A slit-lamp is a binocular microscope used for eye examination using a slit-like light beam. In 1911, Allvar Gullstrand a Swedish Ophthalmologist designed table-mounted binocular eyepiece for 3-dimensional visualization of optically clear eye structures. Later Otto Henker, combined Gullstrand slit lamp with Czapski’s binocular microscope resulting in first slit lamp biomicroscope, allowing hand-fr...Read More
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A syndrome is a recognizable complex of symptoms and physical findings that indicate a specific condition for which a direct cause is not necessarily understood. While medicine has innumerable syndromes, a similar scenario exists in ophthalmology too. It is crucial for a clinically astute ophthalmologist to be aware of these syndromes to initiate necessary workup for more sinister lesions associat...Read More
Ten Pearls for Performing Vitrectomy in Diabetic Retinopathy
Important terms: Truncation: To relieve all the surrounding traction 360 degree Segmentation: Dividing a larger membranes/FVP into smaller islands of FVP by 360-degree truncation around them. Delamination: Separation of these membranes/FVP from the retinal surface to which they are firmly adherent by creating a plane of dissection between them. Pearl #1 When not to perform vitrectomy in diabetic r...Read More
Visual Electrophysiology Made Simple for the Postgraduates
Visual electrophysiology is an extremely useful tool to study the retinal function objectively. It assesses the functional aspects of not only the retina but also the visual pathway as a whole. Even in this era of advanced imaging, one cannot ignore the importance of the functional aspects of the cellular network in the retina. The commonly used tests with their salient applications are enumerated...Read More
Ten Clinical Trials in Retinal Diseases Every Postgraduate Should Know
1. CATT (Comparison of Age-related Macular Degeneration Treatments Trials)1 Description A prospective, multicenter, single-blind, noninferiority randomized clinical trial. 1208 patients with neovascular AMD were enrolled from February 2008 and randomly assigned to receive intravitreal injections of ranibizumab (0.5 mg/0.05 ml) or bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 ml) on either a monthly schedule or as nee...Read More
A Beginner's Guide to Ultrasound Biomicroscopy
Introduction: Anterior segment ocular imaging has gone through various inventions starting from the ultrasound in the 20th century to the recent AS- OCT.1 Ultrasound bio-microscopy, one of the ocular imaging devices is a high-resolution technique, which allows in vivo assessment of the structures of the anterior segment of the eye where cross-sectional images of ocular structures are obtained at m...Read More
Uvea is the middle vascular coat of the eyeball. From anterior to posterior, the uvea or uveal tract can be divided into three parts- Iris, Ciliary body, and choroid. The name “uvea” has originated from the Latin word grape. Why a grape? If the stem is removed from a grape, the hole looks like the pupil and the grape the eyeball. Iris : Iris is the anterior-most part of the uveal tract. It is a th...Read More
Clinical Applications of Multicolor Imaging
Multicolor imaging (MCI) is a non-invasive retinal imaging modality available in the Spectralis platform (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). It simultaneously acquires three reflectance images of the retina using three individual lasers of different wavelengths: blue (488 nm), green (515 nm), and infrared (820 nm). These penetrate the tissue to different depths, simultaneously capturing...Read More
Cytomegalovirus Retinitis Simplified
Introduction: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is an opportunistic viral posterior uveitis that occurs mostly in severely immunocompromised Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients or, rarely, in those on immunosuppressive therapy after organ transplantation, or who are on systemic corticosteroids.1 More than 75% of AIDS patients with CD4+ counts less than 50 cells/?L have CMV retinitis. ...Read More
Viral Uveitis: Ready reckoner for the Postgraduates
Viral ocular infections can cause sight-threatening diseases in humans either as an isolated ocular infection or as a part of systemic illness. Although many viruses may naturally be harbored in human beings, the common ones causing ocular infections include herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), and cytomegalovirus (CMV). They may remain dormant for several years with periodic ...Read More