Cornea
July 2021
by Clara Chan, MD
Cornea Editor
Recently, a patient emailed me a photo of her right eye showing a subconjunctival hemorrhage. She is what my cornea fellows call a “Dr. Chan special.” I had been following this woman with mild Fuchs dystrophy, cataract, and idiopathic iritis controlled on prednisolone twice daily in the right eye for the last couple of years. She also had a history of an episode of stromal edema that resolved with topical steroids in her right eye, but she insisted on viral titers prior to commencing oral antiviral prophylaxis since she was born with only one kidney. Interestingly, her blood work came back with herpes simplex virus IgG levels negative and Epstein-Barr virus IgG levels positive. She emailed me because she was worried that the subconjunctival hemorrhages had been occurring with increasing frequency, at least twice a month, which she often noticed in the morning after she had done her lid scrubs for blepharitis the evening prior. She also wrote, “It looks like the membrane covering my eye is loose and bunching a bit in the inner corner. Maybe this is the cause?”
In medical school, I remember being taught that 80% of the time a medical doctor can make the diagnosis based on history alone. Going into ophthalmology, we rely on our slit lamp exam so much of the time that it is easy to forget that a patient history can often give us a diagnosis—in my patient’s case, recurrent subconjunctival hemorrhages from conjunctivochalasis. In this issue of EyeWorld, we dive into understanding this unique condition and review methods for treatment. Other topics explored in this issue are dry eye problems with COVID-19 mask use, bevacizumab in corneal surgery, and an update on keratoprosthesis.
As you all know, the 2021 ASCRS Annual Meeting will be held in person in Las Vegas in July. The energy in Las Vegas has already returned and will no doubt carry through to those attending the ASCRS Annual Meeting. It promises to be a great time for learning and an even better opportunity to see your friends’ and colleagues’ faces again.
