Recurrence of Intermittent Exotropia after Bilateral Lateral Rectus Recession.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate predictive factors for intermittent exotropia (XT) recurrence after bilateral lateral rectus (BLR) recession. METHODS: This is a retrospective chart review of patients with XT who underwent BLR recession surgery between January 2007 and March 2017 with at least one postsurgical follow-up. Forty-one medical records were reviewed. Information collected included age, gender, systemic diseases, history of prematurity, family history of eye diseases, visual acuity, refraction, ocular alignment and control, stereoacuity, slit-lamp examination, fundoscopy, and amount of BLR recession. Successful alignment was defined as ≤8 prism diopters of esotropia or exotropia postoperatively. RESULTS: The mean age of patients at the time of surgery and follow-up time was 9.2 ± 12.3 years (y) and 23.6 ± 36.5 months (m), respectively. The mean amount of BLR recession was 6.5 ± 1.0 mm. Recurrence rate was 43.9% on the last follow-up. Age at surgery and at the time of last follow-up were significantly higher in the recurring group (P = 0.04 and P = 0.05, respectively). Postoperative angle of misalignment during the first 3 months was correlated with exotropia recurrence. No statistical significance was found among the remaining factors studied. CONCLUSIONS: The recurrence rate of XT in our study was 43.9%; it was increased in patients operated at older age and amid those with significant exotropia detected in the early postoperative period (within 3 months of surgery).

A nationwide study of asthma correlates among adolescents in Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a chronic airway inflammation disease that is frequently found in children and adolescents with an increasing prevalence. Several studies are linking its presence to many lifestyle and health correlates. The objective of this study was to explore these correlates and find characteristics of self-reported asthmatics among adolescents in Saudi Arabia. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, school-based study carried out in all 13 regions of Saudi Arabia. Sampling was randomly done from intermediate and secondary school students. Data in our study consisted of demographic characteristics, health conditions and lifestyle patterns and were compared between the two groups: asthmatics versus non-asthmatics. Comparison between the two groups was done by analyzing our data using Statistical Analysis Software SURVEYFREQ procedure (SAS Version 9; SAS Institute, Cary, NC). RESULTS: Among a sample of 11,348 participants, the prevalence of self-reported asthma was found to be 8.2%. Various characteristics were found significantly different between the 2 groups including the gender, the weight, the family's education, and dietary patterns. Self -reported asthmatic were more likely to be males, overweight or obese, with a lower father's level of education and a higher consumption of milk and power drinks. CONCLUSION: Asthma disease remains prevalent among adolescents in Saudi Arabia and requires higher awareness and better guidance for its prevention and treatment. Further efforts should focus on health promotion and lifestyle wellness to support preventive efforts of this chronic disease condition.

Influenza vaccine and cardiac protection: a study from a tertiary care center.

Patients with heart disease (HD) are at increased risk of developing cardiac complications if they acquire the influenza virus. The objective of this study was to determine whether the influenza vaccine has a primary role in preventing newly diagnosed HD in patients who have no history of HD and who were being followed up at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC). The study is a retrospective cohort, with 2-years follow up, which was conducted using electronic medical records between the years of 2011-2013 in a tertiary care center. All patients 60 years and older (n = 698) who have taken the flu vaccine were randomly selected from the University Health Service records (UHS) and compared to a group who has not taken the flu vaccine during the same period. The odds of developing HD among vaccinated people with cofactors are 0.97 times the odds of that among non-vaccinated. This odds ratio is not significantly different than that of people vaccinated without cofactors (OR = 1.74). The occurrence of HD in the presence of vaccination revealed a non-significant decrease trend with the increase in a number of risk factors (OR = 1.61 vs 0.97). Our results suggest that there was a non-significant difference between the effect of the vaccine for influenza on patients who had cofactors for HD and those who had not. Similarly, the effect of vaccine showed a non-significant increase in protective effect as the number of comorbidities increase. The potential effects of the vaccine may be related to the protection against flu.

Eye Tracking Abnormalities in School-Aged Children With Strabismus and With and Without Amblyopia.

PURPOSE: To detect eye tracking abnormalities in children with strabismus in the absence or presence of amblyopia. METHODS: A total of 100 patients aged 7 to 17 years were enrolled prospectively for 2 years from the pediatric ophthalmology clinic of the American University of Beirut Medical Center: 50 children with strabismus (including 24 with amblyopia) and 50 age- and gender-matched controls. Eye tracking with different paradigms was performed. RESULTS: Mean age was 10.66 ± 2.90 years in the strabismus group and 10.02 ± 2.75 years in the control group. Demographic characteristics were similar with respect to vision, gender, and refraction. Four paradigms were tested using the eye tracker: (1) distance/near paradigm: patients with strabismus showed a lower fixation count and longer fixation at both distances and a tendency for decreased latency and percentage of fixation in distant elements; (2) reading paradigm: the strabismus group had a higher fixation count and duration, especially those without amblyopia; (3) location identification paradigm: strabismus group without amblyopia fixated less and with shorter duration on the most flagrant element; and (4) video paradigm: no differences in eye movements were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Significant eye movement deficits were demonstrated in patients with strabismus compared to controls while reading text and identifying prominent elements in a crowded photograph. This was significant in the non-amblyopic subgroup. [J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus. 2019;56(5):297-304.].