PURPOSE: To evaluate the profile of all the visits to the ophthalmic emergency service at a tertiary hospital in the city of Sobral, Ceará, northeast of Brazil. METHODS: A survey was carried out of all patients attended at ophthalmology emergency service of the department of ophthalmology of Santa Casa of Sobral, during the period between may and october 2008. Data on patient’s age, sex, level of education, residential address, health insurance status, average distance to our service, time between the […]

OBJECTIVE: To compare, among patients subjected to PRK, the types and intensity of its post-operative symptoms, between mechanical versus chemical epithelial removal, as well as epithelial healing time. METHODS: We compare the frequency and intensity of referred symptoms by patients that underwent PRK, where each eye underwent one of the different epithelial removal techniques, randomly chosen and in simple-blind format. Additionally, we studied corneal epithelial healing on the fifth postoperative day, in order to observe whether an eventual delay on […]

PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of glaucoma and evaluate the behavior of 24-hour intraocular pressure in patients with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). METHODS: Eleven consecutive patients with OSAS, diagnosed by polysonography, were avaliated in a cross sectional study. Demographic data were analyzed: age, sex, race/color, weight, height and associated diseases. The patients were submitted to complete ophthalmologic examination, including the visual field, as well as to 24-hour intra-ocular pressure (IOP) evaluation by an applanation tonometer at 9h, 12h, […]

OBJECTIVE:Evaluate how difficult it is to apply ocular topical medications based on patient observation and answers to a questionnaire. Eye drops were compared to vaporization. METHODS: The study was performed in 2008 and 2009 in Policlinica Ronaldo Gazolla ophthalmological ambulatory. An eyedropper and a vaporizer with carboximetilcelulose 0,5% were used. Each individual tested applied randomly on one of their eyes an eye drop or vaporization. The patients had to answer questions about the practice concerning both forms of topical eye […]

In middle of 90th decade, corneal collagen crosslinking photo-induced by riboflavin was considered as a new therapeutical modality in the treatment of keratoconus. Since then, the clinical effect of this procedure in laboratorial environment and clinical assays had been studied. In this article, we revise the literature already published until the moment in order to display on the procedure and its effects.

PURPOSE: To evaluate conjunctival microbiota in eyes with tear film dysfunction and its modification after punctal occlusion with silicone plug. METHODS: Non comparative interventional case series study to evaluate 68 eyes of 41 patients with tear film dysfunction, from 2002 to 2007, followed in Federal University of Sao Paulo. Samples for culture were all obtained from conjunctival swabs and inoculated in Brain heart infusion broth (BHI broth). Twenty two patients that undergone punctal plug occlusion repeated culture procedure one month […]

PURPOSE: The proposal of this study is to test and to validate as the effectiveness and efficiency in a series of cases the prototype of a national equipment of magnification to reading. METHODS: A recently developed of equipment of magnification (patent pending Brazilian Institutte of Industrial Property # 020050145260) was tested in a group of 30 patients (age range 9 to 80 years, 17 males). A portable apparatus was developed with a system of capture of images coupled with a […]

OBJECTIVE: The privation ambliopia is the worst type of all. Among these, the most common cause is congenital cataract.The purpose of this study is to evaluate the visual function of children who had surgery between July 2006 and June 2008 for pediatric cataract. METHODS: All children were above 4 years old and had surgery at advanced age.We evaluated 6 children and submitted them to visual acuity, extrinsic ocular movement,Titmus and Worth lights tests. RESULTS: The mean age at the time […]