Abstract: Myopia in children remains a major public health problem worldwide, especially in some Asian countries such as China, Singapore and Japan. Although many interventions have been attempted, few has been proven to be effective in controlling onset and progression of myopia in children. Environmental factors, genetic susceptibility or ethnic differences can affect the efficacy of these interventions. However, many questions remain unclear and even controversial for controlling myopia. China has the biggest population with myopia, especially for children myopia. Thus, it is of importance to present what achievements Chinese scientists have made in the field of myopia control in children. We summarize the current findings on myopia control in children from the Anyang Childhood Eye Study, including epidemiological data, clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and compare them with studies in other countries to find potential clues for controlling myopia in children.
Abstract: Acute retinal arterial ischemia, which includes transient monocular vision loss (TMVL), branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO), central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) and ophthalmic artery occlusion (OAO), is most commonly the consequence of an embolic phenomenon from the ipsilateral carotid artery, heart or aortic arch, leading to partial or complete occlusion of the central retinal artery (CRA) or its branches. Acute retinal arterial ischemia is the ocular equivalent of acute cerebral ischemia and is an ophthalmic and medical emergency. Patients with acute retinal arterial ischemia are at a high risk of having further vascular events, such as subsequent strokes and myocardial infarctions (MIs). Therefore, prompt diagnosis and urgent referral to appropriate specialists and centers is necessary for further work-up (such as brain magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion weighted imaging, vascular imaging, and cardiac monitoring and imaging) and potential treatment of an urgent etiology (e.g., carotid dissection or critical carotid artery stenosis). Since there are no proven, effective treatments to improve visual outcome following permanent retinal arterial ischemia (central or branch retinal artery occlusion), treatment must focus on secondary prevention measures to decrease the likelihood of subsequent ischemic events.
Abstract: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an ocular imaging technique that can complement the neuro-ophthalmic assessment, and inform our understanding regarding functional consequences of neuroaxonal injury in the afferent visual pathway. Indeed, OCT has emerged as a surrogate end-point in the diagnosis and follow up of several demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system (CNS), including optic neuritis (ON) associated with: multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies. Recent advancements in enhanced depth imaging (EDI) OCT have distinguished this technique as a new gold standard in the diagnosis of optic disc drusen (ODD). Moreover, OCT may enhance our ability to distinguish cases of papilledema from pseudopapilledema caused by ODD. In the setting of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), OCT has shown benefit in tracking responses to treatment, with respect to reduced retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measures and morphological changes in the angling of Bruch’s membrane. Longitudinal follow up of OCT measured ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness may be of particular value in managing IIH patients who have secondary optic atrophy. Causes of compressive optic neuropathies may be readily diagnosed with OCT, even in the absence of overt visual field defects. Furthermore, OCT values may offer some prognostic value in predicting post-operative outcomes in these patients. Finally, OCT can be indispensable in differentiating optic neuropathies from retinal diseases in patients presenting with vision loss, and an unrevealing fundus examination. In this review, our over-arching goal is to highlight the potential role of OCT, as an ancillary investigation, in the diagnosis and management of various optic nerve disorders.
Abstract: Between 2011 and 2013, two large-scale cohort epidemiology studies were launched in Shanghai: the SCALE study, which aimed to provide ocular public health services to cover the entire youth population in Shanghai, and the SCES, which was based on sample surveys and aimed to provide information on the prevalence and incidence of visual impairment and different types of refractive errors. A total of 910,245 children and adolescents were finally enrolled in the SCALE study; three possible methods for monitoring refractive error without mydriasis were tested, and the agreement between the refractive outcomes of three commonly used autorefractors were examined to ensure the accuracy of the results of the SCALE study. A total of 8,627 children were enrolled in the SCES, and the baseline prevalence of different refractive errors, different behaviors associated with 1 year myopic shifts, and the different patterns of 2-year myopia progression between internal migrant and local resident school children have been analyzed. In some subset samples of the SCALE study and the SCES, several refraction components such as choroidal thickness (ChT) and crystalline lens power were also measured, to further elucidate the relationships between the refraction components and myopia as well as the mechanism of myopia incidence and development. The three methods used in Shanghai to prevent and intervene with childhood myopia: increasing outdoor time, low concentration atropine, and use of orthokeratology lens are also addressed in this review.
Abstract: Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune antibody-mediated disorder which causes fluctuating weakness in ocular, bulbar and limb skeletal muscles. There are two major clinical types of MG. Ocular MG (OMG) affects extra ocular muscles associated with eye movement and eyelid function and generalized MG results in muscle weakness throughout the body. Patients with OMG have painless fluctuating extra ocular muscles weakness, diplopia and ptosis accompanied by normal visual acuity and pupillary function. Frequently, patients with OMG develop generalized MG over 24 months. Pure OMG is more often earlier in onset (<45 years) than generalized MG. It can also occur as part of an immune-genetic disorder or paraneoplastic syndrome related to thymus tumors. Diagnosis is based on clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, electrophysiological evaluation and pharmacologic tests. Therapeutic strategies for MG consist of symptom relieving medications (e.g., acetylcholine esterase inhibitors), immunosuppressive agents, and surgical intervention (e.g., thymectomy).
Background: The ORVIS infrastructure aims to facilitate the development and availability of valid and adapted tools that will allow functional, perceptual, cognitive and psychological evaluation of low vision clients by researchers and clinicians who work in low vision and visual impairment rehabilitation.
Methods: The tools developed or documented within ORVIS Infrastructure are tests or questionnaires which allow, or will allow to assess—in an accurate and reliable manner—characteristics related to visual impairment. The tools in development are: (I) questionnaire de repérage des hallucinations visuelles liées au syndrome de Charles-Bonnet (QR-SCB); (II) repérage des personnes agées présentant des INDices de déficience VISUELle (IndiVisuel); (III) mesure de l’impact de la déficience visuelle dans les activités quotidiennes (MIDVAQ) and (IV) M’EYE read test. The directory documents 14 tools and offers—within a descriptive sheet—characteristics, components and metrological properties as supported by cited scientific studies.
Results: The ORVIS Infrastructure, which aims at the development and availability of assessment tools, fills researchers’ and clinicians’ needs for measurement tools that are valid, effective and appropriate for use with a visually impaired clientele. Such tools are, especially in French, little known and hard to find, and represent a precious resource for those who want to evaluate the efficacy of treatments or interventions.
Conclusions: ORVIS is available at www.orvis.vision. Between November 2015 and September 2017, the directory has been accessed 1,383 times by 952 unique visitors.
Background: With a large portion of older adults living longer, the number of individuals diagnosed with low vision is increasing. The use of optical coherence tomography/scanning laser ophthalmoscope (OCT/SLO) to diagnose retinal disease has become common place in the last 10 years, yet currently there are no OCT/SLO databases for pathological vision. Our aim is to develop a clinical database of individuals who have drusen (i.e., lipid deposits found under the retina), or have been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with information as to how the structure of the diseased retina changes over time, as well as measures of visual and cognitive functional performance.
Methods: Fundus photographs and retinal scans will be taken using the same model of optos OCT/SLO located in three test sites (MAB-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre, School of Optometry Clinic at the University of Montreal, and the Lighthouse Institute, New York, USA). For each individual entry in the database, demographic and diagnosis information will be available. All OCT/SLO images will be graded according to the Age-related Eye Disease Study standard, in addition to number and size of drusen, severity of geographic atrophy, severity of pigment mottling and presence of choroidal neovascularization. Retinal topography and Raster scans from the OCT/SLO will provide a cross-sectional look at affected retinas. Fixation stability will be recorded using the SLO function, and present four different tasks that are designed to reproduce typical tasks of daily vision, with each task lasting for 10 seconds. The tasks are cross fixation, face recognition, visual search, and reading. These tasks in addition to the retinal scans will be used to determine the eccentricity of a preferred retinal locus from the anatomical fovea, and can be used as an outcome measure for clinical interventions in visually impaired patients.
Results: The database will be available to professors training eye-care practitioners and rehabilitation specialists as a teaching tool. Students will be able to familiarize themselves with the retina and a variety of AMD-related pathologies before they start working with patients. The database will also be accessible by researchers interested in studying AMD from basic science to epidemiology, to investigate how drusen and AMD impact visual and cognitive functional performance.
Conclusions: The common infrastructure is easily accessible to all VHRN members on request. The database will also be accessible online in 2018 (see http://cvl.concordia.ca for more information).
Background: With the arrival of a new standardized tool and considering the multiple disadvantages of the actual method used for assesses lighting needs, the goal of the study was to compare the actual lighting assessment method used by the clinicians working in a rehabilitation center with the use of the LuxIQTM. As reading is found to be the main difficulty mentioned by the majority of the clients at the rehabilitation centre and that past studies have shown the impact of lighting on improving reading speed and deceasing print size, the hypothesis stated that the use of the standardized tool would be statistically significantly superior than the use of the standard method on the variables on reading speed, print size, ocular fatigue, application of the recommendations and satisfaction of the length of time read.
Methods: Three clinicians proceeded to home lighting assessments for 28 participants aged from 19 to 100 years (mean =75, SD =27) old diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration or glaucoma. The study evaluated and compared pre and post results between the two methods.
Results: The intervention did not have a statistically significant impact on any of the variables mentioned. The lighting assessment itself, with either the standard method or using the LuxIQ, statistically significantly decreased print size for reading (P<0.001, ω2 =0.47).
Conclusions: Lighting has a significant impact on reading print size. Participants value the assessment but encounter various obstacles that prevent them from applying the lighting recommendations. Considering the positive impact of lighting, finding a solution so participants may profit from the benefits of this intervention is crucial.
Background: A growing number of older adults with vision loss require vision rehabilitation services to address reading difficulties. Braille may be the most appropriate option for those with functional blindness, poor visual prognoses or dual sensory loss. While standardized braille assessment and training protocols are in place to guide interventions with children, there is a high degree of inconsistency and a lack of evidence-based knowledge about best practices to use with adults and seniors who require braille training. Age-related declines in tactile acuity, motor dexterity and cognition present unique barriers to braille training, but very little is known about the impact of aging on factors related to braille reading performance. The aim of this scoping review is to identify the perceptual, motor, and cognitive factors related to braille reading performance and to determine how these factors have been assessed or measured among blind adults and elderly individuals in prior studies.
Methods: Using the scoping review method, a comprehensive search was conducted in three databases: PubMed, Educational Resource Information Center (ERIC), and the Cochrane library. Two reviewers screened articles for inclusion to ensure internal agreement, based on identified exclusion criteria.
Results: The initial search resulted in 1,565 qualitative and quantitative articles. The results synthesize the perceptual, motor and cognitive factors known to predict braille reading performance, how these variables are impacted by the aging process, and how they have been measured in prior studies.
Conclusions: This scoping review is the first step in working towards the development of evidence-based assessment and training protocols to standardized practice with adult and senior clients who require braille training. It also serves to clarify where current knowledge gaps exist in order to guide future studies on braille reading and aging.
