The impact of the first peak of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood myopia control practice patterns among ophthalmologists-an international pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus council global perspective.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of myopia keeps increasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to map the worldwide treatment preferences of ophthalmologists managing myopia control during the first wave of the pandemic. METHODS: An online questionnaire inquiring about pharmacological and optical treatment patterns during the first half of 2020 was sent to pediatric ophthalmology as well as general ophthalmology memberships worldwide. The results among pediatric ophthalmologists were compared to a previous study we performed before the pandemic. RESULTS: A total of 2269 respondents from 94 countries were included. Most respondents were pediatric ophthalmologists (64.6%), followed by ophthalmologists from other subspecialties (32.3%). The preferred modality for all geographical regions was a combination therapy of pharmacological and optical treatments. When evaluated independently, the pharmacological treatment was more popular than the optical treatment in most regions other than East Asia (P < 0.001). Compared to a pre-pandemic questionnaire, the participation of pediatric ophthalmologists affiliated with non-university hospitals increased. Additionally, the prevalence of respondents utilizing either any type of pharmacological treatment and those that using only evidence-based treatments increased globally. Although a decline in the use of optical treatment was evident worldwide, the use of evidence-based optical treatments increased. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmologists around the world preferred a combination therapy of pharmacological and optical treatments. More pediatric ophthalmologists treated myopia progression and preferred a better evidence-based approach to control myopia. These trends reflect a positive response and more awareness of the rising prevalence of myopia due to the increased burden of myopia imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Single versus bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting in patients with impaired renal function.

OBJECTIVE: The optimal strategy for surgical revascularization in patients with impaired renal function is inconclusive. We compared early and late outcomes between bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) and single ITA (SITA) grafting in patients with renal dysfunction. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of all the patients with multivessel disease and impaired renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60mL/min/1.73m2) who underwent isolated coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) in our center during 1996-2011, utilizing either BITA or SITA revascularization. RESULTS: Of the 5301 patients with multivessel disease who underwent surgical revascularization during the study period, 391 were with impaired renal function: 212 (54.2%) underwent BITA, 179 (45.8%) underwent SITA. Patients who underwent BITA were less likely to have comorbidities. Statistically significant differences were not observed between the BITA and SITA groups in 30-day mortality (5.6% vs. 9.0%, p = 0.2) and in rates of early stroke, myocardial infarction, and sternal infection (4.5% vs. 6.1%, p = 0.467; 1.7% vs. 2.8%, p = 0.517; and 2.2% vs. 5.7%, p = 0.088, respectively). Long-term survival of the BITA group was better: median 8.36 vs. 4.14 years, p<0.001. In multivariable analysis, BITA revascularization was associated with decreased late mortality (HR = 0.704, 95% CI: 0.556-0.89, p = 0.003). In analysis of a matched cohort (134 pairs), early outcomes did not differ between the groups; however, in multivariable analysis, BITA revascularization was associated with decreased late mortality (HR = 0.35 (95%CI 0.18-0.68), p = 0.002) . CONCLUSIONS: BITA revascularization did not impact early outcome in patients with CRF, but demonstrated a significant protective effect on long-term survival in the unmatched and matched cohorts.

Longitudinal changes in the macula and optic nerve in familial dysautonomia.

OBJECTIVE: Familial Dysautonomia (FD) disease, lacks a useful biomarker for clinical monitoring. In this longitudinal study we characterized the structural changes in the macula, peripapillary and the optic nerve head (ONH) regions in subjects with FD. METHODS: Data was consecutively collected from subjects attending the FD clinic between 2012 and 2019. All subjects were imaged with spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Global and sectoral measurements of mean retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thickness, and ONH parameters of rim area, average cup-to-disc (C:D) ratio, and cup volume were used for the analysis. The best fit models (linear, quadratic and broken stick linear model) were used to describe the longitudinal change in each of the parameters. RESULTS: 91 subjects (149 eyes) with FD of ages 5-56 years were included in the analysis. The rate of change for average RNFL and average GCIPL thicknesses were significant before reaching a plateau at the age of 26.2 for RNFL and 24.8 for GCIPL (- 0.861 µm/year (95% CI - 1.026, - 0.693) and - 0.553 µm/year (95% CI - 0.645, - 0.461), respectively). Significant linear rate of progression was noted for all ONH parameters, except for a subset of subjects (24%), with no cupping that did not show progression in any of the ONH parameters. CONCLUSIONS: The rapidly declining RNFL and GCIPL can explain the progressive visual impairment previously reported in these subjects. Among all structural parameters, ONH parameters might be most suitable for longitudinal follow-up, in eyes with a measurable cup.

Chromatic Pupilloperimetry Measures Correlate With Visual Acuity and Visual Field Defects in Retinitis Pigmentosa Patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of chromatic pupilloperimetry to identify visual field (VF) defects in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and to test the correlation between pupilloperimetry impairment and retinal structural and functional measures. Methods: The pupil responses of 10 patients with RP (mean age, 41.3 ± 16.2 years) and 32 healthy age-similar controls (mean age, 50.7 ± 15.5 years) for 54 focal blue and red stimuli presented in a 24-2 VF were recorded. The pupilloperimetry measures were correlated with Humphrey VF mean deviation, best-corrected visual acuity, and ellipsoid zone area. Results: Substantially lower percentage of pupil contraction and maximal pupil contraction velocity (MCV) were recorded in patients with RP throughout the VF in response to blue and red stimuli. The mean absolute deviation (MADEV) in the latency of MCV (LMCV) was significantly larger in patients compared with controls for blue and red stimuli (P = 1.0 × 10-7 and P = 1.0 × 10-6, respectively). The LMCV MADEV differentiated between patients and controls with high specificity and sensitivity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.987 and 0.973 for blue and red, respectively). The MADEV of LMCV for blue stimuli correlated with best-corrected visual acuity (ρ = 0.938, P = 5.9 × 10-5) and ellipsoid zone area (ρ = -0.857; P = 0.002). The MADEV of LMCV for red stimuli correlated with Humphrey VF mean deviation (ρ = -0.709; P = 0.022). Minimizing the test to 15 targets maintained a diagnosis of retinal damage in patients with RP with high sensitivity and specificity (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.927). Conclusions: The chromatic pupilloperimetry measures significantly correlated with retinal function and structure in patients with RP at various disease stages. Translational Relevance: Chromatic pupilloperimetry may enable objective assessment of visual field defects and visual acuity in RP.