Blue-blocking glasses as additive treatment for mania: Effects on actigraphy-derived sleep parameters.

Improvement of sleep is a central treatment goal for patients in a manic state. Blue-blocking (BB) glasses as adjunctive treatment hasten overall recovery from mania. This method is an evolvement from dark therapy and builds on the discovery of the blue-light-sensitive retinal ganglion cell that signals daytime to the brain. We report effects of adjunctive BB glasses on actigraphy-derived sleep parameters for manic inpatients as compared to placebo. Hospitalized patients with bipolar disorder in a manic state aged 18-70 years were recruited from five clinics in Norway from February 2012 to February 2015. The participants were randomly allocated to wearing BB glasses or placebo (clear glasses) as an adjunctive treatment from 18:00 to 08:00 hours for seven consecutive nights. Sleep and wake were monitored by actigraphy. From 32 eligible patients, 10 patients in each group qualified for the group analyses. The BB group's mean sleep efficiency was significantly higher at night 5 as compared to the placebo group (92.6% vs. 83.1%, p = .027). The 95% confidence interval (CI) was 89.4%-95.8% in the BB group and 75.9%-90.3% in the placebo group. There were fewer nights of interrupted sleep in the BB group: 29.6% versus 43.8% in the placebo group. The BB group received less-intensive sleep-promoting pharmacological treatment and showed significantly higher sleep efficiency and more consolidated sleep as compared to the placebo group. Our findings suggest sleep-promoting effects through deactivating mechanisms. Adjunctive BB glasses seem to be useful for improving sleep for manic patients in the hospital setting.

Pattern and Prevalence of Refractive Error and Secondary Visual Impairment in Patients Attending a Tertiary Hospital in Dhulikhel, Nepal.

Background Uncorrected refractive error is one of the most important causes of visual impairment worldwide. Objective To ascertain the pattern and prevalence of refractive error and secondary visual impairment in subjects attending Ophthalmology department. Method A prospective hospital-based study was designed where presenting visual acuity, age of presentation, refractive status, best corrected visual acuity and status of visual impairment were assessed in participants, ages ranging from 3-39 years presenting to the Ophthalmology department of Dhulikhel Hospital, Kathmandu University Hospital. History of use of spectacle was noted and participants were categorized into different visual impairment categories as per their presenting visual acuity. Result Out of a total of 4500 total clients examined during the study period, 388 (8.62%) had refractive error where 219 (56.44%) were females and 169 (43.56%) were males. Mean age at presentation was 22.70±7.69 years (range, 3-39 years). Astigmatism was the most common subtype seen in 373 eyes (48.06%), followed by myopia (366 eyes, 47.16%) and hypermetropia (31 eyes, 4.0%). Only 40.50% subjects who required refractive correction were using spectacle. 62.37% (242 clients) had some of visual impairment during their presentation. There was statistically significant improvement in visual acuity after refractive correction (p=0.00). Conclusion Uncorrected refractive error is one of the most important causes of visual impairment. Lack of awareness, infrequent ocular examination and lack of community or preschool vision screening were the main causes for the late presentation and significant visual impairment associated with the condition. Social stigma, economical limitation and negative counseling and attitudes about spectacle wear were primary factors behind the unsatisfactory spectacle use.

A 3D anthropometry-based quantified comfort model for children's eyeglasses design.

Modeling the quantified relationships between anthropometric/product parameters and human perceptions provides research-driven guidelines for mass customization and personalization of ergonomic products. In particular, such models are critical for designing children's eyeglasses; however, they are still underexplored. This study examined children's comfort perceptions for eyeglasses with two variables (i.e., nose pads width and temple clamping force), and established quantified linkage models between subjective human perceptions and objective 3D anthropometric/product parameters. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to quantify these relationships for ergonomic eyeglasses design. A psychological experiment with thirty child participants was performed, and our analyses showed that two eyeglasses variables significantly influenced the children's comfort perceptions; static vs. dynamic conditions caused slight differences. The mathematical trendlines and trend surfaces established by our findings can estimate perceived component-specific and overall comfort scores based on 3D anthropometric/product parameters. This also allows for calculation of parameter's allowances for sizing and grading eyeglasses while maintaining satisfactory comfort.

Perceptions of glasses as a health care product: a pilot study of New Zealand baby boomers.

Marketers have been slow to customize their strategies for the influential consumer segment of aging baby boomers. This qualitative research provides insights on New Zealand baby boomers' perceptions of glasses as a health care product. Appearance was a dominant theme; status was not a major concern, although style and fashion were. Wearing glasses had negative associations related to aging; however, both male and female participants recognized that glasses offered improved quality of life. Data relating to the theme of expense indicated that these New Zealand baby boomers made sophisticated perceptual associations and subsequent pragmatic trade-offs between price, quality, and style.

Social Perceptions of Pediatric Hearing Aids.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether hearing aid (HA) use affects social perceptions of general public adults and age-matched peers and if so, determine if effects are modulated by lack of societal representation of pediatric HAs. METHODS: A 10-year-old boy was presented in six photographic conditions with and without HAs and eyeglasses (a worn sensory aid with wider societal representation). HAs were presented in neutral skin tone and bright blue colors. Photographic conditions were embedded into web-based surveys with visual analog scales to capture social perceptions data and sourced to 206 adults (age 18-65) and 202 peers (age 10) with demographic characteristics representative of the general US population. Mean differences in scores for each condition compared to control images were computed using two-tailed t-tests. RESULTS: In both adult and child respondents, HAs were associated with decreased athleticism, confidence, health, leadership, and popularity. Glasses were associated with decreased athleticism and popularity but increased intelligence, overall success, and in the child respondents, friendliness. When worn in combination, the beneficial effects of glasses were mitigated by brightly colored but not neutrally colored HAs. CONCLUSION: Negative effects of pediatric HAs on social perceptions may be influenced by poor societal representation of HAs. These results suggest that greater representation of pediatric HAs is necessary to make society more inclusive for children with hearing loss. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:E2387-E2392, 2021.

Randomized trial of the effect of contact lens wear on self-perception in children.

PURPOSE: To determine whether contact lens wear affects children's self-perceptions. METHODS: The Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment Study was a randomized, single-masked trial conducted at five clinical centers in the United States. Subjects were 8- to 11-year-old myopic children randomly assigned to wear spectacles (n = 237) or soft contact lenses (n = 247) for 3 years. The primary endpoint was the Self-Perception Profile for Children Global Self-Worth scale. Secondary outcomes included the Physical Appearance, Athletic Competence, Scholastic Competence, Behavioral Conduct, and Social Acceptance Self-Perception Profile for Children scales. RESULTS: Global self-worth was not affected by contact lens wear [analysis of variance (ANOVA), difference = 0.06; 95% CI, -0.004 to 0.117]. Physical appearance (ANOVA, difference = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.07 to 0.22), athletic competence (ANOVA, difference = 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.15), and social acceptance (ANOVA, difference = 0.10; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.17) were all greater for contact lens wearers. CONCLUSIONS: Although contact lens wear does not affect global self-perceptions of 8- to 11-year-old myopic children their physical appearance, athletic competence, and social acceptance self-perceptions are likely to improve with contact lens wear. Eye care practitioners should consider the social and visual benefits of contact lens wear when choosing the most appropriate vision correction modality for children as young as 8 years of age.

An evaluation for VR glasses system user experience: The influence factors of interactive operation and motion sickness.

As a new type of Virtual Reality (VR) headset, VR glasses rise rapidly in a number of areas. It's essential to understand the importance of user experience (UX) on VR glasses design. This study aimed to develop questionnaires for evaluating VR glasses' UX, as well as to investigate the relationship between various UX variables. With using lab-based usability tests, this study analyzed participants' self-reports and performance based on testing eight VR glasses and seven mobile applications. A nine-item questionnaire and a ten-item questionnaire were successfully developed to measure VR glasses systems' UX quality in terms of hardware and application, respectively. Within a proposed UX evaluation framework, the perceived UX quality relative to VR glasses hardware emerged as a core predictor in predicting interactive operation performance, whereas the application UX perception was a significant predictor of motion sickness.

Impact of a Local Vision Care Center on Glasses Ownership and Wearing Behavior in Northwestern Rural China: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Visual impairment is common among rural Chinese children, but fewer than a quarter of children who need glasses actually own and use them. To study the effect of rural county hospital vision centers (VC) on self-reported glasses ownership and wearing behavior (primary outcome) among rural children in China, we conducted a cluster-randomized controlled trial at a VC in the government hospital of Qinan County, a nationally-designated poor county. All rural primary schools (n = 164) in the county were invited to participate. Schools were randomly assigned to either the treatment group to receive free vision care and eyeglasses, if needed, or control group, who received glasses only at the end of the study. Among 2806 eligible children with visiual impairment (visual acuity ≤ 6/12 in either eye), 93 (3.31%) were lost to follow-up, leaving 2713 students (45.0% boys). Among these, glasses ownership at the end of the school year was 68.6% among 1252 treatment group students (82 schools), and 26.4% (p < 0.01) among 1461 controls (82 schools). The rate of wearing glasses was 55.2% in the treatment group and 23.4% (p < 0.01) among the control group. In logistic regression models, treatment group membership was significantly associated with spectacle ownership (Odds Ratio [OR] = 11.9, p < 0.001) and wearing behavior (OR = 7.2, p < 0.001). County hospital-based vision centers appear effective in delivering childrens' glasses in rural China.

Prevalence of refractive error and attitude to spectacle use among drivers of public institutions in Ibadan, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: High rate of motor vehicle accidents' have been associated with poor vision. Studies on drivers from elsewhere other than health institutions have found abnormal visual acuities. The aim of this study is to determine prevalence of refractive errors and the attitude to spectacle wear among drivers of public institutions studied. METHODS: A cross sectional population study of all 99 motor vehicle drivers from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan and University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan between December 2003 and January 2004. RESULTS: The ninety-nine motor vehicle drivers in the study comprised of 67 (67.7%) from the College of Medicine, and 32 (32.3%) from the UCH. All were males, aged 38 to 60 years, mean 50.1 +/- (SD= 4.8 years). Proportion of drivers with refractive errors was 16.7% (95% CI, 16.6-16.8) but only 56.3% of these wear glasses while driving (others did not including 3 out 4 who were bilaterally visually impaired without glasses). Relative frequency of RTA among drivers was 16.2%, the risk was marginally higher among drivers with refractive error (OR 1.2, 95% CI: 0.4-3.7). The commonest refractive error was simple hypermetropia present in 15 eyes. Hypermetropia was associated with increasing age of drivers (p<0.05). Majority (97.7%) of the drivers were presbyopic but only 32 (32.3%) were current wearers of spectacles. CONCLUSION: Refractive errors were present in 16.7% of drivers studied. But 43.8% of these (3 out 4 of whom were bilaterally visually impaired without glasses) do not wear corrective lenses while driving. There is need for periodic visual screening exercise and eye health education on drivers.

[Comparative analysis of visual function and the quality of life index with eyeglasses or a progressive contact lens]. / Comparação da função visual e do índice de qualidade de vida com uso de óculos ou de lente de contato progressiva.

PURPOSE: To compare the visual function and the answers to a questionnaire of quality of life of patients wearing a progressive contact lens or eyeglasses. METHODS: The Focus Progressive contact lens had been fitted in 35 patients with far visual acuity with progressive-addition eyeglasses equal to zero (log MAR) and near J1 (Jaeger). The far and near visual acuities and the measurement of contrast sensitivity were compared when the patients were wearing the eyeglasses or the contact lens and the patients' results of the scores of the quality of life questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25) were analyzed statistically considering the type of ametropy and the age. RESULTS: The far and near visual acuities and the contrast sensitivity measurement were worse with the contact lens than with eyeglasses. The answers to the questionnaire did not differ when were comparing the same patients wearing eyeglasses or contact lens, no matter the type of ametropy. The myopic and the hyperopic subgroups had worse answers to the quality of life questionnaire when corrected with the contact lens than with eyeglasses, both with age equal to or less than their median. CONCLUSIONS: The visual function was worse with the contact lens. The type of ametropy did not influence the answers to the quality of life questionnaire considering the optical correction, but age did.

Use of optical aids by visually impaired students: social and cultural factors.

PURPOSE: To identify conceptions, social and cultural factors regarding the use of optical aids by visually impaired students and to present information to health and educational professionals. METHODS: Qualitative research using spontaneous theater (interactive theater modality based on improvisation) as research instrument. To analyze data, an adapted form of the collective subject discourse technique - procedures for organization of verbal data - was applied. Scenes, gestures, expressions, silences and behaviors were added to the original proposal. The study population included all visually impaired students from elementary public schools, aged 10 to 14 years who attended a resource room in a São Paulo state city. The students were examined at a university low vision service. RESULTS: Little knowledge about the impairment and difficult adaptation to use of optical aids were identified. The students' behavior showed denial of own problems, discomfort on public use of aids and lack of participation in own health decisions. CONCLUSION: Analysis through spontaneous theater session allows the professional to gather information which is not possible to acquire in the health assistance atmosphere. Needs, difficulties and barriers the users found before the prescribed treatment were identified.

Impact of Free Glasses and a Teacher Incentive on Children's Use of Eyeglasses: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE: To study the effect of free glasses combined with teacher incentives on in-school glasses wear among Chinese urban migrant children. DESIGN: Cluster-randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Children with visual acuity (VA) ≤6/12 in either eye owing to refractive error in 94 randomly chosen primary schools underwent randomization by school to receive free glasses, education on their use, and a teacher incentive (Intervention), or glasses prescriptions only (Control). Intervention group teachers received a tablet computer if ≥80% of children given glasses wore them during unannounced visits 6 weeks and 6 months (main outcome) after intervention. RESULTS: Among 4376 children, 728 (16.7%, mean age 10.9 years, 51.0% boys) met enrollment criteria and were randomly allocated, 358 (49.2%, 47 schools) to Intervention and 370 (50.8%, 47 schools) to Control. Among these, 693 children (95.2%) completed the study and underwent analysis. Spectacle wear was significantly higher at 6 months among Intervention children (Observed [main outcome]: 68.3% vs 23.9%, adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 11.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.91-22.5, P < .001; Self-reported: 90.6% vs 32.1%, OR = 43.7, 95% CI = 21.7-88.5, P < .001). Other predictors of observed wear at 6 months included baseline spectacle wear (P < .001), uncorrected VA <6/18 (P = .01), and parental spectacle wear (P = .02). The 6-month observed wear rate was only 41% among similar-aged children provided free glasses in our previous trial without teacher incentives. CONCLUSIONS: Free spectacles and teacher incentives maintain classroom wear in the large majority of children needing glasses over a school year. Low wear among Control children demonstrates the need for interventions.

Use of eyeglasses among children in elementary school: perceptions, behaviors, and interventions discussed by parents, school nurses, and teachers during focus groups.

PURPOSE: To investigate the perceptions, behaviors, and recommendations that parents, school nurses, and teachers have regarding children's use of eyeglasses. APPROACH: Focus groups with parents, school nurses, and teachers were conducted. SETTING: The study took place in one Southern California school district. PARTICIPANTS: There were 39 participants, including 24 parents, seven school nurses, and eight teachers. METHOD: An experienced moderator guided the focus group discussions. Transcripts were analyzed using grounded theory techniques. RESULTS: Participants perceive visual impairment as a serious problem in the development of children. The lack of eyeglasses may lead to problems such as tiredness, headaches, inability to focus on school work, and decreased reading speed. Participants experienced disappointment, unhappiness, worry, and concern when they realized they needed eyeglasses at a young age. Negative societal perceptions toward eyeglasses, lack of eye doctors in minority communities, parental perceptions that children do not need eyeglasses, and peer bullying of children wearing eyeglasses are key obstacles to children's use of eyeglasses. Participants suggest school and national campaigns featuring respected public figures who wear eyeglasses to promote positive attitudes toward eyeglasses. CONCLUSION: Parents and teachers who closely follow the academic development of children have observed that visual impairment has negative consequences for the scholastic achievement of children. They recommend interventions to promote the attractiveness of eyeglasses in society. The participants discuss the need for a national preventative message for eye care similar to the message for dental care. The public health message should emphasize the importance of embracing and respecting differences among individuals.

The stability of impact of assistive devices.

PURPOSE: Abandonment of an assistive device (AD) is a frustrating issue yet is very common. An important reason for abandonment is that the device fails to improve the quality of life of the adopter. METHOD: By means of a new questionnaire, the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS) the impact on quality of life of any AD can be measured. This study tested the hypothesis that the impact of the adoption of an AD would wane with time, as the user becomes more adapted to the AD. The study attempted to do a one year follow up on all patients at a leading Canadian clinic who had received first-time prescriptions for eyeglasses. RESULTS: The results showed that the positive impact, present on adoption, did not diminish significantly for those who retained the use of the device. CONCLUSION: The PIADS provides clinicians with a reliable and economical method for assessing the role of psychosocial factors in the retention or abandonment of an AD.

[Psychological impact of eyeglasses]. / Impact psychologique des lunettes.

Children with a strabismus feel often derided. Wearing spectacles is considered by them as an additional burden. The resulting emotional problems were apparent in a study of their drawings and accompanying interviews 12 years ago. Although interviews showed a year ago that the spectacles were better accepted, they still do not seem to be "interiorised". Therefore parents should emphasize the positive aspect of wearing spectacles, which should be considered as an ornament.

[Contraindications of multifocal lenses and progressive lenses]. / Contre-indications des verres multifocaux et à foyers progressifs.

Reasons of contra-indications, absolute or relative, of multifocals an progressive glasses may be objective and/or subjective. This work considers some principal of them. Their knowledge and the comprehension of their mechanisms must help the ophthalmologist to understand the reasons of some defeats and to avoid some others.

Eyeglasses and children's schemata.

The role of framed eyeglasses in children's person schemata was examined. American first graders (35 girls, 36 boys), rated by their teachers as low, medium, or high in cognitive development, judged peers photographed with and without glasses for physical attractiveness, school performance, conduct, sociability, and sociometric choice. There was a general same-sex bias in the children's ratings. The stimulus persons tended to be rated lower in attractiveness (especially if they were girls), school performance, and conduct when they were wearing glasses than when they were not wearing glasses. Glasses negatively influenced sociometric choice, but only for the most cognitively developed children. These results indicated that adults' stereotypes about people who wear glasses eventually become part of children's person schemata.

Attitude and beliefs of Nigerian undergraduates to spectacle wear.

BACKGROUND: Uncorrected refractive error is a common cause of preventable visual impairment. Glasses are the cheapest and commonest form of correction of refractive errors. To achieve this, patients must exhibit good compliance to spectacle wear. Patients' attitude and perception of glasses and eye health could affect compliance to spectacle wear. OBJECTIVE: To determine the attitude and beliefs of Nigerian undergraduates to spectacle wear. METHOD: A cross sectional study of 500 undergraduates of the University of Benin, Nigeria. Age range was from 18 to 30 years, mean age 23 ± 2.7 years. There were 269 males and 231 females. Semi structured questionnaires were distributed to the participants and collected same day after completion. RESULTS: Two-thirds (68%) of the total population studied had not heard of refractive error. About a third (38%) believed wearing eyeglasses was one of the methods used to correct refractive error. Half (50%) believed they would wear spectacles if prescribed with one by their doctor. Sixty-four percent believed eyeglasses are harmful to the eyes; and 65% did not know that eyeglasses could be used to relieve other forms of ocular discomfort like headache and tearing. Fifty-seven per cent of respondents saw people who wore eyeglasses as visually handicapped, while 60% believed that eyeglasses were meant for old people. Majority of the respondents (56%) believed that they would be teased if they wore glasses. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of refractive errors and acceptance of glasses for the correction of refractive errors among Nigerian undergraduates is not encouraging. Public enlightenment programs to promote benefits of wearing prescribed spectacles are needed.

Qualidade de vida e visão pós-facectomia / Quality of life and vision post-facectomy

Resumo Objetivo: A catarata é a principal causa de cegueira reversível no mundo e seu tratamento é baseado em cirurgia, facectomia. A evolução do procedimento tem se baseado em vários pilares, mas é no desenvolvimento de novos tipos de lentes intraoculares que vem mostrando inovações consideráveis. As lentes atuais são capazes, além de tratar a catarata, de corrigir erros refracionais. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a qualidade de vida e de visão pós-facectomia, comparando as lentes multifocais (Restor), tóricas, monofocais esféricas (SN60AT) e monofocais asféricas. Métodos: A pesquisa abrangeu 54 pacientes submetidos a facectomia com implantação de uma das lentes há, pelo menos, 3 meses. Os pacientes responderam questionário de qualidade de vida Cataract TyPE Specification sobre satisfação de visão, dependência de óculos para diversas atividades diárias e presença de fenômenos disfóticos. Para análise dos dados foram utilizados os testes de Kolmogorov-Smirnov, quanto a normalidade e ANOVA com teste de Tukey, quanta parametria. Em comparações não paramétricas, utilizou-se o teste de Mann-Whitney. Em todas as análises foi usado o mesmo nível de significância (p<0,05). Resultados: Numa escala de 0 a 10, a pesquisa mostrou que as lentes SN60AT, esféricas monofocais, foram as que obtiveram menor nível de satisfação entre as 4 lentes, obtendo média de 8,7 (DP= 1,30; IC ± 0,655), seguido das esféricas monofocais (média= 8,3 - DP= 1,83; IC ± 0,927), das esféricas multifocais (Restor) (média = 8,9 - DP = 1,42; IC ± 0,721) e as tóricas (média = 9,1 - DP = 1,67; IC ± 0,844) como a de maior nível de satisfação. Em relação à dependência dos óculos, a lente Restor foi a que mostrou melhor desempenho, com menor dependência dos óculos. Fenômenos disfóticos foram mais frequentes nos pacientes que tiveram implantada a lente SN60AT seguida de lente Restor. Conclusão: Conclui-se que as lentes SN60AT foram as lentes que causaram menor grau de satisfação, tendo os fenômenos disfóticos umas das principais queixas, associada a dependência dos óculos pós-cirurgia. Os pacientes que tiveram as lentes Restor implantadas, apesar dos sintomas disfóticos mais presentes do que as lentes monofocais tóricas e monofocais esféricas, tem o mesmo nível de satisfação, e ainda proporciona maior independência dos óculos.

Abstract Objective: Cataract is the leading cause of reversible blindness in the world and its treatment is based on surgery, facectomy. The evolution of the procedure has been based on several pillars, but it is in the development of new types of intraocular lenses that has been showing considerable innovations. Current lenses are capable, in addition to treating cataracts, of correcting refractive errors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of life and post-facectomy vision, comparing multifocal lenses (Restor), toric, spherical monofocals (SN60AT) and aspheric monofocals. Methods: The study included 54 patients undergoing a facectomy with implantation of one of the lenses for at least 3 months. The patients answered questionnaire quality of life Cataract TyPE Specification on vision satisfaction, glasses dependence for various daily activities and presence of dysphothetic phenomena. For the analysis of the data, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were used, regarding normality and ANOVA with Tukey's test, how much parametric. In non-parametric comparisons, the Mann-Whitney test was used. In all analyzes, the same level of significance was used (p <0.05). Results: On a scale of 0 to 10, the research showed that single-spherical spherical SN60AT lenses were the ones that obtained the lowest level of satisfaction among the four lenses, obtaining an average of 8.7 (SD = 1.30, CI ± 0.655), followed (mean = 8.9 - SD = 1.42, CI ± 0.721) and the toric (mean = 8.3 - SD = 1.83, CI ± 0.927), multifocal spherical (Restor) 9.1 - SD = 1.67, CI ± 0.844) as the highest level of satisfaction. Regarding the dependence of the glasses, the Restor lens showed the best performance, with less dependence on the glasses. Dysphasic phenomena were more frequent in patients who had implanted the SN60AT lens followed by Restor lens. Conclusion: It is concluded that the SN60AT lenses were the lenses that caused less satisfaction, and the dysphothetic phenomena were one of the main complaints, associated with the postoperative glasses dependence. Patients who had restored Restor lenses, despite the more present dysphoric symptoms than spherical monofocal and single-focal lenses, have the same level of satisfaction, and still provide greater independence of the glasses.