Understanding Perspectives on Presbyopia and Use of Pilocarpine HCl 1.25% Twice Daily from Participants of the Phase 3 VIRGO Study.

INTRODUCTION: The phase 3, randomized, vehicle-controlled, 14-day VIRGO study evaluated the efficacy and safety of twice-daily dosing of pilocarpine hydrochloride ophthalmic solution 1.25% (Pilo) in presbyopia. On VIRGO exit, a companion study was conducted to assess the patient experience with presbyopia and satisfaction with Pilo. METHODS: Recruited individuals completed the Presbyopia Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PPSQ) plus a three-part exit survey, or a live interview. The PPSQ evaluated respondents' experience with Pilo. Survey parts 1 and 2 evaluated experience managing presbyopia before and during VIRGO, respectively; part 3 assessed future possibilities of using Pilo in real-world situations. The interview further informed the interviewees' experience with presbyopia and Pilo. The primary endpoint was responders (%) in each rating category of the PPSQ items 1-7; the secondary endpoints were summary of categorical (survey) and qualitative (interviews) responses. RESULTS: The PPSQ and survey included 62 participants who received Pilo (N = 28) or vehicle (N = 34) in VIRGO; the interview included ten participants (Pilo, N = 4; vehicle, N = 6). Per the PPSQ, 64.3% of Pilo users reported vision improvement, including 17.9% with complete improvement; ≥ 46.4% were satisfied/very satisfied with their ability to perform daily activities, see up close unaided, and read in dim light. Among vehicle users, these percentages were 35.3%, 0%, and ≤ 23.5%, respectively. In both subgroups, ≥ 67.9% were interested in using Pilo or Pilo and eyeglasses/contact lenses in the future. Per the interview, vehicle users (n = 6/6) found the eyedrop easy to use but none experienced meaningful near-vision improvements, stopped using other correction method(s) part of the day, were satisfied with the eyedrop, preferred it over their previous correction method(s), or would continue using it if prescribed. Conversely, 75% (n = 3/4) of Pilo users responded positively to each of these six criteria. CONCLUSIONS: Findings validate the VIRGO results and improve our understanding of the patient experience, demonstrating improved vision and satisfaction with Pilo (vs. vehicle) when performing daily activities.

Measurements of oculo-palpebral landmarks and evaluation of patient's head position.

PURPOSE: Keeping the head in a neutral position is requisite for glasses/lenses/head-up designs, the suitability of oculo-plastic surgery and for the grading the eye shift. Anatomically incompatible glasses are one of the common problems affecting accommodation, reducing comfort and disturbing by causing symptoms such as dizziness and nausea. The oculo-palpebral measurements act as a key determinant in symmetrical facial attractiveness. This study aims to investigate the most effective oculo-palpebral landmarks, head-neutral as the ideal position, taking into account of individual anatomical differences of these patients. METHODS: 100 females and 100 males aged between 18 and 20 years were photographed. Digital photogrammetric measurements were made with the ImageJ program. Interpupillary and interhelical distances, besides bilateral palpebral fissure length and height, and iris diameter were calculated on front-facing photographs. RESULTS: Mean interpupillary distance was measured wider in males than in females. The mean length of palpebral fissure was 31 mm; palpebral fissure height was 10 mm. These figures were valid in both eyes and gender. The interhelical distance was calculated as the mean and was measured longer in men. Since the measurement values were the same in both sexes and on both sides, they were determined as important landmarks for controlling the head-neutral position, evaluating whether there was a deviation in the eye, and measuring the numerical value when detected. CONCLUSION: It is essential to check the side-symmetry of the patient's palpebral fissure height, palpebral fissure length, diameter of iris and corneal depth during oculo-plastic invention and artificial design.

Assessing low vision care and the utilisation of optical low vision aids among patients with visual impairment in Taiwan.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the quality of assessment and the utilisation of optical low vision aids (OLVAs) among people with visual impairment (VI) in Taiwan. METHODS: The study included 577 participants between 4 and 100 years of age (314 males and 263 females). All participants had been certified by the Ministry of the Interior of Taiwan, indicating that they had undergone a thorough and comprehensive low vision assessment, including evaluation of visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity, colour vision, visual fields and glare disability. Furthermore, all participants who consented to refraction had received prescriptions for OLVAs. RESULT: All participants were prescribed one or more OLVAs such as eyeglasses, tinted lenses, magnifiers, closed-circuit television magnifiers, telescopes, or screen magnifiers. Among the 577 individuals, 515 received correction for refractive errors, providing the best-corrected VA (BCVA). The improvement in VA was significant at both distance and near, improving from 1.29 ± 0.55 to 1.01 ± 0.52 logMAR (p < 0.001) and from 1.29 ± 0.56 to 1.01 ± 0.52 logMAR (p < 0.001), respectively. Eyeglasses were the primary OLVAs chosen by 333 participants (64.7%), while 53.3%-80.3% of participants combined eyeglasses with other OLVAs to enhance their visual performance. CONCLUSIONS: The most commonly used and effective OLVA was eyeglasses. Skilfully utilising appropriate refractive and VA measurements is crucial for determining the most suitable and beneficial OLVA for individuals with VI.

Stereoptic serious games as a visual rehabilitation tool for individuals with a residual amblyopia (AMBER trial): a protocol for a crossover randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Amblyopia is the most common developmental vision disorder in children. The initial treatment consists of refractive correction. When insufficient, occlusion therapy may further improve visual acuity. However, the challenges and compliance issues associated with occlusion therapy may result in treatment failure and residual amblyopia. Virtual reality (VR) games developed to improve visual function have shown positive preliminary results. The aim of this study is to determine the efficacy of these games to improve vision, attention, and motor skills in patients with residual amblyopia and identify brain-related changes. We hypothesize that a VR-based training with the suggested ingredients (3D cues and rich feedback), combined with increasing the difficulty level and the use of various games in a home-based environment is crucial for treatment efficacy of vision recovery, and may be particularly effective in children. METHODS: The AMBER study is a randomized, cross-over, controlled trial designed to assess the effect of binocular stimulation (VR-based stereoptic serious games) in individuals with residual amblyopia (n = 30, 6-35 years of age), compared to refractive correction on vision, selective attention and motor control skills. Additionally, they will be compared to a control group of age-matched healthy individuals (n = 30) to account for the unique benefit of VR-based serious games. All participants will play serious games 30 min per day, 5 days per week, for 8 weeks. The games are delivered with the Vivid Vision Home software. The amblyopic cohort will receive both treatments in a randomized order according to the type of amblyopia, while the control group will only receive the VR-based stereoscopic serious games. The primary outcome is visual acuity in the amblyopic eye. Secondary outcomes include stereoacuity, functional vision, cortical visual responses, selective attention, and motor control. The outcomes will be measured before and after each treatment with 8-week follow-up. DISCUSSION: The VR-based games used in this study have been conceived to deliver binocular visual stimulation tailored to the individual visual needs of the patient, which will potentially result in improved basic and functional vision skills as well as visual attention and motor control skills. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT05114252) and in the Swiss National Clinical Trials Portal (identifier: SNCTP000005024).

Influence of rigid lens decentration and rotation on visual image quality in normal and keratoconic eyes.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the movement of a rigid sphero-cylindrical contact lens has a greater impact on the visual image quality in highly aberrated eyes than in normal eyes. METHODS: For 20 normal and 20 keratoconic SyntEyes, a previously determined best sphero-cylindrical rigid lens was permitted to shift by up to ±1 mm from the line of sight and rotate up to ±15°. Each of the 52,111 lens locations sampled was ray-traced to determine the influence on the wavefront aberration. In turn, the logarithm of visual Strehl ratio (log10 [VSX]) was calculated for each aberration structure and was used to estimate the associated changes in logMAR visual acuity. Finally, contour surfaces of two-letter change in visual acuity were plotted in three-dimensional misalignment space, consisting of decentrations in the x and y directions and rotation, and volumes within these surfaces were calculated. RESULTS: The variations in image quality within the misalignment space were unique to each eye. A two-letter loss was generally reached with smaller misalignments in keratoconic eyes (10.5 ± 4.7° of rotation or 0.27 ± 0.13 mm of shift) than in normal eyes (13.4 ± 1.8° and 0.39 ± 0.15 mm, respectively) due to larger cylindrical errors. For keratoconic eyes, on average, 14.4 ± 14.9% of misalignment space saw VSX values above the lower normal VSX threshold, well below the values of normal eyes of 48.5 ± 18.5%. In some eyes, a specific combination of lens shift and lens rotation away from the line of sight leads to a simulated improvement in visual image quality. CONCLUSION: Variations in visual image quality due to the misalignment of rigid sphero-cylindrical contact lens corrections are larger for keratoconic eyes than for normal eyes. In some cases, a specific misalignment may improve visual image quality, which could be considered in the design of the next generation of rigid contact lenses.

Validation of the Arabic version of the quality of life impact of refractive correction questionnaire.

PURPOSE: To validate the Arabic version of the quality of life impact of refractive correction (QIRC) questionnaire. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study included participants with refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, or astigmatism) aged between 19 and 40 years who were pre or postrefractive surgeries. Uncorrected distance visual acuity, refraction, and corneal topography were collected. The 20-item QIRC questionnaire was translated to the Arabic language and then back translated to the English language. Participants were asked to answer all items of the Arabic QIRC. The validity and reliability of the translated questionnaire were tested using Rasch analysis. RESULTS: A total of 145 participants with refractive errors participated in this study. The mean age ± standard deviation of participants was 26.29 ± 5.1 years. Person separation (2.01) and reliability (0.80) indicates good precision and stability of the Arabic QIRC questionnaire. Item infit was ranged between 0.82 and 1.23; and item outfit was range between 0.76 and 1.32. The items were well targeted to the persons with a mean difference of 0.30. Skew and kurtosis values were within the normal limits (-2.00 to + 2.00). Cronbach's α for the scale was 0.79, which indicates good reliability of the Arabic 20-item QIRC. CONCLUSION: The Arabic 20-item QIRC questionnaire is a valid tool to assess the impact of refractive correction on Arabian participants' quality of life.

Assessing the visual image quality provided by refractive corrections during keratoconus progression.

PURPOSE: To expand the SyntEyes keratoconus (KTC) model to assess the Visual Image Quality (VIQ) of sphero-cylindrical spectacle and rigid contact lens corrections as keratoconus progresses. METHODS: The previously published SyntEyes KTC eye model to determine best sphero-cylindrical spectacle and rigid contact lens correction in keratoconic eyes was expanded to include the natural progression of keratoconus, thus allowing the assessment of corrected VIQ with disease progression. RESULTS: As keratoconus progresses, the pattern of visual Strehl ratio (VSX) in correction space for spectacles alters from a typical hourglass into a shell pattern. The former would guide the subjective refraction towards the optimal correction while the latter is relatively insensitive to large dioptric steps. In 15 out of the 20 SyntEyes, the shell pattern eventually produces two foci on different sides of the correction space separated by a clinically significant dioptric difference with a similar, albeit lower VIQ. Wearing the best possible spectacle corrections provided an average gain of up to 3.5 lines of logMAR visual acuity compared to the uncorrected cases, which increased to 5.5 lines for the best rigid contact lens correction. Continuing to wear a spectacle correction as the disease progresses often leads to a VIQ that is almost as bad as the uncorrected case. Continuing to wear a rigid contact lens correction as the disease progresses maintains a relatively high level of VIQ, albeit in the low range for typically well-corrected normal eyes. CONCLUSIONS: The results reflect the clinical experience that subjective refraction is difficult in highly-aberrated keratoconic eyes, the benefit of spectacle correction is short lived and that rigid contact lenses provide better and more stable VIQ with disease progression. Other aspects, such as the presence and behaviour of the second focus in some cases, remain to be confirmed clinically.

Prevalence of screening myopia and refractive correction among primary and middle school students in Xuzhou city / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#AIM:To determine the prevalence of screening myopia and refractive correction among primary and middle school students aged from 6-18 years in Xuzhou city, Jiangsu Province.METHODS: A cross-sectional cluster sampling study was designed. The total number of screened students was 63 488 in 70 schools from Xuzhou city in this study from September 2020 to December 2020. After excluding the unqualified data, 58 149 students aged 6-18 years were included to analyse. The prevalence of screening myopia, refractive correction and full correction with the aspect of different ages, genders, regions and degrees of myopia were described.RESULTS: The overall rate of screening myopia and refractive correction were 49.26% and 31.11%, respectively and both showed an increasing trend with age(<i>P</i><0.01). Additionally, the degree of myopia also gradually deepened with age. For the two rates, there appeared to be higher for girls than boys(53.70% <i>vs</i> 45.67% for screening myopia and 32.45% <i>vs</i> 29.84% for refractive correction, all <i>P</i><0.01). However, girls showed a lower rate than boys for full refractive correction(56.60% <i>vs</i> 63.98%, <i>P</i><0.01), which was 60.23% totally among all the myopic students with refractive correction. The corrective and full refractive correction rate of urban primary and secondary school students are higher than that of townships(46.50% <i>vs</i> 18.33%,62.20% <i>vs</i> 56.07%, all <i>P</i><0.01). CONCLUSION:The prevalence of screening myopia among primary and middle school students was not optimistic in Xuzhou city in 2020. The rates of refractive correction and full correction were relatively low among myopic students, possibly because of the progression of myopia.

CHARGE Syndrome Associated with Ocular Abnormalities: A Case Report with Treatment of Amblyopia and Refractive Correction.

CHARGE syndrome is a rare genetic disorder associated with many ocular anomalies including amblyopia, strabismus and high refractive errors. It has been found that the visual acuity of patients with CHARGE syndrome is typically lower than 20/60. After reviewing the literature, there has been a lack of detailed information about the assessments of visual function. Thus, this case report illustrates the strategy plan to treat amblyopia and refractive correction for a young girl with CHARGE syndrome.

The Quality of Life Impact Refractive Correction (QIRC) questionnaire: validation of the Malay-translated version of the QIRC using Rasch analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Quality of Life Impact Refractive Correction (QIRC) questionnaire is a Rasch-validated instrument to assess the quality of life of ametropes with refractive correction. The original QIRC was validated in the United Kingdom. This study aimed to validate the Malay version of the QIRC among refractive correction wearers in Malaysia using Rasch analysis. METHODS: The original 20-item QIRC was forward-backward translated into Malay in preparation for the Pilot Malay QIRC. The pilot version was pre-tested on 105 spectacle/contact lens-corrected myopes, and the results were reviewed and cross-culturally adapted to produce the Final Malay QIRC. The final version was self-administered to a new sample of 304 participants. A Rasch analysis was conducted to evaluate the items and response categories of the Pilot and the Final Malay QIRC. Test-retest reliability was also analysed on the Final Malay QIRC. RESULTS: Based on the pre-test findings, Rasch analysis revealed a multidimensional scale (functional scale [Items 1 to 13] and emotional scale [Items 14 to 20], which were separated in subsequent analysis), unordered response categories for the functional scale (Category 3 was collapsed into Category 2), one misfit item (Item 3 was removed) and six items required modification (Items 4, 6 to 9, and 12 were reworded and cross-culturally adapted). In the Final Malay QIRC, both the functional and emotional scales had ordered response categories, good person reliability (functional, 0.80; emotional, 0.81) and separation index (functional, 2.01; emotional, 2.06), well-targeted items (targeting precision: functional, 0.28 logits; emotional, 0.08 logits), and satisfactory fit statistics (infit and outfit mean square were less than 1.50 for all items). A noticeable differential item functioning (DIF) between genders was found in Item 18 (DIF contrast, 0.40 logits; p = 0.04). Test-retest reliability analysis demonstrated a high intraclass correlation coefficient (0.94) and Cronbach's alpha (0.97) with a coefficient of repeatability of ±8.14 units. CONCLUSIONS: The Malay-translated version of the QIRC has good psychometric characteristics for assessing the quality of life of refractive correction wearers in Malaysia. This translated and cross-culturally adapted Malay QIRC is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in routine clinical practice.

Single-Step Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy in Low to Moderate Myopia: A One-Year Follow-Up Study.

AIM: To evaluate predictability, safety, efficacy, and visual outcome of StreamLight. ™ (SL.), the newly released single-step transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy platform by Alcon WaveLight™ (WL). METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) was conducted on 500 eyes of 250 patients seeking myopic refractive vision correction. The new single-step transepithelial PRK method was applied, using the SL. platform installed in the WL. Ex 500 excimer laser machine. Patients were followed up to monitor intensity and duration of postoperative pain, as well as speed of epithelial healing in the early post-operative period and visual acuity, postoperative refraction and development of postoperative haze for one year post-operatively. RESULTS: Average pain duration was 1.5 days, and the mean pain intensity score on a scale of 0-10 was 3.74 + 1.51. Mean postoperative spherical equivalence was 0.01 ± 0.38 D, and the final postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCDVA) was 20/20 in 98% of eyes included in this study. None of the eyes lost more than one Snellen chart line or developed visually significant postoperative haze during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: The new SL. platform for transepithelial PRK is a safe, accurate platform, offering an easier early post-operative recovery, with no compromise in final visual outcome.

Does Early Glasses Wear Improve Visual Outcome in OCA1A?

Purpose: Oculocutaneous albinism type 1A (OCA1A), with lifelong absent melanin in skin, hair, and eyes, is the most severe type of albinism with greatest ametropia and poorest vision. We evaluated the relationship between age when spectacles were begun and visual outcome, in addition to status of refraction, in OCA1A. Methods: After IRB approval, a retrospective review of 70 consecutive charts of patients with OCA1A identified 24 fitting inclusion criterion of BCVA recorded at age 10-12 years. Exclusion criteria were those with other vision-threatening diagnoses and patients seen for a single visit. We recorded sex, age at beginning glasses, and refraction and BCVA at age 10-12 and most recent visit. Data were arbitrarily grouped by those initiating glasses at ≤ age 12 months and > age 12 months. Results: Regression analysis showed a larger degree of astigmatism was weakly associated with worse vision at age 10-12 years. A weakly positive relationship was found between poorer BCVA at last visit and older age at which glasses were initiated. All receiving glasses by age 1 and only half receiving glasses when older had improved visual acuity from age 10-12 years to last follow up. Conclusion: Additional study of a larger sample of this rare disorder is needed to determine if early glasses wear improves later BCVA.

[Amblyopia-Basic principles and current diagnostic and therapeutic standards]. / Amblyopie ­ Grundlagen und aktuelle Standards in Diagnostik und Therapie.

Amblyopia is a visual deficit that occurs during childhood and results in an abnormal development of the normal cortical visual pathway. It is defined as the reduction of best corrected visual acuity of one or rarely both eyes, which is not explained by structural abnormalities of the eye alone. During the sensitive period amblyopia is completely or partially reversible. The main causes of amblyopia are strabismus and refractive errors. Congenital cataracts are less common but if present may cause pronounced amblyopia. In Germany the prevalence of Amblyopia is approximately 5%, which is relatively high in relation to other countries, even though data are not completely comparable. As amblyopia can only be successfully treated during the first years of life, early detection of amblyogenic factors is important. Screening tests help in identifying children at risk of amblyopia, while only a thorough ophthalmological examination including cycloplegic refraction reliably detects all risk factors of amblyopia. Treatment consists of removal of the amblyogenic factors and stimulation of the amblyopic eye.

Long-term safety of posterior chamber implantable phakic contact lens for the correction of myopia.

PURPOSE: To review the safety of the implantable phakic contact lens (IPCL V1, Caregroup Sight Solutions, India) for correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism. METHODS: Retrospective interventional case series including 134 eyes which underwent IPCL implantation for correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism at a tertiary eye care hospital in South India. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were analyzed. The following parameters were analyzed at preoperative and 1, 6 and 12 month postoperative visits: visual acuity (in logMAR) and manifest refraction, slit lamp bio microscopy, dilated fundus examination, IOP and endothelial cell density measurement. RESULTS: No intraoperative complications were noted. Cataract was the most common postoperative complication, wherein three eyes (2.2%) underwent observation for visually insignificant anterior subcapsular cataract and one eye (0.7%) required surgical intervention. Four eyes developed transient increased IOP due to steroid response (3 eyes) and pupillary block glaucoma (1 eye). The endothelial cell loss noted over a 1-year follow-up was 2.01%±4.12% (P=0.71). One eye developed hypopyon on the third postoperative day, which resolved subsequently with an unaided vision of 20/20. No vision threatening complications were noted. The mean follow-up in the cohort was 25.66±16.45 months. CONCLUSION: The IPCL is a safe and effective treatment modality for correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism.

Soft Contact Lenses to Optimize Vision in Adults with Idiopathic Infantile Nystagmus: A Pilot Parallel Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: The optimal management of infantile nystagmus syndrome (INS) is still unclear. Contact lenses (CL) may be superior to glasses in improving visual function in INS but it is not known whether their beneficial effects are due to optical correction alone, or to an additional proprioceptive effect, and whether soft CLs would be as effective as rigid CLs. There is little data on feasibility and and the present study aimed to provide this information. METHODS: We completed a pilot Randomized Control Trial (RCT) at a single tertiary referral centre in London, UK. We enrolled 38 adults with idiopathic INS and randomised them to either plano CL (with corrective spectacles if required) or to corrective CL. CL wear was required for a minimum of 2 weeks. Primary outcome measures were feasibility and safety of CL wear in INS; secondary outcome measures were visual acuity and nystagmus waveform parameters. RESULTS: 27 completed the study (27/38,71%). 4 partcipants withdrew due to difficulty with CL insertion/removal and 7 were lost to follow up. CL tolerability was high (24/27,89%) - 2 found the CLs irritant, and 1 had an exacerbation of allergic eye disease. At two weeks, mean improvement in binocular visual acuity from baseline with plano CLs was 0.07 logMAR (95% confidence interval (CI: 0.03-0.11) and 0.06 logMAR with fully corrective CLs (95% CI:0.02-0.1). Mean improvement in the eXpanded Nystagmus Acuity Function (NAFX, a nystagmus acuity function based on eye movement recording) with plano CLs was -0.04(95% CI: -0.08-0.005) and -0.05 with fully corrective CLs(95% CI: -0.09-0.003). CONCLUSIONS: CLs are well tolerated, with a low risk profile. Whilst our study was not powered to detect significant changes in BCVA and waveform parameters between treatment arms, we observed a trend towards an improvement in visual function at two weeks from baseline with CLs.

Visual and refractive outcomes of implantable collamer lens with a central hole for high myopia / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of implantable collamer lens (ICL)-V4c implantation in the correction for high myopia. METHODS: This retrospective analysis collected twenty-five patients (43 eyes) with high myopia treated with ICL/TICL implantation from September to December 2016 at Department of Ophthalmology, West China Hospital. Routine ophthalmic examinations were performed. The patients were followed 3mo to monitor uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), refractive error, intraocular pressure, corneal endothelial cell count, contrast sensitivity and scores for Quality of Life lmpact of Refractive Correction Questionnaire ( QIRC ). Statistical analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA, LSD-t test and paired-samples T test. RESULTS: Postoperative UCVA and BCVA were significantly higher than before surgery (all P<0. 01). Postoperative spherical mirrors at all time points were lower than before surgery(all P<0.01),and there was no significant difference between the different time point postoperative (all P>0. 05). The safety index in 3mo postoperatively was 1.38士0.24 and the effective index was 1. 22士0. 15. There was no statistical difference in intraocular pressure between preoperative and postoperative time points (F=1.464, P=0.215). There was no statistical difference in endothelial cell density at 3mo after surgery compared to preoperative (t=-0.544, P= 0. 586). The postoperative Log contrast sensitivity (LogCS) of 12.0 cycles per degree (c/d) and 18.0 c/d were significantly higher compared to the preoperative (F=4.347, P=0.010; F=4.539, P=0.005; respectively), but other (the postoperative LogCS of 3.0 c/d and 6.0 c/d) differences were statistically insignificant (F=1.094, P=0.354;F=1 325,P=0.271;respectively). There was no significant difference in the amount of change in the QIRC scores between preoperative and postoperative(F=2.669, P=0 094). CONCLUSION: ICL V4c implantation is a safe and effective method for the correction of high myopia.

Evaluation of refractive correction for standard automated perimetry in eyes wearing multifocal contact lenses.

AIM: To evaluate the refractive correction for standard automated perimetry (SAP) in eyes with refractive multifocal contact lenses (CL) in healthy young participants. METHODS: Twenty-nine eyes of 29 participants were included. Accommodation was paralyzed in all participants with 1% cyclopentolate hydrochloride. SAP was performed using the Humphrey SITA-standard 24-2 and 10-2 protocol under three refractive conditions: monofocal CL corrected for near distance (baseline); multifocal CL corrected for distance (mCL-D); and mCL-D corrected for near vision using a spectacle lens (mCL-N). Primary outcome measures were the foveal threshold, mean deviation (MD), and pattern standard deviation (PSD). RESULTS: The foveal threshold of mCL-N with both the 24-2 and 10-2 protocols significantly decreased by 2.2-2.5 dB (P<0.001), while that of mCL-D with the 24-2 protocol significantly decreased by 1.5 dB (P=0.0427), as compared with that of baseline. Although there was no significant difference between the MD of baseline and mCL-D with the 24-2 and 10-2 protocols, the MD of mCL-N was significantly decreased by 1.0-1.3 dB (P<0.001) as compared with that of both baseline and mCL-D, with both 24-2 and 10-2 protocols. There was no significant difference in the PSD among the three refractive conditions with both the 24-2 and 10-2 protocols. CONCLUSION: Despite the induced mydriasis and the optical design of the multifocal lens used in this study, our results indicated that, when the dome-shaped visual field test is performed with eyes with large pupils and wearing refractive multifocal CLs, distance correction without additional near correction is to be recommended.

Contrasting cellular damage after Blue-IRIS and Femto-LASIK in cat cornea.

Blue-intra-tissue refractive index shaping (Blue-IRIS) is a new approach to laser refractive correction of optical aberrations in the eye, which alters the refractive index of the cornea rather than changing its shape. Before it can be implemented in humans, it is critical to establish whether and to what extent, Blue-IRIS damages the cornea. Here, we contrasted the impact of -1.5 D cylinder refractive corrections inscribed using either Blue-IRIS or femtosecond laser in-situ keratomileusis (femto-LASIK) on corneal cell viability. Blue-IRIS was used to write a -1.5 D cylinder gradient index (GRIN) lens over a 2.5 mm by 2.5 mm area into the mid-stromal region of the cornea in six freshly-enucleated feline eyes. The same correction (-1.5 D cylinder) was inscribed into another four cat eyes using femto-LASIK. Six hours later, all corneas were processed for histology and stained for terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-digoxigenin nick end labeling (TUNEL) and p-γ-H2AX to label damaged cells. In Blue-IRIS-treated corneas, no tissue was removed and TUNEL-stained cells were confined to the laser focal zone in the stroma. In femto-LASIK, photoablation removed 14 µm of anterior stroma, but in addition, TUNEL-positive cells clustered across the femto-flap, the epithelium at the flap edges and the stroma below the ablation zone. Keratocytes positive for p-γ-H2AX were seen adjacent to all Blue-IRIS focal zones, but were completely absent from femto-LASIK-treated corneas. Unlike femto-LASIK, Blue-IRIS attains refractive correction in the cornea without tissue removal and only causes minimal, localized keratocyte death within the laser focal zones. In addition, Blue-IRIS induced DNA modifications associated with phosphorylation of γ-H2AX in keratocytes adjacent to the laser focal zones. We posit that this p-γ-H2AX response is related to alterations in chromatin structure caused by localized changes in osmolarity, a possible mechanism for the induced refractive index changes.

Four-year observation of predictability and stability of small incision lenticule extraction.

BACKGROUND: To investigate long-term refractive outcomes, wavefront aberrations and quality of life after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) for moderate to high myopia. METHODS: A total of 26 patients (47 eyes) with preoperative mean spherical equivalent (SE) of -6.30 ± 1.47 diopters (D) who underwent SMILE were recruited. The measurements included uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction, wavefront aberrations, and quality of life. RESULTS: At 4 years postoperatively, UDVA was better than or equal to 20/20 in 92 % of eyes. The efficacy index was 1.07 ± 0.16. 89 % of eyes were within ± 0.5 D of the intended refractive target. No eye lost any Snellen lines. The safety index was 1.16 ± 0.14. No significant changes of SE occurred among postoperative follow-ups at months 1, 3, 6 and years 1, 2, 4 (P > 0.05, Scheffe test). Higher-order aberrations, coma, spherical aberration and higher-order astigmatism increased postoperatively, and no significant changes of aberrations were detected among the 1-month, 6-month or 4-year follow-ups postoperatively (37 eyes). Compared to the spectacles group, the surgery group showed a significantly higher total score on quality of life (45.71 ± 2.61 vs 39.96 ± 3.56, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: SMILE provides a predictable and stable correction of moderate to high myopia as documented by long-term follow-up.

The influence of the refractive correction on the vision-related quality of life in keratoconus patients.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of refractive correction [spectacles vs rigid gas-permeable contact lenses (RGP CLs)] on the vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL) obtained with the standardized questionnaire, NEI-VFQ-25, in keratoconus patients compared with healthy myopic subjects. METHODS: The Spanish version of NEI-VFQ-25 was administered two consecutive times to 25 keratoconus patients (RGP CL wearers) and 25 healthy myopic subjects (RGP and soft CL wearers). The first time was to assess the VR-QoL for spectacle wearing, such as those for refractive correction, and the second time was for CL wearing. RESULTS: Keratoconus patients showed a lower VR-QoL impairment (P < 0.01) than healthy subjects in the total and all subscale score of NEI-VFQ-25 related to wearing spectacles. With CL correction, keratoconus patients showed a VR-QoL improvement with statistically significant differences (P < 0.04) in only four subscales, including distance activities, mental health, color vision and peripheral vision, compared with healthy subjects. In the keratoconus group, compared to spectacle use, CL wear improved the VR-QoL score (P = 0.01) and all subscales except for ocular pain (P < 0.01) and mental health (P = 0.25). CONCLUSIONS: The use of the NEI-VFQ-25 to explore the difference in the VR-QoL between healthy subjects and patients with keratoconus provides further evidence of improved VR-QoL with RGP CL wear compared with spectacles in keratoconus patients. RGP CL management in keratoconus patients could minimize the impact of the disease on the patient's well-being.