Impact of glaucoma on vision-specific quality of life in monocular glaucoma patients using the Indian vision function questionnaire.

Purpose: To evaluate the determinants affecting the quality of life in monocular glaucoma patients using the Indian vision function questionnaire. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study,: total of 196 patients were divided into two groups: cases and controls. Indian Vision Function Questionnaire (IND-VFQ) was administered and analyzed. One hundred twenty-nine (58.6%) patients who had lost their vision in one eye due to glaucoma were included as cases and 67 (30.4%) patients who had lost their vision due to other causes were taken as controls. Results: Median composite score of subscales was 54.62 (29.7-74.7) in group 1 and 45.38 (23.7-76.7) in group 2. The psychosocial impact scale was the most affected scale, the median scores were 33.02 (0 to 60.0) and 19.07 (0 to 53.0) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Among all dimensions of IND-VFQ, the highest score was for color vision 100.0 (0-100.0) and 100.0 (0-100.0), and the lowest median score was found in mental health and dependency in both the groups. Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that visual acuity was associated with a low score (P < 0.001). Female gender was significantly associated with the overall score in the univariate model (P = 0.006). Conclusion: Monocular glaucoma patients have a poor general and vision-related quality of life. Depression associated with monocularity and the perception of dependency and being a burden on their family members greatly impacted the mental health of the participants.

Surgically induced astigmatism following single site and twin site phacotrabeculectomy augmented with mitomycin C.

PURPOSE: To determine difference in surgically induced astigmatism (SIA), post-operative intraocular pressure (IOP) and axial length (AL) between single site and twin-site phacotrabeculectomy augmented with Mitomycin C (MMC). DESIGN: Prospective interventional randomised controlled study. METHODS: In a prospective interventional comparative study, eligible patients were scheduled for phacotrabeculectomy. They were randomised to either group A: single site or group B: twin-site phacotrabeculectomy with MMC 0.2 mg/mL. Axial length was measured by using Zeiss IOL master I, pre-operatively and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-operatively. Corneal topography was performed using Bausch and Lomb Orbscan I pre-operatively and at 3, 6 and 12 months post-operatively to analyse surgically induced astigmatism. Vector analysis was used to analyse the surgically induced astigmatism. RESULTS: One hundred and eight eyes of which 55 patients in group A, and 53 patients in group B were enroled for vector analysis. The mean preoperative astigmatic vector power was +0.89 ± 0.4 D and +0.97 ± 0.5 D in group A and B respectively. The mean post-operative astigmatic vector power was +0.78 ± 0.4 D in group A and +0.96 ± 0.5 D in group B at the end of 12 months. Corneal topography showed post-operative superior flattening (51.8% at 3 months and 55.4% at 12 months) in group A (P = 0.072) compared to superior steepening (59.6% at 3 months and 61.5% at 12 months) in group B (P = 0.977). CONCLUSIONS: The two commonly used techniques of combined cataract and glaucoma surgery proved to be efficacious without significant difference in surgical induced astigmatism.

Tongue fat infiltration in obese versus lean Zucker rats.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Obesity is the most important risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and the effects of obesity may be mediated by tongue fat. Our objective was to examine the effects of obesity on upper airway structures in obese (OBZ) and non-obese (NBZ) Zucker rats. DESIGN: Animal study. SETTING: Academic Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: OBZ (638.2 ± 39 g; 14.9 ± 1.1 w) and age-matched NBZ Zucker (442.6 ± 37 g, 15.1 ± 1.5 w) rats. INTERVENTIONS: TONGUE FAT AND VOLUME AND WERE ASSESSED USING: in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), magnetic resonance imaging including Dixon imaging for tongue fat volume, ex vivo biochemistry (fat quantification; triglyceride (mg)/tissue (g), and histology (Oil Red O stain). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: MRS: overall OBZ tongue fat/water ratio was 2.9 times greater than NBZ (P < 0.002) with the anterior OBZ tongue up to 3.3 times greater than NBZ (P < 0.002). Biochemistry: Triglyceride (TG) in the tongue was 4.4 times greater in OBZ versus NBZ (P < 0.0006). TG was greater in OBZ tongue (3.57 ± 1.7 mg/g) than OBZ masseter muscle (0.28 ± 0.1; P < 0.0001) but tongue and masseter TG were not different in NBZ rats (0.82 ± 0.3 versus 0.28 ± 0.1 mg/g, P = 0.67). Dixon fat volume was significantly increased in OBZ (56 ± 15 mm3) versus NBZ (34 ± 5 mm3, P < 0.004). Histology demonstrated a greater degree of intracellular muscle fat and extramuscular fat infiltration in OBZ versus NBZ rats. CONCLUSIONS: Genetically obese rats had a large degree of fat infiltration in the tongue compared to both skeletal muscle and tongue tissues of the non-obese age-matched littermates. The significant fat increase and sequestration in the obese tongue may play a role in altered tongue neuromuscular function, tongue stiffness or metabolic function.