2018 Issue 6 at a Glance:
The Turkish Journal of Ophthalmology brings you its sixth issue of 2018 with six original studies, a review, four case reports, and a letter to an editor.
Subaşı et al. share their in vivo confocal microscopy evaluation of adenoviral keratoconjunctivitis, the most common viral conjunctivitis. Even in eyes that exhibit no corneal signs on biomicroscopic examination and are considered to be in the prodromal phase, in vivo confocal microscopy reveals an increase in the number of dendritic cells and may be a functional early diagnostic tool (see pages 276-280).
Thymoquinone (a compound found in the plant Nigella sativa, also known as black seed, black cumin, and fennel flower) has been shown to have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-neoplastic effects in vivo and in vitro. In a study funded by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), Kocatürk et al. evaluated the ability of thymoquinone to reduce inflammation in an experimental dry eye model. They report that although thymoquinone had a beneficial effect on inflammatory cell density, it was not as effective as steroids in the inhibition of inflammatory mediators (see pages 281-287).
Şengör et al. present fascinating information about contact lens users in their survey analysis of responses to 836 questionnaires. One-third of respondents reported seeing an eye doctor regularly, while two-thirds said they see an eye doctor only when they have a problem. Another remarkable finding is that only 55.5% of contact lens users were educated in proper lens use by an ophthalmologist. The main message of this study is that mass media, including social media, should be used to increase the proportion of contact lens users who are educated by ophthalmologists (see pages 288-294).
Elgin et al. compared refractive status and anterior segment parameters in 25 patients with juvenile open-angle glaucoma (JOAG) and 24 healthy control subjects. They report that myopia and refractive parameters associated with myopia (long axial length, thin cornea, deep anterior chamber) were more common among JOAG patients. Exploring causality in the relationship between JOAG and myopia seems to be a good research topic for future studies (see pages 295-298).
Despite the many medical and filtering surgical options available, refractory glaucoma still occurs. In a refractory glaucoma series consisting of 30 eyes, Bezci Aygün et al. report that 180-degree ciliary body ablation by transscleral diode laser cyclophotocoagulation (TSCPC) was effective after the first session in 66.6% and after repeated sessions in 86.7% of the eyes. In addition, the procedure resulted in reduced visual acuity in only 6.6% of the eyes, leading the authors to conclude that TSCPC is a valuable last resort in refractory cases (see pages 299-303).
Bingöl Kızıltunç and Şermet evaluated fundus autofluorescence (FAF) patterns in 150 eyes with age-related maculopathy (AMD) and found that the reticular pattern was the most common and was associated with changes in both early and late AMD. The authors indicated that these findings may be useful in monitoring disease progression in early AMD (see pages 304-308).
Researchers Cem Şimşek, Murat Doğru, Takashi Kojima, and Kazuo Tsubota from the Tokyo-Keio University Department of Ophthalmology did not leave our request for an invited review unanswered, and addressed this hot topic under the title “Current Management and Treatment of Dry Eye Disease.” Their review presents an extremely comprehensive as well as easily comprehensible table detailing recommended treatment methods for dry eye disease which will surely be an important bedside reference. In addition, the Japan Dry Eye Society’s Tear Film-Oriented Treatment scheme is an example of a new systematic approach (see pages 309-313).
For the first time in the medical literature, Gedar Totuk et al. describe in this issue of our journal a patient with sectoral ciliary body agenesis, an embryonic ocular developmental disorder, associated with complicated cataract detected by ultrasound biomicroscopy (see pages 314-316).
Sül and Karalezli bring attention to the issue of intracameral antibiotic therapy in complicated eyes with a case that illustrates how intracameral cefuroxime injection, which is recommended routinely to reduce the incidence of endophthalmitis, can cause retinal infarction due to deterioration of the barrier between the anterior and posterior segments in complicated surgeries (see pages 317-319).
Gönül et al. raise our awareness of spontaneous lens absorption in hypermature cataract with their case report in which capsular remnants in the vitreous of an eye with Fuchs Uveitis Syndrome (FUS) misleadingly appeared in examination as crystalline lens luxation (see pages 320-322).
Sızmaz et al. report a case of bilateral panuveitis that was induced by and regressed with cessation of vemurafenib, a strong oral BRAFV600 inhibitor, given after nodular melanoma surgery. The authors provide an example of a serious unintended effect of targeted agents used in cancer treatment (see pages 323-325).
We believe that our colleagues will greatly benefit both from the important awareness-raising studies and case reports in this issue and from the review, which will serve as a valuable bedside reference for dry eye.
