity, mesopic pupil size, central corneal thickness, and refractive error were recorded. Postoperatively, pain score, UCVA, and corneal epithelial defect size on days 1, 4, and 7 were compared between the two groups. Results: Twenty-nine eyes were included in each group. Demographic characteristics and preoperative measurements were similar between the two groups. UCVA was significantly improved on day 7 as compared to day 1 in the comfilcon A group (P = 0.03), but remained the same in the lotrafilcon B group (P = 0.70) as on day 1 postoperatively. There was no significant difference in UCVA between the two groups at any follow-up visits (all P > 0.05). The pain score on the first postoperative day was significantly higher in the lotrafilcon B-fitted eyes than in the comfilcon A group (P < 0.001), but was significantly reduced in both groups compared to day 1 (both P < 0.001). The epithelial defect in the comfilcon A group was significantly greater than in the lotrafilcon B group (P < 0.001) at day 1 postoperatively, with significant improvement in both groups (both P < 0.001). Conclusions: Healing responses were better with lotrafilcon B than with comfilcon A bandage contact lenses. The patients had a greater mean pain score with lotrafilcon B than with comfilcon A lenses on the first postoperative day, yet the final outcome was comparable between the two groups. We did not encounter any postoperative complications related to contact lens wear. How to cite this article: Lotfy NM, Alasbali T, Alsharif AM, Al-Gehedan SM, Jastaneiah S, Al-Hazaimeh A, Ali H, Khandekar R. Comparison of the efficacy of lotrafilcon B and comfilcon A silicone hydrogel bandage contact lenses after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy. Med Hypothesis Discov Innov Ophthalmol. 2021 Summer; 10(2): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.51329/mehdiophthal1420

Purpose: To compare different macular thickness parameters and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness between recently diagnosed cases of multiple sclerosis (MS) without optic neuropathy (ON) and healthy individuals. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed between June 2014 and June 2015. All subjects underwent ocular and retinal examination. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was used to measure the thickness of different layers of the retina at macular and peripapillary regions and at different quadrants. Between groups comparison was performed with P < 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results: There were 32 eyes in the MS group and 74 eyes in the control group. The MS group was significantly younger than the control group ( P < 0.001). The mean ganglion cell complex (GCL++) thickness in superior macular area was 64.1 ± 8.9 μ in the MS group and 71.1 ± 5.9 μ in the control group. The thickness of the RNFL did not statistically differ in each of the quadrants between groups. Despite controlling for age, the macular thickness parameters were significantly thinner in eyes with MS compared to healthy eyes ( P < 0.01). Conclusion: The macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC) parameters were significantly reduced in recently diagnosed cases of MS as compared to healthy individuals.