Long-term blue light rearing does not affect in vivo retinal function in young rhesus monkeys.

PURPOSE: Exposure to blue light is thought to be harmful to the retina. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of long-term exposure to narrowband blue light on retinal function in rhesus monkeys. METHODS: Young rhesus monkeys were reared under short-wavelength "blue" light (n = 7; 465 nm, 183 ± 28 lx) on a 12-h light/dark cycle starting at 26 ± 2 days of age. Age-matched control monkeys were reared under broadband "white" light (n = 8; 504 ± 168 lx). Light- and dark-adapted full-field flash electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded at 330 ± 9 days of age. Photopic stimuli were brief red flashes (0.044-5.68 cd.s/m2) on a rod-saturating blue background and the International Society for Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision (ISCEV) standard 3.0 white flash on a 30 cd/m2 white background. Monkeys were dark adapted for 20 min and scotopic stimuli were ISCEV standard white flashes of 0.01, 3.0, and 10 cd.s/m2. A-wave, b-wave, and photopic negative response (PhNR) amplitudes were measured. Light-adapted ERGs in young monkeys were compared to ERGs in adult monkeys reared in white light (n = 10; 4.91 ± 0.88 years of age). RESULTS: For red flashes on a blue background, there were no significant differences in a-wave (P = 0.46), b-wave (P = 0.75), and PhNR amplitudes (P = 0.94) between white light and blue light reared monkeys for all stimulus energies. ISCEV standard light- and dark-adapted a- and b-wave amplitudes were not significantly different between groups (P > 0.05 for all). There were no significant differences in a- and b-wave implicit times between groups for all ISCEV standard stimuli (P > 0.05 for all). PhNR amplitudes of young monkeys were significantly smaller compared to adult monkeys for all stimulus energies (P < 0.05 for all). There were no significant differences in a-wave (P = 0.19) and b-wave (P = 0.17) amplitudes between young and adult white light reared monkeys. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term exposure to narrowband blue light did not affect photopic or scotopic ERG responses in young monkeys. Findings suggest that exposure to 12 h of daily blue light for approximately 10 months does not result in altered retinal function.

Retrospective Analysis of a Clinical Algorithm for Managing Childhood Myopia Progression.

SIGNIFICANCE: As the myopia epidemic unfolds, there is growing urgency to identify and implement effective interventions to slow myopia progression. This investigation evaluated the effectiveness of an evidence-based myopia treatment algorithm in a clinical setting among 342 consecutive children. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate effectiveness of a clinical treatment algorithm for myopia progression in children. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed using data from myopic children treated for at least 1 year with a defined treatment algorithm incorporating orthokeratology, multifocal lenses, and atropine. The main outcome measures were the percentage of children experiencing ≤0.25 D of myopic cycloplegic spherical equivalent autorefraction (CSER) progression and ≤0.10 mm of axial elongation at 1, 2, and 3 years. The secondary outcome measures were the cumulative absolute reduction of axial elongation values derived from age- and ethnicity-matched virtual control data at 1, 2, and 3 years. RESULTS: Mean annual CSER change values (excluding orthokeratology) were -0.30, -0.20, and -0.13 D at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively, with 59, 56, and 60% of patients demonstrating ≤0.25 D of change over the prior year. Mean annual axial elongation values were 0.13, 0.12, and 0.09 mm at 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively, with 52, 46, and 65% of patients demonstrating ≤0.10 mm of change over the prior year. The cumulative absolute reduction of axial elongation values were 0.11, 0.20, and 0.29 mm for 1, 2, and 3 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment algorithm demonstrated effective control of CSER and axial length in a diverse group of progressive myopic children, supporting its use for the clinical management of childhood myopia.

Comparing low-coherence interferometry and A-scan ultrasonography in measuring ocular axial dimensions in young rhesus monkeys.

We investigated a commercial low-coherence interferometer (LenStar LS 900 optical biometer) in measuring young rhesus monkey ocular dimensions. Ocular biometry data obtained using a LenStar and an A-scan ultrasound instrument (OPT-scan 1000) from 163 rhesus monkeys during 20-348 days of age were compared by means of coefficients of concordance and 95% limits of agreement. Linear regression was employed to examine and analyze the inter-instrument discrepancies. In young rhesus monkeys, the test-retest reliability of the LenStar was equal to or exceeded that of A-scan ultrasound (intraclass correlation = 0.86 to 0.93). The inter-instrument agreement was strong for vitreous chamber depth and axial length (coefficient of concordance = 0.95 and 0.86, respectively) and moderate for anterior chamber depth and lens thickness (coefficient of concordance = 0.74 and 0.63, respectively). The LenStar systematically underestimated ocular dimensions when compared to A-scan ultrasound (mean magnitude of difference = 0.11-0.57 mm). This difference could be minimized using linear calibration functions to equate LenStar data with ultrasound data. When this method was applied, the values between instruments were in excellent absolute agreement (mean magnitude of difference = 0.004-0.01 mm). In conclusion, the LenStar reliably measured ocular dimensions in young monkeys. When an appropriate calibration function is applied, the LenStar can be used as a substitute for A-scan ultrasonography.

Topically instilled caffeine selectively alters emmetropizing responses in infant rhesus monkeys.

Oral administration of the adenosine receptor (ADOR) antagonist, 7-methylxanthine (7-MX), reduces both form-deprivation and lens-induced myopia in mammalian animal models. We investigated whether topically instilled caffeine, another non-selective ADOR antagonist, retards vision-induced axial elongation in monkeys. Beginning at 24 days of age, a 1.4% caffeine solution was instilled in both eyes of 14 rhesus monkeys twice each day until the age of 135 days. Concurrent with the caffeine regimen, the monkeys were fitted with helmets that held either -3 D (-3D/pl caffeine, n = 8) or +3 D spectacle lenses (+3D/pl caffeine, n = 6) in front of their lens-treated eyes and zero-powered lenses in front of their fellow-control eyes. Refractive errors and ocular dimensions were measured at baseline and periodically throughout the lens-rearing period. Control data were obtained from 8 vehicle-treated animals also reared with monocular -3 D spectacles (-3D/pl vehicle). In addition, historical comparison data were available for otherwise untreated lens-reared controls (-3D/pl controls, n = 20; +3D/pl controls, n = 9) and 41 normal monkeys. The vehicle controls and the untreated lens-reared controls consistently developed compensating axial anisometropias (-3D/pl vehicle = -1.44 ± 1.04 D; -3D/pl controls = -1.85 ± 1.20 D; +3D/pl controls = +1.92 ± 0.56 D). The caffeine regime did not interfere with hyperopic compensation in response to +3 D of anisometropia (+1.93 ± 0.82 D), however, it reduced the likelihood that animals would compensate for -3 D of anisometropia (+0.58 ± 1.82 D). The caffeine regimen also promoted hyperopic shifts in both the lens-treated and fellow-control eyes; 26 of the 28 caffeine-treated eyes became more hyperopic than the median normal monkey (mean (±SD) relative hyperopia = +2.27 ± 1.65 D; range = +0.31 to +6.37 D). The effects of topical caffeine on refractive development, which were qualitatively similar to those produced by oral administration of 7-MX, indicate that ADOR antagonists have potential in treatment strategies for preventing and/or reducing myopia progression.

2017 National Optometry Workforce Survey.

SIGNIFICANCE: Planning for the effective delivery of eye care, on all levels, depends on an accurate and detailed knowledge of the optometric workforce and an understanding of demographic/behavioral trends to meet future needs of the public. PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to assess the current and future supply of doctors of optometry and to examine in-depth trends related to (1) demographic shifts, (2) sex-based differences, (3) differences in practice behaviors in between self-employed and employed optometrists, and (4) the concept of additional capacity within the profession. METHODS: The 2017 National Optometry Workforce Survey (31 items) was distributed to 4050 optometrists, randomly sampled from a population of 45,033 currently licensed and practicing optometrists listed in the American Optometric Association's Optometry Master Data File. A stratified sampling method was applied to the population of optometrists using primary license state, age, and sex as variables to ensure a representative sample. RESULTS: With a response rate of 29% (1158 responses), the sample ensured a 95% confidence interval with a margin of error of <5%. Key results include finding no significant differences between men and women for hours worked (38.9 vs. 37.5), productivity (patient visits per hour, 2.0 vs. 1.9), or career options/professional growth satisfaction with 65% for both. The data indicate a likely range of additional patient capacity of 2.29 to 2.57 patients per week (5.05 to 5.65 million annually profession-wide). CONCLUSIONS: The optometric workforce for the next decade is projected to grow 0.6 to 0.7% more annually than the U.S. population. The study found additional capacity for the profession more limited than previously suggested. Findings also illustrate an evolving/equitable workforce based on sex, in terms of both productivity and satisfaction. The trend toward employed versus self-employed was marked with 44% reporting they are employed, up from 29% in 2012.

Spiking Noise and Information Density of Neurons in Visual Area V2 of Infant Monkeys.

Encoding of visual information requires precisely timed spiking activity in the network of cortical neurons; irregular spiking can interfere with information processing especially for low-contrast images. The vision of newborn infants is impoverished. An infant's contrast sensitivity is low and the ability to discriminate complex stimuli is poor. The neural mechanisms that limit the visual capacities of infants are a matter of debate. Here we asked whether noisy spiking and/or crude information processing in visual cortex limit infant vision. Since neurons beyond the primary visual cortex (V1) have rarely been studied in neonates or infants, we focused on the firing pattern of neurons in visual area V2, the earliest extrastriate visual area of both male and female macaque monkeys (Maccaca mulatta). For eight stimulus contrasts ranging from 0% to 80%, we analyzed spiking irregularity by calculating the square of the coefficient of variation (CV2) in interspike intervals, the trial-to-trial fluctuation in spiking (Fano factor), and the amount of information on contrast conveyed by each spiking (information density). While the contrast sensitivity of infant neurons was reduced as expected, spiking noise, both the magnitude of spiking irregularity and the trial-to-trial fluctuations, was much lower in the spike trains of infant V2 neurons compared with those of adults. However, information density for V2 neurons was significantly lower in infants. Our results suggest that poor contrast sensitivity combined with lower information density of extrastriate neurons, despite their lower spiking noise, may limit behaviorally determined contrast sensitivity soon after birth.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite >50 years of investigations on the postnatal development of the primary visual cortex (V1), cortical mechanisms that may limit infant vision are still unclear. We investigated the quality and strength of neuronal firing in primate visual area V2 by analyzing contrast sensitivity, spiking variability, and the amount of information on contrast conveyed by each action potential (information density). Here we demonstrate that the firing rate, contrast sensitivity, and dynamic range of V2 neurons were depressed in infants compared with adults. Although spiking noise was less, information density was lower in infant V2. Impoverished neuronal drive and lower information density in extrastriate visual areas, despite lower spiking noise, largely explain the impoverished visual sensitivity of primates near birth.

Myopia control with novel central and peripheral plus contact lenses and extended depth of focus contact lenses: 2 year results from a randomised clinical trial.

PURPOSE: We aimed to determine myopia control efficacy with novel contact lenses (CL) that (1) reduced both central and peripheral defocus, and (2) provided extended depth of focus with better global retinal image quality for points on, and anterior to, the retina and degraded for points posterior to the retina. METHODS: Children (n = 508, 8-13 years) with cycloplegic spherical equivalent (SE) -0.75 to -3.50D were enrolled in a prospective, double blind trial and randomised to one of five groups: (1) single vision, silicone hydrogel (SH) CL; (2) two groups wearing SH CL that imposed myopic defocus across peripheral and central retina (test CL I and II; +1.00D centrally and +2.50 and +1.50 for CL I and II at 3 mm semi-chord respectively); and (3) two groups wearing extended depth of focus (EDOF) hydrogel CL incorporating higher order aberrations to modulate retinal image quality (test CL III and IV; extended depth of focus of up to +1.75D and +2.50D respectively). Cycloplegic autorefraction and axial length (AL) measurements were conducted at six monthly intervals. Compliance to lens wear was assessed with a diary and collected at each visit. Additionally, subjective responses to various aspects of lens wear were assessed. The trial commenced in February 2014 and was terminated in January 2017 due to site closure. Myopia progression over time between groups was compared using linear mixed models and where needed post hoc analysis with Bonferroni corrections conducted. RESULTS: Myopia progressed with control CL -1.12 ± 0.51D/0.58 ± 0.27 mm for SE/AL at 24 months. In comparison, all test CL had reduced progression with SE/AL ranging from -0.78D to -0.87D/0.41-0.46 mm at 24 months (AL: p < 0.05 for all test CL; SE p < 0.05 for test CL III and IV) and represented a reduction in axial length elongation of about 22% to 32% and reduction in spherical equivalent of 24% to 32%. With test CL, a greater slowing ranging from 26% to 43% was observed in compliant wearers (≥6 days per week; Control CL: -0.64D/0.30 mm and -1.14D/0.58 mm vs test CL: -0.42D to -0.47D/0.12-0.18 mm and -0.70 to -0.81D/0.19-0.25 mm at 12 and 24 months respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Contact lenses that either imposed myopic defocus at the retina or modulated retinal image quality resulted in a slower progression of myopia with greater efficacy seen in compliant wearers. Importantly, there was no difference in the myopia control provided by either of these strategies.

Noisy Spiking in Visual Area V2 of Amblyopic Monkeys.

Interocular decorrelation of input signals in developing visual cortex can cause impaired binocular vision and amblyopia. Although increased intrinsic noise is thought to be responsible for a range of perceptual deficits in amblyopic humans, the neural basis for the elevated perceptual noise in amblyopic primates is not known. Here, we tested the idea that perceptual noise is linked to the neuronal spiking noise (variability) resulting from developmental alterations in cortical circuitry. To assess spiking noise, we analyzed the contrast-dependent dynamics of spike counts and spiking irregularity by calculating the square of the coefficient of variation in interspike intervals (CV2) and the trial-to-trial fluctuations in spiking, or mean matched Fano factor (m-FF) in visual area V2 of monkeys reared with chronic monocular defocus. In amblyopic neurons, the contrast versus response functions and the spike count dynamics exhibited significant deviations from comparable data for normal monkeys. The CV2 was pronounced in amblyopic neurons for high-contrast stimuli and the m-FF was abnormally high in amblyopic neurons for low-contrast gratings. The spike count, CV2, and m-FF of spontaneous activity were also elevated in amblyopic neurons. These contrast-dependent spiking irregularities were correlated with the level of binocular suppression in these V2 neurons and with the severity of perceptual loss for individual monkeys. Our results suggest that the developmental alterations in normalization mechanisms resulting from early binocular suppression can explain much of these contrast-dependent spiking abnormalities in V2 neurons and the perceptual performance of our amblyopic monkeys. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: Amblyopia is a common developmental vision disorder in humans. Despite the extensive animal studies on how amblyopia emerges, we know surprisingly little about the neural basis of amblyopia in humans and nonhuman primates. Although the vision of amblyopic humans is often described as being noisy by perceptual and modeling studies, the exact nature or origin of this elevated perceptual noise is not known. We show that elevated and noisy spontaneous activity and contrast-dependent noisy spiking (spiking irregularity and trial-to-trial fluctuations in spiking) in neurons of visual area V2 could limit the visual performance of amblyopic primates. Moreover, we discovered that the noisy spiking is linked to a high level of binocular suppression in visual cortex during development.

Adenosine receptor distribution in Rhesus monkey ocular tissue.

Adenosine receptor (ADOR) antagonists, such as 7-methylxanthine (7-MX), have been shown to slow myopia progression in humans and animal models. Adenosine receptors are found throughout the body, and regulate the release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine and glutamate. However, the role of adenosine in eye growth is unclear. Evidence suggests that 7-MX increases scleral collagen fibril diameter, hence preventing axial elongation. This study used immunohistochemistry (IHC) and reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to examine the distribution of the four ADORs in the normal monkey eye to help elucidate potential mechanisms of action. Eyes were enucleated from six Rhesus monkeys. Anterior segments and eyecups were separated into components and flash-frozen for RNA extraction or fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde and processed for immunohistochemistry against ADORA1, ADORA2a, ADORA2b, and ADORA3. RNA was reverse-transcribed, and qPCR was performed using custom primers. Relative gene expression was calculated using the ΔΔCt method normalizing to liver expression, and statistical analysis was performed using Relative Expression Software Tool. ADORA1 immunostaining was highest in the iris sphincter muscle, trabecular meshwork, ciliary epithelium, and retinal nerve fiber layer. ADORA2a immunostaining was highest in the corneal epithelium, trabecular meshwork, ciliary epithelium, retinal nerve fiber layer, and scleral fibroblasts. ADORA2b immunostaining was highest in corneal basal epithelium, limbal stem cells, iris sphincter, ciliary muscle, ciliary epithelium, choroid, isolated retinal ganglion cells and scattered scleral fibroblasts. ADORA3 immunostaining was highest in the iris sphincter, ciliary muscle, ciliary epithelium, choroid, isolated retinal ganglion cells, and scleral fibroblasts. Compared to liver mRNA, ADORA1 mRNA was significantly higher in the brain, retina and choroid, and significantly lower in the iris/ciliary body. ADORA2a expression was higher in brain and retina, ADORA2b expression was higher in retina, and ADORA3 was higher in the choroid. In conclusion, immunohistochemistry and RT-qPCR indicated differential patterns of expression of the four adenosine receptors in the ocular tissues of the normal non-human primate. The presence of ADORs in scleral fibroblasts and the choroid may support mechanisms by which ADOR antagonists prevent myopia. The potential effects of ADOR inhibition on both anterior and posterior ocular structures warrant investigation.

Narrow-band, long-wavelength lighting promotes hyperopia and retards vision-induced myopia in infant rhesus monkeys.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of narrow band, long-wavelength lighting on normal refractive development and the phenomena of lens compensation and form-deprivation myopia (FDM) in infant rhesus monkeys. Starting at 24 and continuing until 151 days of age, 27 infant rhesus monkeys were reared under long-wavelength LED lighting (630 nm; illuminance = 274 ± 64 lux) with unrestricted vision (Red Light (RL) controls, n = 7) or a +3 D (+3D-RL, n = 7), -3 D (-3D-RL, n = 6) or diffuser lens (From Deprivation (FD-RL), n = 7) in front of one eye and a plano lens in front of the fellow eye. Refractive development, corneal power, and vitreous chamber depth were measured by retinoscopy, keratometry, and ultrasonography, respectively. Comparison data were obtained from normal monkeys (Normal Light (NL) controls, n = 39) and lens- (+3D-NL, n = 9; -3D-NL, n = 18) and diffuser-reared controls (FD-NL, n = 16) housed under white fluorescent lighting. At the end of the treatment period, median refractive errors for both eyes of all RL groups were significantly more hyperopic than that for NL groups (P = 0.0001 to 0.016). In contrast to fluorescent lighting, red ambient lighting greatly reduced the likelihood that infant monkeys would develop either FDM or compensating myopia in response to imposed hyperopic defocus. However, as in the +3D-NL monkeys, the treated eyes of the +3D-RL monkeys exhibited relative hyperopic shifts resulting in significant anisometropias that compensated for the monocular lens-imposed defocus (P = 0.001). The red-light-induced alterations in refractive development were associated with reduced vitreous chamber elongation and increases in choroidal thickness. The results suggest that chromatic cues play a role in vision-dependent emmetropization in primates. Narrow-band, long-wavelength lighting prevents the axial elongation typically produced by either form deprivation or hyperopic defocus, possibly by creating direction signals normally associated with myopic defocus.

Design and methodology of the Shanghai child and adolescent large-scale eye study (SCALE).

IMPORTANCE: Nearly half of children suffering vision impairment reside in China with myopia accounting for the vast majority. BACKGROUND: To describe the design and methodology of the Shanghai Child and Adolescent Large-scale Eye Study (SCALE). DESIGN: The SCALE was a city wide, school-based, prospective survey. PARTICIPANTS: Children and adolescents aged 4-14 years from kindergarten (middle and senior), primary schools and junior high schools of all 17 districts and counties of the city of Shanghai, China were examined in 2012-2013. METHODS: Each enrolled child underwent vision assessment (distance visual acuity; uncorrected and with corrective device if worn) and their parent/carer completed a questionnaire designed to elicit risk factors associated with myopia. Additionally, non-cycloplegic autorefraction and ocular axial length was measured in a subset of the larger sample. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Prevalence and the associated factors of vision impairment, myopia and high myopia in Shanghai. RESULTS: In 2012-2013, a total of 910 245 of the eligible 1 196 763 children and adolescents identified from census (76%, mean age 9.0 ± 2.7 years [4-14 years]) were enrolled with visual acuity screened in the city of Shanghai. Of these, 610 952 children (67% of the entire sample) underwent non-cycloplegic autorefraction and 219 188 (24% of the entire sample) had both non-cycloplegic autorefraction and axial length measurements. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The study results will provide insights on the burden of vision impairment, myopia and high myopia in children and adolescents in a metropolitan area of China, and contribute to the policies and strategies to address and limit the burden.

Expert Views on Innovative Future Uses for Contact Lenses.

Over the past 10 to 15 years, the availability of new materials and technologies has resulted in revolutionary concepts for contact lenses being proposed that go well beyond correcting vision. These novel uses include their prescribing to deliver topical ocular and systemic drugs, assist with ocular surface disease management, and limit the progression of myopia and novel methods to display visual information. How likely are these concepts to become commercially available, how successful will they be, and what are the potential issues to consider for them to come to market? To answer these questions, a panel of four experts were invited to discuss the benefits and pitfalls of these technologies and what challenges lay ahead of these concepts before their availability. Their responses provide a fascinating insight for the clinician into the likelihood of such revolutionary contact lenses being available in a clinical setting.

Early monocular defocus disrupts the normal development of receptive-field structure in V2 neurons of macaque monkeys.

Experiencing different quality images in the two eyes soon after birth can cause amblyopia, a developmental vision disorder. Amblyopic humans show the reduced capacity for judging the relative position of a visual target in reference to nearby stimulus elements (position uncertainty) and often experience visual image distortion. Although abnormal pooling of local stimulus information by neurons beyond striate cortex (V1) is often suggested as a neural basis of these deficits, extrastriate neurons in the amblyopic brain have rarely been studied using microelectrode recording methods. The receptive field (RF) of neurons in visual area V2 in normal monkeys is made up of multiple subfields that are thought to reflect V1 inputs and are capable of encoding the spatial relationship between local stimulus features. We created primate models of anisometropic amblyopia and analyzed the RF subfield maps for multiple nearby V2 neurons of anesthetized monkeys by using dynamic two-dimensional noise stimuli and reverse correlation methods. Unlike in normal monkeys, the subfield maps of V2 neurons in amblyopic monkeys were severely disorganized: subfield maps showed higher heterogeneity within each neuron as well as across nearby neurons. Amblyopic V2 neurons exhibited robust binocular suppression and the strength of the suppression was positively correlated with the degree of hereogeneity and the severity of amblyopia in individual monkeys. Our results suggest that the disorganized subfield maps and robust binocular suppression of amblyopic V2 neurons are likely to adversely affect the higher stages of cortical processing resulting in position uncertainty and image distortion.

Receptive-field subfields of V2 neurons in macaque monkeys are adult-like near birth.

Infant primates can discriminate texture-defined form despite their relatively low visual acuity. The neuronal mechanisms underlying this remarkable visual capacity of infants have not been studied in nonhuman primates. Since many V2 neurons in adult monkeys can extract the local features in complex stimuli that are required for form vision, we used two-dimensional dynamic noise stimuli and local spectral reverse correlation to measure whether the spatial map of receptive-field subfields in individual V2 neurons is sufficiently mature near birth to capture local features. As in adults, most V2 neurons in 4-week-old monkeys showed a relatively high degree of homogeneity in the spatial matrix of facilitatory subfields. However, ∼25% of V2 neurons had the subfield map where the neighboring facilitatory subfields substantially differed in their preferred orientations and spatial frequencies. Over 80% of V2 neurons in both infants and adults had "tuned" suppressive profiles in their subfield maps that could alter the tuning properties of facilitatory profiles. The differences in the preferred orientations between facilitatory and suppressive profiles were relatively large but extended over a broad range. Response immaturities in infants were mild; the overall strength of facilitatory subfield responses was lower than that in adults, and the optimal correlation delay ("latency") was longer in 4-week-old infants. These results suggest that as early as 4 weeks of age, the spatial receptive-field structure of V2 neurons is as complex as in adults and the ability of V2 neurons to compare local features of neighboring stimulus elements is nearly adult like.

Oblique effect in visual area 2 of macaque monkeys.

The neural basis of an oblique effect, a reduced visual sensitivity for obliquely oriented stimuli, has been a matter of considerable debate. We have analyzed the orientation tuning of a relatively large number of neurons in the primary visual cortex (V1) and visual area 2 (V2) of anesthetized and paralyzed macaque monkeys. Neurons in V2 but not V1 of macaque monkeys showed clear oblique effects. This orientation anisotropy in V2 was more robust for those neurons that preferred higher spatial frequencies. We also determined whether V1 and V2 neurons exhibit a similar orientation anisotropy soon after birth. The oblique effect was absent in V1 of 4- and 8-week-old infant monkeys, but their V2 neurons showed a significant oblique effect. This orientation anisotropy in infant V2 was milder than that in adults. The results suggest that the oblique effect emerges in V2 based on the pattern of the connections that are established before birth and enhanced by the prolonged experience-dependent modifications of the neural circuitry in V2.

Help or Harm? Criminalizing Intimate Partner Violence and Feminist Abolitionist Frames.

After decades of work by feminists to criminalize domestic violence, more recently feminist abolitionists have identified the harm that the carceral state has on all impacted by it, including victims/survivors. Based on interviews with a diverse sample of 22 women and men who were system impacted, we find evidence of cases in which the criminal legal system both helped and harmed the victim/survivor. We identify policy interventions that promote alternative methods to intervening in intimate partner violence relationships that center the victim/survivor, create safety, and reduce the increased surveillance and overall impact of the criminal legal system.

Optic Nerve Head Morphology and Macula Ganglion Cell Inner Plexiform Layer Thickness in Axially Anisometropic Rhesus Monkeys.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of axial elongation on optic nerve head morphology and macula inner retinal thickness in young rhesus monkeys. Methods: Both eyes of 26 anisometropic, 1-year-old rhesus monkeys were imaged using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Before imaging, the animals were sedated, their eyes were dilated, and axial length was measured using an optical biometer. OCT imaging included a 20 degrees, 24-line radial scan centered on the optic nerve head (ONH) and two 20 degrees × 20 degrees raster scans, one centered on the ONH and the other on the macula. Radial scans were analyzed using programs written in MATLAB to quantify the Bruch's membrane opening (BMO) area and position, minimum rim width (MRW), anterior lamina cribrosa surface (ALCS) position, size of any scleral crescent, circumpapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and choroid thickness (pCh). Macula total retinal thickness (mTRT) and ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) thicknesses were quantified from macula scans. Linear least square regression was determined for OCT measures and axial length of the right eye, and for inter-eye differences. Results: Animals were 341 ± 18 days old at the time of imaging. BMO area (R2 = 0.38), ALCS position (R2 = 0.45), scleral crescent area (R2 = 0.35), pCh thickness (R2 = 0.21), mTRT (R2 = 0.24), and GCIPL thickness (R2 = 0.16) were correlated with the axial length (all P < 0.05). For each of these parameters, the right-eye regression slope did not differ from the slope of the interocular difference (P > 0.57). Conclusions: There are posterior segment morphological differences in anisometropic rhesus monkeys related to axial length. Whether these differences increase the risk of pathology remains to be investigated.

Inner Retinal Microvasculature With Refraction in Juvenile Rhesus Monkeys.

Purpose: To characterize inner retinal microvasculature of rhesus monkeys with a range of refractive errors using optical coherence tomography angiography. Method: Refractive error was induced in right eyes of 18 rhesus monkeys. At 327 to 347 days of age, axial length and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) were measured, and optical coherence tomography and optical coherence tomography angiography scans (Spectralis, Heidelberg) were collected. Magnification-corrected metrics included foveal avascular zone area and perfusion density, fractal dimension, and lacunarity of the superficial vascular complex (SVC) and deep vascular complex (DVC) in the central 1-mm diameter and 1.0- to 1.5-mm, 1.5- to 2.0-mm, and 2.0- to 2.5-mm annuli. Pearson correlations were used to explore relationships. Results: The mean SER and axial length were 0.78 ± 4.02 D (-7.12 to +7.13 D) and 17.96 ± 1.08 mm (16.41 to 19.93 mm), respectively. The foveal avascular zone area and SVC perfusion density were correlated with retinal thickness for the central 1 mm (P < 0.05). SVC perfusion density of 2.0- to 2.5-mm annulus decreased with increasing axial length (P < 0.001). SVC and DVC fractal dimensions of 2.0- to 2.5-mm were correlated with axial length and SER, and DVC lacunarity of 1.5- to 2.0-mm annulus was correlated with axial length (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Several inner retinal microvasculature parameters were associated with increasing axial length and SER in juvenile rhesus monkeys. These findings suggest that changes in retinal microvasculature could be indicators of refractive error development. Translational Relevance: In juvenile rhesus monkeys, increasing myopic refraction and axial length are associated with alterations in the inner retinal microvasculature, which may have implications in myopia-related changes in humans.

Optical treatment strategies to slow myopia progression: effects of the visual extent of the optical treatment zone.

In order to develop effective optical treatment strategies for myopia, it is important to understand how visual experience influences refractive development. Beginning with the discovery of the phenomenon of form deprivation myopia, research involving many animal species has demonstrated that refractive development is regulated by visual feedback. In particular, animal studies have shown that optically imposed myopic defocus slows axial elongation, that the effects of vision are dominated by local retinal mechanisms, and that peripheral vision can dominate central refractive development. In this review, the results obtained from clinical trials of traditional optical treatment strategies employed in efforts to slow myopia progression in children are interpreted in light of the results from animal studies and are compared to the emerging results from preliminary clinical studies of optical treatment strategies that manipulate the effective focus of the peripheral retina. Overall, the results suggest that imposed myopic defocus can slow myopia progression in children and that the effectiveness of an optical treatment strategy in reducing myopia progression is influenced by the extent of the visual field that is manipulated.

Effects of local myopic defocus on refractive development in monkeys.

PURPOSE: Visual signals that produce myopia are mediated by local, regionally selective mechanisms. However, little is known about spatial integration for signals that slow eye growth. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the effects of myopic defocus are integrated in a local manner in primates. METHODS: Beginning at 24 ± 2 days of age, seven rhesus monkeys were reared with monocular spectacles that produced 3 diopters (D) of relative myopic defocus in the nasal visual field of the treated eye but allowed unrestricted vision in the temporal field (NF monkeys). Seven monkeys were reared with monocular +3 D lenses that produced relative myopic defocus across the entire field of view (FF monkeys). Comparison data from previous studies were available for 11 control monkeys, 8 monkeys that experienced 3 D of hyperopic defocus in the nasal field, and 6 monkeys exposed to 3 D of hyperopic defocus across the entire field. Refractive development, corneal power, and axial dimensions were assessed at 2- to 4-week intervals using retinoscopy, keratometry, and ultrasonography, respectively. Eye shape was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: In response to full-field myopic defocus, the FF monkeys developed compensating hyperopic anisometropia, the degree of which was relatively constant across the horizontal meridian. In contrast, the NF monkeys exhibited compensating hyperopic changes in refractive error that were greatest in the nasal visual field. The changes in the pattern of peripheral refractions in the NF monkeys reflected interocular differences in vitreous chamber shape. CONCLUSIONS: As with form deprivation and hyperopic defocus, the effects of myopic defocus are mediated by mechanisms that integrate visual signals in a local, regionally selective manner in primates. These results are in agreement with the hypothesis that peripheral vision can influence eye shape and potentially central refractive error in a manner that is independent of central visual experience.