Ophthalmologist in patients' eyes.

It seems that patient's knowledge about ophthalmologist's work is very insufficient, especially about what type of examination should be undertaken for refraction condition during the "simple" eye check-up and which serious systemic diseases could be discovered thorough eye examinations. The aim of the study was to determine patients' knowledge about ophthalmologist examinations during the check-up for refraction condition, knowledge about differences between ophthalmologists and opticians, main sources of patients' ophthalmologic cognition and the main reasons for coming to special locations. Patients (311) were examined by applying the questionnaire, immediately before the eye check-up at three various refraction units. Statistical analysis used Chi-square test and test of significance between proportions, except for patients' age where Student t-test was used. Differences were statistically significant at p = 0.05. The findings show that the patients' knowledge about eye examination during the check-ups for refraction abnormalities was not satisfactory. Twenty-two percent (22%) of examined patients did not know the differences between ophthalmologists and opticians and 16% believed that after computer testing of refraction further ophthalmologic examinations were not necessary. The main sources of medical cognition were the mass media while twenty percent (20%) of the participating patients named doctor's lectures as the source of their cognition. This study revealed that a lot of work needs to be done to improve patients' education and indirectly for better screening of very serious systemic diseases and blind threatening diseases which could be discovered during the first visit for spectacle prescription.

Analysis of the quantitative dermatoglyphic traits of the digito-palmar complex in patients with primary open angle glaucoma.

Patient with primary open angle glaucoma (PAOG), which is known to have a genetic predisposition, and their immediate relatives unaffected with PAOG, may have some changes in dermatoglyphic traits of the digito-palmar complex, since the trabecular meshwork develops at the same time and with the same hereditary base like dermatoglyphs, which have high genetic transmission. The objective of this study is to determine whether differences in quantitative dermatoglyphic traits of the digito-palmar complex exist between patients with glaucoma and the phenotipically healthy population and whether their family members have the same dermatoglyphic changes. The quantitative dermatoglyphic traits in patients suffering from glaucoma, first-degree members of their family and the phenotypically healthy population have been screened in this study. Descriptive statistics, univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc (Tukey HSD) method have been used. The results have shown that there is a link between the quantitative dermatoglyphic traits of the digito-palmar complex in patients affected by glaucoma and a first-degree healthy member of their family, as well as the difference between patients with glaucoma and their first-degree relatives, which may discriminate them from the phenotypically healthy population. The results of the study mostly affirm the existence of genetic predisposition for the development of primary open-angle glaucoma, thus emphasizing the relevance of hereditary factors in the etiopathogenesis of this disease.