Job satisfaction of Spanish and Portuguese optometrists / Satisfacción laboral de los optometristas españoles y portugueses

Purpose: Given the increase in demand for optometry services by society and the importance of the Optometry profession in Portugal and Spain, the objective of this study was to determine job satisfaction and important factors related to this satisfaction in a sample of Portuguese and Spanish optometrists. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional, and observational study was carried out from June to December 2021. An adaptation of the 15-item job satisfaction in eye-care personnel (JSEP) questionnaire validated by Paudel et al. was administered to Portuguese and Spanish optometrists. The questionnaire was shared through different social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, etc.) in a Google form during the months of June to December 2021 in Portugal and Spain. Results: A total of 530 surveys were collected in Portugal (42.3%; n = 224) and Spain (57.7%; n = 306). The factors that most influence overall job satisfaction are salary, career development opportunities, recognition/prestige in society, good work-life balance (all p<0.001), workplace equipment and facilities, and encouragement reward positive feedback (both p = 0.002). When comparing the determinants of job satisfaction of optometrists, it was found that Portuguese professionals were generally more satisfied than Spanish ones (p<0.001). However, Spanish optometrists reported feeling more supported by their colleagues (p<0.001). Conclusion: This study has shown that the level of job satisfaction was higher in Portugal than in Spain. The most important factors influencing job satisfaction were salary, job stability, and support from colleagues.(AU)

Citation network analysis on keratoconus

Objective: The high incidence of keratoconus has caused its management, etiology, and pathogenesis to be controversial topics in the ophthalmology field. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the different publications and authors through citation networks, as well as to identify the research areas and determine the most cited article. Methods: The search for publications was carried out through the Web of Science database, using the term “Keratoconus” between 1900 and December 2022. The Citation Network Explorer and CiteSpace software were used for the publication analysis. Results: 9,655 publications were found, with 124,379 citations generated on the network. The year with the highest number of publications was 2021. The most cited publication was “Keratoconus” by Rabinowitz, published in 1998. Cluster function gave five groups of research areas about keratoconus: corneal signs and parameters, cross-linking efficiency and effects, clinical factors, keratoplasty, and treatment. Conclusions: The citation network offers an objective and comprehensive analysis of the papers on keratoconus. (AU)

Prevalence and Estimation of the Evolution of Myopia in Spanish Children.

Background: In recent decades, myopia has turned into a public health issue across the world. Between 1993 and 2016, the percentage of myopes increased from 10.4% to 34.2%. This study aims to analyze the myopia prevalence in Spanish children from five to seven years old over the last five years and to predict the rate of myopia in Spain by 2030. Methods: The sample consisted of children aged between 5 and 7, who underwent an optometric examination consisting of the measurement of visual acuity (VA) and determination of objective and subjective refraction. The cut-off points to define refractive error are established by the spherical equivalent (SE) value: hyperopia for an SE over or equal to +0.50 D; myopia for an SE under or equal to -0.50 D; and emmetropia when the SE is between -0.50 D and +0.50 D. Results: The myopia rate in Spanish children aged between five and seven was 19%. Myopia prevalence progressively increased as children grew up (p ≤ 0.001). It is estimated that, in the year 2030, the rate of myopia will be 30.2% [CI: 25.3-35.0], of which 81.9% [CI: 78.3-85.3] will have low myopia, 10.0% [CI: 7.2-12.8] moderate myopia, and 7.3% [CI: 4.9-9.7] high myopia. Conclusions: Nineteen percent of Spanish children between five and seven are myopes. In 2030, is expected that 30.2% of Spanish children between 5 and 7 years of age will be myopes. These estimations will support eye care professionals in recommending that children spend more time outdoors to prevent the onset of myopia and the use of methods to control myopia to avoid reaching these figures of high myopia.

Strategies and attitudes on the management of myopia in clinical practice in Spain - 2022 update

Objective This study analyses strategies and attitudes on myopia management reported by eye care practitioners (ECP) from Spain in 2022. Methods A questionnaire was distributed to ECPs worldwide via the internet through professional associations. The questionnaire was distributed by email to all registered Spanish optician-optometrists. Questions examined awareness of increasing myopia prevalence; perceived efficacy; uptake of available approaches; and reasons preventing further uptake of specific approaches. Results Of 3,107 practitioners who participated in the study, 380 were Spanish ECPs. Using a 10-point scale, Spanish practitioners reported less concern about increasing pediatric myopia (8.3 ± 1.6) compared to ECP's worldwide (8.5 ± 1.9) (p < 0.001), but similar level of clinical activity in myopia control (7.8 ± 2.3 vs. 7.5 ± 2.5, respectively) (p > 0.05); however, around half of all prescribed treatments were single-vision distance spectacles/contact lenses both in Spain and in most regions, with Spanish practitioners prescribing less single-vision spectacles than African and Asian (p < 0.001), but more than Australasian practitioners (p = 0.04). No significant differences were found between Spain and the other regions in the perceived efficacy of combined therapy, orthokeratology, and outdoor time (p > 0.05), with the former being perceived as the most effective myopia control method followed by orthokeratology. No significant differences were found between Spain and the world's average in factors preventing the prescription of myopia control approaches (p > 0.05). Spanish practitioners reported that embracing myopia management has a positive, but lower impact on customer loyalty, practice revenue and job satisfaction compared with the other regions (all p < 0.001). Conclusions Myopia control is increasing, although around half of practitioners still prescribe single-vision distance spectacles/contact lenses to. ... . (AU)

Effectiveness of a Spectacle Lens with a Specific Asymmetric Myopic Peripheral Defocus: 12-Month Results in a Spanish Population.

BACKGROUND: Different designs of ophthalmic lenses have been studied to control the progression of myopia in children. This study aims to evaluate the short-term efficacy of a new design of ophthalmic lens with asymmetric myopic peripheral defocus (MPDL) on myopia progression in children compared to a control group wearing a single-vision lens (SVL). METHODS: Children aged 5 to 12 with myopia up to -0.50 D, astigmatism and anisometropia under 1.50 D, and corrected visual acuity over 20/20 were randomized to either the study group (MPDL) or control group (SVL). The myopia progression was evaluated by measuring axial length (AL) growth (IOL Master; Zeiss) over a period of one year. RESULTS: Ninety-two subjects were recruited. Forty-six children were randomly assigned to the control group, and 46 to the study group. In total, 83 children completed the clinical trial, with a mean age of 10.81 [9.53-11.92] years, among which 59.04% were female. After one year of treatment, there was less AL elongation in the study group compared to the control group (0.16 ± 0.16 mm vs. 0.24 ± 0.16 mm, p = 0.034). CONCLUSIONS: The MPDL significantly reduced the absolute growth of AL by 39% (p = 0.014) and relative growth of AL by 37.3% (p = 0.012) after 12 months in comparison to the control group in a Spanish population.

Assessing the rebound phenomenon in different myopia control treatments: A systematic review.

PURPOSE: To review the rebound effect after cessation of different myopia control treatments. METHODS: A systematic review that included full-length randomised controlled studies (RCTs), as well as post-hoc analyses of RCTs reporting new findings on myopia control treatments rebound effect in two databases, PubMed and Web of Science, was performed according to the PRISMA statement. The search period was between 15 June 2023 and 30 June 2023. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to analyse the quality of the selected studies. RESULTS: A total of 11 studies were included in this systematic review. Unifying the rebound effects of all myopia control treatments, the mean rebound effect for axial length (AL) and spherical equivalent refraction (SER) were 0.10 ± 0.07 mm [-0.02 to 0.22] and -0.27 ± 0.2 D [-0.71 to -0.03] after 10.2 ± 7.4 months of washout, respectively. In addition, spectacles with highly aspherical lenslets or defocus incorporated multiple segments technology, soft multifocal contact lenses and orthokeratology showed lower rebound effects compared with atropine and low-level light therapy, with a mean rebound effect for AL and SER of 0.04 ± 0.04 mm [0 to 0.08] and -0.13 ± 0.07 D [-0.05 to -0.2], respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It appears that the different treatments for myopia control produce a rebound effect after their cessation. Specifically, optical treatments seem to produce less rebound effect than pharmacological or light therapies. However, more studies are required to confirm these results.

Job satisfaction of Spanish and Portuguese optometrists.

PURPOSE: Given the increase in demand for optometry services by society and the importance of the Optometry profession in Portugal and Spain, the objective of this study was to determine job satisfaction and important factors related to this satisfaction in a sample of Portuguese and Spanish optometrists. METHODS: A prospective, cross-sectional, and observational study was carried out from June to December 2021. An adaptation of the 15-item job satisfaction in eye-care personnel (JSEP) questionnaire validated by Paudel et al. was administered to Portuguese and Spanish optometrists. The questionnaire was shared through different social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, etc.) in a Google form during the months of June to December 2021 in Portugal and Spain. RESULTS: A total of 530 surveys were collected in Portugal (42.3%; n = 224) and Spain (57.7%; n = 306). The factors that most influence overall job satisfaction are salary, career development opportunities, recognition/prestige in society, good work-life balance (all p<0.001), workplace equipment and facilities, and encouragement reward positive feedback (both p = 0.002). When comparing the determinants of job satisfaction of optometrists, it was found that Portuguese professionals were generally more satisfied than Spanish ones (p<0.001). However, Spanish optometrists reported feeling more supported by their colleagues (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study has shown that the level of job satisfaction was higher in Portugal than in Spain. The most important factors influencing job satisfaction were salary, job stability, and support from colleagues.

Strategies and attitudes on the management of myopia in clinical practice in Spain - 2022 update.

OBJECTIVE: This study analyses strategies and attitudes on myopia management reported by eye care practitioners (ECP) from Spain in 2022. METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to ECPs worldwide via the internet through professional associations. The questionnaire was distributed by email to all registered Spanish optician-optometrists. Questions examined awareness of increasing myopia prevalence; perceived efficacy; uptake of available approaches; and reasons preventing further uptake of specific approaches. RESULTS: Of 3,107 practitioners who participated in the study, 380 were Spanish ECPs. Using a 10-point scale, Spanish practitioners reported less concern about increasing pediatric myopia (8.3 ± 1.6) compared to ECP's worldwide (8.5 ± 1.9) (p < 0.001), but similar level of clinical activity in myopia control (7.8 ± 2.3 vs. 7.5 ± 2.5, respectively) (p > 0.05); however, around half of all prescribed treatments were single-vision distance spectacles/contact lenses both in Spain and in most regions, with Spanish practitioners prescribing less single-vision spectacles than African and Asian (p < 0.001), but more than Australasian practitioners (p = 0.04). No significant differences were found between Spain and the other regions in the perceived efficacy of combined therapy, orthokeratology, and outdoor time (p > 0.05), with the former being perceived as the most effective myopia control method followed by orthokeratology. No significant differences were found between Spain and the world's average in factors preventing the prescription of myopia control approaches (p > 0.05). Spanish practitioners reported that embracing myopia management has a positive, but lower impact on customer loyalty, practice revenue and job satisfaction compared with the other regions (all p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Myopia control is increasing, although around half of practitioners still prescribe single-vision distance spectacles/contact lenses to young/progressive myopes. Combined therapy followed by orthokeratology were perceived as the most effective treatments. Embracing myopia management improved patient loyalty and job satisfaction.

Trehalose and Dry Eye Disease: A Comprehensive Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.

The purpose of the research project was to extensively review the efficacy and safety of a trehalose tear-substitute treatment in cases of dry eye disease (DED). A systematic review that included only full-length randomized controlled studies (RCTs) reporting the effects of trehalose tear-substitute treatment in three databases, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science, was performed according to the PRISMA statement. The search period included papers published before 8 August 2023. The Cochrane risk-of-bias tool was used to analyze the quality of the studies selected. A total of 10 RCTs were included in this systematic review. Trehalose tear-substitute treatments achieved a higher improvement than did control group interventions in all reported variables. The mean differences between both groups were in favor of trehalose, and were as follows: ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire score of -8.5 ± 7 points, tear film breakup time (TBUT) of 1.9 ± 1 s, tear film thickness (TFT) of 0.25 ± 0.1 µm, tear meniscus height (TMH) of 0.02 ± 0.02 mm, Schirmer test (ST) of 0.8 ± 1.4 mm, corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) of -0.7 ± 0.1 points and visual acuity (VA) of 0.3 ± 2.1 letters. No adverse events after trehalose tear-substitute treatments were reported. Trehalose tear substitutes are a safe and effective treatment for DED. Therefore, trehalose tear substitutes should be recommended for patients with dry eye disease. In addition, there is specific evidence to support its use in the preoperative cataract surgery period.

Subjective behavioral measures in myopic and pre-myopic children before and after the COVID lockdown.

Background: There are environmental factors that may contribute to the onset of myopia. This study aims to evaluate the children's lifestyle changes before and after the COVID-19 lockdown and how they can influence their vision. Methods: The same questionnaire was administered to children aged between 5 and 7 in Spain every year in September before (2017-2019) and after the COVID-19 lockdown (2020-2021). All the children also passed a vision exam consisting of the measurement of visual acuity (VA) and determination of objective and subjective refraction. Children were classified as myopes, pre-myopes, or hyperopes. The cut-off points to define the refractive error were established according to the value of the spherical equivalent (SE): hyperopia (SE > +0,75D), myopia (SE ≤ -0,5D), or pre-myopia (-0.5D < SE ≥ +0.75D). Data analysis is performed with the SPSS 27.0 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois). Results: In the pre-COVID period, the pre-myopes were the ones who spent the longest time outdoors, and after the COVID lockdown, there were no differences between groups. There neither were any differences in the time spent doing near-work activities between the groups in both periods (p > 0.05). Regarding the spherical equivalent, in the pre-COVID period, the mean value was 0.75 ± 2.09D and after the COVID lockdown, it was 0.47 ± 1.88D (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Pre-myopes spent more time outdoors than myopes in the pre-COVID period, while myopes spent more time using digital devices. All these differences do not exist after the COVID lockdown, with a general increase in the time spent outdoors and a decrease in the use of digital devices. Further studies are needed to know if these lifestyle changes remain and how they influence the onset of myopia.

Citation network analysis on keratoconus.

OBJECTIVE: The high incidence of keratoconus has caused its management, etiology, and pathogenesis to be controversial topics in the ophthalmology field. This study aims to analyze the relationship between the different publications and authors through citation networks, as well as to identify the research areas and determine the most cited article. METHODS: The search for publications was carried out through the Web of Science database, using the term "Keratoconus" between 1900 and December 2022. The Citation Network Explorer and CiteSpace software were used for the publication analysis. RESULTS: 9,655 publications were found, with 124,379 citations generated on the network. The year with the highest number of publications was 2021. The most cited publication was "Keratoconus" by Rabinowitz, published in 1998. Cluster function gave five groups of research areas about keratoconus: corneal signs and parameters, cross-linking efficiency and effects, clinical factors, keratoplasty, and treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The citation network offers an objective and comprehensive analysis of the papers on keratoconus.

Clinical Evaluation of MyoCare in Europe (CEME): study protocol for a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, and controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Myopia prevalence has been increasing in the last decades, and its pathological consequences, including myopic maculopathy and high myopia-associated optic neuropathy, are now one of the most common causes of visual impairment. It is estimated that by 2050, more than 50% of Europeans and Americans will be myopes, which is alarming due to the high morbidity of myopes over - 6.00D. Once myopia has appeared, there are different options with scientific evidence to try to slow the axial length growth. Ophthalmic lenses are the less invasive treatment to control myopia, and there is evidence about the efficacy of different designs, mainly in the Asiatic population. However, new designs have been launched, and it is not known if efficacy is the same between Asiatic and European subjects. Thus, we have set up a randomized, controlled, double-blind, and multicenter trial to investigate the efficacy of a new design of ophthalmic lenses for myopia control in European children. METHODS: A 2-year prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled, and double-blind clinical trial is used to investigate the efficacy of a new design of ophthalmic lenses to slow the progression of myopia. Three hundred children aged from 6 to 13 years old will be recruited and randomly assigned to a study or control group. The study group will be composed of 150 children wearing MyoCare while the control group will be composed of 150 children wearing Clearview. The inclusion criteria will be myopia with a spherical equivalent between - 0.75D and - 5.00D, astigmatism < 1.50D, and anisometropia < 1.00D and having a historical evolution of at least - 0.50 The primary outcome is to compare the mean annual progression of the spherical equivalent between both groups. The secondary outcomes are axial length, choroidal thickness, phorias, and accommodative status of both groups. DISCUSSION: This study will be the first randomized and controlled clinical trial in European children with spectacle lenses based on simultaneous competing defocus. The results will shed light on the clinical evidence of spectacle lenses relying on this new design for the management of myopia with results of efficacy in the non-Asiatic population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: EU Clinical Trials Register (EudraCT) 2022-001696. Registered on 27 April 2022. CLINICALTRIALS: gov NCT05919654. Registered on 26 June 2023.

Percentile curves of refractive errors in a Spanish paediatric population

Objective The main objective of this study was to obtain percentile curves of refractive errors in a Spanish paediatric population aged between 3 and 12 years. Materials and method A descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study was conducted, including children aged between 3 and 12 years who did not present with any known ocular and/or systemic diseases. The convenience sampling method was used to select the sample from three schools and one hospital in the Community of Madrid. The refractive error was obtained using a Retinomax K-plus 3 autorefractometer (RTX; Right Mfg. Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). The 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles were calculated using the IBM SPSS Statistics v.24 statistical software (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, United States). Results A total of 688 children with a mean age of 7.68 ± 2.17 years were analysed. In the 50th percentile curve, spherical equivalent values started to become myopic at 3 years (SE < –0.50 D) and the 75th percentile curve also turned myopic at 4 years. As a result, it was observed that the spherical equivalent value became more negative with time, starting from the ages indicated above. Therefore, the 90th percentile curve was negative at 11 years. Conclusion Percentile curves of refractive errors in a Spanish paediatric population have been presented for the first time in order to help eyecare professionals detect children with refractive errors at an early age. (AU)

Five-year results of atropine 0.01% efficacy in the myopia control in a European population.

AIMS: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 0.01% atropine eye-drops in controlling myopia progression over 5 years. METHODS: Experimental, analytical, prospective, randomised and longitudinal study, in 361 right eyes from 361 children randomised into the control group (177 eyes without treatment) and treatment group (184 eyes with 0.01% atropine eye-drops). Children assigned to the treatment group used 0.01% atropine once a day every night and the control group's children did not use any treatment or placebo. All the subjects completed an eye examination every 6 months for the 5 years of follow-up. The examination included subjective and objective refraction with cycloplegia, axial length (AL), keratometry and anterior chamber depth (ACD) to evaluate the efficacy of the treatment. It also included the anterior and posterior pole examination to evaluate the safety of the treatment. RESULTS: The SE increased -0.63±0.42D in children after 5 years of treatment with 0.01% atropine, while in the control group the increase was -0.92±0.56D. AL increased 0.26±0.28 mm in the treatment group compared with 0.49±0.34 mm in the control group. Atropine 0.01% showed an efficacy of 31.5% and 46.9% in the control of the SE and AL increase, respectively. ACD and keratometry did not have significant changes between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Atropine 0.01% is effective in slowing myopia progression in a European population. There were no side effects after 5 years of 0.01% atropine.

Opportunities and threats to contact lens practice in Spain / Oportunidades y amenazas para la práctica de lentes de contacto en España

Objective: An international survey evaluated the opportunities and threats related to contact lens practice reported by eye care professionals worldwide. This study reports on the results specifically found in Spain and how these compare with those from other regions of the world. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to eye care practitioners around the world through professional associations. The questionnaire consisted of 9, 5 and 12 questions about opportunities, interventions, and potential threats related to contact lens practice, respectively. Results: A total of 2,408 responses were obtained from practitioners worldwide, of which 436 responses were obtained from Spanish practitioners. Spain was found among the regions with the highest perception of opportunities (median: 6.5/10) along with Australasia, North America, Europe, and South America. Spanish (median: 7.3/10), along with South American practitioners, also reported the highest perception of threats. Continuously updating of knowledge/skills, recommending contact lens wearing options to potential patients, creating an efficient recall system for follow-up examinations and being competent in managing contact lens-related complications were reported as important interventions for contact lens practice growth by Spanish eye care practitioners. Conclusions: Spain is one of the regions in the world with the highest perception of both opportunities and threats regarding future contact lens practice. As such, Spanish practitioners consider it important to continuously update knowledge/skills and to recommend and educate patients on the benefits of contact lens wear. Online sales were found to be one of the most important concerns reported by both Spanish and eye care practitioners worldwide.(AU)

A ubiquitous gammaproteobacterial clade dominates expression of sulfur oxidation genes across the mesopelagic ocean.

The deep ocean (>200 m depth) is the largest habitat on Earth. Recent evidence suggests sulfur oxidation could be a major energy source for deep ocean microbes. However, the global relevance and the identity of the major players in sulfur oxidation in the oxygenated deep-water column remain elusive. Here we combined single-cell genomics, community metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and single-cell activity measurements on samples collected beneath the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica to characterize a ubiquitous mixotrophic bacterial group (UBA868) that dominates expression of RuBisCO genes and of key sulfur oxidation genes. Further analyses of the gene libraries from the 'Tara Oceans' and 'Malaspina' expeditions confirmed the ubiquitous distribution and global relevance of this enigmatic group in the expression of sulfur oxidation and dissolved inorganic carbon fixation genes across the global mesopelagic ocean. Our study also underscores the unrecognized importance of mixotrophic microbes in the biogeochemical cycles of the deep ocean.

Citation Network Analysis on the Influence of Vision on Academic Performance.

BACKGROUND: Proper vision is absolutely critical to children's academic performance, as vision problems can drastically affect learning ability. Currently, the existing literature in this field is somewhat inconsistent and carries several controversies about the influence of vision on academic performance. In this study, citation networks were utilized in order to analyze the relationship between publications and authors, the most-cited publication, and the different research areas. Additionally, the most commonly utilized publication sources along with the most common research areas were also pinpointed. METHODS: The aforementioned search was executed in the Web of Science database, with a time range beginning in 1941 and ending in 2022. In order to scrutinize the publications, VOSviewer, CiteSpace software, and the Citation Network Explorer were utilized for analysis about the most-cited publication and the different research areas. RESULTS: Overall, 1342 papers were found in all fields along with 2187 citation networks. Moreover, 2020 was the year with the most publications, including 127 publications and 4 citation networks. Bull et al., published in 2008, was the most-cited work, reaching a citation index of 975. The clustering function managed to identity four groups with the most engaging research topics from researchers: motor visual skills, visual memory, the influence of vision on the different learning styles, and abnormal development of the visual system. CONCLUSIONS: In the end, the topic with the greatest interest was the influence of visual motor skills on academic performance. Ideally, this paper will assist fellow researchers in quickly noting which topics are of greatest interest and how research in this area has evolved.

Comparison of Visual Skills between Federated and Non-Federated Athletes.

Background: To perform motor tasks, athletes must gather a considerable amount of visual information quickly. Evidence shows that visual skills vary between athletes and non-athletes, and impact athletic performance. However, there is no scientific evidence suggesting that there are any differences between the visual skills of federated and non-federated athletes. As such, the objective of this paper was to compare how visual skills influence the sports performance of federated and non-federated athletes, respectively. Methods: A visual examination has been conducted on a total of 52 athletes between 18 and 37 years of age. The COI-Sport Vision system screen (International Optometry Center, Madrid, Spain) was used to examine static visual acuity, dynamic visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, stereopsis, fixation disparity, visual memory, identification, anticipation time, peripheral awareness, and hand-eye coordination. Results: On average, federated athletes train more hours per day than non-federated athletes (1.4 ± 0.8) (p = 0.046). A significant correlation was observed between the average time of visual memory (ß = −0.0683, p < 0.001), the average time of anticipation (ß = 0.006, p = 0.009), the average time of peripheral awareness (ß = 0.026, p = 0.002), hand-eye coordination (ß = 0.028, p = 0.004), dynamic visual acuity (ß = 0.055, p < 0.001), and the number of training hours. Conclusion: Results suggest that federated athletes are more concerned about their ocular health. Nonetheless, no differences were found in the oculomotor skills of both groups. Further investigation is required to consider each sport discipline individually.

Strategies and attitudes on the management of myopia in clinical practice in Spain

Objective: In 2019, an international survey was conducted to evaluate strategies and attitudes in the management of myopia in clinical practice worldwide. This study reports on the results found in Spain and how these results compare with those from other regions of the world.MethodsA self-administrated, internet-based questionnaire was distributed to eye care professionals around the world through professional associations. The questions examined were based on the available strategies and their use.ResultsA total of 173 Spanish optometrists, of the 1,336 practitioners from the five different continents who participated in the study, responded to the online survey. Spain, Asia and South America were found among the regions with the highest concern regarding the increased incidence of myopia (p ≤ 0.001). However, in these regions, the prescription of single-vision spectacles and single-vision contact lenses continues to be the main methods of visual correction prescribed to young myopic patients (p ≤ 0.001). Spanish practitioners, like those from other regions, considered orthokeratology to be the most effective treatment to control myopia progression (p ≤ 0.001). The major reasons why Spanish practitioners were not prescribing myopia control strategies were increased cost, inadequate information and unpredictable outcomes (p < 0.05).ConclusionsThe uptake of myopia control methods by Spanish practitioners is relatively low, despite the increase in the prevalence of paediatric myopia as well as increased concern and perceived clinical activity in the area in recent years. (AU)

Strategies and attitudes on the management of myopia in clinical practice in Spain.

OBJECTIVE: In 2019, an international survey was conducted to evaluate strategies and attitudes in the management of myopia in clinical practice worldwide. This study reports on the results found in Spain and how these results compare with those from other regions of the world. METHODS: A self-administrated, internet-based questionnaire was distributed to eye care professionals around the world through professional associations. The questions examined were based on the available strategies and their use. RESULTS: A total of 173 Spanish optometrists, of the 1,336 practitioners from the five different continents who participated in the study, responded to the online survey. Spain, Asia and South America were found among the regions with the highest concern regarding the increased incidence of myopia (p ≤ 0.001). However, in these regions, the prescription of single-vision spectacles and single-vision contact lenses continues to be the main methods of visual correction prescribed to young myopic patients (p ≤ 0.001). Spanish practitioners, like those from other regions, considered orthokeratology to be the most effective treatment to control myopia progression (p ≤ 0.001). The major reasons why Spanish practitioners were not prescribing myopia control strategies were increased cost, inadequate information and unpredictable outcomes (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The uptake of myopia control methods by Spanish practitioners is relatively low, despite the increase in the prevalence of paediatric myopia as well as increased concern and perceived clinical activity in the area in recent years.