Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Mark J Elder

Publications and source records attributed to Mark J Elder.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

Clear lens extraction for the treatment of persistent accommodative spasm after head trauma.

We report the case of a 28-year-old man with decreased visual acuity after closed head trauma sustained in a motor vehicle accident 16 weeks earlier. Several structures thought to be associated with the control of accommodation were injured. The patient had a persistent accommodative spasm causing up to 7.0 diopters of pseudomyopia. We present the patient's progress through the clinic, including manifest and cycloplegic refractions and results of a trial with atropine drops, and successful transition to bilateral pseudophakia 2 years and 9 months after the accident.

Accidents, Traffic↗

Globe rupture following penetrating keratoplasty: how often, why, and what can we do to prevent it?

PURPOSE: Traumatic globe rupture following penetrating keratoplasty is a life-long postoperative concern. We look at a series of penetrating keratoplasties in one institution and determine the rates of traumatic rupture and the outcomes following rupture. The reasons for persisting wound weakness are reviewed, and recommendations for eye protection based on wound strength are given. METHODS: A case-control study compared the postsurgical rupture rates for all cases of penetrating keratoplasty to those cases of globe rupture after extracapsular cataract surgery and phacoemulsification. A literature review of corneal wound healing was completed. RESULTS: Over 10 years 139 penetrating keratoplasties were performed. The incidence of traumatic rupture following keratoplasty was 5.8%. Fifty percent of those with ruptured globes had a visual outcome of hand movement vision or worse. Of the traumatic ruptures, 37.5% occurred in the first postoperative month. The indication for initial keratoplasty did not influence the rupture rate. In comparison, the general rate of penetrating eye injuries in the population was 2.2/100,000 per annum. The rupture rate for extracapsular cataract surgery was 1/221 (0.45%) and 0/6450 for phacoemulsification. Both of these rates were significantly less than after penetrating keratoplasty (P=0.005, P<0.0001). DISCUSSION: Penetrating keratoplasty cases have a higher rate of globe rupture than other ocular procedures. There are 5 important time periods of wound integrity after penetrating keratoplasty. The highest risk period is the month following surgery, when wound strength is derived almost entirely from sutures. The 18 months following surgery are moderately high risk. The month following removal of sutures is a second high-risk period. In the 6 months following this, the wound has a similar strength to the first postoperative year. Following penetrating keratoplasty the cornea never regains its preoperative strength and remains at risk for traumatic rupture for the remainder of the patient's life.

Adolescent↗

Unilateral versus bilateral medial rectus recession.

BACKGROUND: Unilateral medial rectus recession is suitable for some cases of small-angle deviation in esotropia. This approach limits surgery to one eye, leaves other muscles untouched, and should be quicker than bilateral muscle surgery. This study compared the results of a range of medial rectus recessions, both unilateral and bilateral, performed by one surgeon. METHODS: Data were collected on all pediatric patients who had undergone medial rectus recession, unilateral and bilateral, performed by one surgeon between August 1, 1995, and March 31, 2002. Postoperative deviations were calculated from the short- (2 to 8 weeks) and long-term (6 to 48 months) follow-up visits. RESULTS: Medial rectus recessions were performed on 107 patients, 56 unilateral and 51 bilateral. After exclusions were made, 45 (80%) of the unilateral procedures and 41 (80%) of the bilateral cases were studied. At long-term follow-up, the mean prism diopter (PD) change in deviation per millimeter recessed (at distance) for unilateral recessions of 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, and 8 mm were 2.3, 2.2, 2.3, and 2.5, respectively. For equivalent bilateral recessions the mean changes in deviation were 4.2, 4.0, 4.3, and 5.0 PD/mm. CONCLUSION: Unilateral medial rectus recession is a predictable method for surgical correction of small-angle pediatric esotropia. The change in deviation per millimeter of recession after unilateral recession is significantly less than that obtained from equivalent amounts of bilateral recession (P <.01).

Child↗

Bilateral ptosis caused by localized superficial eyelid amyloidosis.

A 70-year-old man had bilateral periorbital eyelid swelling. Eyelid biopsy confirmed amyloid infiltrate. Conjunctival involvement was not clinically apparent. The deposits were subsequently curetted with the use of a transcutaneous upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty approach and found to be entirely pretarsal. No clinical recurrence of the ptosis was noted, but amyloid may have reaccumulated. We propose that in certain circumstances, debridement of localized amyloid should be considered and reaccumulation may not occur.

Aged↗

The first international consensus on mucous membrane pemphigoid: definition, diagnostic criteria, pathogenic factors, medical treatment, and prognostic indicators.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to develop consensus-based recommendations for streamlining medical communication among various health care professionals, to improve accuracy of diagnosis and treatment, and to facilitate future investigations for mucous membrane pemphigoid. PARTICIPANTS: Because of the highly specific nature of this group of diseases, the 26 invited participants included either international scholars in the field of mucous membrane pemphigoid or experts in cutaneous pharmacology representing the 3 medical disciplines ophthalmology, oral medicine, and dermatology. EVIDENCE: The first author (L.S.C.) conducted a literature search. Based on the information obtained, international experts who had contributed to the literature in the clinical care, diagnosis, and laboratory investigation for mucous membrane pemphigoid were invited to participate in a consensus meeting aimed at developing a consensus statement. CONSENSUS PROCESS: A consensus meeting was convened and conducted on May 10, 1999, in Chicago, Ill, to discuss the relevant issues. The first author drafted the statement based on the consensus developed at the meeting and the participants' written comments. The draft was submitted to all participants for 3 separate rounds of review, and disagreements were reconciled based on literature evidence. The third and final statement incorporated all relevant evidence obtained in the literature search and the consensus developed by the participants. The final statement was approved and endorsed by all 26 participants. CONCLUSIONS: Specific consensus-based recommendations were made regarding the definition, diagnostic criteria, pathogenic factors, medical treatment, and prognostic indicators for mucous membrane pemphigoid. A system of standard reporting for these patients was proposed to facilitate a uniform data collection.

Humans↗

Endophthalmitis.

Australia and New Zealand continue to be at the forefront of endophthalmitis research. In this Clinical Controversy, an ophthalmologist from each country presents different approaches to the management of a 72-year-old patient with routine endophthalmitis following cataract surgery. Mark Elder concludes that this case needs aqueous and vitreous aspirates for culture and the initial treatment of choice is intracameral vancomycin and amikacin. The evidence for intravitreal steroids is equivocal. Systemic antibiotics are indicated if there is a possibility of a bacterial biofilm present on the intraocular lens. Nigel Morlet concludes that timely intervention with appropriate antibiotics delivered in the right concentration to the vitreous cavity is the crux of successful management of endophthalmitis. Aggressive treatment of the inflammatory response is also required to further reduce the damage to the intraocular structures. Both ophthalmologists agree that vitrectomy is not necessarily the most appropriate treatment option.

Aged↗

A systematic review of the applicability and efficacy of eye exercises.

PURPOSE: To examine the current scientific evidence base regarding the efficacy of eye exercises as used in optometric vision therapy. METHODS: A search was performed of the following databases: Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, and MEDLINE. Relevant articles were reviewed and analyzed for strengths and weaknesses. Pertinent sections of classic texts were studied to provide a historical basis and to serve as a source for additional early references. RESULTS: Forty-three refereed studies were obtained. Of these, 14 were clinical trials (10 controlled studies), 18 review articles, 2 historical articles, 1 case report, 6 editorials or letters, and 2 position statements from professional colleges. Many of the references listed by the larger reviews were unpublished or published in obscure or nonrefereed sources and therefore were not accessible. CONCLUSIONS: Eye exercises have been purported to improve a wide range of conditions including vergence problems, ocular motility disorders, accommodative dysfunction, amblyopia, learning disabilities, dyslexia, asthenopia, myopia, motion sickness, sports performance, stereopsis, visual field defects, visual acuity, and general well-being. Small controlled trials and a large number of cases support the treatment of convergence insufficiency. Less robust, but believable, evidence indicates visual training may be useful in developing fine stereoscopic skills and improving visual field remnants after brain damage. As yet there is no clear scientific evidence published in the mainstream literature supporting the use of eye exercises in the remainder of the areas reviewed, and their use therefore remains controversial.

Exercise Therapy↗