Improving health-related quality of life in glaucoma during 11 years and its association with vision loss and treatment of the disease.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of glaucoma on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and mental health in the ageing population of Finland. METHODS: Altogether 7380 and 5774 Finnish individuals aged 30 years and older with known eye disease status were studied in 2000 and 2011, respectively, in two population-based surveys, including an 11-year follow-up of 4683 participants. Data on HRQoL (EQ-5D-3L, 15D), depression (BDI), psychological distress (GHQ-12) and eye disease diagnoses were obtained from self-reported assessments. Information on glaucoma was complemented with the medication, diagnosis and eye surgery data obtained from the Finnish Health Registries. Distance visual acuity was assessed using the Snellen eye chart test. In logistic regression analyses, data were corrected for age, gender and the most common comorbidities. RESULTS: Glaucoma patients with verified diagnosis (n = 192 in 2000, n = 202 in 2011) and individuals with self-suspected glaucoma (n = 100 in 2000, n = 41 in 2011) showed a significant decrease in their HRQoL. Glaucoma was also associated with worsened overall mental health based on BDI and GHQ-12 results. Visual impairment associated with glaucoma is the major determinant of the reduced HRQoL and mental health. Neither glaucoma medication nor glaucoma surgery affected these parameters. The impact of glaucoma on HRQoL and mental health diminished between 2000 and 2011 in a cross-sectional setting. The newly diagnosed glaucoma during the 11-year follow-up had a minimal effect on them. CONCLUSION: Glaucoma patients show reduced HRQoL and mental health, which is associated with vision loss regardless of the awareness or treatment of the disease. However, this effect seems to be diminishing over time, and the newly diagnosed glaucoma did not show a significant effect on either HRQoL or mental health.

Population-based assessment of prevalence of spectacle use and effective spectacle coverage for distance vision in Andhra Pradesh, India - Akividu Visual Impairment Study.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Effective spectacle coverage is a useful indicator to assess the coverage of refraction services in a given region. We found a low coverage in the Akividu region suggesting a need to develop effective refraction services. BACKGROUND: To assess the prevalence of spectacle use and effective spectacle coverage for distance vision among people aged 40 years and older in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional survey was carried out in the Akividu region in West Godavari and Krishna districts. The study teams visited selected households and conducted eye examinations in the selected clusters. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information on spectacle use. 'Met Need' was defined as unaided VA worse than 6/12 but improved to 6/12 or better with their current spectacles. 'Unmet Need' was defined as unaided VA worse than 6/12 but improved to 6/12 with pinhole, among those not using spectacles. The 'Under-met Need' was defined as aided VA worse than 6/12 but improving with pinhole to 6/12 or better. Based on these definitions, Effective Refractive Error Coverage (e-REC) is calculated as: e-REC (%) s = ((met need)/(met need + under-met need + unmet need)) X100. RESULTS: Of 3,000 enumerated from 60 clusters, 2,587 (86.2%) participants were examined. The prevalence of current spectacle use was 43.1% (95% CI:41.2-45.0). The e-REC was 37.4%. It was also lower in men compared to women and among those without any education. Participants who had cataract surgery in either eye had similar e-REC compared to those who were not operated. CONCLUSION: Though spectacle use was found to be high, there is a still large unmet need for refractive correction for distance. Effective service delivery models to provide refraction and spectacle dispensing services are needed to achieve universal eye health coverage in the region.

Randomized Controlled Trial of a Spectacle Lens for Macular Degeneration.

SIGNIFICANCE: E-Scoop, a spectacle lens, provides no clinically relevant improvements on quality of life, visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity for patients with AMD. Because patients' burden is high and therapeutic options are scarce, the incentive to develop effective vision rehabilitation interventions remains. PURPOSE: Patients with AMD experience low quality of life due to vision loss, despite angiogenesis inhibitor interventions that slow down progression for some patients. E-Scoop, which includes low-power prisms, 6% magnification, yellow tint, and antireflection coating, might aid in daily activities by improving distance viewing. Separately, these features have little proven effectiveness. E-Scoop has not been formally tested. This study aimed to determine the impact of E-Scoop on quality of life and the effect on visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. METHODS: In this randomized controlled, open-label trial, 190 of 226 eligible patients were included. The primary outcome was quality of life measured with the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. The follow-up for quality of life was after 6 weeks for controls and after 3 weeks of use for E-Scoop wearers. The visual measures were repeated after 6 weeks, with optimal refractive correction, with and without E-Scoop. RESULTS: Randomization resulted in 99 E-Scoop and 86 control group patients for intention-to-treat analysis. No differential change was found between the E-Scoop and control groups on the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire using Rasch analysis (Cohen d = -0.07, P = .53). Statistically significant but small effects were found in favor of E-Scoop on binocular visual acuity (mean difference, 0.05 logMAR [2.5 letters, P < .001]) and contrast sensitivity (mean difference, 0.10 logCS [2 letters, P < .001]). CONCLUSIONS: No effect of E-Scoop on quality of life was found. E-Scoop showed effects that were statistically significant, although not clinically meaningful and within typical variability, on visual measures.

Neuroplasticidad en personas con baja visión: locus preferente retinal y su potencial para la rehabilitación visual / Neuroplasticity in people with low vision: Neuroplasticity in people with low vision: preferred retinal locus and its potential for visual rehabilitation and its potential for visual rehabilitation

Visual rehabilitation in people with irreversible Low Vision (LV) aims to optimize the use of remaining vision to execute visual tasks. Conventional rehabilitation exploits the visual potential through training using the remaining visual function, with or without visual aids, to improve performance on specific tasks. However, there is no consensus about the impact of this approach in the long term and on the quality of life of patients. On the other hand, visual neuro-rehabilitation has long-term advantages that can be complementary to conventional strategies and is based on the generation of scotoma awareness and training in the systematic use of extrafoveal regions for fixation and for use as oculomotor reference. These regions called preferred retinal loci (PRL) are established spontaneously in the peripheral retina that still retain visual function and constitute evidence of a high degree of plasticity of the visual system. There is wide evidence of the efficacy of visual neuro-rehabilitation strategies on performance in specific visual tasks, but their impact on the overall visual performance and quality of life of patients is still pending. (AU)

[Evaluation of the quality of life of adult patients treated in low vision at the CHU-IOTA]. / Évaluation de la qualité de vie des patients adultes pris en charge en basse vision au CHU-IOTA.

INTRODUCTION: Visual impairment is a handicap defined as any alteration of visual function responsible for a partial or total limitation of the activities of daily living (OMS, 2004). The objective of this study is to assess quality of life in patients before and after management of low vision. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a mono-centric, transverse, analytical study over a period of 6 months. Our study population included all adult patients seen in ophthalmologic consultation and followed in the low vision unit with visual acuity less than 3/10 and greater than or equal to 1/20 in the best eye with best optical correction. The National Eye Institute's quality of life questionnaire, the NEF VFQ 25, was administered to patients on site prior to management and then a month later. RESULTS: Low-vision management improved overall the dimensions of the quality of life questionnaire. Following the end-of-care assessment, the score for ocular pain was lowest (38.20), followed by the overall vision score (44.95) and near vision difficulty score (45.33). DISCUSSION: Our sample population was distinguished by a cultural mix, with diversity of beliefs and lifestyles, and also by the relatively advanced age of the subjects constituting it. This can influence the individual's perception of him- or herself within his or her environment, modifying the patient's estimation of his or her condition and therefore his or her behavior. CONCLUSION: Low-vision rehabilitation can improve the quality of life of visually impaired patients, particularly for near vision, activities of daily living and psychological health.

[Evaluation of the medical treatment situation of the visually impaired : Significant differences between young and old]. / Evaluation der Versorgungssituation von Sehbehinderten : Signifikante Unterschiede zwischen Jung und Alt.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Patients with irreversible visual impairment need individual visual rehabilitation to regain or improve reading ability and mobility. To analyze the prescription of low vision aids (LVA) and their relation to age, we performed a retrospective chart analysis of our specialized low vision outpatient clinic. METHODS: Patient charts of all patients who attended our low vision outpatient clinic from 2014-2016 were analyzed with respect to the diagnosis, visual acuity, magnification needs, age and prescribed or used LVA. RESULTS: The evaluation comprised data from 1548 patients (age 0-97 years). Most patients (72%) were underage (<18 years). Retinoblastoma (11%), congenital cataract (10%) and age-related macular degeneration (AMD, 6%) were the most frequent diagnoses. Mean magnification need of the 568 patients with LVAs was 9.9 ± 7. Desktop video magnifiers (22%), cut-off filter spectacles (15%) and electronic magnifiers (13%) were most commonly prescribed. Children and juveniles used smart phones and tablets (smart devices) as a LVA significantly more often (8% vs. 0.6%, p < 0.01) compared to older visually impaired patients (>60 years). Electronic magnifying devices were more often prescribed to these older patients (30% vs. 3%, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The visual rehabilitation showed significant differences between underage and older visually impaired patients. Children and juveniles needed electronic magnifiers less often because they used smart devices as a mobile LVA. This significant difference might be due to much lower social stigmatization of smart devices and the higher affinity to technology of this age group. Based on the positive experiences of younger visually impaired patients, such smart devices should also be introduced to older patients.

Meeting the eye-care needs of Australia's Indigenous people.

Australia is addressing the huge unmet need for eye care for its Indigenous population. Jack Latimore reports.

Perspectives on diagnosis and management of adult idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this review is to shed light into the diagnostic challenges regarding idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), giving more emphasis to the role of optical coherence tomography (OCT) in IIH, while it also presents recent advances in the management of IIH. METHODS: A literature search in PubMed was performed for studies about the diagnosis and management of IIH published before June 30, 2017. Then, a comprehensive review of the eligible studies and the relevant references was performed. RESULTS: Apart from the updated modified criteria, OCT has been found to be important for the diagnosis of IIH, along with assessment of clinical signs and symptoms, brain imaging, and lumbar puncture. On the other hand, there is no current consensus for the management of IIH, but various interventions have been used, such as dietary therapy (weight loss, bariatric surgery, lifestyle modification, low-salt diet), medications, and surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: IIH is a challenging and serious disorder, which may lead to permanent visual impairment if there is a delay in its diagnosis. Advances in retinal imaging have led to better understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and prompt diagnosis even in subtle cases can be done using OCT. Surgical interventions should be minimized and only used in cases refractory to medical treatment and in those with rapid progression.

Unilateral macular choroidal neovascularization-a rare manifestation in acute myelocytic leukemia: Case report.

RATIONALE: Characteristic signs of leukemic retinopathy include bilateral intra-retinal hemorrhage, white-centred hemorrhage, macular hemorrhage and cotton-wool spots. Capillary closure, retinal microaneurysms and neovascularization following massive fundus hemorrhage could be involved in few of the above instances. However, single choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in macular has not been observed in acute myelocytic leukemia (AML). PATIENT CONCERNS: A 22-year-old woman presented with a 7-day history of vision decline in the right eye (OD). The patient was diagnosed as M3 AML one month earlier. Chemotherapy was immediately administered, which led to temporary myelosuppression. Recent examination showed that best corrected visual acuity was 20/400 OD. Fundoscopy showed petechial and patchy intra-retinal hemorrhage in both eyes and grayish-white lesion in the right macular center, which was confirmed as macular CNV by OCT and OCTA. DIAGNOSES: The patient was diagnosed as macular CNV OD related to AML and chemotherapeutic regimens. INTERVENTIONS: She received intravitreal ranibizumab injection 0.5 mg (10 mg/ml) in the right eye for once on January 3, 2017. OUTCOMES: CNV resolved three days after treatment with intravitreal ranibizumab injection 0.5 mg for once. No recurrence was observed after 10-month follow-up. Vision recovered to 20/40 at the last visit. LESSONS: This is the first report demonstrating that macular CNV could be an ophthalmic side-effect secondary to initiated chemotherapeutic regimens in patients with M3 AML. Intravitreal injection of ranibizumab could be beneficial and safe in treating this CNV.

OPA1 gene therapy prevents retinal ganglion cell loss in a Dominant Optic Atrophy mouse model.

Dominant optic atrophy (DOA) is a rare progressive and irreversible blinding disease which is one of the most frequent forms of hereditary optic neuropathy. DOA is mainly caused by dominant mutation in the OPA1 gene encoding a large mitochondrial GTPase with crucial roles in membrane dynamics and cell survival. Hereditary optic neuropathies are commonly characterized by the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells, leading to the optic nerve atrophy and the progressive loss of visual acuity. Up to now, despite increasing advances in the understanding of the pathological mechanisms, DOA remains intractable. Here, we tested the efficiency of gene therapy on a genetically-modified mouse model reproducing DOA vision loss. We performed intravitreal injections of an Adeno-Associated Virus carrying the human OPA1 cDNA under the control of the cytomegalovirus promotor. Our results provide the first evidence that gene therapy is efficient on a mouse model of DOA as the wild-type OPA1 expression is able to alleviate the OPA1-induced retinal ganglion cell degeneration, the hallmark of the disease. These results displayed encouraging effects of gene therapy for Dominant Optic Atrophy, fostering future investigations aiming at clinical trials in patients.

Integrating primary eye care into global child health policies.

Globally, approximately 75% of blind children live in low-income countries (LICs). Almost half of blindness and low vision in LICs is due to avoidable causes such as corneal scarring from measles infection, vitamin A deficiency disorders, use of harmful traditional eye remedies, ophthalmia neonatorum and cataract.

Vision Loss in Older Adults.

Vision loss affects 37 million Americans older than 50 years and one in four who are older than 80 years. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force concludes that current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for impaired visual acuity in adults older than 65 years. However, family physicians play a critical role in identifying persons who are at risk of vision loss, counseling patients, and referring patients for disease-specific treatment. The conditions that cause most cases of vision loss in older patients are age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, ocular complications of diabetes mellitus, and age-related cataracts. Vitamin supplements can delay the progression of age-related macular degeneration. Intravitreal injection of a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor can preserve vision in the neovascular form of macular degeneration. Medicated eye drops reduce intraocular pressure and can delay the progression of vision loss in patients with glaucoma, but adherence to treatment is poor. Laser trabeculoplasty also lowers intraocular pressure and preserves vision in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, but long-term studies are needed to identify who is most likely to benefit from surgery. Tight glycemic control in adults with diabetes slows the progression of diabetic retinopathy, but must be balanced against the risks of hypoglycemia and death in older adults. Fenofibrate also slows progression of diabetic retinopathy. Panretinal photocoagulation is the mainstay of treatment for diabetic retinopathy, whereas vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors slow vision loss resulting from diabetic macular edema. Preoperative testing before cataract surgery does not improve outcomes and is not recommended.

Characteristic of low vision patients attending an eye hospital in eastern region of Nepal.

INTRODUCTION: Low vision is an important public health problem. OBJECTIVE: To study the profile of low vision patients in a hospital of Nepal. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Information related to the patients' profile, visual status, ocular disease and, low vision devices prescribed were obtained retrospectively from the records of 1,860 visually- impaired patients, regardless of the cause, presenting to the low vision department of the Biratnagar Eye Hospital, Biratnagar, Nepal, over a period of four years. These patients, after a comprehensive ocular examination, underwent low vision examination by an ophthalmologist and a low vision specialist. RESULTS: Of 1,860 patients, males comprised 1298 (70 %), while 562 (30 %) patients were female. Six hundred and one (32.3%) patients were of less than 20 years while 398(21.4%) were more than 60 years of age. Agriculture (500, 27 %), household work (341, 18 %) and students (308, 17 %) were the common occupations. Retinal diseases were the commonest cause of low vision. They were: macular disorders 408 (22 %), retinitis pigmentosa 226 (12.1 %) and other retinal causes 361 (19.4 %) (diabetic retinopathy, choroidal coloboma, post laser for retinal vasculitis and central retinal/branch retinal vein occlusion, healed macular chorioretinal scar secondary to retinochroiditis and choroiditis). Refractive error 215 (11.5 %), amblyopia 49 (2.6 %), optic atrophy 144 (7.8 %) and microphthalmos 105 (5.6 %) were the other causes. Uncorrected distance visual acuity was between 6/24 and 6/60 in 509 (27.4 %) and between 5/60 and PL in 1,327 (71.3 %) patients. Similarly, near visual acuity with vision better than 2.50 M (N 20) and worse than 2.50 M (N20) was present in 643(34.5%) and 1,217(65.5%) patients. About 67% and 54.5% of the patients had some improvement in their distance and near visual acuity with glasses and low vision aids. Distance spectacles 909 (49 %), near spectacles 106 (5.7 %), hand held magnifiers 78 (4 %) and telescopes 18 (1 %) were the optical devices prescribed. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of low vision is common among the people of the younger and older age groups. Retinal diseases are common among the causes for low vision. Adequate prescription and availability of low vision devices can improve the visual acuity.

Integrating Frailty into Clinical Practice to Prevent the Risk of Dependency in the Elderly.

Geriatric medicine started to be developed approximately 40 years ago when the increasing number of older adults with disability and dementia admitted to hospital emergency units threatened the sustainability of the healthcare organizations. Today, almost 90% of the geriatric medicine forces are devoted to the care of age-related disabilities. The epidemiological scenario and the high healthcare costs required for the management of dependent individuals require the adoption of strategies aimed at preventing the loss of physical function and anticipate the take in charge of older persons at risk of negative outcomes. Major medical specialties (e.g., oncology, cardiology, neurology…) have already moved to an early stage of the diseases to be more effective. Geriatric medicine must do the same moving to frailty an early stage of disability were intervention are more likely to be effective.

Insights into inpatients with poor vision: A high value proposition.

BACKGROUND: Vision impairment is an under-recognized risk factor for adverse events among hospitalized patients, yet vision is neither routinely tested nor documented for inpatients. Low-cost ($8 and up) nonprescription "readers" may be a simple, high-value intervention to improve inpatients' vision. We aimed to study initial feasibility and efficacy of screening and correcting inpatients' vision. METHODS: From June 2012 through January 2014 we began testing whether participants' vision corrected with nonprescription lenses for eligible participants failing a vision screen (Snellen chart) performed by research assistants (RAs). Descriptive statistics and tests of comparison, including t tests and χ(2) tests, were used when appropriate. All analyses were performed using Stata version 12 (StataCorp, College Station, TX). RESULTS: Over 800 participants' vision was screened (n = 853). Older (≥65 years; 56%) participants were more likely to have insufficient vision than younger (<65 years; 28%; P < 0.001). Nonprescription readers corrected the majority of eligible participants' vision (82%, 95/116). DISCUSSION: Among an easily identified subgroup of inpatients with poor vision, low-cost readers successfully corrected most participants' vision. Hospitalists and other clinicians working in the inpatient setting can play an important role in identifying opportunities to provide high-value care related to patients' vision.

Enfermedad de Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada y rehabilitación visual / Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and visual rehabilitation

La enfermedad de Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada es una entidad infrecuente, multisistémica, de etiología desconocida, presuntamente autoinmune, caracterizada por panuveítis granulomatosa crónica bilateral y difusa, acompañada de participación tegumentaria, neurológica y auditiva, que afecta con mayor frecuencia la raza no caucasiana y, por lo general, a mujeres. Se presenta generalmente entre los 20-50 años de edad. Su incidencia varía geográficamente. Se estima que el 25 por ciento de los pacientes con esta enfermedad son ciegos legales; que el 25 por ciento puede presentar baja visión y el 50 por ciento agudeza visual mayor de 20/50. Se presenta una paciente de 50 años de edad con antecedentes de enfermedad de Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada, de 8 años de evolución, quien ha llevado tratamiento con antinflamatorios esteroideos sistémicos e inmunosupresores, así como terapia de apoyo con antinflamatorios esteroideos tópicos y ciclopléjicos. Acudió a la consulta de baja visión y se le realizó examen oftalmológico completo, estudios complementarios y se rehabilitó mediante el uso de ayudas ópticas y no ópticas para lograr el mayor aprovechamiento de su resto visual(AU)

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) is a rare, multisystemic, allegedly autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. It is characterized by chronic bilateral granulomatous and diffuse panuveitis, accompanied by tegumentary, neurological and hearing impairments that often affect the non-Caucasians and usually women. It usually occurs in the 20-25 years age group and its incidence varies with the geographic location. It is estimated that 25 percent of the patients with this disease are legally blind, the other 25 percent may have low vision and 50% present with visual acuity over 20/50. There is a 50 years-old patient with a history of Vogt - Koyanagi - Harada disease for 8 years. He had been treated with systemic steroid anti-inflammatory drugs and immunosuppressive therapy as well as supporting therapy with topical and cycloplegic steroid anti-inflammatories. The patient had gone to the low vision service looking for rehabilitation. He was performed a complete eye examination, supplementary studies and he was finally rehabilitated through the use of optical and non-optical aids in order to maximize his remaining vision(AU)