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Myopia is a leading cause of visual impairment worldwide, and myopia progression in young adulthood may worsen this public health issue. The aim was to describe the changes in myopia and various ocular biometry parameters, and to determine the incidence and related factors of myopic shift among young adults in China. This 2-year prospective cohort study was conducted at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yet-san University, China. A total of 291 Chinese medical freshmen (314 enrolled at baseline) were followed over 2 years. The participants underwent detailed eye examinations at baseline and follow-up visits, including cycloplegic refraction, ocular biometry measurements, and swept-source optical coherence tomography. Visual fatigue was assessed with the Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) using Rasch analysis. Questionnaire on eye care habits and physical activities was administered. A total of 291 study participants (baseline mean [SD] age, 18.7 [0.9] years; 132 [45.4%] male) were analysed. Seventy eight (26.8%) developed a myopic shift (defined as negative change in spherical equivalent worse than or equal to −0.50 D) over a 2-year period. The magnitude of subfoveal choroidal thinning was greater in participants with myopic shift, compared to those without. Axial length increased significantly by 0.12 mm in the group with myopic shift, compared to 0.02 mm in those without the myopic shift (p < 0.001) over 2 years. After multivariable adjustment, visual fatigue (using CISS) was found to be associated with the myopic shift (p = 0.02). Approximately one in four Chinese medical students had a clinically significant myopic shift. Choroidal thinning and axial elongation were observed in young adults with myopic shift. Greater visual fatigue score at baseline was associated with myopic shift after multivariable adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the distribution of cataract surgery performed by ophthalmologists in China. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed to investigate nationwide ophthalmological resources and capacity for cataract surgery in China⁠—The 2014 China National Eye Care Capacity and Resource Survey. Data analyzed in this report included regional distribution, urban-rural comparison, levels and types of medical institutions, and cataract surgery types and volume per surgeon. In China, only ophthalmologists at or above the level of attending are eligible to perform cataract surgery independently, so the ability of cataract surgery for ophthalmologists at or above the level of attending is analyzed in the current study. Descriptive statistics were used. Results: 36,333 ophthalmologists were included in this survey, which is an average of 1.33 ophthalmologists to every 50,000 population. Of the surgeons in this survey, 23,412 (50.22%) were attending or more senior ophthalmologists and were mainly distributed in eastern urban areas. Annual average cataract surgeries per ophthalmologist in China were 259 in 2017, less than 300 cases. Conclusion: The average number of ophthalmologists per population in China has achieved the goal of WHO's Vision 2020; however, these surgeons are concentrated in urban areas. Further, the ability of cataract surgery among ophthalmologists is unbalanced. The annual average cataract surgeries performed by ophthalmologists are insufficient, which is an important factor resulting in the current situation in China that ophthalmic service capacity has not met the requirements for eliminating cataract blindness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess the use of eye care services in a rural population in North China and to analyze the factors associated with underuse of these services. Methods: In a cross-sectional population-based study, demographic, health and vision-related information including use of eye care services were determined during a face-to-face interview. A single visit to an eye care provider qualified as 'use' of eye care services. Results: Of 6612 participants, 754 (11.4%, 95% confidence interval, CI, 8.7-14.1%) had used eye care services. The most common reason cited for not seeing an eye care provider was 'no need' ( n = 5754). Of the 5754 who thought that there was no need to see an ophthalmologist, 3458 (60.1%) were found to have one or more type of eye disease, including glaucoma (56, 1.0%), cataract (1056, 18.4%), age-related macular degeneration (AMD; 164, 2.9%) and refractive error (3048, 53.0%). Also, 74 (1.3%) and 409 (7.1%) of the 5754 participants had visual impairment (<20/60) according to best-corrected visual acuity and presenting visual acuity, respectively. In a multiple regression model, participants who had glaucoma (adjusted odds ratio, OR, 4.0, 95% CI 3.0-5.4), AMD (adjusted OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.3) or refractive error (adjusted OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.1-1.8), were more likely to visit an eye care provider. Conclusion: A high proportion of the Chinese rural population had never used eye care services although three fifths had eye diseases. Further efforts towards better education of the general population about common eye problems as well as increasing the number of ocular health providers would be necessary in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on topics related to cataracts which include access to eye care especially cataract surgery in the Occupied territories of Palestine, the prevalence of cataract in China and the role of anti- depression drugs such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in causing cataracts.