Clinical Retinal Image Quality of a Non-diffractive Wavefront-Shaping Extended Depth of Focus (Vivity) Intraocular Lens.

PURPOSE: To evaluate clinical retinal optical image quality following implantation of an extended depth of focus intraocular lens (EDOF IOL) (Vivity; Alcon Laboratories, Inc), and to compare it with a monofocal and a trifocal IOL. METHODS: This prospective, comparative, case-control study included 88 eyes implanted with: (1) 19 monofocal IOLs (AcrySof SA60AT; Alcon Laboratories, Inc); (2) 38 EDOF IOLs (AcrySof IQ Vivity); and (3) 31 trifocal IOLs (AT LISA tri 839MP; Carl Zeiss Meditec AG). Total root mean square, ocular lower (LOA) and higher (HOA) order aberrations, point spread function (PSF) Strehl ratio (PSF with LOA), and PSF Strehl ratio excluding LOA (PSF without LOA) were analyzed using a Pyramidal WaveFront-based sensor aberrometer Osiris (Costruzione Strumenti Oftalmici) at two different pupil sizes (3 and 4 mm). RESULTS: The trifocal IOL showed the highest PSF without LOA at both pupil sizes (0.52 ± 0.12 and 0.31 ± 0.07, respectively), followed by the AcrySof SA60AT (0.39 ± 0.10 and 0.27 ± 0.07) and AcrySof IQ Vivity (0.34 ± 0.11 and 0.24 ± 0.09) (P < .001). The AcrySof IQ Vivity and monofocal IOLs were comparable (P > .05). Despite the comparable postoperative low spherical equivalent among the IOL groups, the AT LISA tri 839MP retinal image quality (PSF with LOA) was the most severely affected by such residual refractive errors (dropped to 0.26 ± 0.06 at 3 mm; P < .001) compared to the monofocal AcrySof SA60AT (0.24 ± 0.07 at 3 mm) and EDOF Acrysof IQ Vivity (0.23 ± 0.06 at 3 mm) groups. The PSF with LOA was comparable (P > .05) among the three groups at both the 3-and 4-mm pupil size. CONCLUSIONS: Although trifocal IOLs provided significantly better retinal image quality if influence of LOA is excluded, they also demonstrated to be the most sensitive to residual refractive errors. Both the EDOF Acrysof IQ Vivity and mono-focal AcrySof SA60AT IOLs showed a comparable retinal image quality, and they are also comparable with trifocal IOLs when considering the clinically real PSF (PSF with LOA). [J Refract Surg. 2023;39(2):103-110.].

Corneal Epithelium Thickness and Refractive Changes After Myopic Laser Corneal Refractive Surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the postoperative changes in corneal epithelium thickness and refractive power after femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) for myopia correction using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) with an integrated Placido disc topographer. METHODS: The VisuMax 500-kHz femtosecond laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG) and Amaris 750 excimer laser (SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions) were used. Central, paracentral, and 6-mm epithelial thickness values were obtained, and the change in the value of epithelial thickness was calculated. Changes in the refractive power of the epithelium were also evaluated. The repeatability of this new measurement was also analyzed using the intraclass correlation (ICC). The total follow-up period was 6 months. RESULTS: A total of 77 LASIK eyes were matched with 77 SMILE eyes. Mean spherical equivalent was -3.92 ± 1.67 diopters (D) for LASIK versus -4.02 ± 1.63 D for SMILE (P = .356). Epithelial thickness parameters significantly and equally thickened in both types of surgery. The change in the value of epithelial thickness was positively correlated with spherical aberration. Analysis of the refractive power of the corneal epithelial layer (ICC > 0.70) showed a tendency for the postoperative myopization of the refractive component of this layer (-0.11 D for SMILE and -0.53 D for LASIK at 3 mm) and an increase in its cylinder and aberrometry. Increasing postoperative spherical aberration and epithelial thickness increased myopization of the epithelial refractive sphere (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Corneal epithelium thickens similarly after LASIK and SMILE, being slightly higher after SMILE. This correlates with the induced spherical aberration. Corneal epithelium thickening induces myopization of its refractive power, which accounts for a slight regression of the net refractive power change on the treated cornea. [J Refract Surg. 2022;38(9):602-608.].

Knowledge and practices of primary health care physicians regarding updated guidelines of MERS-CoV infection in Abha city.

BACKGROUND: Human coronaviruses (hCoV) usually cause mild to moderate upper respiratory tract illnesses. The novel coronavirus (nCoV), or Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), is a particular strain different from any other known hCoV with the possibility of human and also zoonotic transmissions. The aim of the study to assess primary health care (PHC) physicians' knowledge and adherence regarding Saudi Ministry of Health guidelines regarding MERS-CoV. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was followed to include 85 PHC physicians in Abha city. An interview questionnaire has been designed by the researcher that was used to assess knowledge and practices of PHC physicians regarding diagnosis and management of MERS-CoV. It includes personal characteristics, the MERS-CoV knowledge assessment questionnaire, and practices related to adherence toward guidelines regarding MERS-CoV. RESULTS: PHC physicians' knowledge gaps regarding MERS-CoV included protected exposure (32.9%), highest seasonal incidence of MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia (60%), relation between incidence of MERS-CoV and overcrowding (62.4%), case fatality of MERS-CoV cases (63.5%), and collecting specimens from MERS-CoV patients (64.7%). The knowledge of PHC physicians about MERS-CoV was poor among 5.9%, good among 63.5%, and excellent among 30.6%. Personal protective equipment to be used when seeing suspected cases of MERS-CoV infection were mainly the mask (94.1%), gloves (78.8%), the gown (60%), goggles (31.8%), and the cap (22.4%). All participants stated that the most important standard precaution that should be applied when seeing a case of MERS-CoV infection is hand washing, whereas 97.6% stated that the most important respiratory precaution to prevent transmission of respiratory infections in PHC setting when seeing a case of MERS-CoV infection is masking and separation of suspected MERS-CoV patients, and 81.2% stated that upon exit from the room of a MERS-CoV patient, the physician should remove and discard personal protective equipment. PHC physicians' knowledge about MERS-CoV differed significantly according to their nationality (P = 0.038), with non-Saudi physicians expressing higher percent of excellent knowledge than Saudi physicians (40% and 20%, respectively). Those who attended continuing medical education (CME) activities had significantly higher percent of excellent knowledge than those who did not attend a CME activity (55.6% and 23.9%, respectively, P = 0.011). PHC physicians' knowledge did not differ significantly according to their age, gender, qualification, experience in PHC, and practice-related adherence to guidelines. PHC physicians' practice-related adherence to guidelines about MERS-CoV differed significantly according to their position (P = 0.035), with specialists having the highest percent of excellent practice (13%). CONCLUSIONS: There are knowledge gaps among PHC physicians in Abha city, and their practice is suboptimal regarding MERS-CoV infection. Less than one-fourth of PHC physicians attend CME activities about MERS-CoV infection. However, significantly less practice-related adherence to guidelines are associated with Saudi PHC physicians, those who did not attend a related CME activity, and MBBS qualified physicians' general practitioners. To increase awareness, more CME activities related to MERS-CoV infection management needs to be organized.

Implementation of Digital Health Technology at Academic Medical Centers in Saudi Arabia.

Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) in Saudi Arabia are dedicated to providing high-quality patient care and promoting the health and wellbeing of its citizens. Additionally, they provide medical education and conduct research in a wide range of clinical disciplines. A recent global trend in academic hospitals with mandates similar to those in Saudi Arabia is that they have started utilizing digital health technology in a bid to increase efficiency and improve the quality of patient care. This paper takes the position that such digital health technologies should also be utilized in AMC settings in Saudi Arabia. Electronic health records (EHRs), smartphones, video-imaging technologies, virtual desktop infrastructures, mobile EHR access, and smart-beds can help AMCs serve patients more effectively. Rural people can be connected to consultants at AMCs using these technologies using virtual self-care tools. Validation of new digital health devices can be performed in collaboration with digital health partners and serve to enrich the knowledge of medical students in the area of digital health. This review aims to draw the attention of stakeholders to the need to implement digital health technology in AMCs in Saudi Arabia and help improve the quality of healthcare.

Systematic Review of Computer Based Assessments in Medical Education.

Medical schools, postgraduate training institutes, licensing and certification bodies have developed and implemented many new methods for accurate, reliable, and timely assessments of the competence of medical professionals and practicing physicians. The underlying objective of all these assessments is to not only evaluate the students' learning and educational goals but also to establish the graduating individual's skills and professionalism. Computer based assessment (CBA) has emerged in recent years as a viable alternative to traditional assessment techniques. It has also infiltrated and influenced the medical curriculum where it has been employed for assessment tasks. This study presents how CBA offers pedagogical opportunities and analyzes its usage pattern over the past three decades. We examined 47 CBAs in medical education and analyzed several assessment components, including application area, assessment purpose, assessment type, assessment format, student level, and emphasized the interplay among these components. Our analysis determined that formative assessment is the most frequently used type and 75% of all assessment types employed used the multiple choice questions format.