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Sixteen patients enrolled in the PERK study were evaluated by fluorophotometry 24 hours or six months following radial keratotomy. A comparison of eyes operated and not operated upon showed that endothelial permeability was not significantly altered 24 hours and six months after surgery. Aqueous humour flow rates and anterior chamber elimination coefficients were significantly higher 24 hours after surgery in the eyes operated on than in those not operated on. Six months after surgery there was no longer a significant difference in these factors. The increase in aqueous humour flow rates 24 hours after surgery may represent a subclinical breakdown in the blood-aqueous barrier. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We reviewed the charts of neonates who received a diagnosis of conjunctivitis or ophthalmia neonatorum during a 10-year period at the Mount Sinai Hospital, New York City. Ninety-five cases were discovered, four of these were born elsewhere and were not subject to our protocol, which at present consists of intramuscular penicillin and topical tetracycline ointment (1%). The 91 cases represent an incidence of 3.1 cases per 1000 live births (9.1/year), an incidence approximately equal to that reported in other published studies. The clinical characteristics examined were: age, sex, race, birth weight, gestational age, Apgar scores, presence or absence of fever or other systemic illnesses, complications, type of delivery, time of year, incubation period, presence and type of discharge, uni- or bilaterality, Gram stain, Giemsa stain, culture results, antibiotic disc sensitivities, cervical culture, antibiotic therapy, sequelae, and type of prophylaxis received. Seven aetiological diagnostic categories were established: gonococcal (3%), chlamydial (3%), staphylococcal (30%), other pathogens (25%), chemical conjunctivitis (7%), culture negative/normal flora (22%), and unobtainable (10%). This distribution differs from others published. In contrast with other studies, moreover, we found few gonococcal and no chlamydial cases in neonates subject to the Mount Sinai Hospital treatment protocol. Correlation of clinical characteristics and aetiological categories showed no statistically significant trend. So far there have been no cases of ophthalmia neonatorum, treated as on our protocol, caused by penicillin resistant gonococci or chlamydiae. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background/aims: To compare dry eye disease (DED) signs and symptoms between men and women, as well as between premenopausal and postmenopausal women, in the Dry Eye Assessment and Management (DREAM) study., Methods: 434 women and 101 men self-reported prior medical history and underwent a standardised DED assessment using the Ocular Surface Disease Index, Brief Pain Inventory, Tear Break-Up Time (TBUT)(s), Schirmer's test 2 (mm/5 min), National Eye Institute-graded lissamine conjunctival staining, corneal staining, meibomian gland dysfunction evaluation and tear osmolarity (mOsms/L) at baseline, 6 months and 12 months. Multivariable linear regression models were used to compare these scores., Results: Women experienced significantly worse DED signs than men with lower Schirmer's test scores (9.27 vs 12.16; p<0.001), higher corneal staining scores (3.59 vs 2.70; p=0.006) and worse composite DED sign scores (0.52 vs 0.40; p<0.001). Postmenopausal women experienced significantly worse DED signs than premenopausal women with higher corneal staining scores (3.74 vs 2.58, p<0.001), higher conjunctival staining scores (2.80 vs 2.22, p<0.001), higher tear osmolarity (304 vs 299, p=0.004), lower TBUT (3.37 vs 3.93, p=0.047), worse meibomian gland dysfunction (3.05 vs 2.62, p=0.04) and worse composite DED sign scores (0.54 vs 0.42, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in DED symptoms between sex and between premenopausal and postmenopausal women (all p≥0.08)., Conclusion: In the DREAM study, women experienced more severe DED signs than men. Further, postmenopausal women presented with more severe DED signs than premenopausal women. Elucidating these differences may improve DED diagnosis and provide future direction in understanding sex-related differences in DED., Trial Registration Number: NCT02128763., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)