Creation of the American Board of Ophthalmology: The Role of the American Ophthalmological Society.

The American Ophthalmological Society (AOS) is 1 of the 3 founding organizations of the American Board of Ophthalmology (ABO), in addition to the Section on Ophthalmology of the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. The early history of the AOS and its role in the founding of the ABO are addressed in this article.

The continued movement for open access to peer-reviewed literature.

PURPOSE: To provide a current overview of the movement for open access to the peer review literature. DESIGN: Perspective. METHODS: Literature review of recent advances in the open access movement with a personal viewpoint of the nuances of the movement. RESULTS: The open access movement is complex, with many different constituents. The idealists for the open access movement are seeking open access to the literature but also to the data that constitute the research within the manuscript. The business model of the traditional subscription journal is being scrutinized in relation to the surge in the number of open access journals. Within this environment authors should beware predatory practices. More government and funding agencies are mandating open access to their funded research. This open access movement will continue to be disruptive until a business model ensures continuity of the scientific record. A flood of open access articles that might enrich, but also might pollute or confuse, the medical literature has altered the filtering mechanism provided by the traditional peer review system. At some point there may be a shake-out, with some literature being lost in cyberspace. CONCLUSIONS: The open access movement is maturing and must be embraced in some format. The challenge is to establish a sustainable financial business model that will permit the use of digital technology but yet not endanger the decades-old traditional publication model and peer review system. Authors seem to be slower in adopting open access than the idealists in the movement.

A retrospective cohort study of clinical outcomes for intravitreal crystalline retained lens fragments after age-related cataract surgery: a comparison of same-day versus delayed vitrectomy.

BACKGROUND: This analysis compared outcomes for same-day (under a no-move, no-wait policy) versus delayed vitrectomy for intravitreal crystalline retained lens fragments after surgery for age-related cataract. METHODS: This was a retrospective, nonrandomized treatment comparison cohort study with a consecutive series of 35 eyes (23 same-day, 12 delayed) receiving both cataract surgery and vitrectomy at the Mayo Clinic Florida between 1999 and 2010. Outcome measures included visual acuity (VA), glaucoma progression, visual utility, and complications. Several techniques (bootstrapping, robust confidence intervals, jackknifing, and a homogeneous sample) were used to reduce selection bias and increase confidence in our small sample's results. RESULTS: No significant baseline treatment group differences. Mean previtrectomy delay (12 eyes) was 40.9 days (median 29.5, range 1-166). Mean postvitrectomy follow-up (35 eyes) was 47.5 months (median 40.5, range 3.1-123.5). Same-day patients had significantly better final VA (adjusted for age [t = -2.14, P = 0.040] and precataract surgery VA [t = -2.98, P = 0.006]); a higher rate of good final VA (≥20/40), 78.3% (18/23) versus 58.3% (7/12); a lower rate of bad final VA (≤20/200), 4.3% (1/23) versus 25.0% (3/12); and fewer final retinal conditions, 4.3% (1/23) versus 50.0% (6/12). Same-day patients also had marginally significant better mean final VA in the operated eye (20/40 versus 20/90, Z = 1.51, P = 0.130) despite poorer initial VA (20/98 versus 20/75) and higher age (3+ years), better final visual utility, and longer survival times for better VA. Among patients with preexisting glaucoma, same-day patients experienced significantly less differential (operated versus nonoperated eye) glaucoma progression. CONCLUSION: Results favored same-day patients, who experienced better final VA and visual utility, less differential glaucoma progression, and fewer complications. Results need confirmation with larger samples.

Incidence, recurrence, and outcomes of herpes simplex virus eye disease in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1976-2007: the effect of oral antiviral prophylaxis.

OBJECTIVES: To provide an estimate of the incidence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) eye disease in a community-based cohort, and to investigate the effect of prophylactic oral antiviral therapy on HSV recurrences and outcomes. METHODS: All Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents diagnosed with ocular HSV from 1976 through 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. The frequency of recurrences and adverse outcomes, such as vision loss or need for surgery, were compared between untreated patients and those treated prophylactically with oral antiviral medication. RESULTS: Three hundred ninety-four patients with ocular HSV were identified, yielding an annual incidence of 11.8 per 100,000 people (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.6-13.0). No trends in incidence or adverse outcomes were identified during the 32-year period. Oral antiviral therapy was prescribed in 175 patients. Patients were 9.4 times more likely (95% CI, 5.0-17.9) to have a recurrence of epithelial keratitis, 8.4 times more likely (95% CI, 5.2-13.7) to have a recurrence of stromal keratitis, and 34.5 times more likely (95% CI, 10.8-111.1) to have a recurrence of blepharitis or conjunctivitis if not being treated prophylactically at the time of the recurrence. Twenty patients experienced adverse outcomes, and 17 (85%) were not being treated with oral antiviral medications immediately preceding the adverse event. CONCLUSIONS: Oral antiviral prophylaxis was associated with a decreased risk of recurrence of epithelial keratitis, stromal keratitis, conjunctivitis, and blepharitis due to HSV. Patients with adverse outcomes due to ocular HSV were usually not being treated with oral antiviral prophylaxis.