Comparison of sensory outcomes in patients with successful motor outcome versus recurrent exotropia after surgery for intermittent exotropia.

Here, we compared sensory outcomes between patients with successful motor outcomes and recurrent exotropia after intermittent exotropia surgery. We retrospectively analyzed 303 patients who underwent surgery for intermittent exotropia, divided into two groups: successful motor outcome defined as an alignment between 10 prism diopters (PD) exodeviation and 5PD esodeviation at the final follow-up (Group A, n = 177) and residual or recurrent exotropia defined as exodeviation > 10 PD (Group B, n = 126). Preoperative and postoperative (at final visit) sensory outcomes were compared using the Titmus stereotest and distance Worth 4-dot test. Stereoacuity significantly improved postoperatively in both successful motor outcome group (Group A) and residual or recurrent exotropia group (Group B). However, stereoacuity did not differ between groups preoperatively and postoperatively. On the other hand, fusion rates for the Worth 4-dot test were significantly higher in group A than in group B, preoperatively and postoperatively, and significantly increased postoperatively only in group A. Therefore, the distance Worth 4-dot test may be useful for evaluating postoperative prognosis and preoperative sensory status.

ISNT rule satisfaction in Korean non-glaucomatous subjects.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of the ISNT rule in normal eyes of Koreans. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 890 subjects with fundus photographs and evaluated the presence of the cup and ISNT rule satisfaction. If the ISNT rule was violated, the quadrants in which the neuroretinal rim was thinnest and thickest, respectively, were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 890 eyes, 84.7% showed the cup. The subjects without the cup were significantly younger and more hyperopic. Among 754 eyes with the cup, 53.5% showed ISNT rule satisfaction. In 351 eyes violating the ISNT rule, the most common quadrant showing the thickest neuroretinal rim was the inferior (65.5%), and the thinnest, the temporal (98.3%). CONCLUSION: The cup was absent in 15% of the assessed eyes. Only about half of eyes with the cup showed ISNT rule satisfaction. Even in eyes violating ISNT rule, the inferior was the most common quadrant with the thickest neuroretinal rim and the temporal, the thinnest.

Compositional cyber-physical epidemiology of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed significant challenges globally. Countries have adopted different strategies with varying degrees of success. Epidemiologists are studying the impact of government actions using scenario analysis. However, the interactions between the government policy and the disease dynamics are not formally captured. We, for the first time, formally study the interaction between the disease dynamics, which is modelled as a physical process, and the government policy, which is modelled as the adjoining controller. Our approach enables compositionality, where either the plant or the controller could be replaced by an alternative model. Our work is inspired by the engineering approach for the design of Cyber-Physical Systems. Consequently, we term the new framework Compositional Cyber-Physical Epidemiology. We created different classes of controllers and applied these to control the disease in New Zealand and Italy. Our controllers closely follow government decisions based on their published data. We not only reproduce the pandemic progression faithfully in New Zealand and Italy but also show the tradeoffs produced by differing control actions.

Correlation of vitamin D levels with tear film stability and secretion in patients with dry eye syndrome.

PURPOSE: To investigate tear film stability and secretion according to serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25(OH)D] levels in dry eye patients. METHODS: In this retrospective observational study, the medical charts of 92 patients who visited the Department of Ophthalmology at Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital from April to August 2015 were reviewed. Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured. Subjects were divided into three groups according to serum 25(OH)D levels: sufficient, inadequate or deficient group. Eye discomfort was measured by ocular surface disease index (OSDI). Tear break-up time (TBUT), fluorescein staining score and Schirmer's tear secretion test were measured. RESULTS: The mean age was 53.38 ± 13.69 years. Mean serum 25(OH)D level was 14.41 ± 5.98 ng/ml. Tear break-up time (TBUT) and tear secretion were positively correlated with serum 25(OH)D levels (r = 0.389, p = 0.001; and r = 0.428, p < 0.001, Pearson correlation test). Tear break-up time (TBUT) and tear secretion were shorter in the vitamin D-deficient group compared to the sufficient group (p = 0.022 and p = 0.004). Fluorescein staining scores and OSDI scores were not different between the three groups. CONCLUSION: Tear break-up time (TBUT) and secretion were correlated with serum vitamin D levels. Vitamin D status may be an important factor for dry eye syndrome.