OBJECTIVE: Blue sclera is a characteristic and common clinical sign of Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). However, there is currently no widely accepted, objective method for assessing and grading blue sclera in individuals with OI. To address this medical need, this study is aimed to design and validate a new method called \'BLUES\' (BLUe Eye Sclera) to objectively identify and quantify the blue color in the sclera of patients affected by OI.
METHODS: Sixty-two patients affected by OI and 35 healthy controls were enrolled in the present prospective study, for a total of 194 eyes analyzed. In the \'BLUES\' procedure, eye images from patients with OI and control subjects were analyzed to assess and grade the blue level of the sclera using Adobe Photoshop Software. The validation process then involved comparing the results obtained with the \'BLUES\' procedure to the judgement of experienced ophthalmologists (JEO). A receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to examine the overall discriminatory power. The sensitivity and specificity levels and the Cohen\'s Kappa (K) indexes of \'BLUES\' and \'JEO\' were estimated versus the standard OI diagnosis. The K indexes of \'BLUES\' versus \'JEO\' were also evaluated.
RESULTS: The optimal cut-off point of the scleral blue peak was calculated at 17%. Our findings demonstrated a sensitivity of 89% (CI95%: 0.835-0.945) and specificity of 87% (CI95%: 0.791-0.949) for the \'BLUES\' procedure with an agreement versus the diagnosis of OI of 0.747. In comparison, the sensitivity and specificity of \'JEO\' ranged from 89 to 94% and 77% to 100%, respectively, with an agreement ranging from 0.663 to 0.871 with the diagnosis of OI. The agreement between \'BLUES \'and \'JEO\' evaluations ranged from 0.613 to 0.734.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrated an 89% sensitivity and an impressive 87% specificity of our method to analyze the blue sclera in OI. The results indicated high agreement with disease diagnosis and were consistent with evaluations by experienced ophthalmologists. The \'BLUES\' procedure appears to be a simple, reliable and objective method for effectively identify and quantify the blue color of the sclera in OI.

UNASSIGNED: Variations in ZNF469 have been associated with Brittle Cornea Syndrome that presents with bluish sclera, loss of vision after trivial trauma, arachnodactyly, and joint laxity.
UNASSIGNED: Detailed medical and family history, physical examination, and molecular analysis.
UNASSIGNED: A 21-year-old female presented with bluish discoloration of sclera, diminution of vision following trivial trauma in childhood along with hearing loss and systemic features of arachnodactyly and joint laxity. Clinical diagnosis of brittle cornea syndrome was made which was molecularly proven using next-generation sequencing which identified compound heterozygosity in ZNF469 for pathogenic and likely pathogenic nonsense variants. One variant namely NM_001367624.2:c.5882dup was identified in the exon 3 which was novel and classified as likely pathogenic according to American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG) criteria for variant classification. Another variant NM_001367624.2:c.8992C>T in the exon 2 was classified as pathogenic for Brittle Cornea Syndrome 1.
UNASSIGNED: The report adds to the allelic heterogeneity in ZNF469 causative of Brittle Cornea Syndrome 1 and shall acquaint the physicians about this potentially vision threatening, underdiagnosed, rare syndrome.

BACKGROUND: A report of a Brittle cornea syndrome (BCS) case with bluish scleral discoloration, keratoglobus, and myopia based on multimodal imaging modalities including in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), high-definition optical coherence tomography (HD-OCT) and scheimpflug corneal densitometry analysis.
METHODS: A 36-year-old Chinese female patient presented with significant bluish discoloration of the sclera in both eyes, extreme corneal thinning with increased corneal curvature, increased central corneal densitometry, and nystagmus. She also had scoliosis, severe osteoporosis, and thyroid disease.
CONCLUSIONS: Timely diagnosis, early detection, and detailed follow-up are essential for BCS. There has been no report of a BCS evaluation performed by IVCM and corneal densitometry methods thus far in the literature. Furthermore, multimodal imaging can offer a more comprehensive view of BCS and contribute to a deeper understanding of the disease. Interestingly, this is a rare case of BCS in an adult with good vision, an intact cornea, and nystagmus.

It concerns three siblings (two 28 year old twin boys and a 25 year old woman) who presented a previous history of rupture of eyeball in one eye and very poor vision in the other. At the first ophthalmoscopic and instrumental evaluation, three patients presented with bluish sclera and keratoglobus in the intact eye. A genetic analysis with whole exome sequencing was then performed on the three siblings, identifying a biallelic variant of the PRDM5 gene that led to the diagnosis of Brittle Cornea Syndrome (BCS), a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by corneal thinning and blue sclera. To preserve the only intact eye from possible breakage, the three siblings were trained in using protective measures (polycarbonate goggles etc.) to carry out close monitoring of symptoms and were asked to continue with follow-up visits for ocular and systemic diseases associated with BCS. Given the poor best corrected visual acuity achievable with glasses and contact lenses, penetrating keratoplasty was performed, achieving good visual acuity maintained in the 2-year follow-up in two of the three patients. Knowledge of this pathology and its clinical manifestations is essential for early diagnosis and correct management of this rare but very debilitating pathology. To our knowledge, this is the first case series of BCS reported in an Albanian population.

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is an inherited disorder characterized by bone fragility. Type I OI is the most common type of OI, and is autosomal dominantly-inherited. Type I OI develops due to pathogenic variants in the collagen 1 Alpha 1 (COL1A1) gene on chromosome 17. Collagen proteins are important components of the extracellular matrix of the trabecular meshwork, Schlemm\'s canal, and lamina cribrosa, which play a role in the development of glaucoma.
To report a father and his daughter who were diagnosed with glaucoma and OI type I.
Case report.
A 58-year-old man and his 31-year-old daughter were diagnosed with OI type 1 [NM_000088.4 (COL1A1): c.3008del (p.Pro1003fs)]. In addition, both subjects had glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
In this report, we presented a pathogenic variant in a father and his daughter with OI and coexisting glaucoma. The abnormalities in collagen may contribute to the risk of glaucoma development in patients with COL1A1-associated OI. Therefore, screening for glaucoma may be indicated when caring for patients with this diagnosis.

Brittle cornea syndrome (BCS) is a genetic connective tissue disorder with discernible ocular features such as blue scleral and thin cornea that predominantly presents in younger children. We herein describe cases of three siblings with BCS, two of whom presented to us with open globe injuries following trivial trauma. Clinical examination of the other eye in both showed diffusely thin corneas and blue sclera. A systemic evaluation revealed sensorineural hearing loss and hyperextensible joints. The third sibling was screened and found to have features concurrent with BCS. This report highlights the challenges faced in the management of ocular injuries and consecutive complications in these patients.

UNASSIGNED: Hallermann-Streiff syndrome (HSS) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by dyscephaly, hypotrichosis, microphthalmia, dental anomalies, and cutaneous atrophy. Because of the presence of a characteristic facial appearance, severe visual disturbance, and/or upper airway obstruction, most patients with HSS are diagnosed as having a congenital anomaly as a newborn or early in life. We report a case of HSS that was first recognized when the patient was in her seventh decade of life.
UNASSIGNED: A 68-year-old woman presented to our department for decreased vision in both eyes (OU). Her ocular medical history included \"ocular injections\" in her left eye (OS); laser iridotomies OU, cataract surgery OS, and removal of corneal opacity OU; she did not have a remarkable systemic medical history. At the initial visit to our department, her best-corrected visual acuity was 0.5 in her right eye (OD) and 0.1 OS with +4.0-diopter hyperopic correction OU, corneal opacity due to calcification OU, a shallow anterior chamber and iridotrabecular contact OD were observed. During the surgical intervention OD, the surgeon recognized a \"blue sclera,\" and the physicians initially suspected an underlying systemic malformation. Although mild, she presented with a thin beak-like nose and receding chin. In combination with the ocular features, the proportionate short stature, and a characteristic facial appearance, she was diagnosed with HSS.
UNASSIGNED: Patients with HSS who had no clinically significant cosmetic, visual, and respiratory problems early in life may not be recognized as having HSS. The presence of corneal opacity, short axial length, and a blue sclera recognized by ophthalmologists can lead to the correct diagnosis of this congenital disorder.

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Brittle cornea syndrome is among the few special scenarios in ophthalmology that are a nightmare not only for the operating surgeon but also for the patient. Here, the thin and fragile corneas are unable to maintain the shape and structural integrity of the globe and are more prone to minor traumatic or spontaneous corneal perforations. Suturing a brittle cornea and closure of the corneal perforation in a brittle cornea are very challenging requiring the utmost care and special precautions. If proper measures are not taken during the surgery, it may be difficult to salvage the eye. Hence, it is imperative to diagnose appropriately, suture effectively, taking necessary preventive measures in salvaging these corneas. This manuscript aims at providing tips for handling brittle corneal perforations. It will also discuss the problems encountered during surgery, highlight the suturing techniques that can be customized, and finally give an insight into postoperative care.

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