1.New concepts in the diagnosis and management of choroidal metastases. Thibaud Mathis et al. Progress in Retinal and Eye Research, January 2019.
The choroid is the site where ocular metastases most frequently develop. The occurrence of choroidal metastases is steadily increasing due to the increased survival of metastatic patients and improved diagnostic tools. To date, however, there is no consensus on treatment strategy. This interesting review summarises and evaluates the knowledge to date on choroidal metastases, with a focus on the most recent findings in epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1350946218300296
Challenges in the management of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis with emerging recombinant human adenoviruses. Gonzalez G et al. J Clin Virol. 2019.
Adenovirus epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) presents as a severe conjunctival inflammation involving the cornea, which can persist for months and lead to corneal opacities and blurred vision. EKC is highly contagious and responsible for global epidemics, for these reasons accurate diagnosis and rapid containment are imperative.
This review analyses the clinical features, clinical practice and research advances related to ECK, focusing on the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30654207
3.The Association Between Retinopathy of Prematurity and Ocular Growth. Kardaras D. et al., Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019.
The study analysed the association between retinopathy of the premature (ROP) and eye growth during the first weeks of life of premature infants. Research results showed that ROP is associated with delayed ocular development, as the eyes of premature infants with ROP showed shorter axial lengths and thicker corneas than the eyes of premature infants without ROP.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30640977
Ethnic differences between the Asian and Caucasian ocular surface: A co-located adult migrant population cohort study. Jennifer P. Craig et al. The Ocular Surface, 2019.
The study investigated ethnicity-related differences in tear film quality, ocular surface parameters and eye symptoms in 206 participants (103 East Asians and 103 Caucasians). The results showed that the signs and symptoms of dry eye were more severe in Asian participants than in Caucasian participants. In addition, the poorer Meibomian gland function and higher degree of incomplete blinking observed among Asian participants could contribute to the ethnic predisposition to the development of dry eye.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542012418301198
5.Ocular abnormalities in morbid obesity. Teberik K et al. Arq Bras Ophthalmol. 2019
Morbid obesity is often associated with ocular diseases, but the structural changes and pathogenetic mechanisms that cause them are not yet known. This study evaluated the effects of morbid obesity on morphometric parameters of ocular diseases.
The research, conducted by analysing all ocular parameters of obese volunteers and healthy individuals, revealed that morbid obesity is associated with elevated intraocular pressure and signs of neuropathy and retinopathy. Obesity may therefore increase the risks of glaucoma and glaucomatous optic neuropathy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30652762
6.The Oculome panel test: next-generation sequencing to diagnose a diverse range of genetic developmental eye disorders. Patel A et al. Ophthalmology, 2019.
The study evaluated a comprehensive Next Generation Sequencing diagnostic panel to screen for all genes known to underlie the onset of ocular disorders and inherited eye diseases (oculoma). The diagnostic yield of the assay was evaluated in a paediatric cohort (277 children aged 0-16 years) characterised by globe malformations, anterior segment abnormalities and/or childhood glaucoma. The Oculoma design examined 429 genes known to determine ocular pathologies and could potentially replace protracted and costly multidisciplinary evaluations, allowing for faster and more targeted management.
https://www.aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(18)31858-X/pdf
7.Reading ability of children treated for amblyopia. Kugathasan L et al. Vision Res, 2019.
Several studies have reported impaired reading ability in children with amblyopia. In fact, the various studies in this field have used non-standardised tests or atypical reading conditions (monocular or high distance). In light of this, the aim of the present study was to use standardised tests to compare the binocular reading ability of children treated for amblyopia with that of a representative sample of the 'normal' population and with that of groups used in previous studies. The analysis showed that the control group had a higher reading accuracy (of a single word) than the amblyopia and strabismus groups. However, the average performance for all groups was within the average range of the normal sample. The results of the study support the possibility that both strabismus and amblyopia can disturb reading ability even after successful treatment.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30633876
8. Therapeutic efficacy of intense pulsed light in patients with refractory meibomian gland dysfunction. Reiko Arita et al. The Ocular Surface, 2019.
The study evaluated the efficacy and safety of a combined treatment of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Meibomian gland secretion (MGX) for the treatment of Meibomian gland dysfunction (DGM). For this purpose, the researchers enrolled 45 patients (90 eyes) who randomly received either the IPL/MGX combination or MGX alone (control). Each eye underwent eight treatment sessions at 3-week intervals. The study revealed that the IPL/MGX combination improved tear film homeostasis and ocular symptoms in patients with refractory MGD, making it a promising treatment for this condition.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542012418302222
9.The impact of dry eye disease treatment on patient satisfaction and quality of life: A review. José A.P.Gomes et al. The Ocular Surface, 2019.
Quality of life (QoL) and treatment satisfaction of patients with dry eye syndrome (DED) are often underestimated. This review analysed 1,500 abstracts, extracted from congress presentations and peer-reviewed journals, to extrapolate data on patient satisfaction with active lubricants, osmoprotectants, secretagogues and immunomodulators contained in formulations used for DED therapy and QoL data. The study reports that the symptoms reported by patients with DED improved after treatment with topical formulations of artificial tears, tear stimulants or anti-inflammatory therapy. However, the authors emphasise the need for more data to compare the performance of different active ingredients and to identify how patient satisfaction and QoL can be improved through long-term use of topical preparations. Furthermore, the authors emphasise the importance of an accurate diagnosis of DED and identification of the root cause.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S154201241830034X
10.Biogeography of the human ocular microbiota. JeromeOzkan et al. The Ocular Surface, 2019.
Various microhabitats coexist in the human eye, and this study focused on finding commonalities and differences in the microbiomes of various regions of the eye. Specifically, the team evaluated four ocular sites in different subject groups: eyelid margin tissue from patients with eyelid abnormalities, conjunctival tissue from fornices and limbus of patients with pterygium, ocular surface (conjunctival) swabs and facial skin swabs. The study revealed that the microhabitats of the analysed areas in the human eye have a distinct bacterial biogeography, characterised by bacterial species shared between several regions and species occupying a more restricted niche.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542012418302295
To read the article further, click here https://www.oculistaitaliano.it/articoli/biogeografia-del-microbiota-oculare-umano/
Dr. Carmelo Chines
Direttore responsabile
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