The researchers for the Blue Mountains Eye Study sought to assess the relationship between baseline dietary fatty acids and 10-year incident age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In an elderly Australian cohort, they examined 3,654 participants at baseline and 2,454 5 and/or 10 years later. The researchers assessed AMD from retinal photographs and participants completed a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.

After adjusting for age, sex and smoking, the researchers associated one serving of fish per week with reduced risk of incident early AMD (relative risk, 0.69 [95% confidence interval, 0.49-0.98]), primarily among participants with less than the median linoleic acid consumption (0.57 [0.36-0.89]. Findings were similar for intake of long-chain -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. One to two servings of nuts per week was associated with reduced risk of incident early AMD (relative risk, 0.65 [95% CI, 0.47-0.91]) and protective associations between the intake of nuts and reduced risk of pigmentary abnormalities were seen among nonsmokers, participants with less than the median ratio of serum total to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and those with beta carotene intake greater than the median level.

According to the researchers, this study provides evidence of protection against early AMD from regularly eating fish, greater consumption of -3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and low intakes of foods rich in linoleic acid. Regular consumption of nuts may also reduce AMD risk.

The aim of this retrospective, consecutive, nonrandomized, single-center series was to determine the influence of lens status on postoperative IOP in eyes undergoing vitrectomy for repair of recurrent retinal detachment (RD) resulting from proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR).

A total of 145 eyes with recurrent RD resulting from PVR were reviewed retrospectively and 99 of these eyes (68.4%) underwent relaxing retinotomy at the time of surgery. Perfluorocarbon gas (n=60) or silicone oil (n=85) were used as postop tamponades and for analysis, eyes were subdivided first based on tamponade and retinotomy status. The resultant groups were subsequently divided further by lens status into two groups: aphakic eyes (aphakic group) and phakic and pseudophakic eyes (nonaphakic group).

Surgical reattachment was achieved in all eyes except one. Moreover, eyes receiving both silicone oil and relaxing retinotomy had the worst baseline characteristics compared with those receiving other interventions. In this subset of eyes, a significantly lower proportion of hypotony was found in those that were aphakic after surgery when compared with those eyes that were nonaphakic (p=.037).

It was determined that removal of the lens or IOL implant may be considered for those eyes at greatest risk of hypotony.