Sila Bal, MD, MPH, welcomes Dagny Zhu, MD, to the Pupil Pod to discuss a case in which a 37-year-old woman was interested in learning about all options in refractive surgery. Dr. Zhu explains how she approached this consultation and outlines the differences in patient selection, limitations, and potential complications for LASIK, PRK, SMILE, and other refractive procedures. The two also discuss considerations and pearls for performing refractive enhancements.

Sila Bal, MD, MPH, continues her conversation with Iqbal Ike K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, regarding surgical options for patients with glaucoma. In this episode, they review a case of a 57-year-old man with pseudoexfoliation glaucoma who inquired about laser therapy as an option over eye drops. Dr. Ahmed explains which types of glaucoma are the most appropriate for treating with selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) and comments on the benefits and risks of using SLT as a first-line therapy. Drs. Bal and Ahmed further discuss what outcomes surgeons can expect from SLT and when patients could see results.

Sila Bal, MD, MPH, welcomes Iqbal Ike K. Ahmed, MD, FRCSC, in the first of a two-part episode to review a case of a 68-year-old man with a history of primary open-angle glaucoma who experienced progression of a visual field defect and glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Dr. Ahmed shares insights into when to proceed with incisional surgery in these patients and discusses relative contraindications and potential complications of performing trabeculectomy. He also discusses how earlier intervention with minimally invasive techniques has changed the glaucoma surgery field.

Sila Bal, MD, MPH, welcomes Daniel S. Choi, MD, to discuss the case of a 65-year-old woman with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy who was interested in a corneal transplant. Dr. Choi outlines the surgical steps and indications for penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), Descemet stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK), and Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK). He also explains the potential postoperative complications one might experience following each procedure and reveals how he would approach this case. Drs. Bal and Choi also touch on newer developments for treating endothelial dystrophy such as Descemet stripping only (DSO).

In this special live episode of Pupil Pod, hosted by YoungMD Connect, Sila Bal, MD, MPH, and Brent Kramer, MD, reviewed the unique case of an 18-year-old woman with decreased vision and recurrent corneal erosion as a manifestation of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)—a degenerative nerve condition. Dr. Kramer outlined his approach to the case, including the diagnostic testing he performed, and explained the pathogenesis and causes of neurotrophic keratitis (NK) and the association between NK and CRPS. Further, he describes how he managed this unique condition and the patient’s outcome from treatment.

Sila Bal, MD, MPH, invites David Khorram, MD, to discuss his experiences in global ophthalmology and how health care workers in remote regions of low- to middle- income countries treat ophthalmic patients. Dr. Khorram shares insights into the epidemiology of trachoma and how it is transmitted and treated. He also explains the advantages of performing manual small-incision cataract surgery over extracapsular cataract extraction in regions without access to phacoemulsification.

Sila Bal, MD, MPH, is joined by Neda Shamie, MD, to discuss the demographics and risk factors for the development of keratoconus and the genetic predisposition, environmental risk factors, and clinical manifestations of the disease. Dr. Shamie also shares expert insight into treatment approaches for each stage of keratoconus severity.

Sila Bal, MD, MPH, welcomes Amenze Osa Oriaifo, MD, to the Pupil Pod to discuss the potential risk factors for patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), ocular hypertension, and normal-tension glaucoma. Dr. Osa shares findings from the Early Manifest Glaucoma Trial on the effectiveness of lowering IOP for patients with new POAG and results from the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study. The two physicians discuss how these findings should apply to patients’ cases to prevent glaucoma progression.

Sila Bal, MD, MPH, continues her discussion with guest Elizabeth Shanika Esparaz, MD, in the second of a two-part episode of Pupil Pod’s diabetic retinopathy series. In the previous episode, Drs. Bal and Esparaz broke down the risks associated with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). This episode dives into the take-home points and clinical applications from the Diabetic Retinopathy Study and other research, and Dr. Esparaz shares her approach to treating patients with high-risk PDR and clinically significant diabetic macular edema in her practice.

Sila Bal, MD, MPH, welcomes Jesse L. Berry, MD, to the Pupil Pod to discuss a complicated case of a 14-month-old patient who presents to the clinic with strabismus and leukocoria. Together, Drs. Bal and Berry run down the differences between heritable and nonheritable retinal diseases and provide a deep dive on the methods for identifying, treating, and managing retinoblastoma.