Reading performance and central field loss.

Age-related macular degeneration is a major cause of blindness in Europe and the U.S. and a leading cause of significant loss of visual acuity in elderly patients. Reading is a key visual task in everyday living involving a synthesis of a number of different motor, sensory and cognitive functions. When the centre of a reader's visual field is obscured, reading speed declines and oculomotor pattern differs, compared to normal reading. Improvement in the generation of visual stimuli using computer-generated images and projection/display systems as well as advances in eye movement recording techniques, including infrared pupil tracking and magnetic search coils, have contributed greatly to our understanding of these sensorimotor abnormalities. The developed reading strategies have been thoroughly investigated in individuals with central field loss either induced artificially or related to eye pathology.The following review aims at presenting the contemporary literature regarding the sensory and oculomotor deficits in reading ability, resulting from central field loss and should contribute to a greater understanding of the functional visual deficit caused by this visual impairment.

Frequency of fundus pathology related to patients' dissatisfaction after phacoemulsification cataract surgery.

PURPOSE: The benefit of cataract surgery in the general population concerning visual acuity and subjective visual function has been well established. However, a small proportion of patients are dissatisfied after cataract surgery. Our study aims to evaluate patients' dissatisfaction after phacoemulsification cataract surgery related to low visual function and to analyze the factors associated with this outcome. METHODS: 397 patients, who underwent uneventful phacoemulsification cataract surgery, participated in the study. All the participants completed a self-administered questionnaire which evaluated their visual function pre- and post-operatively. Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) was measured before and after cataract surgery and patients' contentment if they were satisfied or not with the result of the surgery was also recorded. RESULTS: Macular disease, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma were the main factors limiting the final visual result after phacoemulsification cataract surgery. CONCLUSIONS: It is very important for the patients to be preoperatively fully aware of the presentation of the aforementioned fundus pathology and to be warned about the predicted visual outcome after cataract surgery.

The impact of penetrating keratoplasty in patients with keratoconus using the VF-14 questionnaire.

To assess the visual function of patients with keratoconus who underwent penetrating keratoplasty with the use of the VF-14 questionnaire. Fourteen patients (9 male and 5 female) with a mean age of 38 years (SD 13.59) participated in the study. All patients had keratoconus, confirmed by corneal topography, and all had previously undergone penetrating keratoplasty in one eye. Their mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) binocularly was 0.185 (SD 0.077) LogMAR. None of the grafted eyes had a BCVA < 0.300 LogMAR. Fourteen healthy volunteers, age- and sex-matched, also participated in the study as control subjects. The VF-14 questionnaire was used to evaluate the effect of the ocular status in the daily life activities of the patients. The mean VF-14 result for the grafted patients with keratoconus was 62.37% (SD 22.60) and for the control group it was 100% (P < 0.001). There was only a weak correlation between the VF-14 score and the binocular BCVA (r = -0.394, P = 0.163). The mean VF-14 result in grafted patients with keratoconus is indicative of low functional ability despite the satisfactory postoperative BCVA. The absence of a significant correlation between the VF-14 score and the mean BCVA indicates that the low functional visual ability in these patients is probably associated more with the 'perceived by themselves' difficulty due to their ophthalmological condition.

An evaluation of the young people's knowledge regarding the ophthalmic effects of smoking.

PURPOSE: To assess the young people's knowledge regarding the ophthalmic effects of smoking. METHODS: 198 students (111 males and 87 females) with a mean age of 27 years old (+/- 6 years) participated in the study. A simple questionnaire was used and the participants were requested to fill out the questionnaire themselves. RESULTS: 77% (152) of the participants were smokers. 67% (130) have never heard about the adverse effect of smoking to the eyes. 87% (172) have not heard about the relationship between smoking and thyroid eye disease. 84% (166) were not aware that smoking could ccontribute to the formation of cataract. 50% (99) have no knowledge about the association between smoking and age-related macular degeneration. 80% (158) were unaware that smoking is a risk factor for visual loss. CONCLUSIONS: The level of knowledge of young people regarding the ophthalmic effects of smoking is not satisfactory. There is an urgent need to promote the awareness of the population regarding the adverse effect of smoking on visual function.