Cataract surgery on Ebola survivors appears safe for patients and physicians

image.axd?id=ed84ad8c-49b2-4b8f-9824-a533d4bc0ba5&t=636598392633370000
APR 20, 2018 By Kanaga Rajan EBioMedicine Cataract/Anterior Segment, Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Retina/Vitreous, Uveitis
Cataract surgery can be safely performed on Ebola survivors, according to a study from scientists at Emory University School of Medicine and their international colleagues. The team systematically assessed the persistence of the Ebola virus in the ocular fluid of survivors and report vision outcomes after cataract surgery. Their study appeared in the April 2018 issue of EBioMedicine. “These findings are truly exciting, as they improve our ability to impact vision care and quality of life for thousands of Ebola survivors at risk for eye disease,” says Steven Yeh, MD, the M. Louise Simpson Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Uveitis and Vitreoretinal Surgery at Emory. Dr. Yeh treated the first known case of ocular Ebola in 2015. His 43-year-old patient, Ian Crozier, MD, an Ebola virus survivor, presented with rapidly declining vision approximately 9 weeks after being declared Ebola-free. Upon further investigation, the clinicians discovered that it stemmed from a lingering Ebola infection in the eyes. The safety of invasive ophthalmic procedures for Ebola survivors and their physicians has been unclear ever since. Trying to resolve this uncertainty, this cross-sectional study screened 137 Ebola survivors from Sierra Leone and enrolled 50 with visually significant cataracts. The team tested aqueous humor and conjunctival fluid, sampled at a median of 19 and 34 months after Ebola diagnosis, and found no evidence of Ebola RNA. Thirty-four of the patients consented for manual small-incision cataract surgery with IOL implantation at the Lowell and Ruth Gess Eye Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Following surgery, all patients showed better vision. Median visual acuity improved from hand motions at baseline to 20/70 by the end of 1 month postop and further improved to 20/30 at 3 to 4 months. Their step-wise protocol, which features high-level safety precautions for preventing virus exposure, was designed to protect eye care providers and offers a step towards safe and efficient Ebola treatment and prevention. However, the study was small and not designed to determine if the eye harbored Ebola RNA at earlier time points, limitations that the authors say require further investigation before eye care providers can be assured about the safety of invasive ocular procedures.

https://www.lvcenter4sight.com/cataract-surgery-on-ebola-survivors-appears-safe-for-patients-and-physicians/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Spy a Stye in Your Eye

Image
Written by Dr. David Evans Last modified on August 6, 2018 What’s that small, red, pimple-like bump on your eyelid that’s causing so much discomfort? It’s probably a stye (sometimes referred to as a sty or hordeolum). Besides being difficult to say 5 times quickly, an eye stye is a type of localized infection that can occur along the base of your eyelashes or underneath your eyelid. Styes that form along the base of the eyelashes are called external styes. They typically occur as a result of an infected eyelash hair follicle and look like the type of pimple that occurs when your pores are clogged with dirt and oil. Styes that form inside the eyelid are called internal styes. Similar to external styes, they are caused by an infection of an oil-producing gland behind the eyelid rather than an eyelash hair follicle. Internal styes result in generalized swelling of the eyelid rather than forming a pimple-like bump. Stye Symptoms As a stye develops, you might begin to experience pain
Read more

Post-LASIK Refraction and Pregnancy – Much Ado About Nothing?

Image
Written by Dr. David Evans Last modified on August 23, 2018 During pregnancy, women experience a drastic shift in their hormonal balance that has a ripple effect throughout the body. The spike in hormones like progesterone, estrogen, prolactin, oxytocin and relaxin are all important for a healthy pregnancy, but these increased levels can also impact gastrointestinal processes, blood pressure, skin pigmentation and, you guessed it, ocular health. Due to refractive changes that often occur during pregnancy, most refractive surgeons advise against LASIK during pregnancy, instead suggesting women wait several months after giving birth before considering treatment. Women who have already undergone LASIK may then wonder if the changes in ocular health that can occur during and after pregnancy impact post-LASIK refraction. New research presented by John Kanellopoulos, MD, New York University Medical School, NY, and LaserVision.gr seems to throw cold water on any such concern. The Eyes an
Read more