Development of oculomotor control throughout childhood: A multicenter and multiethnic study.

Although steady fixation is a key aspect of a proper visual function, it is only subjectively assessed in young and uncooperative children. In the present study, we characterize the development of fixational behavior throughout childhood in a large group of healthy children 5 months of age and up, recruited in five geographically diverse sites. In order to do it, we examined 802 healthy children from April 2019 to February 2020. Their oculomotor behavior was analyzed by means of an automated digital system, based on eye-tracking technology. Oculomotor outcomes were gaze stability, fixation stability and duration of fixations (for both long and short fixational tasks), and saccadic reaction time. Ninety-nine percent of all recruited children were successfully examined. Fixational and saccadic performance improved with age throughout childhood, with more pronounced changes during the first 2 years of life. Gaze and fixation tended to be more stable with age (p < 0.001 for most the outcomes), and saccades tended to be faster. In a multivariate analysis, including age and ethnicity as independent variables and adjusting by data quality, age was related with most fixational outcomes. Our automated digital system and eye-tracking data allow us to quantitatively describe the development of oculomotor control during childhood, assess visual fixation and saccadic performance in children 5 months of age and up, and provide a normative reference of fixational outcomes for clinical practice.

Physiological changes in retinal layers thicknesses measured with swept source optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the physiological changes related with age of all retinal layers thickness measurements in macular and peripapillary areas in healthy eyes. METHODS: Wide protocol scan (with a field of view of 12x9 cm) from Triton SS-OCT instrument (Topcon Corporation, Japan) was performed 463 heathy eyes from 463 healthy controls. This protocol allows to measure the thickness of the following layers: Retina, Retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), Ganglion cell layer (GCL +), GCL++ and choroid. In those layers, mean thickness was compared in four groups of ages: Group 1 (71 healthy subjects aged between 20 and 34 years); Group 2 (65 individuals aged 35-49 years), Group 3 (230 healthy controls aged 50-64 years) and Group 4 (97 healthy subjects aged 65-79 years). RESULTS: The most significant thinning of all retinal layers occurs particularly in the transition from group 2 to group 3, especially in temporal superior quadrant at RNFL, GCL++ and retinal layers (p≤0.001), and temporal superior, temporal inferior, and temporal half in choroid layer (p<0.001). Curiously group 2 when compared with group 1 presents a significant thickening of RNFL in temporal superior quadrant (p = 0.001), inferior (p<0.001) and temporal (p = 0.001) halves, and also in nasal half in choroid layer (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Excepting the RNFL, which shows a thickening until the third decade of life, the rest of the layers seem to have a physiological progressive thinning.

Ability of Swept source OCT technology to detect neurodegeneration in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without diabetic retinopathy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate neurodegeneration in patients with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM2) without diabetic retinopathy, and to assess the possible role of chronic systemic ischaemia and disease duration in retinal changes. STUDY DESIGN: Observational cross sectional study. METHODS: Sixty eyes of 60 patients with DM2 without signs of diabetic retinopathy (DR), and 60 eyes of 60 healthy controls underwent retinal (ganglion cell layer (GCL), and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and choroidal evaluation using Swept source Optical coherence tomography, which allows high quality analysis of the different retinal layers and the choroidal plexus. Comparison between patients with presence/absence of systemic vascular complications and different disease duration time was performed. RESULTS: Macular GCL and RNFL were reduced in patients compared to controls (p < 0.001). In the peripapillary area, a reduction of the RNFL (p < 0.001) was observed in patients with DM2. There were no significant changes observed in the choroidal plexus of these patients. Patients with systemic ischaemia presented significant thinning of the choroid and further reduction of the temporal RNFL (p = 0.014) and GCL (p = 0.016) thickness. The GCL and the choroid were also thinner in patients with longer disease duration. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with early DM2 present retinal neurodegeneration prior to the appearance of clinically observable vascular retinal changes. In these patients chronic systemic ischaemia caused reduction of the choroidal plexus and further damage to the retinal layers, adding new information on systemic chronic ischaemia and retinal neurodegeneration in patients with DM2 without DR.

Development of a system based on artificial intelligence to identify visual problems in children: study protocol of the TrackAI project.

INTRODUCTION: Around 70% to 80% of the 19 million visually disabled children in the world are due to a preventable or curable disease, if detected early enough. Vision screening in childhood is an evidence-based and cost-effective way to detect visual disorders. However, current screening programmes face several limitations: training required to perform them efficiently, lack of accurate screening tools and poor collaboration from young children.Some of these limitations can be overcome by new digital tools. Implementing a system based on artificial intelligence systems avoid the challenge of interpreting visual outcomes.The objective of the TrackAI Project is to develop a system to identify children with visual disorders. The system will have two main components: a novel visual test implemented in a digital device, DIVE (Device for an Integral Visual Examination); and artificial intelligence algorithms that will run on a smartphone to analyse automatically the visual data gathered by DIVE. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a multicentre study, with at least five centres located in five geographically diverse study sites participating in the recruitment, covering Europe, USA and Asia.The study will include children aged between 6 months and 14 years, both with normal or abnormal visual development.The project will be divided in two consecutive phases: design and training of an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to identify visual problems, and system development and validation. The study protocol will consist of a comprehensive ophthalmological examination, performed by an experienced paediatric ophthalmologist, and an exam of the visual function using a DIVE.For the first part of the study, diagnostic labels will be given to each DIVE exam to train the neural network. For the validation, diagnosis provided by ophthalmologists will be compared with AI system outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The study will be conducted in accordance with the principles of Good Clinical Practice. This protocol was approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Aragón, CEICA, on January 2019 (Code PI18/346).Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and disseminated in scientific meetings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ISRCTN17316993.

Neurodegeneration in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus without Diabetic Retinopathy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate neurodegeneration in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) without diabetic retinopathy and to assess the possible role of systemic vascular complications in retinal changes. METHODS: Sixty eyes of 60 patients with DM2 and without any signs of diabetic retinopathy and 60 eyes of 60 healthy controls underwent retinal evaluation using Spectralis optical coherence tomography. Macular ganglion cell layer (GCL) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) were evaluated. Peripapillary RNFL thickness was assessed using Glaucoma and Axonal Analytics applications. Comparison between patients with the presence/absence of systemic vascular complications and different disease duration was made. RESULTS: Macular GCL was reduced in patients compared to controls (p < 0.001). Differences in the macular RNFL thickness were only observed in the outer inferior sector (p=0.033). A reduction in the peripapillary RNFL (average, inferior, and inferotemporal thickness, p < 0.05 for all three) was observed in patients using both applications. Patients with chronic systemic vascular complications presented a reduction in the temporal RNFL (p=0.019) compared to patients without complications. The superotemporal RNFL thickness was thinner in patients with longer disease duration. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with type 2 DM without diabetic retinopathy and good metabolic control present neurodegeneration affecting neurons in the macular area and axons in different sectors of the optic disc. Systemic vascular complications contributed to further axonal damage in these patients, suggesting a possible role of subclinical ischaemia to retinal neurodegeneration in type 2 DM.

Ability of swept source OCT to detect retinal changes in patients with bipolar disorder.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the ability of swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) to detect retinal changes in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). METHODS: Twenty-three patients with BD and 23 controls underwent retinal evaluation using SS deep range imaging (DRI) Triton OCT. Full retinal thickness, the ganglion cell layer (GCL), the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and choroidal thickness were evaluated with automated segmentation software. RESULTS: Patients with BD were shown to have significant thinning of the macular full retinal thickness in the center (p = 0.049), inner temporal (p = 0.045), inner nasal (p = 0.016), and inner inferior (p = 0.016) of the ETDRS areas. The macular GCL layer was reduced in patients compared with controls (average, p = 0.002; superior, p = 0.009; superonasal, p = 0.009; inferonasal, p = 0.003; and inferior, p = 0.009). Peripapillary reduction of full retinal thickness (average, p < 0.001; superotemporal, p < 0.001; superonasal, p = 0.003; nasal, p = 0.005; and inferotemporal, p = 0.033), GCL (nasal, p = 0.025), and RNFL thickness (average, p = 0.002; superotemporal, p < 0.001; and superonasal, p = 0.045) was observed in patients compared with controls. No significant differences were observed in choroidal thickness measurements. CONCLUSIONS: BD patients were shown to have quantifiable thinning of full retinal thickness and the GCL in the macular area, as well as a peripapillary reduction of the RNFL and GCL thickness. The analysis of the retinal sublayers with SS-OCT may be a useful indicator to show degeneration and monitor disease progression in bipolar disorder.

Influence of cardiovascular condition on retinal and retinal nerve fiber layer measurements.

OBJECTIVE: To assess changes in the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macula in subjects with cardiovascular risk factors or subclinical ischemia. DESIGN: Prospective and observational study. METHODS: A total of 152 healthy men underwent cardiovascular examination, including quantification of subclinical atheroma plaques by artery ultrasound scans, blood analysis, and a complete ophthalmic evaluation, including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. The variables registered in cardiovascular examination were quantification of classic major risk factors, subclinical atheroma plaques by artery ultrasound scans, and analytical records. The ophthalmic evaluation registered RNFL and macular thickness. RESULTS: Mean subject age was 51.27±3.71 years. The 40 subjects without classic cardiovascular risk factors did not show differences in RNFL and macular thicknesses compared with the 112 subjects with at least one risk factor (except in sector 9 that showed higher thicknesses in subjects with ≥1 risk factor). Comparison between the group of subjects with and without atheroma plaques revealed no differences in RNFL and macular thicknesses. The sub-analysis of subjects with subclinical atheroma plaques in the common carotid artery revealed a significant reduction in central macular thickness in the left eye compared with the right eye (p = 0.016), RNFL in the superior quadrant (p = 0.007), and the 11 o'clock sector (p = 0.020). Comparison between smokers and nonsmokers revealed that smokers had significant thinning of the central macular thickness (p = 0.034), the nasal RNFL quadrant (p = 0.006), and the 3 and 5 o'clock sectors (p = 0.016 and 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Classic cardiovascular risk factors do not cause RNFL or macular thickness reduction, but tobacco smoking habit reduces nasal RNFL thickness. Subclinical atherosclerosis in the common carotid artery associates a reduction in central macular and nasal RNFL quadrant thicknesses in the left eye compared with the right eye.