To analyse the postoperative foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, superficial vessel density (SVD) and deep vessel density (DVD) and their correlation with functional (best-corrected visual acuity, BCVA) and anatomical outcomes (foveal macular thickness, FMT) after surgery for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair. Method: Patients with RRD eyes, successfully treated with a single pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) with gas tamponade and a minimum 12 months follow-up, were re-examined. Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, SVD, DVD and FMT were evaluated by using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and compared to fellow eye. Results: Fifty-six patients with macula-on and 37 with macula-off RRD were included in the study. In both groups, no difference in FMT and FAZ area was found compared to fellow eyes. In macula-on RRD eyes, a lower parafoveal DVD (p = 0.001) was detected; FAZ area was related to FMT (p = 0.025), and the postoperative BCVA was correlated with parafoveal DVD (p = 0.010) and FAZ area (p = 0.003). In macula-off RRD eyes, lower parafoveal SDV (p = 0.012), and foveal and parafoveal DVD (p = 0.012 and p < 0.001, respectively) were observed. BCVA was related to FAZ area (p = 0.012), foveal SVD (p = 0.005) and parafoveal DVD (p = 0.010). Conclusion: Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment eyes successfully treated with PPV had lower vessel density in the superficial and deep retinal plexus compared to fellow healthy eyes; BCVA was related to FAZ area and vessel density.

Uveal melanoma (UM) represents the most prominent primary eye cancer in adults. With an incidence of approximately 5 cases per million individuals annually in the United States, UM could be considered a relatively rare cancer. The 90-95% of UM cases arise from the choroid. Diagnosis is based mainly on a clinical examination and ancillary tests, with ocular ultrasonography being of greatest value. Differential diagnosis can prove challenging in the case of indeterminate choroidal lesions and, sometimes, monitoring for documented growth may be the proper approach. Fine needle aspiration biopsy tends to be performed with a prognostic purpose, often in combination with radiotherapy. Gene expression profiling has allowed for the grading of UMs into two classes, which feature different metastatic risks. Patients with UM require a specialized multidisciplinary management. Primary tumor treatment can be either enucleation or globe preserving. Usually, enucleation is reserved for larger tumors, while radiotherapy is preferred for small/medium melanomas. The prognosis is unfavorable due to the high mortality rate and high tendency to metastasize. Following the development of metastatic disease, the mortality rate increases to 80% within one year, due to both the absence of an effective treatment and the aggressiveness of the condition. Novel molecular studies have allowed for a better understanding of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in UM biological activity, which differs compared to skin melanomas. The most commonly mutated genes are GNAQ, GNA11 and BAP1. Research in this field could help to identify effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as novel therapeutic targets.

Objective To estimate the incidence of acute cerebral ischaemia detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in acute central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) and transient monocular vision loss (TMVL). Methods Studies reporting the incidence of acute cerebral ischaemia, detected by MRI, within 7 days from diagnosis of acute CRAO, BRAO and TMVL up to January 2019 were systematically searched for on Pubmed, Medline and Cochrane Library. Meta-analysis was performed using random effects model. The primary outcome was the pooled estimate of incidence of acute cerebral ischaemia in CRAO, BRAO and TMVL cohorts including both neurologically symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, expressed as a proportion along with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The pooled estimate of incidence of asymptomatic acute cerebral ischaemia represented a secondary outcome measure. Results For the primary outcome, the pooled proportion of acute cerebral ischaemia was 0.30 (CI 0.24-0.36) in the CRAO cohort, and 0.25 (CI 0.16-0.37) in the BRAO cohort, without statistical heterogeneity. The rate of acute cerebral ischaemia was 11.8% in the TMVL cohort. For the secondary outcome, the pooled proportion of asymptomatic acute cerebral ischaemia was 0.22 (CI 0.16-0.28) in the CRAO cohort, 0.29 (CI 0.20-0.41) in the BRAO cohort and 0.08 (CI 0.05-0.15) in the TMVL cohort, with no statistical heterogeneity. Conclusions 30% of patients with acute CRAO and 25% of patients with acute BRAO presented an acute cerebral ischaemia on MRI. Such high rates support a care pathway of prompt referral of such patients for neurological evaluation and brain imaging.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular cancer in adults. In the present study, we aimed to characterize the immunological features of primary UM cancer and to provide an association with prognostic markers and outcome. Also, we assessed the influence of the microenvironment on the expression of inhibitory immune checkpoints in UM. Genes of interest included MHC Class I and Class II molecules, as well as inhibitory immune-checkpoints, i.e. PDL1, PDL2, B7-H3, B7-H4, TBFRSF6B, CD47, CD155, GAL9, HVEM and CD200. We observed significant lower levels of MHC genes in UM cells as compared to normal uveal melanocytes. Unexpectedly however, the expression levels of most of the analyzed inhibitory immune-checkpoint genes were not different in cancer cells as compared to normal melanocytes, with the exception of CD200 and HVEM, that resulted significantly reduced. On the other hand, PDL1 inversely correlated with OS, PFS and thickness of the tumor. Also, PDL1, along with PDL2, expression significantly increased under inflammatory conditions. Finally, for the first time, we propose a possible role for CD47 in the immune evasive properties of UM. We show here that CD47 is significantly upregulated by UM cells following inflammatory stimuli and that it represents a good independent predictor of disease progression. The results from this study may propel advances in the development of immune-based therapies for UM patients.

Purpose To analyse the effects of intravitreal dexamethasone implant (DEX) in patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME) unresponsive to ranibizumab treatment, in relation to the inflammatory optical coherence tomography (OCT) retinal features, subfoveal neuroretinal detachment (SND) and hyperreflective retinal spots (HRS). Methods Patients with DME poorly responsive to three injections of ranibizumab were treated with DEX. Best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macula thickness (CMT, measured by Spectralis SD‐OCT) were assessed at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months. Results Overall, 44 eyes were included in the study. In the whole group, mean BCVA (baseline 51.5 ± 8.3 letters) increased significantly at 1 month (to 56.9 ± 8.8 letters; Tukey HSD p = 0.017) and was 55.5 ± 8.8 letters at 3 months (Tukey HSD p = 0.128). Central macula thickness (CMT) reduced significantly at 1 and 3 months (417 ± 149 μm and 469 ± 128 μm, respectively, both Tukey HSD p < 0.001 versus baseline). Subgroup analysis showed a significant BCVA increase at 1 month in eyes with SND + HRS (from 51.2 ± 9.2 to 58.2 ± 9.0, p = 0.029), and a trend to BCVA increase in eyes with HRS (from 52.3 ± 6.4 to 56.8 ± 7.9, p = 0.080), with a significant CMT decrease in both groups (p < 0.001). No changes of either parameter were found in eyes without SND and HRS. Conclusion Spectral domain OCT is useful in identifying some inflammatory features in DME. Among DME eyes ‘poorly responsive’ to ranibizumab, those with SND and HRS responded better to DEX implants than those without these features.