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Abstract

PURPOSE: The prevalence of ocular allergy varies according to the population and location of the study. Severe forms of ocular allergy are associated with compromised quality of life. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the application of the Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Quality of Life in Children with Keratoconjunctivitis questionnaire to children and adolescents with different subtypes of allergic conjunctivitis.
METHOD: A total of 48 patients (aged 5-12 years) with allergic conjunctivitis were included in this study. They were enrolled and monitored at a specialized center. After the clinical appointment, the children responded to the questionnaire on two occasions at an interval of 30 days. Individual scores (ranging from 0 to 3) of the 16 items were added.
RESULTS: The Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Quality of Life in Children with Keratoconjunctivitis questionnaire demonstrated good translation, adaptation, and intellectual properties, with substantial internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient = 0.702). There was no significant difference between the responses of the two interviews, revealing good reproducibility. The moderate/severe forms of allergic conjunctivitis had significantly higher quality of life scores (indicating a poorer quality of life) than the mild forms.
CONCLUSIONS: The Brazilian-Portuguese version of the Quality of Life in Children with Keratoconjunctivitis proved to be quick, reliable, and reproducible for assessing the quality of life in children with allergic conjunctivitis. However, its ability to detect changes resulting from symptom aggravation or treatment needs to be further evaluated.

Keywords: Conjunctivitis, allergic; Keratoconjunctivitis; Hypersensitivity; Quality of life; Child; Surveys and questionnaires

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine the impact of prophylactic intracameral cefuroxime administration on the post-cataract surgery endophthalmitis rates and analyze its safety.
METHODS: The incidence of post-phacoemulsification endophthalmitis before and after the introduction of antibiotic prophylaxis with cefuroxime was compared. Data were extracted from the electronic medical records of patients who underwent cataract surgery between July 2019 and July 2022 at a tertiary-care hospital. Data were also collected from the Hospital Infection Control Service database. Statistical analysis was performed to assess the efficacy of cefuroxime prophylaxis in reducing endophthalmitis rates.
RESULTS: Of the 4459 cataract surgeries included in the study, 2247 were included in the control group (pre-cefuroxime), and 2212 were included in the post-cefuroxime (ATB-P) Group. In the control group, 6 (0.13%) cases of endophthalmitis were reported. In the ATB-P Group, there were no cases of acute endophthalmitis. The frequency of endophthalmitis was significantly higher in the control group than in the ATB-P Group (p=0.016). Furthermore, Staphylococcus sp. was the most identified causative agent (75%). No adverse effects were reported after cefuroxime administration.
CONCLUSION: The introduction of intracameral prophylaxis with cefuroxime significantly reduced the incidence of post-cataract surgery endophthalmitis. Additionally, its administration is safe.

Keywords: Cataract extraction; Endophthalmitis; Antibiotic prophylaxis; Injections; Cefuroxime