Improving the patient decision-making experience for cataract surgery during the COVID-19 era.

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether video-based patient decision aids (VBPDAs) for cataract surgery consultation can enhance a patient's decision-making process while upholding safety regulations during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. DESIGN: Single-centre consecutive case study. PARTICIPANTS: 147 patients, with an average age of 70 years, who came in for a cataract surgery consult were enrolled in this study. METHODS: All patients watched part 1 of the VBPDA outlining the process of cataract surgery and the decisions involved. Patients then underwent cataract surgery consultation with an ophthalmologist. Afterward, if the patient was indicated for surgery, part 2 of the VBPDA was played. At the end of the visit, all patients completed a survey assessing the effects of COVID-19 safety precautions on their appointment. In addition, patients who had gone forward with surgery complete the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS). RESULTS: For patients proceeding with cataract surgery, the median DCS score was 9.38 (range, 0-54.69, min-max) on a scale from 0 to 100 (low-high decisional conflict). A DCS score <25 indicates low decisional conflict (n = 76, 68.47%) and a score >25 indicates feeling unsure (n = 35, 31.53%). The DCS also can be separated into various subscales: the informed subscale (median = 8.33; min-max = 0-66.67), values subscale (16.67, 0-58.33), support subscale (8.33, 0-50.00), uncertainty subscale (8.33, 0-83.33), and effective decision subscale (0, 0-37.50). CONCLUSION: Our study found VBPDAs to be an effective tool to enhance the patient decision-making process for cataract surgery during the COVID-19 era.

Automated setup for spray assisted layer-by-layer deposition.

The design for a setup allowing the layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of thin films consisting of various colloidal materials is presented. The proposed system utilizes the spray-assisted LbL approach and is capable of autonomously producing films. It provides advantages to existing LbL procedures in terms of process speed and applicability. The setup offers several features that are advantageous for routine operation like an actuated sample holder, stainless steel spraying nozzles, or an optical liquid detection system. The applicability is demonstrated by the preparation of films containing semiconductor nanoparticles, namely, CdSe∕CdS quantum dots and a polyelectolyte. The films of this type are of potential interest for applications in optoelectronic devices such as light-emitting diodes or solar cells.

Colloidal nanocrystals embedded in macrocrystals: robustness, photostability, and color purity.

The incorporation of colloidal quantum dots (QDs) into ionic crystals of various salts (NaCl, KCl, KBr, etc.) is demonstrated. The resulting mixed crystals of various shapes and beautiful colors preserve the strong luminescence of the incorporated QDs. Moreover, the ionic salts appear to be very tight matrices, ensuring the protection of the QDs from the environment and as a result providing them with extraordinary high photo- and chemical stability. A prototype of a white light-emitting diode (WLED) with a color conversion layer consisting of this kind of mixed crystals is demonstrated. These materials may also find applications in nonlinear optics and as luminescence standards.