Lieuwe J Blanksma

Publications (2)3.58 Total impact

• Article: Lacrimal punctum occlusion in the treatment of severe keratoconjunctivitis Sicca caused by Sjögren syndrome: a uniocular evaluation.

  Khaled Mansour, Carolien J Leonhardt, Wouter W Kalk, Hendrika Bootsma, Klaas J Bruin, Lieuwe J Blanksma
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  ABSTRACT: A controlled uniocular study to evaluate the short-term efficacy of lacrimal punctum occlusion in the treatment of severe dry eye caused by Sjögren syndrome. Uniocular punctum occlusion by punctum plug in the upper and lower puncta in 1 eye was performed in 20 patients with severe keratoconjunctivitis Sicca caused by Sjögren syndrome. To overcome possible interindividual variability between patients, the other eye, in the same patient, was not occluded and served as a control eye. The eye to be occluded was randomly selected. The patients were instructed to continue using their dry eye medications. Tear function tests (Schirmer test, rose Bengal test, and debris in de cul-de-sac) were performed in both eyes. Subjective complaints (discomfort) were registered for both eyes. All the above-mentioned data were collected before starting the treatment and at least 6 weeks later. The above-mentioned parameters were compared and statistically analyzed in both eyes. Of the 20 patients, 7 patients dropped out. The remaining 13 patients completed the final analysis. In the occluded eye, we found a significant improvement in both the subjective complaints and the rose Bengal score, but the Schirmer test and the tear mucus score did not change. Punctum occlusion therapy in a short-term study improved the rose Bengal score and discomfort score in our patients and thus may be helpful in the treatment of severe dry eye caused by Sjögren syndrome.
  Cornea 03/2007; 26(2):147-50. · 1.73 Impact Factor
• Article: The Groningen Longitudinal Glaucoma Study. I. Baseline sensitivity and specificity of the frequency doubling perimeter and the GDx nerve fibre analyser.

  Govert P Heeg, Lieuwe J Blanksma, Peter L L J Hardus, Nomdo M Jansonius
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  ABSTRACT: To describe the baseline data of a large cohort of patients included for follow-up with perimetry using the frequency doubling technique (FDT) and with quantification of the retinal nerve fibre layer as assessed by GDx, and to calculate the sensitivity and specificity of both devices from these baseline data. Regular visitors to our glaucoma service were included. All subjects were followed for at least 4 years with FDT in full-threshold mode, GDx and conventional perimetry. Patients were classified as having either glaucoma or suspect glaucoma, according to baseline perimetry results. In addition, a group of healthy subjects was recruited outside the hospital. A total of 452 glaucoma patients, 423 glaucoma suspects and 237 healthy subjects were incorporated into the analyses. Sensitivities for both FDT and GDx were fixed at 0.90. For the group as a whole, the specificity was 0.81 for FDT, using number of depressed test-points p < 0.01 in the total deviation probability plot with a cut-off point > 1, and 0.78 for GDx, using the Number, with a cut-off point > 29. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.92 for FDT and 0.94 for GDx. Of the subjects with suspect glaucoma, 75% showed normal FDT test results and 52% showed normal GDx results. Unlike FDT, GDx failed to detect some moderate/severe glaucoma cases. The performances of FDT and GDx are approximately equivalent in terms of sensitivity, specificity and area under the ROC curve. In glaucoma suspects, GDx in particular yielded a rather high percentage of positive test results. The majority of these positive test results are presumably false-positive results rather than results indicating preperimetric glaucoma.
  Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica 02/2005; 83(1):46-52. · 1.85 Impact Factor