242
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
perilous time. The A. M. A. discontinued publication of Prism, a socioeconomic pub lication. Child Health and the Archives of Environmental Health have been sold. The trustees and delegates are involved in pol icy decisions that may lead the A. M. A. to abandon all scientific publications and be come solely a socioeconomic voice for phys icians. The Archives of Ophthalmology plays a most important role in our scientific and clinical life. With the increase in the num ber of ophthalmologists throughout the world, the exciting observations of recent years, the increase in laboratories and in sci entific writing, none of us can permit the Archives of Ophthalmology to disappear. We must dedicate ourselves to its continua tion as a major voice in ophthalmology. We admire Henry Allen immensely for continuing the editorial direction of the Archives under trying conditions. Every ophthalmologist must thank Frederick Blodi for his willingness to take over the editor ship at this time. He brings to the Archives a unique scholarship and scientific dedica tion, and we shall miss his guidance on the Editorial Board of T H E JOURNAL. We be lieve, though, that with Frederick Blodi at the helm, the Archives will continue and will thrive as never before. FRANK W.
NEWELL
CORRESPONDENCE Letters to the Editor must be typed double-spaced on 8V2 χ 11-inch bond paper; with 1 Va-inch margins on all four sides, and limited in length to two manu script pages.
FEBRUARY, 1976
left eye. Uneventful cataract extraction com bined with cyclodialysis had been performed on his right eye one year previously. Surgery on Oct. 8, 1975, consisted of limbal grooving under a fornix-based conjunctival flap followed by a 2.5-mm scierai incision parallel to the corneoscleral limbus, but 4 y2 mm posterior to it in the superior temporal quadrant. A cyclodialysis sweep ex tending for about 120 degrees was per formed with ease. Use of a keratome allowed entry into the anterior chamber through the preplaced groove. The incision was en larged, and sutures were postplaced. A pe ripheral iridectomy was performed. The iris bulged through a gaping incision. By using an 18-gauge needle 0.5 ml of liquid vitreous was withdrawn through the previously pre pared sclerotomy site used for cyclodialysis. The Amoils cryoprobe produced a large cataractous lens intracapsularly. The iris ap peared to be pushed forward, and its pe riphery was in contact with the cornea. Further examination revealed a large air bubble in the vitreous; the anterior hyaloid was intact. The air bubble was aspirated through the pars plana sclerotomy, and the iris receded to a more normal position. Fur ther surgery was uncomplicated, and this eye eventually recovered successfully. On Dec. 5, 1975, corrected visual acuity in this eye was 20/40 and intraocular pressure was 22 mm Hg without the use of medication. · Air en trapment in the vitreous rarely occurs. In this case, the lens extraction probably cor responded to the movement of a piston in a syringe. As the lens was withdrawn, air likely entered through the sclerotomy site into the posterior segment. IRVING COHEN, M.D. LAWRENCE REICHGUT,
Poughkeepsie, New INTRAVTTREAL Am
M.D.
York
COMPLICATING SURGERY OCULAR DISASTER PLAN
Editor : An 83-year-old white man was admitted Oct. 6, 1975, for a combined procedure of cataract extraction with cyclodialysis on his
Editor: Many hospitals have been confronted with the problem of managing a massive and sud-
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
perilous time. The A. M. A. discontinued publication of Prism, a socioeconomic pub lication. Child Health and the Archives of Environmental Health have been sold. The trustees and delegates are involved in pol icy decisions that may lead the A. M. A. to abandon all scientific publications and be come solely a socioeconomic voice for phys icians. The Archives of Ophthalmology plays a most important role in our scientific and clinical life. With the increase in the num ber of ophthalmologists throughout the world, the exciting observations of recent years, the increase in laboratories and in sci entific writing, none of us can permit the Archives of Ophthalmology to disappear. We must dedicate ourselves to its continua tion as a major voice in ophthalmology. We admire Henry Allen immensely for continuing the editorial direction of the Archives under trying conditions. Every ophthalmologist must thank Frederick Blodi for his willingness to take over the editor ship at this time. He brings to the Archives a unique scholarship and scientific dedica tion, and we shall miss his guidance on the Editorial Board of T H E JOURNAL. We be lieve, though, that with Frederick Blodi at the helm, the Archives will continue and will thrive as never before. FRANK W.
NEWELL
CORRESPONDENCE Letters to the Editor must be typed double-spaced on 8V2 χ 11-inch bond paper; with 1 Va-inch margins on all four sides, and limited in length to two manu script pages.
FEBRUARY, 1976
left eye. Uneventful cataract extraction com bined with cyclodialysis had been performed on his right eye one year previously. Surgery on Oct. 8, 1975, consisted of limbal grooving under a fornix-based conjunctival flap followed by a 2.5-mm scierai incision parallel to the corneoscleral limbus, but 4 y2 mm posterior to it in the superior temporal quadrant. A cyclodialysis sweep ex tending for about 120 degrees was per formed with ease. Use of a keratome allowed entry into the anterior chamber through the preplaced groove. The incision was en larged, and sutures were postplaced. A pe ripheral iridectomy was performed. The iris bulged through a gaping incision. By using an 18-gauge needle 0.5 ml of liquid vitreous was withdrawn through the previously pre pared sclerotomy site used for cyclodialysis. The Amoils cryoprobe produced a large cataractous lens intracapsularly. The iris ap peared to be pushed forward, and its pe riphery was in contact with the cornea. Further examination revealed a large air bubble in the vitreous; the anterior hyaloid was intact. The air bubble was aspirated through the pars plana sclerotomy, and the iris receded to a more normal position. Fur ther surgery was uncomplicated, and this eye eventually recovered successfully. On Dec. 5, 1975, corrected visual acuity in this eye was 20/40 and intraocular pressure was 22 mm Hg without the use of medication. · Air en trapment in the vitreous rarely occurs. In this case, the lens extraction probably cor responded to the movement of a piston in a syringe. As the lens was withdrawn, air likely entered through the sclerotomy site into the posterior segment. IRVING COHEN, M.D. LAWRENCE REICHGUT,
Poughkeepsie, New INTRAVTTREAL Am
M.D.
York
COMPLICATING SURGERY OCULAR DISASTER PLAN
Editor : An 83-year-old white man was admitted Oct. 6, 1975, for a combined procedure of cataract extraction with cyclodialysis on his
Editor: Many hospitals have been confronted with the problem of managing a massive and sud-
