Characterisation and Visual Outcomes of Fulminant Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: A Narrative Review.

Fulminant idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a rapid vision-degrading presentation of IIH with limited published studies. This study composed a narrative review of fulminant IIH with the aim of better characterising fulminant IIH presentation and visual outcomes. SCOPUS and PubMed were searched for papers referencing IIH, benign intracranial hypertension, or pseudotumour cerebri. Abstracts were screened for rapid degradation in vision. All studies were required to meet both the modified Dandy and fulminant IIH criteria. Thirty-six studies met the inclusion criteria. Demographics, treatments, and visual outcome data were collected. Case studies made up 69% of the studies and 31% were case series. In total, 72 patients with fulminant IIH were reported, of which 23.6% were paediatric and 96% were female. Surgical intervention occurred in 85% of patients. Anaemia was present in 11% of patients and 85.7% of paediatric patients had a sixth cranial nerve palsy. In conclusion, we propose the following practice guidelines to assist in diagnosing and treating fulminant IIH patients: 1) patients who present with optic disc oedema require urgent visual field testing to evaluate for vision loss; 2) a paediatric patient presenting with a sixth cranial nerve palsy should have a comprehensive eye examination; 3) fulminant IIH can occur in patients with a normal body mass index; and 4) anaemia should be tested for in the setting of fulminant IIH. As little is known about the optimal treatment mechanisms for this presentation, multi-institutional and international collaborations will be a critical step for future research.

Melatonin and Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Importance: Melatonin has been shown to oppose several processes that are known to mediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but whether melatonin can confer benefits against AMD remains unclear. Objective: To examine the association between melatonin supplementation and the risk of the development or progression of AMD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study accessed data from TriNetX, a national database of deidentified electronic medical records from both inpatient and outpatient health care organizations across the US, between December 4, 2023, and March 19, 2024. Patients aged 50 years or older, 60 years or older, and 70 years or older with no history of AMD (AMD-naive group) and with a history of nonexudative AMD (nonexudative AMD group) were queried for instances of melatonin medication codes between November 14, 2008, and November 14, 2023. Patients were then classified into either a melatonin group or a control group based on the presence of medication codes for melatonin. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to match the cohorts based on demographic variables, comorbidities, and nonmelatonin hypnotic medication use. Exposure: The presence of at least 4 instances of melatonin records that each occurred at least 3 months apart. Main Outcomes and Measures: After PSM, the melatonin and the control cohorts were compared to evaluate the risk ratios (RRs) and the 95% CIs of having an outcome. For the AMD-naive group, the outcome was defined as a new diagnosis of any AMD, whereas for the nonexudative AMD group, the outcome was progression to exudative AMD. Results: Among 121 523 patients in the melatonin-naive group aged 50 years or older (4848 in the melatonin cohort [4580 after PSM; mean (SD) age, 68.24 (11.47) years; 2588 female (56.5%)] and 116 675 in the control cohort [4580 after PSM; mean (SD) age, 68.17 (10.63) years; 2681 female (58.5%)]), melatonin use was associated with a reduced risk of developing AMD (RR, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.28-0.62). Among 66 253 patients aged 50 years or older in the nonexudative AMD group (4350 in the melatonin cohort [4064 after PSM; mean (SD) age, 80.21 (8.78) years; 2482 female (61.1%)] and 61 903 in the control cohort [4064 patients after PSM; mean (SD) age, 80.31 (8.03) years; 2531 female (62.3%)]), melatonin was associated with a reduced risk of AMD progression to exudative AMD (RR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.34-0.56). The results were consistent among subsets of individuals aged 60 years or older (AMD-naive cohort: RR, 0.36 [95% CI, 0.25-0.54]; nonexudative AMD cohort: RR, 0.38 [95% CI, 0.30-0.49]) and 70 years or older (AMD-naive cohort: RR, 0.35 [95% CI, 0.23-0.53]; nonexudative AMD cohort: RR, 0.40 [95% CI, 0.31-0.51]). Conclusions and Relevance: Melatonin use was associated with a decreased risk of development and progression of AMD. Although lifestyle factors may have influenced this association, these findings provide a rationale for further research on the efficacy of using melatonin as a preventive therapy against AMD.

Longitudinal Trends and Disparities in Diabetic Retinopathy Within an Aggregate Health Care Network.

Importance: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of blindness in the US, warranting updates on its prevalence and incidence in the setting of advancements in diabetic care over recent years. Objective: To determine recent trends in DR prevalence stratified by baseline demographics to identify those populations at greater risk. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a cross-sectional epidemiologic evaluation conducted using deidentified data from the large federated TriNetX Analytics health research network composed of 56 health care organizations in the US. Patients from 2015 to 2022 who had an International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision code of type 1 DR (T1DR) or type 2 DR (T2DR) were included in this analysis. Patients were further stratified by age cohorts (20-29 years, 30-39 years, 40-49 years, 50-59 years, 60-69 years, and 70 years or older), race and ethnicity, and sex. Main Outcomes and Measures: Prevalence per 100 000 patients and prevalence odds ratios (ORs) were calculated in Microsoft Excel and Posit (formerly RStudio). Results: A total of 359 126 patients with T1DR or T2DR (mean [SD] age, 67 [14] years; 52% female) were included in this study between January 1, 2015, and December 21, 2022. T1DR increased in prevalence from 2015 to 2022, with T1DR increasing 1.15-fold affecting 70.4 patients per 100 000 in 2022. T2DR increased 1.07-fold affecting 461.7 patients per 100 000 in 2022. For T1DR, the cohort aged 20 to 39 years had the most substantial increase at 4.7 and 1.96 fold. Overall, White males had the largest prevalence ORs of T1DR at 1.41 (95% CI, 1.36-1.47) compared with White females (reference group). In T2DR, patients aged 20 to 39 years again had a 2.5- and 1.6-fold prevalence increase from 2015 to 2022. Regardless of age group, Hispanic males demonstrated larger prevalence OR at 4.08 (95% CI, 3.97-4.19) compared with White females followed by Hispanic females at 2.49 (95% CI, 2.42-2.56), Black males at 2.23 (95% CI, 2.17-2.29), and Black females at 2.00 (95% CI, 1.95-2.05). Conclusion and Relevance: The prevalence of both T1DR and T2DR increased in this network from 2015 to 2022, with individuals aged 20 to 39 years showing large increases. Additionally, T2DR was associated with greater increases in both Hispanic and Black communities. These findings support DR screening in young adults and for T2DR interventions specifically designed for racial and ethnic minoritized patients most affected by disease. Future investigations are warranted to further investigate these trends among young adults.

Cardiovascular risk in anti-VEGF treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

OBJECTIVE: Assess 5-year all-cause mortality (ACM), hemorrhagic stroke, ischemic stroke, and myocardial infarction (MI) risks in nAMD patients receiving anti-VEGF injections compared with controls. DESIGN: Population-based retrospective cohort study using a U.S. federated health research network, containing de-identified data of 96 million patients from 1/1/2003 to 3/6/2023. PARTICIPANTS: nAMD Patients with anti-VEGF injections. Controls included nAMD patients without anti-VEGF injections, non-exudative AMD patients, and patients without AMD. METHODS: Patients were identified using nAMD ICD-10 and anti-VEGF CPT codes and matched for age, sex, and comorbidities. Five-year relative risk of ACM (RR1), hemorrhagic stroke (RR2), ischemic stroke (RR3), and MI (RR4) in nAMD patients receiving anti-VEGF injections were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 27,609 nAMD patients (mean diagnosis age [SD], [78.2 (10.3)]) received anti-VEGF injections; 769 nAMD patients without injections (75.8 [12.2]), 27,599 non-exudative AMD patients (78.2 [10.3]), and 21,902 no-AMD patients (76.1 [10.5]) were identified. After matching, nAMD patients receiving injections did not show increased risk versus nAMD patients without injections (RR1, 0.66; 95% CI [0.53, 0.82]), (RR2, 1.00 [0.42, 2.38]), (RR3, 1.70 [0.92,3.13]), (RR4, 0.63 [0.33, 1.18]). No increased risk was found compared to non-exudative AMD patients (RR1, 0.99 [0.95, 1.03]), (RR2, 0.94 [0.83,1.07]), (RR3, 1.04 [0.96, 1.12]), (RR4, 0.99 [0.91, 1.08]). Increased risk for ACM was observed versus no-AMD patients (RR1, 1.21 [1.15, 1.27]), but no other differences were found (RR2, 0.81 [0.70, 0.93]), (RR3, 1.00 [0.92, 1.09]), (RR4, 0.986 [0.90, 1.09]). CONCLUSION: Anti-VEGF injections were not associated with major cardiovascular events in nAMD patients over 5 years.

Characterizing the Journey of Geographic Atrophy Patients in Routine Ophthalmic Practice.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Geographic atrophy (GA) is a form of late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study aims to characterize the journey of patients with GA in real-world ophthalmology practice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort study of 100 patients with GA and 100 with intermediate AMD (iAMD). RESULTS: Approximately one-third of GA patients' eyes had GA at the time of their initial AMD diagnosis, and nearly half of the iAMD patients' eyes had iAMD at that time. When holding confounders constant, GA patients experienced significantly worse visual acuity outcomes, and a significantly higher proportion required referrals for low vision evaluation, needed assistance for activities of daily living, failed to meet driving standards, and met criteria for legal blindness when compared to iAMD controls. CONCLUSIONS: Many patients have already progressed to GA by the time they receive an AMD diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of providing early detection and intervention, especially considering novel treatment options. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2024;55:204-210.].

Transparency in the Ophthalmology Residency Match: Background, Study, and Implications.

Background Medical students are applying to dramatically more ophthalmology residency programs than in the past, causing an increased administrative burden for programs and financial harm to students. This study considers the background of this situation and looks at how a lack of transparency surrounding potential residency match filters contributes. Furthermore, this study raises several potential solutions to this lack of transparency that may increase the functionality of the ophthalmology residency match. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the availability and consistency of potential ophthalmology residency match filters through training program websites and the American Medical Association's (AMA) Residency & Fellowship Database (FREIDA). Methods This study was a cross-sectional observational study of ophthalmology residency program websites and AMA's FREIDA database entries. For 119 ophthalmology residency programs, five potential filters were evaluated for both availability and consistency on individual residency websites and FREIDA. These filters were: (1) whether a program required a minimum United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 score; (2) minimum number of letters of recommendation required; 3) whether a minimum USMLE Step 2 score was required; (4) if the program accepts the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) sequence in lieu of the USMLE; and (5) ability of the residency to sponsor a visa (J-1, H-1B, or F-1). Each program's website and FREIDA entry were independently evaluated by two authors to increase validity, with a third author brought in to break the tie in case of a disagreement. Results Only two ophthalmology residency programs had information about all five filters both available and consistent on their website and FREIDA. Inter-reviewer reliability was 92.5%. Conclusions Information about potential filters used in the ophthalmology residency match is neither publicly available nor consistent. This lack of transparency may contribute to the phenomenon of medical students applying to dramatically more ophthalmology residency programs. A standardized database of these filters is needed to increase transparency to applicants, which may reduce the expenses of medical students and the workload of program directors.

The direct and indirect effects of clinical empathy on well-being among pre-medical students: a structural equation model approach.

BACKGROUND: Empathy is a well-established facet of clinical competency that research suggests is associated with enhanced medical student well-being. Since little is known about empathy and well-being before students enter medical school-during pre-medical education-the main goal of this study is to test a conceptual model of how clinical empathy is related to two indicators of well-being, depression, and burnout among pre-medical students. The theoretical model hypothesizes that three dimensions of clinical empathy-Perspective-Taking, Compassionate Care, and Standing in Patients' Shoes- will be directly and negatively related to depression, as well as indirectly through its inverse relationship with three facets of burnout, Emotional Exhaustion, Poor Academic Efficacy, and Cynicism. METHODS: Using survey data from a sample of 132 pre-medical students at an American Midwestern university, this study employs structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the theoretical model of the relationships between empathy, burnout, and depression among pre-medical students. We identify the direct effects of the three dimensions of the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy (JSE-S) on depression (CES-D), as well as the indirect effects of clinical empathy on depression through the three dimensions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-S). RESULTS: SEM analyses show that while none of the three dimensions of the JSE-S are directly related to depression, clinical empathy does significantly affect depression indirectly through burnout. Specifically, as predicted, we find that Perspective-Taking decreases Emotional Exhaustion, but, contrary to expectations, Compassionate Care increases it. And, the positive relationship between Compassionate Care and Emotional Exhaustion is particularly strong. In turn, Perspective-Taking and Compassionate Care are associated with depression in opposite directions and to different degrees. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that clinical empathy as measured by the JSE-S produces both positive and negative effects on personal well-being. We conclude that further conceptual clarity of clinical empathy is needed to better discern how the different dimensions impact different indicators of well-being. Given that pre-medical education is a crucial time for emotional socialization, the challenge for medical education will be fostering the positive, cognitive aspects of clinical empathy while simultaneously mitigating the adverse effects of affective empathy on medical student well-being.

POSITIVE RESULTS BIAS AND IMPACT FACTOR IN RETINA CLINICAL TRIALS 2016 to 2019.

PURPOSE: To assess for a positive results bias in recently published randomized controlled trials in the field of vitreoretinal disease. METHODS: A bibliometric analysis was conducted examining randomized controlled trials published in the field of retina between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019. Studies were classified as positive result or negative result based on the statistical significance of their primary outcome. Publication date and sample size were documented. These variables were compared against Journal Citation Reports Impact Factor in the year of publication. RESULTS: Two hundred and eighty-eight randomized controlled trials from 64 unique journals were included and analyzed. One hundred and eighty-five (64.2%) studies were classified as positive result, and 103 (35.8%) studies were classified as negative result. There was no association between impact factor and positive result. Studies classified as positive result had larger sample sizes, and higher sample size was associated with higher impact factor. CONCLUSION: These results do not support the presence of a recent positive results bias in retina randomized controlled trials. This is reassuring, although several factors could be contributing to this finding including studies that were conducted but never submitted and selective reporting of outcomes. Thus, it will be important to remain cognizant of potential publication biases moving forward.