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weekly e-journal by Art Epstein, OD, FAAO
Off the Cuff: Will Presbyopia Save Optometry?
Long ago, before any of us were born, optometry took root in the back of jewelry stores in the big cities of the East and in wagons that went from town to town in the old West. While ametropia certainly existed and was likely treated by our more intrepid predecessors, the vast majority of eyeglass fitting was to correct for presbyopia. In that sense, presbyopia gave optometry its start, and today, presbyopia may help our profession survive to see the next century.
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Proinflammatory and Angiogenesis-related Cytokines in Vitreous Samples of Highly Myopic Patients | ||||
To determine the concentrations of vitreous proinflammatory cytokines and angiogenesis-related growth cytokines in highly myopic (HM) patients and controls, vitreous humor (VH) was obtained from patients during vitrectomy for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), myopic retinoschisis (MRS), idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM) or macular hole (MH). High myopia was defined as an axial length (AL) of ≥26 mm and a spherical equivalent refractive error more negative than -6D. A multiplex fluorescent-bead-based immunoassay was employed to measure the levels of 29 designated cytokines. The results were compared across groups. Seventy-eight VH samples were collected from 78 patients (36 HM vs. 42 controls). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was significantly higher in the VH samples from HM patients than in those from the controls. Five inflammation-related factors, interferon γ (IFN-γ), interleukin 6 (IL6), IFN-γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10), eotaxin, and macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α), were significantly higher in the HM group than in the control group. The vitreous concentrations of well-known angiogenic growth factors monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP1) and IL5 were significantly elevated in the VH samples from HM patients. |
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SOURCE: Wei Q, Zhuang X, Fan J, et al. Proinflammatory and angiogenesis-related cytokines in vitreous samples of highly myopic patients. Cytokine. 2020; Oct 28. [Epub ahead of print]. |
Is the Axial Length a Risk Factor for Post-LASIK Myopic Regression? | ||||
The clinical records of patients who experienced LASIK to correct myopia from January 2016 to January 2018 were analyzed to assess the relationship between the axial length and post-LASIK regression in myopic patients. This was a retrospective case series study conducted at a private eye centre, Ismailia, Egypt. The patients were operated on, examined and followed up one year by one surgeon (AAG).
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SOURCE: Gab-Alla AA. Is the axial length a risk factor for post-LASIK myopic regression? Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2020; Oct 31. [Epub ahead of print]. |
Anti-retinal Autoantibodies in Myopic Macular Degeneration: a Pilot Study | ||||
The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and types of anti-retinal autoantibodies (ARAs) in highly myopic patients and to explore any association between ARAs and the severity of myopic macular degeneration (MMD). This was a clinic-based study of 16 patients with high myopia (spherical equivalent worse than -6 dioptres or axial length (AL) ≥ 26.5 mm) recruited from the High Myopia clinic of the Singapore National Eye Centre. MMD was graded from fundus photographs according to the Meta-analysis for Pathologic Myopia (META-PM) classification. Severe MMD was defined as META-PM category 3 or 4. AL and logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were measured. Sera were obtained from subjects and analyzed for the presence of ARAs with the western blot technique. The mean AL was significantly longer in patients with severe MMD (n=8) than those without severe MMD (n=8) (31.50 vs. 28.51). There was at least one ARA identified in all patients. The most common ARA was anti-carbonic anhydrase II (anti-CAII), present in nine patients (56.3%). Anti-CAII was detected in more patients with severe MMD than those without (75 vs. 37.5%). logMar BCVA was also worse in subjects with anti-CAII (0.5 ± 0.38 vs. 0.22 ± 0.08). The number of ARAs significantly correlated with increasing AL. |
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SOURCE: Sim SS, Wong CW, Hoang QV, et al. Anti-retinal autoantibodies in myopic macular degeneration: a pilot study. Eye (Lond). 2020; Oct 28. [Epub ahead of print.] |
News & Notes | ||||||||
SECO International Changes SECO 2021 Dates
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IDOC Teams with CooperVision to Capture ECP Stories IDOC has teamed with contact lens manufacturer CooperVision to create a campaign (Dream it. Do it. Share it.) to encourage eye health practitioners to tell what attracted them to their field and to tell their personal stories. The organizations sought out professionals who had uplifting stories to share about their lives and their work. A production team captured those stories and created a growing playlist of short stories. One of the first contributors to the campaign, Jennifer Stewart, OD, optometrist and partner at Norwalk Eye Care in Norwalk, Conn., described in her video how she found a way to combine her love of sports with her passion for her profession. Another early contributor, Andrew Neukirch, OD, optometrist and owner of Carillon Vision Care in Glenview, Ill., tells how optometry represented a new life direction for him. View the stories. |
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Optometric Physician™ (OP) newsletter is owned and published by Dr. Arthur Epstein. It is distributed by the Review Group, a Division of Jobson Medical Information LLC (JMI), 19 Campus Boulevard, Newtown Square, PA 19073. HOW TO ADVERTISE |