Genetic diversity and persistent colonisation of Enterococcus faecalis on ocular surfaces. Todokoro D et al. Jpn J Ophthalmol, Nov 2018.
Enterococcus faecalis can cause severe acute endophthalmitis and lead to reduced visual function, however, the characteristics of ocular strains of this bacterial species are still poorly understood. This study represents the first attempt to determine the characteristics of clinical ocular isolates, from ocular and commensal infections, of E. faecalis. The researchers analysed, from a phylogenetic and molecular point of view, 20 eye isolates of E. faecalis from 23 patients and showed the presence of persistent colonisation of E. faecalis on the ocular surface of patients with chronic eye diseases.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30324322
2.Detailed visual cortical responses generated by retinal sheet transplants in rats with severe retinal degeneration. Andrzej T. Foik et al. The Journal of Neuroscience, 2018.
Researchers at the University of California found that neurons located in the visual centres of the brains of blind rats functioned normally following fetal retinal cell transplantation, leading to the restoration of vision. By measuring the response of neurons in the primary visual cortex, the researchers showed that rats with severe retinal degeneration that had received donor cells became sensitive to various features of visual stimuli including size, orientation, and contrast as early as three months after surgery. The data from the study show that transplants of fetal retinal tissue into rats with degenerated retinas can significantly restore visual function in the visual cortex; this represents a critically important step in the development of new strategies to help the visually impaired population. http://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2018/11/05/JNEUROSCI.1279-18.2018
Impact of Dry Eye on Prolonged Reading. Sezen Karakus et al. Optometry and Vision Science, 2018.
A study of 186 adults states that the condition of dry eye can slow down a person's reading speed by up to 10% and can make reading difficult for more than 30 minutes. The study participants were divided as follows: 116 had clinically recognised dry eye, 39 had dry eye symptoms but no clinical findings, and 31 healthy individuals constituted the control group. The results showed that the 116 participants with clinically recognised dry eye read fewer words per minute than the controls or the group with dry eye symptoms, in particular the reading rate was 32 words per minute less than in the other two groups.
https://insights.ovid.com/crossref?an=00006324-900000000-98195
4.Risk factors for high myopia: a 22-year follow-up study from childhood to adulthood. Pärssinen O and Kauppinen, M. Acta Ophthalmol, 2018.
Myopia is defined according to degree as low ( 6.00 D), but this classification is not generally accepted, especially with regard to high myopia. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the definition of high myopia on its prevalence and to investigate the association between high myopia and risk factors. For this purpose, 240 myopic students (average age 10.9 years) were recruited and underwent eye examinations and clinical follow-ups, annually for the first 3 years and then every 10 years twice thereafter. The study revealed that approximately 32% of the children who had had their first myopia glasses between the ages of 8.8 and 12.8 years had high myopia in adulthood. The authors also pointed out that different definitions of high myopia, ranging from -5 D to -6 D, lead to large differences in the prevalence of the condition, so a generally accepted definition would be necessary. The risk factors present in childhood and predominantly associated with the development of high myopia in adulthood, according to the study, are: parents with myopia, age at baseline, myopic progression during the first year after onset, and time spent reading or doing indoor activities at the expense of outdoor activities.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30460746
Clinical presentations, management outcomes, and diagnostic dilemma in Kocuria endophthalmitis. Dave VP et al. J Ophthalmic Inflamm Infect, 2018.
Kocuria is considered a rare cause of endophthalmitis, this is because it is often misdiagnosed as staphylococcal endophthalmitis. This comparative, interventional and retrospective study analyses a series of Kocuria endophthalmitis from clinical presentation and subsequent diagnostic dilemma to management of the infection. The authors conclude by stating that although the clinical presentation of Kocuria endophthalmitis can be variable and the diagnosis elusive, favourable antibiotic sensitivity and timely and appropriate management can lead to acceptable visual and anatomical outcomes.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30460590
6.Automated instrument designed to determine visual photosensitivity thresholds. Aguilar MC et al. Biomed Opt Express,
The study describes an ocular photosensitivity analyser (OPA-Ocular Photosensitivity Analyzer), a new automated tool for quantifying visual photosensitivity thresholds (VPT-visual photosensitivity thresholds). The OPA generates light stimuli of varying intensity using unequal ascending and descending phases, thus producing VPT.
The study evaluated the performance of OPA in healthy subjects and in light-sensitive subjects with achromatopsia or traumatic brain injury (TBI). The authors found that light-sensitive subjects showed significantly lower VPT than healthy subjects; furthermore, the instrument proved reliable in measuring VPT in healthy subjects.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30460148
7.UV damage of the anterior ocular surface - microstructural evidence by in vivo confocal microscopy. Grupcheva CN et al. Cont Lens Anterior Eye, Dec 2018.
The study assessed, using in vivo confocal microscopy (ICM), the microstructural changes of the ocular surface in response to habitual sun exposure and correlated them with UV protection habits. For this purpose, 200 subjects, enrolled to spend their summer exclusively in a specific coastal region of the Black Sea, were examined clinically and with ICM before and after the summer. All subjects had also completed a questionnaire on their habitual UV protection, and from this it emerged that 83.5% of the subjects considered the sun dangerous to their eyes, but 78% of these believed the danger was restricted to the summer period. Using microstructural analysis of the cornea, the authors showed a statistically significant decrease in basal epithelial density after the summer period. In addition, microstructural evaluation of the conjunctiva found cystic lesions with dark centres and bright margins in only 25 eyes before the summer period, but in 118 eyes afterwards. The study, using Spearman analysis, demonstrated a negative correlation between sun protection habits and the number of cysts.
The authors conclude that summer sun exposure leads to clinically undetectable microstructural changes of a transient but probably cumulative nature.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30458934
8.Natural visual behaviour in individuals with peripheral visual-field loss. Gameiro RR et al. J Vis, Nov 2018.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited disease that causes a progressive loss of the peripheral visual field. This study investigated how this partial loss affects natural image-viewing behaviour. To this end, the authors recorded the eye movements of individuals with different degrees of loss and compared them to those of a healthy control group. In particular, the study investigated differences in spatial distortion, saccade width and the number and duration of observations. The study found that the RP group analysed images strikingly similar to the healthy control group; the former also displayed individual idiosyncratic exploratory strategies when the observed scene exceeded their visible field. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30458515
9.Factors related to amblyopia in congenital ptosis after frontalis sling surgery. Bee YS et al. BMC Ophthalmol Nov, 2018.
Amblyopia is a major problem in children undergoing frontal surgery for correction of congenital ptosis. The study analysed 48 eyelid procedures performed in 38 patients with an average age of 4 years. The analysis showed that in patients with congenital ptosis, blepharophimosis, preoperative MRD1-margin reflex distance ? - 1.0 mm, preoperative eyelid fissure ?4.5 mm, preoperative anisometropia and postoperative astigmatism were associated with amblyopia after frontal band surgery. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30463547
10.Heterozygous Meg2 Ablation Causes Intraocular Pressure Elevation and Progressive Glaucomatous Neurodegeneration. Jacqueline Reinhard et al. Molecular Neurobiology, Oct 2018.
The study investigates the potential functional relevance of the tyrosine phosphatase Meg2 in retinal neurodegeneration by analysing knockout (KO) and heterozygous (HET) mice for Meg2. The study shows that loss of Meg2 in heterozygous mice is sufficient to cause increased IOP and glaucomatous neurodegeneration.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30315478
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Dr. Carmelo Chines
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