Patient activation in adults with visual impairment: a study of related factors.

This study aims to analyze variables related to patient activation in 78 individuals with visual impairment. The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) scores of participants showed no differences between males and females. It was found that the individuals living in urban areas, and participants with higher income and education levels had higher PAM scores. Still, the difference between the groups was statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). The PAM scores of the visually impaired individuals reflect taking action level of activation (66.51 ± 18.14-PAM level 3). There was a moderately significant relationship between PAM scores and visually impaired individuals' self-management, self-efficacy, healthy life awareness, social relations, and environment (p < 0.001). We found that the variables included in the regression model (marital status, self-management, self-efficacy, healthy life awareness, social relations, and environment) explained 72.2% of the PAM score. Individuals with visual impairment can be given training on self-management, self-efficacy, healthy life awareness, and quality of life associated with social relations and environment to develop positive health behaviors.

Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Revised Low Vision Independence Measure (LVIM-R).

IMPORTANCE: Few tools are available for assessing the activity performance of people with low vision. Additional practical instruments are required for occupational therapy evaluation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Revised Low Vision Independence Measure (LVIM-R). DESIGN: We analyzed Turkish LVIM-R items using confirmatory factor analysis with parceling. Test-retest reliability was measured using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The study was conducted between April 2020 and July 2021. SETTING: Ophthalmology clinic. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 89 people with low vision who applied to an ophthalmology training and research clinic. Participants were age ≥18 yr, had visual acuity of 0.5 to 1.3 logarithms of the minimum angle of resolution, and consented to participate. INTERVENTION: Not applicable. OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Turkish version of the LVIM-R, a self-report measure of activity performance for people with low vision. RESULTS: In the principal-components analysis, the highest eigenvalue was Armor's θ = .966. ICCs were .995 for Visual Field or Scotoma, .997 for Visual Acuity, and .997 for Total score. Other results included χ2 = 9.566 (p = .297), comparative fit index = .998, Tucker-Lewis Index = .996, and root mean square error of approximation = .047. Goodness-of-fit indices support the structural validity of the two-factor model. CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the LVIM-R is a valid and reliable assessment tool for occupational therapy practice in low vision rehabilitation. What This Article Adds: The Turkish LVIM-R is a valid and reliable assessment for use in low vision rehabilitation.

The status of the choroid in patients with optic disc drusen.

PURPOSE: To investigate the subfoveal and peripapillary choroidal thickness (CT) and the choroidal vascularity index (CVI) in patients with optic disc drusen (ODD). METHODS: This cross-sectional study examined the eyes of 17 patients with ODD and 18 healthy control subjects. The CT values were calculated manually from the images captured by enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). The CVI was defined as the proportion of the vascular area to the total choroidal area at the subfoveal and peripapillary areas after binarization of the EDI-OCT images. RESULTS: It was found that the mean subfoveal CVI value in the ODD group was significantly lower than that in the control group (p = 0.006). The mean peripapillary CVI values were significantly lower in all of the quadrants in the ODD group when compared with the control group (p = 0.008 for the temporal quadrant, p = 0.014 for the nasal quadrant, p = 0.024 for the superior quadrant, and p = 0.038 for the inferior quadrant). Regarding the CT, there were no significant differences in the subfoveal and peripapillary CT values between the ODD group and the control group (p >  0.05 for all values). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study indicate ODD to be associated with decreased subfoveal and peripapillary CVI, even though the subfoveal and peripapillary CT values were within the normal range. This result may prove important in relation to identifying a choroidal vascular network that appears to be morphologically normal but microstructurally impaired due to ODD. Further studies are required to verify the significance of CVI in the pathogenesis and complications of ODD.

Intracranial hypertension and visual loss following COVID-19: A case report.

A 40-year-old woman presented with headache, bilateral optic disc edema, and visual loss. She had been diagnosed with COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) 15 days ago. Her cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure was 410 mmH2O, and cranial imaging was normal. She had obesity as a risk factor but had not experienced any ophthalmic complaints before. COVID-19 could be a causative or precipitating factor for intracranial hypertension especially in high-risk groups even in the late phases of the disease and has not been discussed in the literature as such. This should be studied further and kept in mind to prevent permanent loss of vision.

Sports participation and quality of life in individuals with visual impairment.

BACKGROUND: The positive effects of sports participation on health can be an important issue for rehabilitation of visually impaired individuals. AIMS: Our aim was to determine the relationship between sports participation and quality of life in individuals with visual impairment. METHODS: The study included 100 athletes who participated in national games for people with visual impairment and 100 subjects who did not participate in sports as the control group. The two groups were matched according to age, gender, visual acuity and visual field. The Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was applied for assessment of quality of life. RESULTS: All subjects had best corrected visual acuity less than 6/60 and/or visual field less than central 10 degrees in radius in the better eye. The sociodemographic characteristics of the study and control groups were similar except the level of education being higher in the athlete group and level of income higher in the control group. All of the SF-36 scores were higher among athletes compared to controls. Duration of sports activities (years) was positively correlated with Physical Functioning score. There were no significant relations between SF-36 scores and weekly sports participation time (hours). Athletes who had visual loss at an earlier age had better scores in Physical Functioning and Role Limitations due to Physical Problems. CONCLUSIONS: Sports activities had positive relationships with all domains of the quality of life in individuals with visual impairment. Thus, appropriate sports activities would increase the success of rehabilitation programs and their quality of life.

Intracranial Mass Lesion in a Patient Being Followed up for Amblyopia

A 12-year-old boy being followed up for amblyopia presented to our hospital with visual disturbance in the left eye. The patient's best corrected visual acuity on Snellen chart was 1.0 in the right eye and 0.3 in the left eye. Increased horizontal cup-to-disc ratio was detected on dilated fundus examination. Retinal nerve fiber layer measurement showed diffuse nerve fiber loss and visual field test showed bitemporal hemianopsia. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lesion that filled and widened the sella and suprasellar cistern and compressed the optic chiasm. The patient was operated with transcranial approach. The pathologic examination revealed craniopharyngioma.

Could Platelet Indices and Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio Be New Biomarkers for Differentiation of Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Neuropathy from Non-Arteritic Type?

The aim of this study was to assess the possible relationship between AAION (arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy) and NAION (non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy) with blood platelet parameters and NLR (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio). The medical records of 12 patients with AAION, 33 patients with NAION, and 35 healthy subjects were examined. MPV, PDW, and PCT values showed marked elevation in AAION and NAION groups compared with control group. The mean NLR was statistically significantly higher only in AAION group compared to the NAION and control groups, suggesting that platelet function plays an important role in AIONs and NLR might be used to differentiate AAION from NAION.

Ocular alignment and results of strabismus surgery in neurologically impaired children.

AIM: To evaluate ocular alignment and surgical results of strabismus surgery in neurologically impaired children. METHODS: Files of 33 neurologically impaired squint children were evaluated. Twelve patients had cerebral palsy(CP), 4 had CP with mental retardation, therest had mental-motor retardation of unknown cause. Cycloplegic refractions, type and angle of strabismus, surgeries performed were recorded. RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 34.0±16.5 months. Twenty-three patients had esodeviation, the remaining had exodeviation. In 19 patients, angle of deviations measured at different visits were highly variable. Twelve patients with stable angle of deviations or with unstable but high angle deviations had horizontal muscle surgery. Mean horizontal deviation decreased from 43.75±10,69 D to 12.83±8.38 D with surgery. CONCLUSION: In neurologically impaired strabismic children, surgery is effective in patients with stable deviations or unstable but high angle deviations. Decision for surgery should be made after a long follow up period.

Laser in situ keratomileusis for treatment of fully or partially refractive accommodative esotropia.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in partially refractive accommodative esotropia (pRAE) and fully refractive accommodative esotropia (fRAE). METHODS: Forty-two eyes of 21 patients who had LASIK for correcting hyperopic refractive error were evaluated. Refractive errors, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), ocular alignment, and stereopsis were recorded before and after LASIK. RESULTS: Sixteen patients with fRAE and 5 with pRAE were evaluated. Mean age at the time of surgery was 19.00+/-3.79 years. Mean follow-up time was 12.19+/-4.51 months. For the fRAE group, the mean preoperative angle of deviation without spectacle correction was +19.13+/-5.87 prism diopters (PD); all were orthophoric with spectacles. Postoperatively, all these patients achieved less than 10 PD of deviation without spectacles. For the pRAE group, the mean preoperative angle of deviation was +32.60+/-9.81 PD and +14.60+/-6.14 PD without and with spectacles, respectively. Postoperatively, the mean angle of deviation was +13.60+/-5.72 PD and +12.80+/-5.40 PD without and with spectacles, respectively. For all 21 patients, the preoperative mean spherical equivalent (SE) with cycloplegia was +4.94+/-1.43 diopters (D); it was +1.49D+/-0.70 D postoperatively. Three eyes lost 1 line of BCVA and 3 eyes gained 1 line. No intraoperative complication was recorded. CONCLUSIONS: LASIK is a safe and effective method for treating refractive error and creating orthophoria in fRAE. In pRAE, it eliminates the refractive component of deviation safely and effectively.

Lower lid retraction: a valuable finding in juvenile Graves' orbitopathy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the findings of juvenile Graves' orbitopathy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of our patients with Graves' disease who are younger than 16 years. RESULTS: Seventeen patients younger than 16 years were identified among 138 patients who were being treated for hyperthyroidism and goiter. Eleven (64.7%) of them had lid findings, orbital findings, or both and constituted 8.8% of the total of 125 such patients. Ophthalmic signs were common and were among the presenting signs in children with Graves' disease. Orbitopathy was mild and was more frequent in girls. Lower lid retraction and lag (ie, hesitation of the lower lids to follow upgaze) appeared to be constant and early findings. CONCLUSION: Ophthalmologists and pediatricians should be aware of and look for lid signs in children presenting with related complaints and a history suggesting hyperthyroidism, goiter, or both.