Vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) and atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC) result from genetic and environmental factors. Researchers in Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, conducted this observational case series in which patients who had no history of atopic disorders before bone marrow transplantation (BMT) seemed to have acquired VKC or AKC from their donors, who had atopic disorders.

The patients in this study were part of a cohort of 621 patients who had undergone allogeneic hemapoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from January 1997 through December 2007. Each patient underwent complete ophthalmologic examination, determination of the total serum immunoglobulin (Ig)E and conjunctival scrapings.

Four (0.64 percent) of the 621 patients who had undergone HSCT acquired VKC or AKC after BMT. The donors for these four patients had VKC or atopic dermatitis. In addition, two of these four patients developed asthma, and one had elevated total serum IgE. Conjunctival scrapings of all four patients revealed the presence of eosinophils. One patient had concurrent graft-versus-host disease.

The study results suggest the possibility of the acquisition of VKC or AKC after BMT by adoptive transfer.

In this study, investigators at London's Moorfields Eye Hospital evaluated patient outcomes following retinectomy surgery to identify factors that predict visual outcome.

The retrospective, uncontrolled interventional case series included patients who underwent retinectomy surgery at Moorfields during a two-year period. Researchers recorded peri-operative factors that had the potential to influence functional outcome, including etiology of retinal detachment, type of ocular trauma, preoperative visual acuity and IOP, grade of proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), extent and position of retinectomy, peri-operative complications, tamponade agent and prophylactic 360 degrees laser retinopexy.

A total of 145 patients underwent retinectomy surgery. After a mean follow-up period of 23.2 months (6 to 58 months) 16 percent of eyes in this group had visual acuity of 20/60 or better, 33 percent had visual acuity of between 20/60 and 20/400 and 51 percent had visual acuity worse than 20/400. Visual acuity was improved or stable in 76 percent of eyes, and the rate of complete retinal reattachment was 68 percent. For each step-wise increase in the grade of PVR, results showed an approximately 15 percent increased risk of final visual acuity of worse than 20/40. The use of additional 360-degree prophylactic laser retinopexy prior to removing silicone oil was associated with a higher rate of final retinal reattachment.

Based on the results, the authors maintain that retinectomy is a valuable technique in managing complex retinal detachment, but is associated with a significant risk of retinal redetachment and poor visual outcome.