No side effects on rabbit retina or vitreous microenvironment by nd:YAG laser vitreolysis.

BACKGROUND: To explore the safety of Neodymium:Yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser vitreolysis based on the histological examination of the retina and the alteration of vitreous cytokines in the rabbits. METHODS: Nine male New Zealand rabbits underwent Nd:YAG laser vitreolysis of 10 mJ x 500 pulses in the left eyes, while the right eyes were used as controls. Intraocular pressure, color fundus photography, and ultrasound B scan were measured before, as well as 1 day, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after Nd:YAG laser vitreolysis. Three rabbits were euthanized 1 day, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after treatment, respectively. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining were used to look for pathological changes in the retina. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was utilized to detect the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and some inflammatory cytokines, including interferon inducible protein 10 (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) and interlenkin 6 (IL-6) in the vitreous humor. The ascorbic acid (AsA) and total reactive antioxidant potential (TRAP) in the vitreous humor were also measured. RESULTS: Following Nd:YAG laser vitreolysis, the levels of VEGF, IP-10, MCP-1, IL6, AsA, and TRAP in the vitreous humor did not change substantially (P > 0.05). There were no detectable pathological changes in the retinal tissues, and no apoptotic signal was found. CONCLUSIONS: Rabbits tolerate Nd:YAG laser vitreolysis without observable impact on retinal tissue or the microenvironment of the vitreous.

An energy efficiency assessment of Yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser in vitro.

To study the effect range of the Nd:YAG laser through various levels of cloudy medium for targets with varying grayscale values in vitro. The coated paper cards with grayscale values of 0, 50, 100, and 150 were used as the laser's targets, which were struck straightly with varying energies using three burst modes (single pulse, double pulse, and triple pulse). Six filters (transmittances of 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90) were applied to simulate various levels of cloudy refractive medium. Image J software was used to measure the diameters and regions of the laser spots. The ranges of the Nd:YAG laser spots increased with energy in the same burst mode (P < 0.05). Under the same amount of energy, the ranges of the Nd:YAG laser spot increased with the grayscale value of the targets (P < 0.05). The greater the transmittance of the filters employed, the larger the range of the Nd: YAG laser spots produced. Assuming that the total pulse energy is identical, the effect ranges of multi-pulse burst modes were significantly larger than those of single-pulse burst mode (P < 0.05). The effect range of a Nd:YAG laser grows with increasing energy and the target's grayscale value. A cloudy refractive medium has a negative impact on the effect range of the Nd: YAG laser. The single pulse mode has the narrowest and safest efficiency range.

Long-term efficacy and safety of YAG laser vitreolysis for vision degrading myodesopsia.

AIM: To assess the long-term efficacy and safety of yttrium-aluminum garnet (YAG) laser vitreolysis for vision degrading myodesopsia (VDM) caused by posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed VDM patients of PVD type undergoing YAG laser vitreolysis. The baseline demographic information, the patterns of floaters, the number of floaters, and the subjective improvement of floater sympotoms (ranging from 0 to 100%) from medical records were collected. Significant improvement was defined as a relief of floater symptoms of ≥50% at the final visit. The long-term efficacy and safety of YAG laser vitreolysis were analyzed. The risk factors linked to significant improvement of floater symptoms were defined using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The final analysis included 221 patients with VDM. The mean age of patients was 61.08±7.74y, and the mean length of follow-up was 21.38±5.61mo. Totally 57.01% of patients experienced a significant improvement in their floater symptoms after YAG laser therapy, and none of them developed delayed retinal abnormalities such as retinal tears or detachments. Age (OR=1.049, 95%CI=1.007-1.092, P=0.021) was identified as a significant risk factor for significant improvement in VDM. CONCLUSION: YAG laser vitreolysis is an effective and secure treatment for PVD-type VDM, and patients of advanced age are more likely to get favorable outcomes.

Vision degrading myodesopsia assessed with optos ultra-widefield scanning laser ophthalmoscope.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the diagnostic sensitivity of Optos imaging for vision degrading myodesopsia (VDM). METHODS: A total of 420 eyes from 345 patients with VDM were collected in this cross-sectional study. All eyes were classified as having posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) or not having PVD. The sensitivity of Optos imaging for the visibility of vitreous floaters was evaluated. The associated factors with the visibility of vitreous floaters on Optos images were analyzed in univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The mean age of all patients was 56.19 ± 13.89 years old, and 66.67% of patients were female. The vitreous floaters were visible on the ultrasound B scan in all eyes, but only in 47.62% of Optos images (55.29% in eyes with PVD and 15% in eyes without PVD). In the multiple binary logistic regression analysis, age (OR = 1.094, 95%CI = 1.063-1.125, P < 0.001), spherical equivalent (OR = 0.869, 95%CI = 0.791-0.955, P = 0.004) and the distance of the floaters from the retina (OR = 1.191, 95%CI = 1.059-1.339, P = 0.003) were significantly correlated with the visibility of vitreous floaters on Optos images. On Optos images, 25.71% of VDM eyes presented additional retinal abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Optos imaging has a low sensitivity for vitreous floaters, particularly in eyes without PVD. On Optos imaging, floaters were more visible in older patients, eyes with greater myopia, and floaters that were further from the retina.

Blood inflammatory biomarkers in participants with idiopathic epiretinal membrane: A retrospective case series study.

The objective was to evaluate the levels of monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in patients with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (iERM). This retrospective case series study comprised of participants with iERM and participants with cataract. The values of MLR, NLR, PLR and from participants' peripheral blood were assessed among groups. The best cutoff value of MLR, NLR, and PLR in iERM was found by performing a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and determining the optimum cutoff value for each variable. In total, 95 participants with iERM were included in the study group, and 61 participants with senile cataract were included as controls. The lymphocyte count in the iERM group was significantly lower than the control group (1.69 ± 0.63 vs. 1.95 ± 0.53, P = .003). The monocyte count in the iERM group was significantly higher than the control group (0.39 ± 0.11 vs. 0.31 ± 0.10, P < .001). The area under the curve of MLR, NLR, and PLR in differentiating patients with IERM and controls was 0.782, 0.645, and 0.657, respectively, according to receiver operating characteristic. The best cutoff value of MLR was > 0.18, with sensitivity and specificity of 74.7% and 75.4%, respectively. The NLR was > 2.06, with a sensitivity and specificity of 50.5% and 83.6%, respectively. The PLR was > 95.89, with a sensitivity and specificity of 86.3% and 41.0%, respectively. The findings of this study suggest that systemic inflammation may be associated with iERM. IERM patients may be prone to have high MLR, NLR, and PLR values.

Spontaneous remission of vision degrading myodesopsia of posterior vitreous detachment type.

PURPOSE: The study aims to observe the spontaneous remission of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)-type vision degrading myodesopsia (VDM) during long-term follow-up. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed VDM patients with PVD type that refused any treatment. The ratio and time of significant spontaneous remission of floater symptoms occurring were described. The associated factors with significant remission of floater symptoms were analyzed in the univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: In total, 179 patients with VDM were assessed. The mean age of all patients was 60.56 ± 0.47 years old, and the mean duration of follow-up was 23.89 ± 6.63 months. Of the patients, 40.78% have significant improvement in their floater symptoms after mean 16.55 ± 10.63-month follow-up. Myopia (OR = 0.280, 95% CI = 0.084-0.932, P = 0.038), the number of floaters > 3 (OR = 0.343, 95% CI = 0.172-0.683, P = 0.002), and floaters with string-like pattern (OR = 0.370, 95% CI = 0.166-0.824, P = 0.015) and blocky pattern (OR = 0.299, 95% CI = 0.090-0.993, P = 0.049) were negatively correlated with the significant spontaneous remission of VDM symptoms in the multiple binary logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 40% of VDM patients with PVD may experience significant spontaneous remission during long-term follow-up. Patients that are non-myopic and with fewer floaters are more likely to feel relief from VDM symptoms. Floaters with string-like or blocky patterns are less likely to undergo spontaneous remission.

Prognosis value of Chinese Ocular Fundus Diseases Society classification for proliferative diabetic retinopathy on postoperative visual acuity after pars plana vitrectomy in type 2 diabetes.

AIM: To compare the postoperative visual acuity among eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) of different stages after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted for PDR eyes undergoing PPV in type 2 diabetic patients. All patients were divided into three groups based on Chinese Ocular Fundus Diseases Society (COFDS) classification for PDR: Group A (primary vitreous hemorrhage), Group B (primary fibrovascular proliferation) and Group C (primary vitreous hemorrhage and/or fibrovascular proliferative combined with retinal detachment). The postoperative visual acuity and the change between postoperative and preoperative visual acuity were compared among three groups. The associated risk factors for postoperative visual acuity were analyzed in the univariate and multiple linear aggression. RESULTS: In total, 195 eyes of 195 patients were collected in this study, including 71 eyes of 71 patients in Group A, 75 eyes of 75 patients in Group B and 49 eyes of 49 patients in Group C. The eyes in Group A got better postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) compared to the eyes in Group B and C (0.48±0.48 vs 0.89±0.63, P<0.001; 0.48±0.48 vs 1.04±0.67, P<0.001; respectively). The eyes in Group A got more improvement of BCVA compared to the eyes in Group B and C (1.07±0.70 vs 0.73±0.68, P=0.004; 1.07±0.70 vs 0.77±0.78, P=0.024; respectively). In the multiple linear regression analysis, primary fibro-proliferative type (ß=0.194, 95%CI=0.060-0.447, P=0.01), retinal detachment type (ß=0.244, 95%CI=0.132-0.579, P=0.02), baseline logMAR BCVA (ß=0.192, 95%CI=0.068-0.345, P=0.004), silicone oil tamponade (ß=0.272, 95%CI=0.173-0.528, P<0.001) was positively correlated with postoperative logMAR BCVA. Eyes undergoing phacovitrectomy had better postoperative BCVA (ß=-0.144, 95%CI=-0.389 to -0.027, P=0.025). CONCLUSION: PDR eyes of primary vitreous hemorrhage type usually have better visual acuity prognosis compared to primary fibrovascular proliferation type and retinal detachment type. COFDS classification for PDR may have a high prognostic value for postoperative visual outcome and surgical management indications.

Comparable postoperative myopic shift in eyes with retinal vascular diseases and vitreomacular interface diseases after phacovitrectomy.

PURPOSE: To compare the predictive refractive error (PRE) of intraocular lens (IOL) power between retinal vascular and vitreomacular interface diseases after phacovitrectomy. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent phacovitrectomy for various retinal diseases. Patients with retinal vascular diseases and vitreomacular interface diseases were included in group A and group B, respectively. Age- and gender-matched senile cataract patients with phacoemulsification were set as controls. The mean PRE and absolute value of refractive error (ARE) among different groups were compared. The associated risk factors with ARE were also analyzed in the univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: In total, 106 patients (Group A), 108 patients (Group B), and 110 patients as controls were included. The PRE in Group A (- 0.35 ± 0.83D) and Group B (- 0.53 ± 0.74D) were more myopic compared to the control group (- 0.11 ± 0.58D) (p < 0.05). The ARE in Group A (0.70 ± 0.57D) and Group B (0.75 ± 0.51D) were significantly higher compared to the control group (0.47 ± 0.35D) (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the PRE and ARE values between the two study groups (p = 0.267 and 0.861, respectively). There were no significant differences of the PRE and ARE in the eyes with silicone oil tamponade (- 0.63 ± 0.75D, 0.81 ± 0.54D) and gas tamponade (- 0.42 ± 0.83D, 0.74 ± 0.56D) (p = 0.693 and 0.988, respectively). In the multivariate model, preoperative LogMAR visual acuity (ß = 0.162, 95%CI = 0.113-0.211, p < 0.001), mean corneal curvature (ß = 0.105, 95% CI = 0.074-0.135, p < 0.001), and age (ß = 0.012, 95% CI = 0.005-0.019, p = 0.001) were all positively correlated with the ARE. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative myopic shift after phacovitrectomy may be comparable in retinal vascular diseases and vitreomacular interface diseases, no matter the gas or silicone oil tamponade. Older age, steeper corneal curvature, and worse preoperative visual acuity could produce more prediction errors.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) are more prominent in retinal artery occlusion (RAO) compared to retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

AIM: To evaluate the association between the value of neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR) and the development of retinal artery occlusion (RAO) and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: This retrospective study assessed 41 RAO, 50 RVO and 50 control (age and gender matched senile cataract) participants. The NLR, PLR and MHR parameters of patients' peripheral blood were analyzed. A receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis and the best cutoff value were used to specify the predictive value of NLR, PLR and MHR in RAO and RVO. RESULTS: The NLR, PLR and MHR were significantly higher in RAO group compared to the control group (p<0.001, p<0.001 and p = 0.008; respectively). The NLR, PLR and MHR were also significantly higher in the RVO group compared to the control group (p<0.001, p = 0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively). The NLR and PLR were significantly higher in the RAO group compared to the RVO group (p<0.001 and p = 0.022, respectively). The optimal cut-off value of NLR to predict RAO was >2.99, with 90.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The PLR to predict RAO was > 145.52, with 75.6% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity. CONCLUSION: Higher NLR, PLR and MHR are related to the occurrence of RAO and RVO. NLR and PLR are more prominent in RAO compared to RVO.

Factors Associated with Macular Staphyloma Area on Ultra-widefield Fundus Images.

PURPOSE: To assess the feasibility of applying ultra-widefield fundus (UWF) images for macular staphyloma area (MSA) measurement and investigate the associated factors with MSA. METHODS: This is a retrospective study. MSA was measured by UWF imaging. Central foveal thickness, subfoveal choroidal thickness, subfoveal scleral thickness were measured on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Intraclass correlation coefficients of MSA measurement would be evaluated. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the associated factors with MSA. RESULTS: In total, 135 eyes of 92 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 64.73 ± 10.84 years. Mean MSA on UWF image was 279.67 ± 71.70 mm2. Intraclass correlation coefficients of MSA measurement was 0.965 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.946 to 0.977; p < 0.001). In the multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for subfoveal choroidal thickness, best-corrected visual acuity, central foveal thickness, and subfoveal scleral thickness, the factors independently related to MSA were axial length (ß = 8.352; 95% CI, 3.306 to 13.398; p = 0.001), sex (ß = -26.673; 95% CI, -51.759 to -1.586; p = 0.037), age (ß = 1.184; 95% CI, 0.020 to 2.348; p = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to measure MSA on UWF image. Female, longer axial length, and older age may indicate larger MSA.

The Efficacy and Safety of YAG Laser Vitreolysis for Symptomatic Vitreous Floaters of Complete PVD or Non-PVD.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of YAG laser vitreolysis in treating symptomatic vitreous floaters of complete posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and non-PVD. METHODS: In this prospective cohort study, 51 eyes with symptomatic floaters were treated with YAG laser vitreolysis. Participants were divided into complete PVD and non-PVD groups. Objective visual quality measures including the Strehl ratio (SR), internal spherical aberration (SA), internal comatic aberration (CA), internal high-order aberration (HOA), area ratio of modulation transfer function (MTFa) and Vitreous Floaters Symptom Questionnaire (VFSQ-13) scores were used to compare the efficacy of YAG laser vitreolysis treatment between two groups. RESULTS: The mean age of all patients was 56.80 ± 10.82 years old. In total, 36 of 51 (70.59%; 95% CI 58.10-83.10) patients reported their symptoms as significant or complete improvement after YAG laser vitreolysis treatment. Post-treatment MTFa, internal SA and internal HOA were significantly better compared to baseline (26.19 ± 14.73 vs. 29.19 ± 17.98, p = 0.013; 0.05 ± 0.05 vs. 0.04 ± 0.04, p = 0.031 and 0.23 ± 0.22 vs. 0.16 ± 0.07, p = 0.044; respectively) in all eyes. Twenty-nine of 51 (56.86%) eyes had floaters of non-PVD type. Significant or complete subjective improvements in the PVD group and non-PVD group were 72.73% and 68.97% (p = 0.344), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Improved subjective and objective visual quality in participants with symptomatic floaters following YAG laser vitreolysis was found in both groups. The efficacy of YAG laser vitreolysis was comparable in floaters of complete PVD and non-PVD types.

Screening Evaporative Dry Eyes Severity Using an Infrared Image.

BACKGROUND: Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial and one of the most common problems treated in an ophthalmic outpatient clinic. Due to the variability in presentation, diagnosis of DED consists of a combination of subjective and objective clinical tests. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a handheld smartphone-based infrared thermal (IRT) camera for screening symptomatic evaporative DED. METHODS: This observational sex-matched control study assessed IRT images of 184 right eyes (46 normal and 138 DED) of 184 participants. Evaporative DED was assessed using noninvasive tear breakup time, fluorescein staining, and the Chinese version of the ocular surface disease index (C-OSDI) questionnaire and categorized into their respective dry eye symptomology group (none, mild, moderate, or severe). The ocular surface temperature (OST) at 8 anatomical regions of interest (ROI) (nasal conjunctiva, nasal limbus, nasal cornea, central cornea, inferior cornea, temporal limbus, temporal cornea, and temporal conjunctiva) were measured and compared using a handheld smartphone-based IRT camera. The effectiveness of these 8 ROIs OST in detecting varying severity of DED was evaluated in terms of correlations with severity of DED and their area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: OST at the 8 anatomical ROI was significantly higher in DED participants than in the non-DED group (p < 0.05) except for inferior cornea, temporal limbus, and temporal conjunctival regions (>0.05). Analyzing 8 anatomical ROIs revealed that the nasal limbus had the highest Pearson correlation with the severity of DED (0.64, p < 0.001). Additionally, the nasal limbus ROI achieved the highest AUC of 0.79 (CI: 0.73-0.85; p < 0.05), sensitivity, and specificity (0.96 and 0.91) when comparing its ability to discriminated DED vs. non-DED eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Rather than a diagnostic tool, handheld smartphone-based IRT images can be considered as a rapid, noninvasive, and hygienic screening tool in discriminating DED and non-DED and potentially alleviating inconvenience experienced during conventional tests.

Reliability of Chinese web-based ocular surface disease index questionnaire in dry eye patients: a randomized, crossover study.

AIM: To assess the reliability of web-based version of ocular surface disease index in Chinese (C-OSDI) on clinically diagnosed dry eye disease (DE) patients. METHODS: A total of 254 Chinese participants (51% male, 129/254; mean age: 27.90±9.06y) with DED completed paper- and web-based versions of C-OSDI questionnaires in a randomized crossover design. Ophthalmology examination and DED diagnosis were performed prior to the participants being invited to join the study. Participants were randomly designated to either group A (paper-based first and web-based second) or group B (web-based first and paper-based second). Final data analysis included participants that had successfully completed both versions of the C-OSDI. Demographic characteristics, test-retest reliability, and agreement of individual items, subscales, and total score were evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), Spearman rank correlation, Wilcoxon test and Rasch analysis. RESULTS: Reliability indexes were adequate, Pearson correlation was greater than 0.8 and ICCs range was 0.827 to 0.982; total C-OSDI score was not statistically different between the two versions. The values of mean-squares fit statistics were very low compared to 1, indicating that the responses to the items by the model had a high degree of predictability. While comparing the favorability 72% (182/254) of the participants preferred web-based assessment. CONCLUSION: Web-based C-OSDI is reliable in assessing DED and correlation with the paper-based version is significant in all subscales and overall total score. Web-based C-OSDI can be administered to assess individuals with DED as participants predominantly favored online assessment.

Corneal Nerves Alteration Associated with Corneal Complications after Pars Plana Vitrectomy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of corneal nerves assessment on predicting corneal complications following pars plana vitrectomy (PPV). METHODS: In this prospective single-center cohort study, 94 patients (94 eyes) received PPV, and were divided into postoperative groups with and without corneal complications. All eyes had corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL), corneal nerve fiber density, and branch density of corneal nerve fibers assessed and calculated with Image J preoperatively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify corneal nerve fiber parameters that correlated to post-operative corneal complications. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the optimal cut-off point of the corneal fibers' parameters for predicting corneal complications after PPV. RESULTS: Eleven eyes (11.70%) developed corneal complications at 1 week after PPV. There was significant difference between CNFL (19.44 ± 6.88 vs. 26.84 ± 7.53, p = 0.003), corneal nerve fiber density (28.82 ± 9.91 vs. 37.10 ± 10.16, p = 0.013) and branch density of corneal nerve fibers (55.84 ± 21.08 vs. 82.04 ± 31.89, p = 0.01) in two groups, respectively. Receiver operator characteristic analysis showed that the optimal cutoff value of CNFL to predict corneal complications following PPV was <26.495 mm/mm2. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease of CNFL may predict corneal complications following PPV. Regular preoperative corneal confocal microscopy test in PPV patients could be considered.

Effect of Intense Pulsed Light on Anterior Corneal Aberrations and Quality of Vision in Patients with Evaporative Dry Eye.

Objective: To evaluate the improvement in the tear film lipid layer (TFLL) and its subsequent impact upon corneal aberrations following intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment in patients with evaporative dry eye disease (DED) due to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Background: The prevalence of DED is common and can lead to ocular discomfort, reduced visual acuity, and lowered quality of vision (QoV) and life. Methods: In this self-control study, patients with moderate-to-severe evaporative DED due to MGD were consecutively enrolled and underwent two IPL treatments at 3-week intervals. Clinical assessments, such as Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and QoV questionnaires, anterior corneal aberrations, noninvasive tear breakup time (NITBUT), interferometric fringe pattern as determined by TFLL quality, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS), meibum gland (MG), conjunctival hyperemia (CH), best-corrected visual acuity, endothelial cell count, and intraocular pressure, were conducted at pretreatment (D-0), day 21 (D-21), and day 42 (D-42) after IPL treatment. Results: The final analysis included 124 eyes of 62 patients (29 females, 33 males; mean age 35.66 ± 11.09 years). Clinically and statistically significant improvement in NITBUT was observed at D-42 (p < 0.01). OSDI, QoV, TFLL score, and MG quality and expressibility all improved significantly (p < 0.05) at D-42, whereas CH (p = 0.073) and CFS (p = 0.058) showed minor not significant improvements at D-42 of assessment. Anterior corneal aberrations also improved significantly at D-42 of assessment (p < 0.05). Conclusions: IPL treatment reduced the severity of symptoms and improved the overall tear film (TF) stability in patients with moderate-to-severe evaporative dry eye (DE) due to MGD. Additionally, the significant improvement in QoV in DE patients can be attributed to the reduction in anterior corneal aberrations due to improved TF stability.

Influence of vitrectomy on the progression of dry age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate whether pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) changes the progression of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by assessing longitudinal changes in drusen volume over follow-up. METHODS: Dry AMD patients who had undergone unilateral PPV for symptomatic vitreomacular disorders were evaluated for the progression of disease by spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) features including drusen volume, development of geographic atrophy, or choroidal neovascularization during follow-up. Drusen volume was manually calculated using an image processing software (ImageJ, NIH) on raster SD-OCT scans. Mean change in drusen volume of surgery eyes was compared with values of the fellow eyes of the same subjects (control group). RESULTS: Among 183 eyes with both vitreoretinal disorder and dry AMD, 48 eyes of 24 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included. The mean drusen volume change during a mean of 25.49 ± 23.35 months of follow-up (range: 6.00-86.87 months) was 4.236.899 ± 20.488.913 µm3 in the study eye and 7.796.357 ± 34.798.519 µm3 in the fellow eye (p = 0.297). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) significantly increased from 0.40 ± 0.18 logMAR (≈ 20/50 Snellen equivalent) to 0.32 ± 0.31 (≈ 20/41 Snellen equivalent) after surgery (p = 0.012) in the study group while BCVA remained stable in the control group (0.19 ± 0.34 logMAR [≈ 20/30 Snellen equivalent] at baseline and 0.20 ± 0.31 logMAR [≈ 20/31 Snellen equivalent], p = 0.432). Choroidal neovascularization developed in 1 vitrectomized eye (4.54%) and in 1 eye (4.54%) from the control group during follow-up. CONCLUSION: Vitrectomy did not seem to worsen dry AMD progression; even more visual acuity may improve despite a slight increase in drusen volume following surgery.

CHARACTERIZING THE NATURAL HISTORY OF FOVEAL-SPARING ATROPHIC LATE-ONSET RETINAL DEGENERATION.

PURPOSE: To identify quantifiable markers of disease progression in patients with foveal-sparing atrophic late-onset retinal degeneration using fundus autofluorescence and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging. METHODS: Natural history study evaluating patients within a 3-year interval. Disease progression was assessed based on the area of retinal atrophy, macular topographic distribution of lesions, retinal and choroidal thickness and volume, and choroidal vascularity index. RESULTS: Twenty-four eyes (12 individuals) were included for fundus autofluorescence, and 31 eyes (16 individuals) for spectral-domain optical coherence tomography studies. Measurements were symmetrical between eyes of the same patient. The area of atrophy significantly enlarged (P = 0.002), with a growth rate of 2.67 mm2/year (SD: 2.13; square rooted: 0.57 mm/year, SD = 0.34). Baseline area of atrophy and progression both correlated with age. Most atrophic lesions were found in the temporal macula and progressed nasally at follow-up. Central choroidal and retinal thicknesses and volume in late-onset retinal degeneration cases were significantly reduced compared with controls, but only central retinal thickness decreased significantly at follow-up. CONCLUSION: This study identifies the area of atrophy and central retinal thickness, but not chorioretinal volume or choroidal thickness, as markers of short-term progression in late-onset retinal degeneration. These findings may be useful for disease monitoring and late-onset retinal degeneration interventional studies.

Accuracy of intraocular lens calculation formulas in cataract patients with steep corneal curvature.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the accuracy of five kinds of intraocular lens calculation formulas (SRK/T, Haigis, Hoffer Q, Holladay and Barrett Universal Ⅱ) in cataract patients with steep curvature cornea ≥ 46.0 diopters. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of cataract phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens implantation in patients with steep curvature cornea (corneal curvature ≥ 46D). The refractive prediction errors of IOL power calculation formulas (SRK/T, Haigis, Holladay, Hoffer Q, and Barrett Universal II) using User Group for Laser Interference Biometry (ULIB) constants were evaluated and compared. Objective refraction results were assessed at one month postoperatively. According to axial length (AL), all patients were divided into three groups: short AL group (<22mm), normal AL group (>22 to ≤24.5mm) and long AL group (>24.5mm). Calculate the refractive error and absolute refractive error (AE) between the actual postoperative refractive power and the predicted postoperative refractive power. The covariance analysis was used for the comparison of five formulas in each group. The correlation between the absolute refractive error and AL from every formula were analyzed by Pearson correlation test, respectively. RESULT: Total 112 eyes of 83 cataract patients with steep curvature cornea were collected. The anterior chamber depth (ACD) was a covariate in the short AL group in the covariance analysis of absolute refractive error (P<0.001). The SRK/T and Holladay formula had the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) (0.47D), there were statistically significant differences in MAE between the five formulas for short AL group (P = 0.024). The anterior chamber depth had no significant correlation in the five calculation formulas in the normal AL group and long AL group (P = 0.521, P = 0.609 respectively). In the normal AL group, there was no significant difference in MAE between the five calculation formulas (P = 0.609). In the long AL group, Barrett Universal II formula had the lowest MAE (0.35), and there were statistically significant differences in MAE between the five formulas (P = 0.012). Over the entire AL range, the Barrett Universal II formula had the lowest MAE and the highest percentage of eyes within ± 0.50 D, ± 1.00 D, and ± 1.50 D (69.6%, 93.8%, and 98.2% respectively). CONCLUSION: Compared to SRK/T, Haigis, Hoffer Q, and Holladay, Barrett Universal Ⅱ formula is more accurate in predicting the IOL power in the cataract patients with steep curvature cornea ≥ 46.0 diopters.

Exploring the effect of hypertension on retinal microvasculature using deep learning on East Asian population.

Hypertension is the leading risk factor of cardiovascular disease and has profound effects on both the structure and function of the microvasculature. Abnormalities of the retinal vasculature may reflect the degree of microvascular damage due to hypertension, and these changes can be detected with fundus photographs. This study aimed to use deep learning technique that can detect subclinical features appearing below the threshold of a human observer to explore the effect of hypertension on morphological features of retinal microvasculature. We collected 2012 retinal photographs which included 1007 from patients with a diagnosis of hypertension and 1005 from normotensive control. By method of vessel segmentation, we removed interference information other than retinal vasculature and contained only morphological information about blood vessels. Using these segmented images, we trained a small convolutional neural networks (CNN) classification model and used a deep learning technique called Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) to generate heat maps for the class "hypertension". Our model achieved an accuracy of 60.94%, a specificity of 51.54%, a precision of 59.27%, and a recall of 70.48%. The AUC was 0.6506. In the heat maps for the class "hypertension", red patchy areas were mainly distributed on or around arterial/venous bifurcations. This indicated that the model has identified these regions as being the most important for predicting hypertension. Our study suggested that the effect of hypertension on retinal microvascular morphology mainly occurred at branching of vessels. The change of the branching pattern of retinal vessels was probably the most significant in response to elevated blood pressure.