Prevalence of Myopia and Its Associated Factors Among Japanese Preschool Children.

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of myopia and factors associated with spherical equivalent (SE), axial length (AL), and axial length to corneal radius of curvature (AL/CR) ratio among Japanese preschool children. Study Design: Prospective observational study. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated subjects aged 4-6 years from a preschool. Non-cycloplegic autorefraction was measured using the Spot Vision Screener, while AL and corneal radius (CR) were measured using the Myopia Master. Parental myopia and environmental factors were investigated using the myopia-related factor questionnaire. The worse eye with higher myopic SE was chosen for analysis, and multiple linear regression models was performed using AL, SE, and AL/CR ratio as dependent variables. Results: A total of 457 out of 514 participants (239 males, 52.3%) aged 4-6 years (mean 4.77 ± 0.65 years) were included. The mean SE was 0.13 ± 0.63 D, AL was 22.35 ± 0.67 mm, CR was 7.76 ± 0.25 mm, and AL/CR ratio was 2.88 ± 0.72. The overall prevalence of myopia and high myopia were 2.9 and 0.2%, respectively. Multiple regression analysis showed that myopic SE was significantly associated with male sex (ß = -0.14, p = 0.02) and parental myopia (ß = -0.15, p = 0.04). Meanwhile, longer AL was significantly associated with older age (ß = 0.13, p = 0.02), male sex (ß = 0.44, p < 0.001), parental myopia (ß = 0.24, p = 0.01), and screen time (including smartphones, tablets, and computers) (>1 h, ß = 0.14, p = 0.04). A higher AL/CR was significantly associated with older age (ß = 0.02, p < 0.001), male sex (ß = 0.03, p < 0.001), ratio and parental myopia (ß = 0.03, p = 0.02). Conclusion: The prevalence of myopia and high myopia were 2.9 and 0.2%, respectively, among Japanese preschool children in 2021. Longer AL was associated with older age, male sex, parental myopia, and screen time in children aged 4-6 years. Children with a high risk of myopia can be identified early based on parental myopia information for early prevention.

Characteristics of astigmatism before and 1 month after blepharoptosis surgery in patients with acquired ptosis.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the characteristics of astigmatism preoperatively and 1 month postoperatively in patients with age-related ptosis (AP) and contact lens-related ptosis (CLP), and investigate surgery-induced astigmatism (SIA) using the Jaffe vector analysis and the Cravy method. Consecutive patients who underwent blepharoptosis surgery between January 2019 and December 2019 were included. The patients were divided into AP and CLP groups. Computerized corneal topography was used to assess the magnitude and axis of corneal astigmatism. Astigmatism was classified as with-the-rule (WTR), against-the-rule (ATR), or oblique astigmatism (OA) pre- and postoperatively. SIA was calculated by vector analysis using the Cravy and Jaffe methods. The correlation between SIA and margin reflex distance (MRD) was calculated. One hundred and eight eyes from 58 patients (AP group: 85 eyes from 45 patients, CLP group: 23 eyes from 13 patients) were included. The AP group (73.8±7.6 years) was significantly older than the CLP group (47.7±6.6 years). The MRD increased significantly after treatment in both groups. The proportions of WTR, ATR, and OA were 52%, 22%, and 25%, and 86%, 9%, and 4% in the AP and CLP groups, respectively. A shift in astigmatism type was observed in 41% and 13% of patients in the AP and CLP groups, respectively. The average SIA measured using the Cravy method was 0.11±1.22 D in the AP group and -0.28±1.07 D in the CLP group (WTR astigmatism). The SIA calculated using the Jaffe method was 0.78±0.70 D in the AP group and 0.82±0.88 D in the CLP group. There was no significant correlation between SIA calculated using the Cravy and Jaffe methods and MRD. ATR was most common in age-related ptosis and WTR was most common in contact lens-related ptosis. Upper eyelid re-positioning may affect visual functions due to astigmatic changes in the short term postoperatively.

Goals, life events, and transitions: examining fertility apps for holistic health tracking.

OBJECTIVE: Fertility is becoming increasingly supported by consumer health technologies, especially mobile apps that support self-tracking activities. However, it is not clear whether the apps support the variety of goals and life events of those who menstruate, especially during transitions between them. METHODS: Thirty-one of the most popular fertility apps were evaluated, analyzing data from three sources: the content of app store pages, app features, and user reviews. FINDINGS: Results suggest that fertility apps are designed to support specific life goals of people who menstruate, offering several data collection features and limited feedback options. However, users often desire holistic tracking that encompasses a variety of goals, life events, and the transitions among them. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest fertility patients can benefit more from holistic self-tracking and provide insights for future design of consumer health technologies that better support holistic fertility tracking. CONCLUSION: Fertility apps have the potential to support varied experiences of people who menstruate. But to achieve that, apps need to expand their support by offering ways for more users to perform holistic, personalized, and personally meaningful tracking, so they can derive long-term benefit from the data they collect.

Gene Transfer of Prolyl Hydroxylase Domain 2 Inhibits Hypoxia-inducible Angiogenesis in a Model of Choroidal Neovascularization.

Cellular responses to hypoxia are mediated by the hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF). In normoxia, HIF-α proteins are regulated by a family of dioxygenases, through prolyl and asparagyl hydroxylation, culminating in proteasomal degradation and transcriptional inactivation. In hypoxia, the dioxygenases become inactive and allow formation of HIF transcription factor, responsible for upregulation of hypoxia genes. In ocular neoangiogenic diseases, such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), hypoxia seems pivotal. Here, we investigate the effects of HIF regulatory proteins on the hypoxia pathway in retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, critically involved in nAMD pathogenesis. Our data indicates that, in ARPE-19 cells, prolyl hydroxylase domain (PHD)2 is the most potent negative-regulator of the HIF pathway. The negative effects of PHD2 on the hypoxia pathway were associated with decreased HIF-1α protein levels, and concomitant decrease in angiogenic factors. ARPE-19 cells stably expressing PHD2 impaired angiogenesis in vitro by wound healing, tubulogenesis, and sprouting assays, as well as in vivo by iris-induced angiogenesis. Gene transfer of PHD2 in vivo resulted in mitigation of HIF-mediated angiogenesis in a mouse model of nAMD. These results may have implications for the clinical treatment of nAMD patients, particularly regarding the use of gene therapy to negatively regulate neoangiogenesis.