A meta-analysis of the association between high-sensitivity c-reactive protein level and glaucoma.

OBJECTIVE: Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness in the US for people over the age of 40; the most common form is primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). It has been suggested that inflammatory markers have a role in the development and the progression of glaucoma (GL). High-sensitivity C reactive protein (HsCRP) is an inflammatory marker that has been linked to cardiovascular disease and a possible link to GL. Although a number of studies have found a link between CRP and GL; POAG, normal tension glaucoma (NTG), exfoliation glaucoma (XFG), Exfoliation syndrome (XFS), other research has shown the opposite. PURPOSE: This systematic review is to determine the association between HsCRP and GL. METHODOLOGY: A literature search was conducted using the MEDLINE database. We identified thirty-six peer-reviewed studies. RESULTS: Five retrospective studies were included and summed up to 164305 study participants, 161759 POAG patients, and 2546 controls. The pooled result of all studies revealed that HsCRP (SMD: 0.44 mg/dl; [95% confidence interval -0.10 to 0.99]; P = 0.11, I2 89%) concentration was not significantly higher in POAG patients compared to the healthy controls. The SMD for NTG, XFG and XFS; 0.64 mg/dl; 0.03 mg/dl, 0.03 mg/dl respectively. The pooled result revealed that HsCRP concentration was not significantly higher in POAG, NTG, XFG, and XFS. No publication bias was found using the funnel plot. CONCLUSION: The meta-analysis concluded that there is no correlation between the elevated plasma levels of HsCRP and GL. Future studies should be conducted.

Comparing Objective Conjunctival Hyperemia Grading and the Ocular Surface Disease Index Score in Dry Eye Syndrome During COVID-19.

The incidence of dry eye syndrome (DES) has increased due to wearing masks, utilizing digital devices, and working remotely during the pandemic. A survey was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the prevalence of dry eye syndrome. A cross-sectional study investigated how prevalent DES is during COVID-19 in healthy patients aged 20-45 in the United States. An Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) questionnaire was given to 40 individuals remotely from October 31, 2021, to December 1, 2021. The AOS and the OSDI survey were used to evaluate DES. The subjects were 29 years old on average (SD 14.14), with 23 males (57.5%) and 17 females (42.5%). According to the OSDI survey, low DES, moderate DES, and severe DES had prevalence rates of 15%, 77.5%, and 7.5%, respectively. White (W) people represent 50% of the population, while African Americans (AA) represent 35%, Asians represent 7.5%, and Hispanics represent 7.5%. Mild DES affected 77.5% of subjects, with 64.50% males and 35.50% females. According to the AOS objective grading system, mild (M) DES, moderate (MO) DES, and severe (S) DES had prevalence rates of 40%, 12.5%, and 15%, respectively. Linear regression was used to compare the two grading systems, and it demonstrated a strong relationship between the two grading systems.

Ocular manifestations of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a SARS-CoV-2 viral infection, a disease that was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. COVID-19, formerly known as 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) respiratory disease, was officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2020. By 25 May 2021, there were 33,579,116 confirmed cases with 599,109 COVID-19 deaths worldwide. The purpose of this review article is to provide an update on what is currently known about COVID-19 ocular symptoms in adults, the elderly, and children in the literature. Finally, this article will review the eye protection precautions that should be implemented in our clinics. To assess the current literature, PubMed was searched from December 2019 to 25 May 2021. Randomized trials, observational studies, case series or case reports, letters of research, and letters to editors were selected for confirmed cases of COVID-19. According to current scientific literature since the outbreak in December 2019, 205 articles have been published. Conjunctivitis, conjunctival hyperemia, and chemosis have been reported in adults with COVID-19. There have been few studies on children and elderly patients, and further research in these age groups is needed. Finally, wearing eye protection when seeing patients on a daily basis during the pandemic is essential.

COVID-19 and conjunctivitis: a meta-analysis.

COVID-19 is a disease first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019, causes by a SARS-COV-2 virus infection. By 27 October 2020, 43,921,473 confirmed cases were reported worldwide, with 1,166,389 COVID-19 deaths. Conjunctivitis has been reported in adults and pediatric patients with COVID-19. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this meta-analysis is to estimate the odd Ratio (ORs) of conjunctivitis in patients with COVID-19. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis have been performed using the PubMed and Google Scholar literature search. The ORs of conjunctivitis in adults and pediatric patients is the outcome of this meta-analysis. RESULTS: There have been 1041 articles published since the outbreak in December 2019, according to the latest literature. For the meta-analysis, 20 studies with a total of 3383 participants were included. The odds ratio (ORs) of conjunctivitis was 0.01 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.00-0.02). No bias has been reported. CONCLUSION: Conjunctivitis is the most common ocular manifestations reported in adults. This comprehensive meta-analysis quantifies the existing evidence linking conjunctivitis with COVID-19 and highlights the high percentage of heterogeneity that is shown in the current studies. Finally, it offers a single review article which includes all the current articles available for COVID-19 and conjunctivitis in adults and children.

COVID-19 in the light of current clinical eye research.

COVID-19 is a disease caused by a SARS-CoV-2 virus infection first reported in Wuhan city, Chinese province of Hubei, in December 2019. Previously known as 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) respiratory disease, COVID-19 was declared official name by the World Health Organization (WHO) as COVID-19 in February 2020. By July 2nd, 2020 10,818,005 confirmed cases with 519,467 COVID-19 deaths worldwide. The aim of this review article is to inform the audience of what is available in the current literature on how COVID-19 affects the eyes in adults, children, and elderly. PubMed search was used between December 2019 and July 2nd, 2020. Randomized trials, observational studies, case series or case reports, and letters of research, letters to editors were selected for confirmed cases of COVID-19. According to current scientific literature since the outbreak in December 2019 there have been 218 papers written. Conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctvitis have been reported in adults with COVID-19. Further studies are needed in children and geriatric patients.

Common causes of visual impairment in the elderly.

Background: Aging is not a disease; rather, it is a process. As people age, visual impairment (VI) becomes more common. In 2010, the overall prevalence rate of vision impairment in all races was 25.66% in individuals aged ≥ 80 years, according to the estimate of the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health. This review aimed to address the common causes of VI in the elderly. Methods: In this narrative review, an electronic search of the PubMed/MEDLINE database was conducted using "visual impairment" and "elderly" for the period between January 2010 and April 2021, to include randomized clinical trials and observational studies concerning VI in the elderly. The selected time period was chosen to provide an updated review. Results: The search yielded 2955 articles published over the period of more than 11 years. The relevant randomized clinical trials or observational studies were included and reviewed. Cataracts, refractive errors, open-angle glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy were the most common age-related ocular disorders leading to VI if untreated in the elderly. The loss of visual acuity can adversely affect quality of life in the elderly. Difficulty with activities of daily living related to VI can lead to social isolation, depression, and anxiety. Loss of vision in the elderly is linked to an increased risk of falls, hip fracture, depression, and poor quality of life. Conclusions: The most common causes of VI in the elderly are cataracts and refractive errors. VI in most ocular diseases is more prevalent in women than in men due to longer lifespan. The overall prevalence of the main causes of VI in the elderly is expected to increase; therefore, health policymakers should consider this when planning for the health-enhancement program of the population.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the development of multiple sclerosis in clinically isolated syndrome.

Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) usually describes a first clinical episode that suggest multiple sclerosis. One of the signs and symptoms of CIS is Optic neuritis (ON). Several early intervention drugs are being tested in clinical trials for the early intervention in CIS patients which may lead to multiple sclerosis (MS). This study aim (1) early intervention of the CIS progression to MS delay slow down the MS progression, (2) since that ON affects 30%-70% of MS patients, the available ON intervention delay the MS progression. PubMed was used as a search engine. Summary relative risks (RRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using a random-effect model. For aim 1, it showed lower risk of progression to MS compared to non-treated group (Risk Ratio (RR) 0.64; 95%CI: 0.58, 0.69; p < 0.001). For aim 2, drug treated group showed lower risk of progression compared to non-treated group (RR 0.19, 95%CI: 0.06, 0.54, p < 0.002. Statistical heterogeneity was not significant in both outcomes and bias of publication was not found using inspection of funnel plot and Egger's statistical test in both outcomes. In conclusion, early treatment should be considered in CIS patients to prevent the progression of MS. Moreover, this data shows that early intervention (Erythropoietin, Ery) of ON decreases the conversion risk to MS.

A systematic review of the effect of omega-3 supplements on meibomian gland dysfunction.

INTRODUCTION: Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the leading cause of dry eye syndrome (DES). Many ocular disorders including DES and blepharitis can be linked to MGD. If we treat MGD, we can treat related diseases easily. PURPOSE: This systematic review is intended to determine the efficacy of omega-3 supplementation in MGD patients. METHODS: This systematic review included an electronic search on PubMed and Clinicaltrials.gov to include all randomized clinical trials (RCTs) using omega-3 as a treatment for MGD. RESULTS: Database search yielded to one RCT and six clinical trials through the MEDLINE of a total of 350 participants for the systematic review and meta-analysis study. The investigated treatment group (omega-3 group) had a positive effect on MGD protection in the invasive sodium fluorescein-tear break up time (NaFl-TBUT) score compared with the placebo group (odd ratio = 8.72, 95% confidence interval: 4.73, 16.09; p < 0.001). These data suggest that the odd ratios of the omega-3 group to control group increased the likelihood of the improved stated outcome tear break up time (TBUT) being achieved in the treatment group. No evidence of publication bias was detected in the funnel plot inspection or the Egger's statistical test (p = 0.2944). CONCLUSIONS: A moderate daily dose of omega-3 may be a beneficial therapeutic for MGD. Omega-3 has been beneficial in many diseases, such as heart attack prevention and agerelated macular degeneration, and this systematic review emphasizes its protection against MGD. In addition, this review emphasizes the precision of noninvasive TBUT (NITBUT) compared with invasive NaFl-TBUT which may suggest the importance of NITBUT in the clinic.

Vision Loss Among Delaware Nursing Home Residents.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of vision loss among Delaware nursing home residents for further data collection to expand the existing evidence about the vision loss among nursing home residents on a national level. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved the statistical analysis of comprehensive eye examination records of 1,856 nursing residents residing in 20 Delaware nursing homes from 2005 to 2011. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted to identify age-specific prevalence rates of vision loss (moderate-to-severe vision impairment and blindness). Results: The mean age of nursing home residents was 82.54 years (range: 65-111 years), and 61.70% were over the age of 80 years. The majority of nursing home residents were female (64.10%) and White (76.30%). The overall prevalence rates of moderate-to-severe vision impairment and blindness were 47.40% and 16.20%, respectively. Discussion: The high prevalence of vision loss among Delaware Nursing home residents indicates a demand for further data collection for expanding the existing evidence about the vision loss among nursing home residents on a national level.

Protective effects of nicotine on ethanol-induced toxicity in cultured cerebellar granule cells.

Alcoholism is associated with a higher incidence of smoking. In addition to the stimulatory effects of both ethanol and nicotine on the mesolimbic reward pathway, nicotine's ability to counteract some of the adverse effects of ethanol (e.g. ataxia) may be a powerful incentive for alcohol consumers to increase their tobacco (nicotine) intake. The cerebellum is believed to play an important role in ethanol-induced ataxia. In this study, we sought to test the hypothesis that nicotine would protect against toxic effects of ethanol in primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells. Moreover, it was postulated that the effects of nicotine would be mediated through nicotinic receptors. Primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells were prepared from 20-day embryos obtained from timed-pregnant Sprague Dawley rats. Cells were cultured for 10 days and were then exposed for 3 days to various concentrations of ethanol with and without pretreatment with nicotine and nicotinic antagonists. Cellular toxicity was evaluated by measuring the lactate dehydrogenase level. Administration of ethanol (10-100 mM) resulted in a dose-dependent toxicity. Pretreatment with nicotine 1-20 micro M resulted in a dose-dependent protection against ethanol-induced toxicity. The effects of nicotine were blocked by pretreatment with nicotinic antagonists such as mecamylamine 1-20 micro M, dihydro-beta-erythroidine 1.0 nM-1.0 micro M and methyllycaconitine 5 nM-5 micro M in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, ethanol-induced cytotoxicity in primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells is blocked by pretreatment with nicotine. The effects of nicotine, in turn, may be blocked by nicotinic antagonists, implicating both high and low affinity nicotinic receptors in mediating the actions of nicotine. The exact mechanism of ethanol-induced toxicity and/or neuroprotection through activation of nicotinic receptors in this paradigm remains to be elucidated. The neuroprotective effect of nicotine against ethanol-induced toxicity in cerebellar neurons may be a contributing factor to the high incidence of smoking among alcoholics.