Luis Abegao Pinto

• MD, PhD
• Medical Doctor at Hospital de Santa Maria

To characterize Doppler waveform variables (early systolic acceleration [ESA] and systolic/diastolic mean velocity ratios [Sm/Dm]) of the Ophthalmic Artery (OA) by color Doppler imaging (CDI) in eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Analysis of CDI examinations of the retrobulbar circulation of patients with POAG (n = 102), normal tension g...

(i) To investigate whether pulsatility index (PI) and mean flow velocities (MFV) are altered in glaucoma patients. (ii) To evaluate the significance of PI in retrobulbar autoregulation capacity. Patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG; n = 49), normal tension glaucoma (NTG; n = 62) and healthy controls (n = 48) underwent colour Doppler imag...

Purpose: Recently, the absence of spontaneous venous pulsation (SVP) has been suggested as a vascular risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). As the mechanism behind this phenomenon is still unknown, the authors have studied this vascular component using colour Doppler imaging (CDI). Methods: A total of 236 patients were divided into th...

To investigate the efficacy and safety of a single intracameral bevacizumab injection to improve the outcome of trabeculectomy. A 12-month, prospective, randomised, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial. Patients with medically uncontrolled open-angle glaucoma scheduled for a primary trabeculectomy were recruited and randomised to receive 50 µL o...

Précis PRESERFLO™ significantly reduced both intraocular pressure and the number of glaucoma medications in selected cases of pediatric glaucoma, as far as a 2-year period, with a favorable safety profile. Purpose To assess the efficacy and safety of the PRESERFLO™ device in selected cases of pediatric glaucoma. Methods Retrospective multi-center...

Aims/Purpose: Investigate demographic and socio‐economic differences between individuals who accepted and declined participation in a glaucoma screening program in Sete Rios Health Center, Lisbon, and identify factors potentially responsible for decrease in screening adherence. Methods: Subset analysis of ongoing prospective study (Clinicaltrial.go...

Aims/Purpose: Investigate demographic and socio‐economic differences between individuals who accepted and declined participation in a glaucoma screening program in Sete Rios Health Center, Lisbon, and identify factors potentially responsible for decrease in screening adherence. Methods: Subset analysis of ongoing prospective study (Clinicaltrial.go...

Aims/Purpose: To evaluate the association between Glaucoma referral and Diabetes in participants in a population‐based glaucoma screening using artificial intelligence (AI). Methods: Analysis of cohort characteristics at baseline contact (screening visit). Glaucoma referral was defined by intraocular pressure (IOP) ≥ 24mmHg or AI score ≥ 0.73. Diab...

Aims/Purpose: To evaluate the association between glaucoma referral and systemic hypertension (SH) in participants in a population‐based glaucoma screening using artificial intelligence (AI). Methods: compare the odds of glaucoma referral between participants with and without SH. Glaucoma referral was defined by intraocular pressure (IOP) ≥ 24mmHg...

Aims/Purpose: Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, is often associated with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). However, other risk factors may play a role, particular vascular related parameters. This investigation aimed to explore the association between glaucoma and dyslipidaemia (DL) in participants in a primary care s...

Aims/Purpose: Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, is often associated with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). However, other risk factors may play a role, particular vascular related parameters. This investigation aimed to explore the association between glaucoma and dyslipidaemia (DL) in participants in a primary care s...

Aims/Purpose: To evaluate the association between Glaucoma referral and Diabetes in participants in a population‐based glaucoma screening using artificial intelligence (AI). Methods: Analysis of cohort characteristics at baseline contact (screening visit). Glaucoma referral was defined by intraocular pressure (IOP) ≥ 24mmHg or AI score ≥ 0.73. Diab...

Aims/Purpose: Report results of a novel AI‐powered population‐level glaucoma screening protocol. Methods: Individuals aged 55‐65 were invited for glaucoma screening in a primary‐care setting. Screening involved disc‐centered fundus photography and intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement. Glaucoma risk was assessed by an AI tool, MONA G‐Risk, using t...

Background There are significant discrepancies in the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) reported in the literature. We aimed to determine the ultrasonographic imaging features of ONSD and ophthalmic vessels in a healthy population, using a standardized protocol, and to estimate the effect of demographics and positioning changes on imaging measurem...

The aim of this literature study is to investigate the specific visual field defects for each glaucoma subtype and evaluate their pattern of progression. A systematic search was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines in Medline (via PubMed), Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library on January 23, 2024. The literature search iden...

PURPOSE Phacoemulsification cataract surgery (PCS) is known to change anterior chamber morphology, widening the iridocorneal angle (ICA) of most patients. This study aims to determine whether automated gonioscopy imaging (AGI) with GS-1 ® (NIDEK CO., Japan) can detect changes in ICA morphology and pigmentation after PCS. METHODS A prospective, obs...

A 72-year-old patient presented with decreased visual acuity and ocular discomfort. The patient had not undergone previous ocular surgery or had a history of ocular trauma. Physical examination revealed decreased intraocular pressure (IOP) (9 mmHg), a subconjunctival filtering bleb, and hypotonic maculopathy. Ultrasound biomicroscopy revealed a fis...

Précis Preserflo® surgery is a safe procedure, effective in reducing intraocular pressure into the “low teens”, surgical survival is greatest in cases of high baseline intraocular pressure (above 21 mmHg) and when performed as a standalone procedure. Purpose To evaluate midterm surgical survival and safety profile of Preserflo® filtering surgery....

Background Discrepancies in the literature regarding optimal optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) cutoffs for intracranial pressure (ICP) necessitate alternative neuroimaging parameters to improve clinical management. Purpose To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the dimensions of the perineural subarachnoid space to the optic nerve sheath ratio, me...

Précis In reducing intraocular pressure (IOP), Paul (PGI) and Baerveldt (BGI) glaucoma implants are safe and effective in patients with glaucoma. Objective To compare efficacy and safety profiles of the PGI and BGI in the treatment of medically uncontrolled glaucoma at 1 year of follow-up. Methods Retrospective analysis of patients implanted with...

The PRESERFLO™ MicroShunt (PMS) has been proven to significantly lower intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma and has been available for use since 2019. With increasing published evidence and growing experience of glaucoma surgeons, the aim of this modified Delphi panel was to build on the findings of a previous Delphi panel conducted...

Optic neuropathies, such as glaucoma, are some of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. There has been a lot of research for potential therapies that could attenuate and even reduce the impact of the pathological pathways that lead to the loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). In recent years, vitamin B3 (nicotinamide) has gained...

Purpose of review To address the current role of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of glaucoma. Recent findings Current deep learning (DL) models concerning glaucoma diagnosis have shown consistently improving diagnostic capabilities, primarily based on color fundus photography and optical coherence tomography, but also with multimodal str...

Objective: Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide, necessitates early detection and appropriate management to prevent visual impairment. While previous studies examining the benefits of routine glaucoma screening have produced divergent results, this research proposes a novel approach leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) t...

Background/Aims The goal of health research is to improve patients care and outcomes. Thus, it is essential that research addresses questions that are important to patients and clinicians. The aim of this study was to develop a list of priorities for glaucoma research involving stakeholders from different countries in Europe. Methods We used a thr...

Purpose: To evaluate bleb morphology features of different glaucoma drainage devices (GDD) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Materials and methods: Prospective cohort study of GDD and bleb morphology in consecutive glaucoma patients implanted with Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV), Paul Glaucoma Implant (PGI), Baerveldt Glaucoma Implant (BGI) and...

Purpose This study describes the virtual clinic triage system implementation process at Hospital Santa Maria—Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte (HSM-CHULN) and analyzes its results regarding healthcare outcomes for the patients and the system. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed, comparing two cohorts (pre-virtual cohort; virt...

Glaucoma screening has not been recommended as part of any Scientific Society Guideline, due mostly to low prevalence in overall population, high cost and a high rate of false positives. Hospital-based healthcare systems, based on within-department referrals present a new opportunity for screening. A human-lead secondary screening has thus been imp...

PurposeCataract and glaucoma are two of the most common ocular comorbidities. Cataract surgery has been shown to influence intra-ocular pressure (IOP) in patients with glaucoma; nevertheless, the extent of this effect remains controversial, especially in patients with open-angle glaucoma (OAG). The aim of this review is to determine the real effect...

Introduction: The implantation of the PRESERFLO™ MicroShunt (PMS) device has been shown to significantly lower increased intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). However, guidelines on best practice for patient selection and pre-/peri-/postoperative care management are lacking. The aim of this modified Delphi...

Graphene is the material elected to study molecules and monolayers at the molecular scale due to its chemical stability and electrical properties. The invention of scanning tunneling microscopy has deepened our knowledge on molecular systems through imaging at an atomic resolution, and new possibilities have been investigated at this scale. Interes...

Graphene oxide has been used in different fields of nanomedicine as a manager of drug delivery due to its inherent physical and chemical properties that allow its use in thin films with biomedical applications. Several studies demonstrated its efficacy in the control of the amount and the timely delivery of drugs when it is incorporated in multilay...

Eagle syndrome is a rare entity that occurs when an elongated styloid process compresses the neck vasculonervous structures. A 47-year-old female patient was referred to our glaucoma clinic for a second opinion concerning bilateral visual field progression despite maximal tolerated medical therapy. After aggressive intraocular pressure lowering and...

Prcis: The PAUL Glaucoma Implant is an effective intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering device with an acceptable safety profile. Its design as a nonvalved device with a small tube diameter using a vicryl ligation suture around the tube that is posteriorly reabsorbed instead of an ab luminal stent makes it an option in cases selected for glaucoma dra...

Objective To develop and test a deep learning (DL) model for semantic segmentation of anatomical layers of the anterior chamber angle (ACA) in digital gonio-photographs. Methods and analysis We used a pilot dataset of 274 ACA sector images, annotated by expert ophthalmologists to delineate five anatomical layers: iris root, ciliary body band, scle...

Background: Microvascular rarefaction due to hypertension has been linked to disease severity and end-organ complications. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) has been explored as a potential tool to evaluate the retinal microvascular network in hypertensive patients. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane were systematica...

Background: The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the Ultrasound Cyclo Plasty (UCP) procedure using high-intensity focused ultrasound in surgery-naïve open-angle glaucoma patients. Methods: prospective, non-randomized, single-arm, multicenter clinical trial. Sixty-six eyes with primary open-angle glauco...

Aim and objective: Report three different solutions in case of XEN-augmented Baerveldt fails. Background: Drainage devices have been used for refractory pediatric glaucoma. To avoid early hypotony and corneal damage, Mermoud et al. introduced the augmentation of a XEN implant with a Baerveldt tube. In some cases, this technique fails to lead to...

Prcis: Automated gonioscopy is a recent method of recording angle pictures. Our study shows that agreement between observers is moderate in most categories used in clinical practice, underlying its clinical usefulness but also room for improvement. Introduction: Iridocorneal angle (ICA) imaging methods have been recently developed to record goni...

Purpose: To quantitatively evaluate the inter-annotator variability of clinicians tracing the contours of anatomical layers of the iridocorneal angle on digital gonio photographs, thus providing a baseline for the validation of automated analysis algorithms. Methods: Using a software annotation tool on a common set of 20 images, five experienced...

Purpose: To compare outcomes of primary trabeculectomy using either mitomycin C (MMC) alone versus MMC augmented with intracamerular bevacizumab in patients with open-angle glaucoma. Methods: Retrospective, cohort, two-centre, comparative study. Patients' data were screened between October 2015 and March 2019, with inclusion requiring a minimum...

Pupillometry allows a quantitative measurement of PLR and has been mainly used to assess patient’s consciousness and vision function. The analysis of pupil light reflex (PLR) has been showing a renewed interest since the discovery of intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), that are sensitive to the blue light, as they have an...

Non-infectious uveitis (NIU) is a group of sight-threatening diseases that generates significant burden for the healthcare systems due to its adverse outcomes, irreversible structural complications in the eye with loss of visual function, limited clinical expertise and low-grade evidence for best practice. The usefulness of multidisciplinary care,...

Purpose To compare the long‐term outcomes of trabeculectomy using mitomycin C (MMC) alone versus MMC plus intracameral bevacizumab. Methods Retrospective, comparative study (#ISRCTN93098069). Patients’ charts from two centers were reviewed for data between October 2015 and March 2019. Minimum follow‐up of 12 months was required. The main efficacy...

Background/aims Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) allows the study of vessel density (VD). We intended to perform a systematic review of studies focusing on longitudinal changes in peripapillary and macular VD measurements in glaucoma. Methods A search was performed across MEDLINE, Scopus, ISI Web of Science and Google Scholar, using...

Purpose To analyse the long-term efficacy and safety of bleb needling in glaucoma patients previously submitted to XEN implantation. Methods Retrospective, observational study. Charts from patients who underwent XEN gel implant surgery between October 2015 and December 2017 were reviewed. Needling protocol involves use of Mitomycin C 0.2 mg/mL in...

Background Migraine symptoms are frequently referred by glaucoma patients. Although most studies analyze headache in the acute setting of angle closure, many patients with chronic occludable angles also complain of headaches. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of laser peripheral iridotomy (LPI) on the magnitude and frequency of head...

We present a deep learning semantic segmentation algorithm for processing images acquired by a novel ophthalmic device, the NIDEK GS-1. The proposed model can sophisticate the current reference exam, called gonioscopy, for evaluating the risk of developing glaucoma, a severe eye pathology with a considerable worldwide impact in terms of costs and n...

Purpose: We hypothesize that patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) may have abnormal retinal vascular responses before diabetic retinopathy (DR) is clinically evident. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) was used to dynamically assess the retinal microvasculature of diabetic patients with no clinically visible retinopathy. Methods: Con...

I - PRéCIS: Dear Editor,Angle location of the XEN implant both in isolated or combined procedures did not appear to influence long term outcomes. However, more posterior stent placements seem to be associated with increased early post-operative complications. Purpose: To assess success and safety outcomes of different levels of insertion of the X...

Purpose Ultrasound cycloplasty (UCP) acts through the selective coagulation of the ciliary body using high‐intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the application of ultrasound beams targeting the ciliary body using an external probe influences astigmatism. Methods Multicentre, prospective,...

Ciclo plasty using high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) technology acts through the selective coagulation of the ciliary body. Our aim was to evaluate the safety and efficacy profiles of 8-s probe HIFU cyclocoagulation using the EyeOP1 device. Prospective pragmatic trial. Inclusion criteria: adult glaucoma patients with uncontrolled IOP despite...

Purpose: The Baerveldt-XEN technique is intended to reduce the risk of early hypotony after Baerveldt implant, while keeping a good long-term intra-ocular pressure (IOP) control. The aim of this study is to discuss the surgical success rate of the Baerveldt-XEN and compare it with the commercially available flow-restrictor device (Ahmed glaucoma v...

Aim To analyse the efficacy and safety of a standardized laser suture lysis protocol following trabeculectomy. Materials and methods Prospective interventional study conducted at a tertiary centre, between June 2016 and July 2017. Consecutive patients undergoing primary trabeculectomy with mitomycin C (0.4 mg/mL) for open angle glaucoma were enrol...

Introduction Image processing of optical coherence tomography scans through binarization techniques represent a non-invasive way to separately asses and measure choroidal components, in vivo. In this review, we systematically search the scientific literature regarding binarization studies published so far. Methods A systematic research was conduct...

The patient's non-compliance on the therapeutics to treat glaucoma is significantly low contributing for a fast evolution of the disease . This article presents an autonomous system with controlled release of brimonidine, an alpha2-adrenergic receptor agonist used in the glaucoma treatment. More specifically, biocompatible and layer-by-layer drug d...

Previous data suggest the existence of retinal vascular changes and impaired autoregulation in the very early stages of diabetic retinopathy (DR). We compared the retinal plexuses between patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) without DR and a demographically similar healthy cohort, using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). Patients with...

Introduction Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) is a novel diagnostic tool with increasing applications in ophthalmology clinics that provides non-invasive high-resolution imaging of the retinal microvasculature. Our aim is to report in detail an experimental protocol for analyzing both vasodilatory and vasoconstriction retinal vascul...

Purpose This literature review and meta-analysis aims to compare intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering efficacy, failure rates and loss of light perception (LP) rates 6 months after an IOP-lowering surgical procedure in neovascular glaucoma (NVG) eyes. Methods MEDLINE and EMBASE were used as data sources. Only studies including NVG patients who unde...

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Introduction: Academic teaching has been present in society for centuries. However, its methodology has not significantly changed. Though various articles were published analysing students´ satisfaction with the teaching method, there is still scarce data on the knowledge improve...

Purpose: To identify changes in choroidal structure in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy (DR) after 1 year of follow‐up. Methods: Prospective observational cohort study in which 125 diabetic patients without DR were included. Patients received a complete ophthalmologic evaluation including optical coherence tomography scans (SD‐OCT)...

Purpose: To evaluate the structural changes in the neurosensory retina (NSR) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without diabetic retinopathy (WDR), as measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods: Cross-sectional, non-interventional, comparative study of patients with diagnosis of T2DM WDR against matched...

Purpose The aim of this study is to assess the agreement between manual and automated gonioscopy for iridocorneal angle opening. Methods The research is a cross-sectional observational study. Manual and automated gonioscopy were performed to consecutive patients in a glaucoma clinic. Iridocorneal angle opening grading was performed according to Sh...

A 51-year-old woman was referred with uncontrolled intraocular pressure (IOP) despite maximal medical IOP-lowering therapy. Her background included several failed glaucoma filtering surgeries, including aqueous drainage devices. Considering the need to perform surgery in a patient with both scarred conjunctiva and corneal endothelial deficiency, a...

Nanotechnology enabled the development of materials and devices with great utility in different fields of medicine. By using engineered-based nano-devices and structures, human biological systems may be controlled and repaired at a molecular scale, ultimately leading to a biological benefit. In particular, in the field of glaucoma treatment, nanote...

Purpose Glaucoma studies have long taken into account the blood pressure (BP) status of patients. This study summarizes and evaluates the impact of the different criteria that have been used for BP‐related variables in glaucoma research. Methods Studies included in two meta‐analyses that reviewed the role of BP in glaucoma were analyzed. Additiona...

Purpose To investigate the vitreopapillary interface (VPI) in health and glaucoma according to the different stages of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) formation. Methods Prospective single centre study including healthy subjects and glaucoma patients. PVD staging was performed with spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Gender, age, len...

Purpose To investigate the correlation between retinal vessel oxygen saturation and mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2‐mixed) and cardiac output (CO). Methods Retinal arterial (SaO2‐retinal) and venous (SvO2‐retinal) oxygen saturation were measured non‐invasively with dual‐wavelength retinal oximetry in subjects receiving invasive measurements o...

Purpose: XEN® gel stent is a minimally invasive surgical device aimed at creating a subconjunctival drainage of aqueous humor, thereby reducing intraocular pressure (IOP). Being a novel device, doubts remain regarding the efficacy and safety of its implantation in the early stage of new users. This paper illustrates the XEN® implantation learning...

Purpose: To develop a new methodology to detect glaucoma damage based on circumpapillary microvascular density (cpmVD) as measured by optical coherence tomography angiography (angioOCT). Methods: AngioOCT scans from a random eye of 40 healthy subjects (aged 63 ± 14 years) and 82 glaucoma patients (aged 66 ± 9 years with an average visual field l...

Purpose Vascular factors have been suggested to influence the development and progression of glaucoma. They are thought to be especially relevant for normal‐tension glaucoma (NTG) patients. We aim to investigate which vascular factors, including advanced vascular examinations, better describe patients with NTG comparing to those with primary open‐a...

Steroid-induced ocular hypertension (SIOH) is a challenging entity in paediatric age, with many being refractory to medical therapy. Literature is scarce about surgical options in these cases. A 14-year-old girl with bilateral uveitis and macular oedema had received an intravitreal and subconjunctival triamcinolone injection in the right (OD) and l...

Purpose: Glaucoma leads as the first cause of irreversible blindness. The number of patients will greatly increase in upcoming years and changes will have to be done to cope with those numbers. As such, data are important to understand the effect of new policies introduced in glaucoma management. Only few countries have described their glaucoma su...

Background To investigate the correlation between cerebral (SO2-transcranial), retinal arterial (SaO2-retinal) and venous (SvO2-retinal) oxygen saturation as measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and retinal oximetry respectively. Methods Paired retinal and cerebral oxygen saturation measurements were performed in healthy volunteers. Arter...

Statistical analyses and figures. R script for all analyses and figures included in the paper. (R)

Raw data. Individual data points for all subjects. (CSV)

Modern trabeculectomy remains the gold-standard surgical option in glaucoma, with excellent long-term success rates and relatively low serious complication rates. However, these improved outcomes imply a careful preoperative risk stratification, a meticulous intraoperative technique and watchful postoperative care. This review discusses some trabec...

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Purpose: Previous studies report that the response of retinal vessels to a decrease in oxygen (hypoxia) is vasodilation, thus increasing blood flow. We aimed to characterize the changes in retinal microvasculature induced by a mild hypoxia stress test in a healthy population, using ocular coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) technology. Metho...

Purpose To correlate structural and vascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters with cerebral amyloid burden in cognitive intact (Control) and mild cognitive impairment patients (MCI). Methods Controls and MCI patients were recruited from an ongoing longitudinal cohort of cognitively intact older adults and a memory clinic‐based cohort...

Purpose Approximately 2.2% of the Portuguese population are under intraocular pressure(IOP)‐lowering medication. However, an analysis based on the number of drugs may neglect how fixed combinations can minimize the burden of topical therapy and adherence to treatment. We aimed to analyse the prescription pattern of these drugs in Portugal and to id...

Purpose There is high quality evidence that antiangiogenic drugs are a valuable option on diabetic macular edema (DME) treatment. However, evidence under real‐world conditions is lacking. This paradigmatic pilot study aims to characterize and discuss the 1‐year functional and anatomic response of intravitreal bevacizumab in DME. Methods Observatio...

Trabeculectomy has existed for 40 years now and remains not only the Gold Standard in filtering surgery but also the most commonly performed Glaucoma surgery worldwide. However, this highly effective intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering procedure is a time consuming, multi-step surgery with a relatively steep learning curve. Accordingly, a begginer...

Purpose There are few studies in Europe addressing the adherence to antiglaucomatous prescription guidelines. This study aims to describe the nationwide yearlong analysis of the prescription patterns of these drugs in Portugal, discussing how guidelines are being applied and identifying opportunities for improvement. Methods Cross‐sectional study...