OPHTHALMOLOGICA update: The peer-reviewed journal of EURETINA edited by Sebastian Wolf

PAEDIATRIC RETINAL DETACHMENT OFTEN DIFFICULT TO TREAT Children with retinal detachment pose a special challenge to the posterior segment surgeon. They often have ocular comorbidities and delayed diagnoses, and their condition is highly prone to recurrence. These were the findings of a review of 95 eyes of 67 boys and 20 girls with a mean age of 5.5 years who underwent treatment for retinal detachment. The main risk factors the study identified were myopia in 23%, congenital or developmental ocular abnormalities in 37%, history of ocular trauma in 40%, and previous ocular surgery in 27%. The primary reattachment rate was 44%, although reattachment was achieved in a further 18% after several surgeries. The recurrence rate after surgical reattachment was 39%. T Barth et al, “Clinical Features and Outcome of Paediatric Retinal Detachment”; Ophthalmologica 2017, Volume 237, Issue 2. IOP CONTROL CAN IMPROVE INTRAVITREAL 
ANTI-VEGF TREATMENT OUTCOMES Performing anterior chamber paracentesis (ACP) prior to intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can reduce the loss in retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) the injections appear to induce, a new study suggests. It showed that, in 32 AMD patients who underwent intravenous injections without ACP, there was mean RNFLT loss of -2.16 ±3.60µm, whereas no change was detected among 44 patients who underwent ACP prior to the injections. P Enders et al, “Retinal Nerve Fiber Loss in Anti-VEGF Therapy for Age-Related Macular Degeneration Can Be Decreased by Anterior Chamber Paracentesis”; Ophthalmologica 2017, Volume 237, Issue 2. SIMULTANEOUS CATARACT SURGERY DOES NOT AFFECT CHOROIDAL CHANGES OF VITRECTOMY THICKNESS FINDINGS Combining vitrectomy with cataract surgery does not appear to affect choroidal thickness more than vitrectomy alone, a new study suggests. The study involved 53 eyes of 53 patients who underwent 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy plus internal limiting membrane peeling and air tamponade. Twenty-seven eyes also underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation in the same procedure. In both treatment groups, measurements performed with enhanced deep image spectral-domain optical coherence tomography showed that choroidal thickness was significantly decreased postoperatively in the subfoveal area, as well as at points nasal and temporal to the fovea. However, there was no significant difference between the two treatment groups. G Casini et al, “Analysis of Choroidal Thickness Change after 25-Gauge Vitrectomy for Idiopathic Epiretinal Membrane with or without Phacoemulsification and Intraocular Lens Implantation”; Ophthalmologica 2017, Volume 237, Issue 2.