Binocular Home Treatment for Amblyopia: Gains Stable for One Year.

PURPOSE: To report the long-term outcomes of a noninferiority randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a binocular eye-tracking-based home treatment (CureSight; NovaSight, Ltd.) in patients with amblyopia. DESIGN: Prospective, multicenter, nonrandomized, long-term follow-up observational study of an RCT. METHODS: Forty-three children 4 to <9 years of age with anisometropic, small-angle strabismic, or mixed-mechanism amblyopia were initially treated for 16 weeks (NCT05185076) with CureSight. In this planned observational follow-up study, 38 patients with no additional amblyopia treatment were evaluated at 12 weeks post-treatment, and 27 were evaluated at 1-year post-treatment. The main outcome measures were visual acuity (VA), stereoacuity, and amblyopia recurrence at 12- and 52-week post-treatment. RESULTS: At 12-week post-treatment, improvement in amblyopic eye VA was maintained vs baseline (0.27 ± 0.14 logMAR, P< .0001), with no change vs the end-of-treatment visit (P > .05). At 1 year there was a partial reduction in the amblyopic eye VA gain of 0.085±0.1 logMAR compared to end-of-treatment (P = .001), but the residual gain of 0.20±0.14 logMAR compared to baseline was statistically significant (P < .0001). Gains in stereoacuity and binocular VA were maintained vs baseline at both 12-weeks and 1-year post-treatment (P < .0001), with no change vs end-of-treatment (P > .05). Amblyopia recurrence (a worsening of ≥2 logMAR levels compared with end-of-treatment) occurred in 2/38 patients at 12-weeks post-treatment (5.3%), and in 5/27 patients at 1-year post-treatment (20.4%). CONCLUSIONS: VA and stereopsis gains following binocular treatment with CureSight were maintained at 1 year without additional treatment.

Perinatal and neonatal risk factors for retinopathy of prematurity in very low birthweight, very preterm twins: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of perinatal and neonatal risk factors on retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and to examine the association of fertility treatments on the risk for ROP in very low birth weight (VLBW) preterm twins. METHODS: The population-based observational study consisted of VLBW twins born at 24-29 weeks gestational age (GA). Data from the Israel national database (1995-2020) were applied. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression using the General Estimating Equation were used for assessment of risk factors. RESULTS: The study population comprised 4092 infants of whom 2374 (58%) were conceived following fertility treatments. ROP was diagnosed in 851 (20.8%) infants. The odds for ROP approximately doubled with each week decrease in GA: at 24 weeks, Odds Ratio (OR) 58.00 (95% confidence interval (CI) 31.83-105.68); 25 weeks, OR 25.88 (95% CI 16.76-39.96); 26 weeks, OR 12.69 (95% CI 8.84-18.22) compared to 29 weeks GA. Each decrease in one birthweight z-score was associated with 1.82-fold increased risk for ROP (OR, 1.82, 95% CI 1.59-2.08). Infertility treatments were not associated with ROP. Neonatal morbidities significantly associated with ROP were surgical necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) (OR, 2.04, 95% CI 1.31-3.19); surgically treated patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) (OR, 1.63, 95% CI 1.12-2.37); sepsis (OR, 1.43, 95% CI 1.20-1.71) and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (OR, 1.52, 95% CI 1.22-1.90). CONCLUSION: Among preterm VLBW twins, poor intrauterine growth and surgical interventions for NEC and PDA were associated with high odds for ROP. This study does not support an association of fertility treatments with increased risk for ROP.

[ASPECTS AFFECTING PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY AND STRABISMUS PUBLICATION TIMES].

BACKGROUND: To better understand and analyze various aspects of scientific publication, bibliometric data analysis is useful. OBJECTIVES: An analysis of the factors associated with shorter publication times in pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus (POS) between the years 2002 and 2007, compared to 2014 and 2018. METHODS: In this retrospective bibliometric analysis, we analyzed 2,487 articles related to POS from the official websites of 8 preselected ophthalmology journals. Time from submission to acceptance, from acceptance to publication, and from submission to publication were calculated for each article. RESULTS: Median peer review durations were 156 days from submission to acceptance; 79 days from acceptance to publication, and 244 days from submission to publication. Journals such as the American Journal of Ophthalmology, JAMA Ophthalmology, and Strabismus reported the shortest time from submission to publication. Annually, all time intervals decreased, but in the first decade, the decline was significantly greater. The time between submission and acceptance of female senior authors increased during the first decade; however, this disappeared during the second decade. CONCLUSIONS: There was an improvement in most journals and the gender gap in senior authorship decreased with time. DISCUSSION: Since digital technology has rapidly developed over the past two decades, authors have been able to communicate with editorial and production teams more quickly and efficiently. Journal names and the gender of the last author are the main factors affecting publication times.

A Prospective Trial to Assess the Efficacy of Eye-Tracking-Based Binocular Treatment versus Patching for Children's Amblyopia: A Pilot Study.

PURPOSE: To assess visual acuity (VA) and stereoacuity (SA) improvements in children with amblyopia treated with either binocular dichoptic treatment or patching treatment. METHODS: In this pilot prospective coherent study, 34 participants between 4 and 9 years of age with unilateral anisometropic amblyopia and without history of prior amblyopia treatment were enrolled into three groups. Full treatment group (FTG; n = 12): participants were prescribed the binocular dichoptic treatment to watch for 90 minutes per day, 5 days a week. Part-time treatment group (PTTG; n = 8): participants were prescribed the same binocular treatment as FTG, 90 minutes per day, 3 days per week. Patching treatment group (PTG; n = 14): participants wore an adhesive patch over the dominant eye for 2 hours per day, 7 days per week. Amblyopic-eye distance visual acuity (DVA), near visual acuity (NVA) and SA were evaluated at baseline, 4, 8, and 12 weeks. RESULTS: At 12 weeks, mean amblyopic-eye DVA improved 1.8 lines (95% CI, 1.1-2.5) in FTG, 1.5 lines (95% CI, 0.4-2.7) in PTTG and 3.0 lines (95% CI, 2.0-4.0) in PTG. The amblyopic-eye NVA improved 2.9 lines (95% CI, 2.4-3.5) in FTG, 1.7 lines (95% CI, 0.5-3.0) in PTTG and 2.8 lines (95% CI, 1.8-3.9) in PTG. The SA improved 0.38 log-arcseconds (95% CI, 0.24-0.53) in FTG, 0.59 log-arcseconds (95% CI, 0.36-0.82) in PTTG and 0.40 log-arcseconds (95% CI, 0.13-0.67) in PTG. No significant differences were found in DVA, NVA or SA improvement between FTG and PTG at 12 weeks. CONCLUSIONS: VA and SA after binocular dichoptic treatment produced a similar therapeutic outcome to patching, suggesting a potential value for binocular therapy when treating anisometropic moderate degree of Children's amblyopia.

The 100 Most Frequently Cited Articles on Myopia.

Purpose: To provide a bibliographical-historical perspective and main interest in the field of myopia. Methods: In this bibliographic study, the Web of Science Database was searched from 1999 to 2018. Recorded parameters included journal name, impact factor, year and language, number of authors, type and origin, methodology, number of subjects, funding, and topics. Results: Epidemiological assessments were the leading type of article (28%), and half of the papers were prospective studies. The number of citations for multicenter studies was significantly higher (P = 0.034). The articles were published in 27 journals, with the majority in Investigative Ophthalmology, Vision Sciences (28%), and Ophthalmology (26%). Etiology, signs and symptoms, and treatment equally encompassed the topics. Papers addressing etiology, specifically genetic and environmental factors (P = 0.029), signs and symptoms (P = 0.001), and prevention, specifically public awareness (47%, P = 0.005), received significantly more citations. Treatment to decrease myopia progression was a much more common topic (68%) than refractive surgery (32%). Optical treatment was the most popular modality (39%). Half of the publications came from 3 countries: the United States (US), Australia, and Singapore. The highest ranked and cited papers came from the US (P = 0.028) and Singapore (P = 0.028). Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of the top-cited articles on myopia. There is a predominance of epidemiological assessments and multicenter studies originating from the US, Australia, and Singapore, assessing etiology, signs and symptoms, and prevention. These are more frequently cited, emphasizing the great interest in mapping the increase in the incidence of myopia in different countries, public health awareness, and myopia control.

The Most-Cited Articles on Retinoblastoma: A Fifty-Year Perspective.

PURPOSE: To summarize the characteristics and trends of interest in retinoblastoma (Rb) in the last 50 years. METHODS: The Web of Science Database was used to find all studies focused on Rb published from 1970 to 2018. The term "retinoblastoma" was used to search for the 100 most cited records. RESULTS: The mean number of citations was 153.55 ± 88.9. The majority were from the United States (US) (n = 68). Drs. Shields authored 38% of the papers. The number of citations per year was positively correlated with the number of authors, r = 0.26 (p = 0.008). The number of patients was significantly associated with the number of citations per year (p = 0.012). Although papers on radiotherapy were the most common, publications about intra-arterial chemotherapy (IAC) were associated with 88.3% more citations per year (p = 0.031) and papers on intravenous chemotherapy (IVC) were associated with 40.3% more citations per year (p= 0.04). Review and meta-analysis studies had a higher median of citations (10.5) than interventional (6.4) or observational (5.2) studies. CONCLUSIONS: This study compiles a comprehensive analysis of the most-cited articles on Rb. Studies with a higher number of citations per year were associated with IAC, which emphasizes the significance of the advances in Rb treatments that allow for the saving of eyes and vision as well as lives. Review studies had more citations than observational or interventional studies. More citations were associated with a larger number of authors or more reported patients per paper. These findings highlight the importance of collaborations to achieve relevant, high-quality research of Rb.

Long-term retinal changes after strabismus surgery, suspected signs of past scleral perforations.

Purpose: Scleral perforation during strabismus surgery is considered a rare complication that usually results in no significant consequences. The true rate of such occurrences is difficult to evaluate due to the young age of most patients and the occult nature of most events. This study aimed to evaluate long-term retinal changes under the suture areas in patients post-strabismus surgery as presumed signs indicating past undiscovered scleral perforations. Methods: The study population consisted of patients with a follow-up of at least 10 years post-strabismus surgery at the [redacted for review] Eye Institute and with no known retinal conditions as well as with wide fundus visibility. We performed slit-lamp retinal periphery examinations in search of retinal scars or changes at the suture sites. Results: Seventy-one eyes from 43 patients were examined. The mean age (±standard deviation [SD]) at the time of examination was 27 years (±14), and the mean number of strabismus surgeries per patient was 1.8. Three of the examined eyes showed retinal changes at the suture sites, yielding an overall incidence rate of suspected perforation/penetration of 4.2% per eye and 3.6% per strabismus surgery. These three patients were all asymptomatic. Conclusion: Scleral perforations during strabismus surgeries could remain unnoticed since a comprehensive exam of the retinal periphery is challenging in young children, especially during the postoperative period. While retinal changes caused by inadvertent scleral perforations appear to have no clinical sequelae in a time frame of 10 years, such changes should be noted for future fundoscopic examinations.

The impact of the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood myopia control practice patterns among ophthalmologists-an international pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus council global perspective.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of myopia keeps increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to map the worldwide treatment preferences of ophthalmologists managing myopia control during the first wave of the pandemic. METHODS: An online questionnaire inquiring about pharmacological and optical treatment patterns during the first half of 2020 was sent to pediatric ophthalmology as well as general ophthalmology memberships worldwide. The results among pediatric ophthalmologists were compared to a previous study we performed before the pandemic. RESULTS: A total of 2269 respondents from 94 countries were included. Most respondents were pediatric ophthalmologists (64.6%), followed by ophthalmologists from other subspecialties (32.3%). The preferred modality for all geographical regions was a combination therapy of pharmacological and optical treatments. When evaluated independently, the pharmacological treatment was more popular than the optical treatment in most regions other than East Asia (P < 0.001). Compared to a pre-pandemic questionnaire, the participation of pediatric ophthalmologists affiliated with non-university hospitals increased. Additionally, the prevalence of respondents utilizing either any type of pharmacological treatment and those that using only evidence-based treatments increased globally. Although a decline in the use of optical treatment was evident worldwide, the use of evidence-based optical treatments increased. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmologists around the world preferred a combination therapy of pharmacological and optical treatments. More pediatric ophthalmologists treated myopia progression and preferred a better evidence-based approach to control myopia. These trends reflect a positive response and more awareness of the rising prevalence of myopia due to the increased burden of myopia imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

An Eye-Tracking-Based Dichoptic Home Treatment for Amblyopia: A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial.

PURPOSE: Comparing visual outcomes after use of a novel binocular eye-tracking-based home treatment (CureSight; NovaSight, Ltd) with patching. DESIGN: Prospective, multicenter, randomized, masked, controlled, noninferiority pivotal trial. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred three children 4 to < 9 years with anisometropic, small-angle strabismic or mixed-mechanism amblyopia were randomized 1:1 to either CureSight treatment or patching. METHODS: The CureSight treatment uses combined anaglyph glasses and an eye tracker to induce real-time blur around the fellow eye fovea in dichoptic streamed video content. Participants used the device for 90 minutes/day, 5 days/week for 16 weeks (120 hours). The patching group received 2 hours of patching 7 days/week (224 hours). The prespecified noninferiority margin was 1 line. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the improvement in the amblyopic eye visual acuity (VA), modeled with a repeated measures analysis of covariance. Secondary outcomes included stereoacuity, binocular VA, and treatment adherence rates, analyzed by a 1-sample Wilcoxon test within each group and a 2-sample Wilcoxon test comparing groups. Safety outcomes included the frequency and severity of study-related adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: CureSight group VA improvement was found to be noninferior to patching group improvement (0.28 ± 0.13 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR] [P < 0.0001] and 0.23 ± 0.14 logMAR [P < 0.0001], respectively; 90% confidence interval [CI] of difference, -0.008 to 0.076). Stereoacuity improvement of 0.40 log arcseconds (P < 0.0001) and improved binocular VA (0.13 logMAR; P < 0.0001) were observed in the binocular treatment group, with similar improvements in the patching group in stereoacuity (0.40 log arcseconds; P < 0.0001) and binocular VA (0.09 logMAR; P < 0.0001), with no significant difference between improvements in the 2 groups in either stereoacuity (difference, 0; 95% CI, -0.27 to -0.27; P = 0.76) or binocular VA (difference, 0.041; 95% CI, -0.002 to 0.085; P = 0.07). The binocular treatment group had a significantly higher adherence than the patching group (91% vs. 83%; 95% CI, -4.0% to 21%; P = 0.011). No serious AEs were found. CONCLUSIONS: Binocular treatment was well tolerated and noninferior to patching in amblyopic children 4 to < 9 years of age. High adherence may provide an alternative treatment option for amblyopia. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

The 100 most cited papers on amblyopia: a bibliographic perspective.

AIM: To analyze the top 100 most cited papers related to amblyopia. METHODS: A bibliographic search in the Institute for Scientific Information Web of Knowledge across 55 years was performed. RESULTS: Eighty-nine of the 100 papers were published in first-quartile journals. Half (50) of the senior authors were from the USA. Most papers dealt with clinical science (72) and included original research (84). Forty-two of the articles related to all three types of amblyopia (refractive, strabismic and deprivation). Thirty-four related to both strabismic and refractive amblyopia. Around two-thirds of the papers dealt with treatment (34) and pathophysiology (30). Almost a quarter (23%) of the papers were multicenter studies. Nearly half (48) of the papers were published between 2000 and 2010. The Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group (PEDIG) published the highest number of studies (11), which dealt more with treatment (p = 0.01) and had higher average number of citations per years (p = 0.05). A larger number of articles on the treatment of amblyopia are newer (p = 0.01). There was no correlation between the time of their publication and the number of citations (p = 0.68, r = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Half of the papers were published between 2000 and 2010 and were spearheaded by PEDIG. Most papers dealt with treatment and pathophysiology. This study provides an important historical perspective, emphasizing the need for additional research to better understand this preventable and curable childhood vision impairment.

A Multidisciplinary Thyroid Eye Clinic: A One-stop Shop.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the success of multidisciplinary thyroid eye disease (TED) clinic. OBJECTIVES: To present the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of patients treated in a multidisciplinary TED clinic. METHODS: A medical record review of all patients who attended a TED clinic was performed. Data included demographics, medical history, laboratory tests, visual function tests, ocular examinations, clinical activity score (CAS), and assessment of quality-of-life (QOL). RESULTS: Clinic visits included 132 patients seen during 385 appointments at a TED clinic (mean 12 appointments per patient). Management of TED included medical treatments for 48 patients (36.3%) and surgical treatment for 56 (42.4%). There was a positive significant correlation between the CAS and thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulin (TSI) activity at the first visit and at the last follow-up visit (P < 0.01 and P < 0.02, respectively). However, no correlation was found between the CAS and the thyroid-stimulating hormone levels or between the free triiodothyronine (fT3) and fT4 levels at the first or last visit. There was a significant negative correlation between the CAS and color vision (-0.347, P < 0.01, Pearson correlation) at the first visit, but not between the CAS and visual acuity and visual field at either the first or last visit. Changes in the QOL and the CAS scores were significantly negatively correlated (-0.240, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment and management decisions for TED should be based on multiple parameters including clinical examinations by ophthalmologists and endocrinologists, laboratory tests, and CAS and QOL scores.

Effectiveness and repeatability of eye-tracking-based test in strabismus measurement of children.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of an eye-tracking-based test (ETBT) to measure eye deviation angle vs. a manual prism alternating cover test (PACT) in children with strabismus. DESIGN: The prospective, masked, cross-sectional study included 95 children aged 1.8 years and older. Eye deviation was tested twice by each of ETBT and PACT. Each subject underwent four strabismus measurements, two by the ETBT and two by PACT. In each test, subjects were fixated on accommodative targets at 50 cm, with habitual optical correction allowed. Masked examiners compared the manual PACT results with those of the ETBT. RESULTS: There was a high correlation (about 90%) between the ETBT and PACT. Repeatability of ETBT was higher than that of PACT (correlation coefficients of 0.99 and 0.91 respectively, p < .002). Age, strabismus type, and eye deviation measurement did not affect repeatability of ETBT. However, in PACT, results could not be correlated between the two examiners when the deviation was larger than 40 prism diopters. CONCLUSIONS: The ETBT was effective in measuring eye deviation in children as young as 1.8 years. The ETBT showed higher repeatability compared to PACT.

COVID-19's Influence on Ocular Emergency Visits at a Tertiary Referral Center and Its Relationship to Emergency Indications by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

PURPOSE: To examine the trends of ocular emergency admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic at a tertiary care center. METHODS: The study's sample consisted of all patients who were seen in the ophthalmic emergency room (OER) between March 15 and April 15, 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) and in the same time frame of the previous year. The cases were categorized as urgent vs. nonurgent according to the AAO urgency guidelines during the coronavirus period, and the ability to treat the case with telemedicine was evaluated retrospectively. RESULTS: A total of 553 patients were admitted to the OER during the pandemic period, whereas in the same time frame of the previous year, 1,069 were admitted. The female/male proportion was 526/543 (49.2%/50.8%) in 2019 and 258/259 (46.7%/53.3%) the following year. Age (years, average ± SD) was 44.7 ± 24.5 in 2019 and 47.9 ± 23.4 in 2020. There were more self-referrals in 2020 compared to 2019 (41.1% vs. 32.6%; p=0.0004). The time spent in the OER was reduced from 109 ± 74 (minutes, average ± SDV) in 2019 to 73 ± 51 in 2020 (p < 0.0001). The most common cause of OER examinations in 2020 was related to the posterior segment of the eye (23.9%), whereas infection and inflammation of the anterior segment were the most common causes in 2019 (35.5%). Urgency by AAO standards was in agreement in 26.7% admissions in 2019 and 35.6% in 2020 (p=0.0002). CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced several aspects of the OER, including the number of referrals, type of ophthalmic emergency, the time spent in the OER, and the need for emergent treatment. Our change in the treatment algorithm was in agreement with the AAO recommendations during the pandemic.

The relationship between education levels, lifestyle, and religion regarding the prevalence of myopia in Israel.

BACKGROUND: The ultra-Orthodox Jewish community has a unique lifestyle including minimal outdoor activity and intense, prolonged nearby work, beginning at a very young age. Their prevalence of myopia is extremely high. This paper provides a unique insight into the attitudes of this community towards myopia. METHODS: Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parents of children who came to the pediatric ophthalmology clinic in one tertiary care and two community centers in ultra-Orthodox-oriented cities were given a questionnaire. Demographic information, along with myopia prevalence in the family, was gathered. In addition, their attitudes and common knowledge regarding myopia were investigated. RESULTS: 161 questioners were collected, mostly completed by mothers (n = 110, 68%). The average number of children per family was 6 (range 1-16). In 148 families (92%) at least one of the parents has myopia. The average parent refraction was - 4.5 diopters (range - 0.5 to 15 diopters). Out of 935 children, 410 (44%) wore glasses. Twelve parents (7%) believe that myopia is a disease and 94 (58%) reported that they are concerned because their child wears glasses. Twenty-four (15%) believe that glasses are a sign of a high education level. Regarding treating myopia progression, 144 (89%) think that myopia progression should be treated, but only 36 (22%) are aware of the available treatments for it. CONCLUSION: This study examines an insular community with a very high incidence of myopia. In this community most parents think that myopia progression should be treated but most of them are unaware of the currently available treatments.

Development of global visual processing: From the retina to the perceptive field.

Young children exhibit poorer visual performance than adults due to immaturity of the fovea and of the fundamental processing of visual functions such as masking and crowding. Recent studies suggest that masking and crowding are closely related to the size of the fundamental processing unit-the perceptive field (PF). However, while it is known that the retina and basic visual functions develop throughout childhood, it is not clear whether and how changes in the size of the PF affect masking and crowding. Furthermore, no retinal and perceptual development data have been collected from the same cohort and time. Here we explored the developmental process of the PF and the basic visual functions. Psychophysical and imaging methods were used to test visual functions and foveal changes in participants ranging from 3-17 years old. Lateral masking, crowding and contrast sensitivity were tested using computerized tasks. Foveal measurements were obtained from spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). The children patterns below 6 years exhibited high crowding, while the expected facilitation was found only at a larger target-flanker distance than required for children above 6 years, who exhibited the typical adult. Foveal thickness and macular volume for the children below 6 years were significantly lower than for the older group. Significant correlation was found for contrast sensitivity, foveal thickness and macular volume with age and between contrast sensitivity and foveal thickness. Our data suggest that the developmental processes at the retina and visual cortex occur in the same age range. Thus, in parallel to maturation of the PF, which enables reduction in crowding, foveal development contributes to increasing contrast sensitivity.

Automated Diagnosis and Measurement of Strabismus in Children.

PURPOSE: Manual measurements of strabismus are subjective, time consuming, difficult to perform in babies, toddlers, and young children, and rely on the examiner's skill and experience. An automated system, based on eye tracking and dedicated full occlusion glasses, was developed to provide a fast, objective, and easy-to-use alternative to the manual measurements of strabismus. This study tested the efficacy of the system in determining the presence of strabismus in children, as well as its type and the amount of deviation, in addition to differentiating between phorias and tropias. DESIGN: A prospective, masked, inter-rater reliability study. METHODS: A prospective, masked, cross-sectional study included 69 children, 3-15 years of age. A cover-uncover test and a prism alternating cover test (PACT) for the primary gaze, at a distance of 50 cm, were performed by 2 independent, masked examiners and by the automated system. RESULTS: A high correlation was found between the automated and the manual test results (R = 0.9 and P < 0.001 for the horizontal deviation, and R = 0.91 and P < 0.001 for the vertical deviations, with 100% correct identification of the type of deviation). The average automated test duration was 46 seconds. The Bland-Altman plot, used to compare the 2 measurement methods, showed a mean value of -2.9 prism diopters (PD) and a half-width of the 95% limit of agreement of ±11.4 PD. CONCLUSION: The automated system provides precise detection and measurements of ocular misalignment and differentiated between phorias and tropias. It can be used in participants from the ages of 3 years old and up.

Practice patterns to decrease myopia progression differ among paediatric ophthalmologists around the world.

INTRODUCTION: Myopia is a worldwide epidemic. Plethora of treatments are offered to decrease myopia progression. In this study, we compared between different geographical areas worldwide the practice patterns used by paediatric ophthalmologists to decrease the progression of myopia. METHODS: Global responses to a questionnaire were analysed (n=794) for demographic variations. Pharmacological, optical and behavioural categories were defined as effective or ineffective based on the current scientific peer reviewed literature. RESULTS: Treatment rates varied significantly between geographical regions (mean 57%, range 39%-89%, p<0.001). Nearly all participants who treat myopia used at least one form of effective treatment, regardless of location (98%, p=0.16). Among those prescribing pharmacological treatments, European physicians offered the lowest rate of effective treatment compared with other regions (85% vs mean 97%). Rates of effective optical treatment varied significantly between locations (p<0.001), from 16% (Central-South America) to 56% (Far East). Most treating respondents advocated behavioural modifications (92%), between 87% (North America) and 100% (Central Asia). Nearly all respondents used combinations of treatment modalities (95%)-mostly pharmacological, optical and behavioural combination. However, combination rates varied significantly between regions (p<0.001). DISCUSSION: The utility of treatment to decrease myopia progression differs significantly across the world both in type, combination and efficacy. CONCLUSION: Paediatric ophthalmologists involvement and proficiency in myopia progression treatment varies around the world. This may entail promoting continuous medical education and other incentives to increase the number and proficiency of paediatric ophthalmologist to have a more effective impact to control the myopia epidemic in children.

Current trends among pediatric ophthalmologists to decrease myopia progression-an international perspective.

PURPOSE: To explore what the current worldwide preferred practice patterns of pediatric ophthalmologists are to decrease myopia progression among their patients. METHODS: A questionnaire was sent to all members of supranational and national pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus societies. RESULTS: The questionnaire was fully completed by most respondents 90.10% (847 of 940 responses). Fifty-seven percent (457) routinely treat to decrease myopia progression. The most common parameter to initiate treatment was a myopic increase of 1 diopter/year or more (74.8%, 246). Seventy percent (345) prescribed eye drops. Atropine 0.01% was the most popular (63.4%, 277) followed by atropine 1% (10.9%, 48) and atropine 0.5% (8.9%, 39). Eighty-six percent (394) of the respondents advised to spend more time outdoors, to reduce the amount of time viewing screens (60.2%, 277), and cutback the use of smart phones (63.9%, 294). CONCLUSIONS: Most pediatric ophthalmologists treat to decrease myopia. They employ a wide variety of means to decrease myopia progression. Atropine 0.01% is the most popular and safe modality used similarly to recent reports. However, there is no consensus when treatment should be initiated. Further prospective studies are needed to elucidate the best timing to start treatment and the applicability of recent studies in the Asian population to other ethnic groups. This will improve the ability to update pediatric ophthalmologist with evidenced-based treatment options to counter the myopia epidemic.

Correction to: Current trends among pediatric ophthalmologists to decrease myopia progression-an international perspective.

The published online version contains a mistake in the capturing of figures.