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Objective: The exposure to constant light during the hospitalization was investigated to verify its influence on the daily rhythmicity of Schirmer tear test I (STT I) in the Felis catus. Animal studied: One group (HG—hospitalized group) was consisted of 10 owned‐cats hospitalized to perform a sterilization procedure and was exposed to a 24/0 light/dark (L/D) cycle; the cat control group (CG) was consisted of 10 staff‐owned cats living in an indoor environment (12/12 L/D cycle). Procedure: The STT I values was performed at 4 h intervals over a 48 h period (starting at 8:00 a.m. on Day 1 and finishing at 8:00 a.m. on Day 3) on the left (LE) and right (RE) eyes into two cat groups. A 35 x 5 mm commercial tear test strip was used to record tear production in millimeters wetting per minute (mm/min). Results: Multivariate for repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a statistically significant effect of time. No difference was found between LE and RE tear production, and between the two experimental conditions. Robust daily rhythmicity was exhibited by the STT I in both eyes during the entire monitoring period in control cats and only during the Day 1 in hospitalized cats. Conclusions: These data are a starting point for evaluating the imbalance of ocular physiology observed in hospitalized cats. Further studies on larger sample size and exposing the animals to various hospitalization procedures are needed to establish whether these alterations are caused by hospitalization procedures or by the light/dark schedules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual exploration (scanning) of one's environment is a key aspect in team sports. Based on Gibson's (1979) ecological approach of visual perception, this study aims to advance the understanding of scanning by focusing on the direction of head movements in football and its implications for subsequent on-ball actions. The video-based data analysis consisted of nine selected matches and 162 players of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) U17 and U21 European Championship 2019. The results indicate that the direction of the last scan prior to receiving the ball is related to the foot used for the first ball contact. This relationship was further analysed in view of the game context (direction of play and opponent pressure) and with information about the player's dominant foot. The findings reveal a relationship between the direction of the last scan before receiving the ball and the direction the game is proceeded in. Further, when a player performs the last scan to the side of their dominant foot, the probability increases that their dominant foot is used for the subsequent first ball contact. Depending on the direction of the last scan, opponent pressure had various effects on the foot used for the first contact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exocrine meibomian glands (MGs) play a central role in the ocular physiology and biochemistry by producing in situ and, mostly, de novo a secretion (meibum), which is composed of a complex mixture of homologous lipids of various classes, in a metabolic pathway termed meibogenesis. Recent in vivo experiments with a number of mouse models demonstrated that inactivation of any of the major genes of meibogenesis led to alterations in the lipid composition of meibum and severe ocular and MG abnormalities that replicated various human ocular pathologies. However, the role of dietary lipids in meibogenesis, and in the onset and/or alleviation of these diseases, remains controversial. To uncover the role of dietary lipids, the metabolic transformations of a dietary lipid tracer--stable isotope-labeled glyceryl tri(oleate-1,2,3,7,8-13C5) (13C15-TO)--were investigated using liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry. We demonstrated that major metabolic transformations of the tracer occurred in the stomach and small intestines where 13C15-TO underwent immediate and extensive transesterification into 13C5- and 13C10-substituted triacylglycerols of various lengths, giving a mixture of 13Clabeled compounds that remain virtually unchanged in the mouse plasma, liver, and white adipose tissue but were almost undetectable in the feces. Importantly, the tracer and its metabolites were virtually undetectable in MGs, even after 4 weeks of daily supplementation. Notably, unbiased principal component analysis of the data revealed no measurable changes in the overall chemical composition of meibum after the treatment, which implies no direct effect of dietary triacylglycerols on meibogenesis, and left their systemic effects as the most likely mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are highly conserved, small non-coding RNA molecules (~21 nucleotides) that regulate numerous biological processes, including developmental timing, hematopoiesis, organogenesis, apoptosis, cell differentiation, and proliferation either by mRNA degradation or translation repression. Since eye physiology requires a perfect orchestration of complex regulatory networks, an altered expression of key regulatory molecules such as miRNAs potentially leads to numerous eye disorders. In recent years, comprehensive progress has been made in demonstrating the precise roles of miRNAs, emphasizing their potential use in diagnostic and therapeutic purposes of chronic human diseases. Thus, this review explicitly illustrates the regulatory roles of miRNAs in four common eye disorders, such as cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and uveitis, and their application in disease management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extracellular vesicles include exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies. Their cargos contain a diverse variety of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids that are involved in both normal physiology and pathology of the ocular system. Thus, studying extracellular vesicles may lead to a more comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and even potential treatments for various diseases. The roles of extracellular vesicles in inflammatory eye disorders have been widely investigated in recent years. The term "inflammatory eye diseases" refers to a variety of eye conditions such as inflammation-related diseases, degenerative conditions with remarkable inflammatory components, neuropathy, and tumors. This study presents an overview of extracellular vesicles' and exosomes' pathogenic, diagnostic, and therapeutic values in inflammatory eye diseases, as well as existing and potential challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article is a historical study about the relevance of new natural sciences and the concept of progress in Qajar period. By examining the books of natural history (Geology and Biology) and the books of "world history' written in this period, we show that first of all, these sciences are an extension of each other in terms of theory and method, which transformed the concept of time in history into progressive, cumulative, improving and evolutionary time, which is inevitable and without human intervention operate in nature. The law that was referred to as the "natural law of progression' and oversees the progression and all-round flourishing of intellect, perceptions, senses, law, organization and collective institutions such as family, kinship, economy and state. Second, the theoretical principles of these sciences were applied to the "real history" of societies, and societies were classified in an evolutionary spectrum with a gradual transition from "savagery" to "civilization". Thirdly, the new natural science, biology by explaining the human eye and physics by explaining the light and the way of seeing objects, explained human vision by comparing it to photography technology as the act of taking pictures and taking objective images. seeing the human being gained objectivity that placed the historian in position of impartial objective observer who, while denying the "historian's position", records objectively all the things that happen or should happen by necessity. History was understood as a mirror, notebook, tabula, phonograph, screen, photo, cinema and canvas that represent what happens in nature in the form of objective images. Objectivity, similarity and repetition of the events of human societies in the path of progress was the dominant way of looking at history in this period, which is become possible with the new natural sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to study consumers' visual attention and emotional experience with clothing design factors and their combinations from the perspective of cognition and emotion and propose an interaction phenomenon to evaluate the combined effect of clothing factors to better guide online clothing design and sales. Design/methodology/approach: An eye movement physiology experiment was conducted, 33 participants screened by questionnaires were invited for this experiment. Hypotheses of visual attention were verified by the FIRST_FIXATION_TIME indicator, DWELL_TIME indicator and FIXATION_COUNT indicator. Hypotheses of emotional experience were verified by the PUPIL_SIZE indicator. Findings: First, on the product list page, it is better to use only the three factors of clothing and a small number of stimulating factors. Second, when the stimulus is consistent with the cognitive task performed by the consumer, the efficiency of the task and the consumer's user experience will be improved. Third, the positive interaction phenomenon of clothing design factors and their combinations could significantly attract consumers' visual attention and improve their emotional experience. Research limitations/implications: This work argues consumer interest and emotional experience with online clothing can be expressed through eye movement physiological indicators, and the concept of interaction was proposed to evaluate the design and display of online clothing. Originality/value: This paper conducted interaction research on online clothing design factors and their combinations from the perspective of cognition and emotion, which provided an objective quantitative method for online clothing designers and online clothing retailers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of traffic accidents is increasing every year. This study researched the effect of road type on driver's workload and eye behavior. The results showed that the road type has an effect on workload, pupil diameter, fixation rate and number of fixations. The workload, pupil diameter, fixation rate and number of fixations have a positive correlation with the complexity of road conditions. The research on visual attention area found that the driver's attention area during driving includes the rear-view mirror, left mirror, right mirror and middle area of the interface. In addition, the search range in the horizontal direction is largest under the urban road condition. Drivers focus on the ahead situation in the expressway condition, and the driver focuses on the opposite and front road in the rural road condition. The research results can be used for drivers' training in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development of generic ophthalmic drug products is challenging due to the complexity of the ocular system, and a lack of sensitive testing to evaluate the interplay of physiology with ophthalmic formulations. While measurements of drug concentration at the site of action in humans are typically sparse, these measurements are more easily obtained in rabbits. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the utility of an ocular physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for translation of ocular exposure from rabbit to human. Method: The Ocular Compartmental Absorption and Transit (OCAT™) model within GastroPlus® v9.8.2 was used to build PBPK models for levofloxacin (Lev), moxifloxacin (Mox), and gatifloxacin (Gat) ophthalmic solutions. in the rabbit eye. The models were subsequently used to predict Lev, Mox, and Gat exposure after ocular solution administrations in humans. Drug-specific parameters were used as fitted and validated in the rabbit OCAT model. The physiological parameters were scaled to match human ocular physiology. Results: OCAT model simulations for rabbit well described the observed concentrations in the eye compartments following Lev, Mox, and Gat solution administrations of different doses and various administration schedules. The clinical ocular exposure following ocular administration of Lev, Mox, and Gat solutions at different doses and various administration schedules was well predicted. Conclusion: Even though additional case studies for different types of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and formulations will be needed, the current study represents an important step in the validation of the extrapolation method to predict human ocular exposure for ophthalmic drug products using PBPK models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is a difference in retinal microvascularization between adolescents with and without simple myopia using optical coherence tomography angiography. Materials and Methods: Thirty-four eyes of 34 patients aged 12-18 years diagnosed with school-age simple myopia (0-6 diopters), and 34 eyes of 34 healthy controls of similar ages were included in this retrospective study. The ocular, optical coherence tomography, and optical coherence tomography angiography findings of the participants were recorded. Results: The simple myopia group had statistically thicker inferior ganglion cell complex thicknesses compared to the controls (P =.038). The macular map values did not statistically significantly differ between the 2 groups. The foveal avascular zone area (P =.038) and circularity index (P =.022) values were statistically lower in the simple myopia group compared to the control group. The superficial capillary plexus outer and inner ring vessel density (%) (superior and nasal) showed statistically significant differences (outer ring superior/ nasal P = .004/P = .037; inner ring superior/nasal P = .014/P = .046). Conclusion: Similar to high myopia, vascular density in the macula decreases as the axial length and spherical equivalent increase in simple myopia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Ocular toxicities arising from anti-cancer drugs occur sporadically and are sometimes underestimated because they are not life-threatening. Reports focusing on ocular toxicities from cancer therapy are limited. We investigated the detailed progress of ocular toxicities of anti-cancer drugs including first-in-class ones. A retrospective review of medical records was conducted for patients who were involved in early phase clinical trials with scheduled ophthalmologic examinations according to their protocols between January 2014 and August 2021. Patients with ocular toxicity suspected to be related to the investigational drugs in the ophthalmic examination were investigated in detail. In total, 37 ocular toxicities related to investigational drugs occurred in 7.6% of patients (33/434). The median age of the 33 patients was 61 years (range, 33–76 years), and 20 were male. Causal drugs with a high incidence of ocular toxicities were HSP90 inhibitors and FGFR inhibitors. Retinopathy was most frequent, while conjunctivitis, dry eye, keratitis, keratopathy, and uveitis were also observed. Dim vision as a subjective finding was a unique adverse event. Most patients developed ocular toxicities even though their dose was below the drug's maximum tolerated dose. Except for one case, all ocular toxicities occurred bilaterally. About 60% (22/37) of ocular toxicity cases needed a temporary hold of the drug. All except for three cases fully recovered. This study reported the risks and timing of the onset of a variety of ocular toxicities of anti-cancer drugs, which were fundamentally controllable. (Trial registration number. Retrospectively registered) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This study investigated the correlation between corneal biomechanical parameters and the speed of myopia progression. Methods. This is a retrospective, multicenter study. Both Chinese and Caucasian children were involved. The follow-up time was at least 12 months. Ocular biometry data including the central corneal thickness (CCT), axial length (AL), corneal keratometry (K), anterior chamber depth (ACD), white-to-white (WTW) distance, and pupil size (PS) were measured. The age of onset, speed of progression of spherical equivalent (SE), and speed of AL elongation were calculated. Data were analyzed using the R programming language. Results. This study comprised 306 eyes of 153 myopic children. 122 children were Chinese, and 31 children were Caucasian. The myopia progression was faster in Chinese children than that in the Caucasian group in both SE progression speed and AL elongation speed. The CCT was negatively correlated with the SE speed of progression (correlation coefficient, R = −0.65, and p = 7.25 × 10 − 38 ) and AL speed (R = −0.47 and p = 1.62 × 10 − 18 ). CCT was positively correlated with the age of onset (R = 0.35 and p = 4.53 × 10 − 10 ). No significant correlation (R > 0.3 and p < 0.01) was found between other ocular biometries (K, ACD, WTW, and PS) and the onset and speed of the progression of myopia. The same trends were found in both Chinese and Caucasian children and in both the right eye and left eye. Conclusion. CCT was negatively correlated with myopia (SE) progression speed and AL elongation speed. Thin CCT may be associated with faster myopia progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial condition resulting from reduced tear secretion from the lacrimal glands, increased tear water evaporation or the production of poor-quality tears. Such tear instability can lead to inflammation and damage of the ocular surface, as well as to abnormal nociception. Historically, tear substitutes and corticosteroids have been the bastion of DED therapy, but a substantial number of patients still suffer from residual symptoms even after being treated with traditional treatments. Aiming to find safe and effective alternative therapies, recent efforts have been focused on the role of vitamin D in the cellular physiology of the eye. Possibly because of its positive effect in modulating the immune and inflammatory responses, the systemic supplementation of vitamin D seems, indeed, to be an effective therapeutic strategy, especially, but not only, for patients affected by DED that does not respond to conventional treatments. In this context, this review focuses on the literature reporting on the pathogenesis and treatment of DED, with a special emphasis on the recent investigations reporting on the potential role of the systemic administration of vitamin D as a therapeutic approach in the management of such condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Electroencephalography changes that occur during the transition from eyes-closed to the eyes-open state in resting condition are related to the early phase of sensory processing and are defined as activation. The present study aimed to reveal the potential deteriorations that may occur in the initial period of sensory processing in resting electroencephalography between children with subclinical hypothyroidism and a control group. Materials and Methods: Electroencephalographies of 15 children with subclinical hypothyroidism and 15 healthy children aged 10 to 17 years were recorded for 2 minutes for EC and 2 minutes for eyes-open conditions in resting state. Absolute electroencephalography band powers (μV² ) within the delta, theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands were calculated in Fz, Cz, Pz, and Oz electrodes, respectively, for eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions. Results: The results show that, although there was no noteworthy difference between the powers of the electroencephalography frequency bands of children with subclinical hypothyroidism and healthy children during the eyes-open condition, the alpha powers of the control group were significantly higher in all electrodes during the eyes-closed condition. Furthermore, the powers of all frequency bands were observed to decrease in the eyes-open condition in the control group. However, the same net decrease was not observed in the frequency powers of children with subclinical hypothyroidism. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, children with subclinical hypothyroidism may experience information processing impairments starting in the early stages of sensory processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human eye and tear provide essential physiological information for the detection of ocular dysfunctions and therapy monitoring. The measurements of biomarkers in tear composition are critical for disease diagnosis and early interventions. Hence, significant efforts are dedicated to the development of functional contact lenses that can quantify tear analytes and ocular physiological condition. The combination of microfluidics and contact lens technologies offer real‐time monitoring of ocular physiology and timely detection of eye disorders through wireless components. This review discusses the fundamentals of microfluidic contact lenses and their diverse applications in ophthalmic diagnostics and drug delivery. It also elucidates the strategies for the commercialization of microfluidic contact lenses to create clinical and point‐of‐care products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Blepharospasm (BSP) is a type of focal dystonia and a number of patients with BSP have relatives also affected by BSP. The objective of this study was to quantify eye closure rates during activities of daily living in individuals with BSP and individuals without BSP with and without a first-degree relative with BSP. Methods: 37 patients with BSP (BSP group), 10 asymptomatic volunteers with a firstdegree relative with BSP (RELATIVES group) and 25 asymptomatic volunteers without relatives with BSP (HV group) were recruited. The number of eye closures for each task were counted per 60 seconds, with a video recording. Within and between groups statistical comparisons of eye-closure rates were performed. Results: The eye-closure rates of the RELATIVES group were not different from the BSP group for the majority of the tasks (except for watching television), and the HV group (for all tasks). The rate of eye closures in the BSP group compared to HV, was significantly increased in two tasks, resting and watching television. Discussion: Eye closure rate varies considerably during activities of daily living in all groups. Individuals with first degree relative with BSP are more likely to have increased eye closure rate at rest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When reading Chinese, skilled native readers regularly gain a preview benefit (PB) when the parafoveal word is orthographically or semantically related to the target word. Evidence shows that non-native, beginning Chinese readers can obtain an orthographic PB during Chinese reading, which indicates the parafoveal processing of low-level visual information. However, whether non-native Chinese readers who are more proficient in Chinese can make use of high-level parafoveal information remains unknown. Therefore, this study examined parafoveal processing during Chinese reading among Tibetan-Chinese bilinguals with high Chinese proficiency and compared their PB effects with those from native Chinese readers. Tibetan-Chinese bilinguals demonstrated both orthographic and semantic PB but did not show phonological PB and only differed from native Chinese in the identical PB when preview characters were identical to the targets. These findings demonstrate that non-native Chinese readers can extract semantic information from parafoveal preview during Chinese reading and highlight the modulation of parafoveal processing efficiency by reading proficiency. The results are in line with the direct route to access the mental lexicon of visual Chinese characters among non-native Chinese speakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We review cardiovascular rhythms and pathologies associated with disruption of these circadian rhythms, and how biological sex influences these outcomes. Bridging these two papers on cardiovascular disease, Zhang and colleagues [[5]] review circadian rhythms in blood pressure and renal disease and how disrupted rhythms may exacerbate kidney diseases. The review by Martínez-Águila and colleagues [[9]] describes the role of ocular-synthesized melatonin and the interaction of circadian rhythms and clock genes in ocular physiology and diseases. [Extracted from the article]

Transitioning between different sensory environments is known to affect sensorimotor function and postural control. Water immersion presents a novel environmental stimulus common to many professional and recreational pursuits, but is not well-studied with regard to its sensorimotor effects upon transitioning back to land. The authors investigated the effects of long-duration water immersion on terrestrial postural control outcomes in veteran divers. Eleven healthy men completed a 6-hour thermoneutral pool dive (4.57 m) breathing diver air. Center of pressure was observed before and 15 minutes after the dive under 4 conditions: (1) eyes open/stable surface (Open-Stable); (2) eyes open/foam surface (Open-Foam); (3) eyes closed/stable surface (Closed-Stable); and (4) eyes closed/foam surface (Closed-Foam). Postdive decreases in postural sway were observed in all testing conditions except for Open-Stable. The specific pattern of center of pressure changes in the postdive window is consistent with (1) a stiffening/overregulation of the ankle strategy during Open-Foam, Closed-Stable, and Closed-Foam or (2) acute upweighting of vestibular input along with downweighting of somatosensory, proprioceptive, and visual inputs. Thus, our findings suggest that postimmersion decreases in postural sway may have been driven by changes in weighting of sensory inputs and associated changes in balance strategy following adaptation to the aquatic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the updated American Foundation for the Blind's (AFB's) Statistical Snapshots in spring of 2024. Topics include the top-end number of visually impaired people in the U.S., reason that AFB tracks not only those with vision-related disabilities but also individuals who report difficulty seeing, and significance of sharing statistics on blindness and low vision.

Primary rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair with modern surgical techniques provides high rates of anatomic success; however, anatomic failure may still occur with any primary surgery, including after pneumatic retinopexy (PR), scleral buckle (SB), and pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), resulting in recurrent RRD. This review includes a summary of surgical options and management strategies for eyes with primary failure of PR, SB, and PPV. No standardized protocol is available for determining the optimal secondary surgical options to treat recurrent RRD. However, understanding of the causes and characteristics of the re-detachment, expected anatomic success rates with each surgical option, and potential complications, may improve the outcomes after re-operations. Causes of primary failure include formation of new breaks, re-opening of the original breaks, missed breaks, and most commonly, proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR). Rescue PR, revision of SB, and reoperation with PPV with membrane peeling, relaxing retinectomy, and/or long-acting tamponade combined with or without encircling SB, are effective options depending on the cause of primary failure and characteristics and severity of the re-detachment. Further advances in the management of PVR, which is a major cause of primary failure, will help improve treatment outcomes for eyes with complicated recurrent detachments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vision is one of the five senses that facilitate a child's normal development. Amblyopia is the main cause of low vision or blindness in the pediatric population. Health promotion and primary prevention strategies minimize the risks of amblyopia. A thorough vision history and examination of the eyes throughout childhood ensure a child's ability to achieve a normal sense of vision. Anticipatory guidance related to eye trauma, exposure to chemical and environmental assaults, and astute observation of vision development ensure a child's sense of vision fully develops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clinical Relevance: The extent of binocular vision dysfunction in elite soccer players needs to be determined as it may impact performance.Background: The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of binocular vision dysfunctions in elite soccer players.Methods: One hundred and seven professional soccer players were evaluated. Refractive error was measured and the following binocular vision parameters were assessed: horizontal and vertical phoria for distance and near vision, the values of break and recovery for negative and positive fusional vergences at distance and near vision, vergence facility at distance and near vision, monocular accommodative facility at near vision, and near point of convergence (break and recovery points). All the athletes were men with a mean age of 24.4 ± 4.8 years.Results: No athlete was diagnosed with divergence excess, divergence insufficiency, or basic exophoria. About 13.0% of the athletes have binocular vision dysfunctions related to esophoria (0.9% with esophoria at near vision and 12.1% with esophoria at distance and near vision). About 10.3% have convergence insufficiency and 2.8% were diagnosed with fusional vergence dysfunction. The only accommodation-related parameter analysed was accommodative infacility, and 6.5% of the athletes had this dysfunction. Vertical phoria was present in 3.7% of the athletes. No statistically significant differences were found based on in athletes with respect to ethnicity, position occupied on the field, age, ametropia or laterality.Conclusion: The overall prevalence of binocular vision dysfunction in elite soccer players was 36.4%. The most prevalent dysfunctions are related to the presence of esophoria (13.0%). The values found point out the need to include binocular vision assessment protocols in the visual assessment routine for athletes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study of Hewitt-Pelisse syndrome, detailing vulvovaginal-gingival lichen planus with concurrent ocular and duodenal involvement, successfully managed using oral cyclosporine. It underscores the unique manifestation of LP affecting mucosal and ocular sites and the therapeutic efficacy of cyclosporine in this multifaceted condition.

The aims: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the anterior and posterior corneal surface parameters, keratoconus indices, thickness profile data, and data from enhanced elevation maps of keratoconus and normal corneas using Combined Placido-Schiempflug imaging-based topography, and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of these parameters in discriminating keratoconus from normal eyes. Materials and methods: A retrospective comparative observational study of 100 normal eyes and 100 keratoconus eyes was done from April 2014 to May 2015 at MM Joshi Eye Institute, Hubli, Karnataka. We evaluated and compared the anterior and posterior corneal surface parameters, keratoconus indices, thickness profile data, and data from enhanced elevation maps of keratoconus and normal corneas using Combined Placido-Scheimpflug Imaging based Topography to determine the sensitivity and specificity of these parameters in discriminating keratoconus from normal eyes. Results: Keratoconus indices (Sif, Sib, BCV-f, BCV-b, KVf, KVb, CCT, MinCT) showed Excellent AUROC values followed by K-steep in posterior curvature at 3 mm, 5 mm followed by K-steep in anterior curvature and other parameters in discriminating Normal from Keratoconus-Suspect eyes. Elevation indices-BCV-f, BCV-b, CCT, Min-CT, K-steep & K-flat in anterior and posterior curvature in 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, and CV were significant in discriminating normal from mild keratoconus. All parameters except ACV and ICA were significant in discriminating normal from moderate keratoconus. All parameters were significant in discriminating normal from severe keratoconus eyes. Morphological indices were significant in differentiating mild, moderate and severe keratoconus. Conclusion: Many parameters were statistically significant between keratoconus and normal eyes compared with early keratoconus eyes. The topography and corneal aberration results in this study are promising for detecting ectatic corneas. In our study, thickness indices-CCT, MinCT, Abberometry indices-BCVf, BCVb and keratometry in steep meridian at posterior curvature had the highest AUC scores in differentiating normal from sub-clinical keratoconus. Elevation indices-Rbf-f, Rbf-b, thickness indices-CCT, MinCT, aberrometry indices, and keratometry-steep in anterior & posterior curvature had the highest AUC scores in differentiating moderate and severe keratoconus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses how nineteenth-century medical science apprehended the eye and its functions. It disputes Jonathan Crary's claim of the alleged mistrust towards human vision as a source of reliable information from the 1830s onwards. It is based on the analysis of scholarly and popular scientific publications from the early 1850s to the first decades of the twentieth century, a typology of sources overlooked by Crary as well as by most of the works in the field of Visual Studies. It focuses on French documents because of the progress undertaken by medical research on the eyesight in the country at the time and the number and scope of both scientific and popular publications. In the first part, I analyse the new set of knowledge about the anatomy and physiology of the eye that physicians developed at the time – notably through the use of newly introduced instruments such as the ophthalmoscope and the ophthalmometer. In the second part, I describe how contemporary medical research led to the acknowledgment of the subjectivity of visual perceptions and the fragile nature of human visual capacities. In the last section, I show how, through a process of classification and rationalisation of the newly acquired knowledge, physicians managed to reinstate the objective character of visual perceptions on the basis of their research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The complexity of the eye structure and its physiology turned ocular drug administration into one of the most challenging topics in the pharmaceutical field. Ocular inflammation is one of the most common ophthalmic disorders. Topical administration of anti-inflammatory drugs is also commonly used as a side treatment in tissue repair and regeneration. The difficulty in overcoming the eye barriers, which are both physical and chemical, reduces drug bioavailability, and the frequency of administration must be increased to reach the therapeutic effect. However, this can cause serious side effects. Lipid nanoparticles seem to be a great alternative to ocular drug delivery as they are composed from natural excipients and can encapsulate both hydrophilic and lipophilic drugs of different sources, and their unique properties, as their excellent biocompatibility, safety and adhesion allow to increase the bioavailability, compliance and achieve a sustained drug release. They are also very stable, easy to produce and scale up, and can be lyophilized or sterilized with no significant alterations to the release profile and stability. Because of this, lipid nanoparticles show a great potential to be an essential part of the new therapeutic technologies in ophthalmology to deliver synthetic and natural anti-inflammatory drugs. In fact, there is an increasing interest in natural bioactives with anti-inflammatory activities, and the use of nanoparticles for their site-specific delivery. It is therefore expected that, in the near future, many more studies will promote the development of new nanomedicines resulting in clinical studies of new drugs formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial neglect (SN) impedes functional recovery after stroke, leading to reduced rehabilitation gains and slowed recovery. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether integrating prism adaptation treatment (PAT) into a highly intensive rehabilitation program eliminates the negative impact of spatial neglect on functional and motor recovery. We examined clinical data of the 355 consecutive first-time stroke patients admitted to a sub-acute inpatient neurorehabilitation program that integrated PAT. The 7-item Motor Functional Independence Measure, Berg Balance Scale, and Motor Activity Log were used as main outcome measures. We found that 84 patients (23.7%) had SN, as defined by a positive score on the Catherine Bergego Scale via the Kessler Foundation Neglect Assessment Process (KF-NAP®). Although 71 patients (85%) received PAT, the presence of SN at baseline, regardless of PAT completion, was associated with lower functional independence, higher risk of falls, and a lower functional level of the affected upper limb both at admission and at discharge. The severity of SN was associated with inferior rehabilitation outcomes. Nonetheless, patients with SN who received PAT had similar rehabilitation gains compared to patients without SN. Thus, the present study suggests that integrating PAT in an intensive rehabilitation program will result in improved responses to regular therapies in patients with SN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, many researchers have tried to develop a robust, fast, and accurate algorithm. This algorithm is for eye-tracking and detecting pupil position in many applications such as head-mounted eye tracking, gaze-based human-computer interaction, medical applications (such as deaf and diabetes patients), and attention analysis. Many real-world conditions challenge the eye appearance, such as illumination, reflections, and occasions. On the other hand, individual differences in eye physiology and other sources of noise, such as contact lenses or make-up. The present work introduces a robust pupil detection algorithm with and higher accuracy than the previous attempts for real-time analytics applications. The proposed circular hough transform with morphing canny edge detection for Pupillometery (CHMCEP) algorithm can detect even the blurred or noisy images by using different filtering methods in the pre-processing or start phase to remove the blur and noise and finally the second filtering process before the circular Hough transform for the center fitting to make sure better accuracy. The performance of the proposed CHMCEP algorithm was tested against recent pupil detectionmethods. Simulations and results show that the proposed CHMCEP algorithm achieved detection rates of 87.11, 78.54, 58, and 78 according to 'Swirski, ExCuSe, Else, and labeled pupils in the wild (LPW) data sets, respectively. These results show that the proposed approach performs better than the other pupil detection methods by a large margin by providing exact and robust pupil positions on challenging ordinary eye pictures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. The current standard treatment for AMD involves frequent intravitreal administrations of therapeutic agents. While effective, this approach presents challenges, including patient discomfort, inconvenience, and the risk of adverse complications. Nanoparticle-based intravitreal drug delivery platforms offer a promising solution to overcome these limitations. These platforms are engineered to target the retina specifically and control drug release, which enhances drug retention, improves drug concentration and bioavailability at the retinal site, and reduces the frequency of injections. This review aims to uncover the design principles guiding the development of highly effective nanoparticle-based intravitreal drug delivery platforms for AMD treatment. By gaining a deeper understanding of the physiology of ocular barriers and the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, we establish a basis for designing intravitreal nanoparticles to optimize drug delivery and drug retention in the retina. Furthermore, we review recent nanoparticle-based intravitreal therapeutic strategies to highlight their potential in improving AMD treatment efficiency. Lastly, we address the challenges and opportunities in this field, providing insights into the future of nanoparticle-based drug delivery to improve therapeutic outcomes for AMD patients. [Display omitted] • Design rules for developing nanoparticle-based intravitreal drug delivery platforms for treating AMD is discussed. • Understanding the physiology of ocular barriers and nanoparticles characteristics is key to develop optimal drug delivery platforms. • Intravitreal therapeutic strategies utilizing various nanoparticles are highlighted. • A framework integrating microfluidics, lab-on-a-chip and machine learning is presented to accelerate clinical translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People are living longer and rates of age-related diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are accelerating, placing enormous burdens on patients and health care systems. The quality of carbohydrate foods consumed by an individual impacts health. The glycemic index (GI) is a kinetic measure of the rate at which glucose arrives in the blood stream after consuming various carbohydrates. Consuming diets that favor slowly digested carbohydrates releases sugar into the bloodstream gradually after consuming a meal (low glycemic index). This is associated with reduced risk for major age-related diseases including AMD, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. In comparison, consuming the same amounts of different carbohydrates in higher GI diets, releases glucose into the blood rapidly, causing glycative stress as well as accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Such AGEs are cytotoxic by virtue of their forming abnormal proteins and protein aggregates, as well as inhibiting proteolytic and other protective pathways that might otherwise selectively recognize and remove toxic species. Using in vitro and animal models of glycative stress, we observed that consuming higher GI diets perturbs metabolism and the microbiome, resulting in a shift to more lipid-rich metabolomic profiles. Interactions between aging, diet, eye phenotypes and physiology were observed. A large body of laboratory animal and human clinical epidemiologic data indicates that consuming lower GI diets, or lower glycemia diets, is protective against features of early AMD (AMDf) in mice and AMD prevalence or AMD progression in humans. Drugs may be optimized to diminish the ravages of higher glycemic diets. Human trials are indicated to determine if AMD progression can be retarded using lower GI diets. Here we summarized the current knowledge regarding the pathological role of glycative stress in retinal dysfunction and how dietary strategies might diminish retinal disease. • Typical American diets have a high glycemic index (GI) that liberate glucose into the bloodstream rapidly. • Glucose metabolites modify proteins, forming advanced glycation end products (AGEs). • AGEs-induced proteolytic compromise results in increasing AGEs and cellular and tissue damage upon aging and stress. • Consuming higher GI diets increased risk for early AMD features in mice and all human studies associate higher GI diets with higher risk for AMD and AMD progression. • Foods or drugs that lower glycemia hold promise to arrest or delay AMD progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. A rising trend in electronic use has increased the prevalence of myopia in adolescents, but the optimal approach to controlling myopia remains undetermined. Here, we explored the effects of common single vision (SV) spectacle lenses combined with 0.01% atropine eye drops (SV + A), orthokeratology (OK) lenses, and peripheral defocus (PD) spectacle lenses on myopia control in adolescents. Methods. Totally 150 myopic adolescent patients (300 eyes) receiving treatment at The First People's Hospital of Chenzhou City were enrolled. According to doctors' advice and guardians' wishes, the patients were divided into SV + A group, OK group, and PD group, with each group consisting of 50 cases (100 eyes). The spherical equivalent, axial length, accommodative response index (accommodative sensitivity and accommodative lag), and intraocular pressure were compared before and after 12 months of wearing lenses, and the complications were recorded. Results. Before wearing lenses, there was no statistical significance in baseline characteristics such as age, gender, and spherical equivalent among the three groups (P > 0.05). After wearing lenses, the increase in spherical equivalent and axial length in the SV + A and OK groups were lower than in the PD group (P < 0.05), and the SV + A group had the lowest axial length growth. Compared with the SV + A group, accommodative sensitivity was much higher and accommodative lag was significantly lower in the OK and PD groups (P < 0.01). In addition, there was no significant difference in intraocular pressure before and after wearing lenses among the three groups (P > 0.05). Though the OK group patients had more complications, the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion. SV + A, OK, and PD lenses can effectively control the progression of myopia in adolescents, but SV + A and OK lenses exhibited more significant effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This study mainly analyzes the efficacy of 0.01% atropine eye drops (low-dose atropine (LDA)) combined with virtual reality (VR)-based binocular visual function (BVF) balance training in the prevention and control of juvenile myopia. Methods. One hundred and thirty-six juvenile myopia patients admitted between November 2018 to November 2021 were selected, including 76 cases (research group) receiving LDA + VR-based BVF balance training and 60 cases (control group) treated by LDA intervention alone. Visual acuity (VA; naked vision), ocular parameters (pupil diameter (PD), axial length (AXL), and diopter), intraocular pressure (IOP), accommodation facility, clinical efficacy, and incidence of adverse reactions were observed, compared, and analyzed in both groups. Results. After analysis, it was found that the research group showed significantly higher naked vision and PD while statistically lower D after intervention than the corresponding preinterventional parameters than the control group. While AXL showed no statistical difference between the groups and within groups. The IOP also differed insignificantly between groups, but the post-treatment accommodation facility was better in the research group compared with the baseline (before treatment) and control group. In terms of curative effects, an obviously higher total effective rate was determined in the research group. In addition, the two groups showed no significant difference in the incidence of adverse reactions. Conclusions. LDA + VR-based BVF balance training deserves clinical popularization, as it can prevent and control myopia among teenagers, with better adjusting effects on eye function and certain safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the many health benefits of resistance training, it has been suggested that high-intensity resistance exercise is associated with acute increases in intraocular pressure which is a significant risk factor for the development of glaucomatous optic nerve damage. Therefore, resistance training using a variety of forms (e.g., resistance bands, free weights, weight machines, and bodyweight) may be harmful to patients with or at risk of glaucoma. An appropriate solution for such people may involve the combination of resistance training and blood flow restriction (BFR). During the last decade, the BFR (a.k.a. occlusion or KAATSU training) method has drawn great interest among health and sports professionals because of the possibility for individuals to improve various areas of fitness and performance at lower exercise intensities. In comparison to studies evaluating the efficiency of BFR in terms of physical performance and body composition changes, there is still a paucity of empirical studies concerning safety, especially regarding ocular health. Although the use of BFR during resistance training seems feasible for glaucoma patients or those at risk of glaucoma, some issues must be investigated and resolved. Therefore, this review provides an overview of the available scientific data describing the influence of resistance training combined with BFR on ocular physiology and points to further directions of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The TGF-β signaling pathway plays a crucial role in several key aspects of development and tissue homeostasis. TGF-β ligands and their mediators have been shown to be important regulators of ocular physiology and their dysregulation has been described in several eye pathologies. TGF-β signaling participates in regulating several key developmental processes in the eye, including angiogenesis and neurogenesis. Inadequate TGF-β signaling has been associated with defective angiogenesis, vascular barrier function, unfavorable inflammatory responses, and tissue fibrosis. In addition, experimental models of corneal neovascularization, diabetic retinopathy, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, glaucoma, or corneal injury suggest that aberrant TGF-β signaling may contribute to the pathological features of these conditions, showing the potential of modulating TGF-β signaling to treat eye diseases. This review highlights the key roles of TGF-β family members in ocular physiology and in eye diseases, and reviews approaches targeting the TGF-β signaling as potential treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since circadian rhythms are disrupted with advancing age [[77]], this implies that circadian rhythms may be involved in controlling GSH homeostasis in the lens and that the age-dependent dysfunction of circadian rhythms may contribute to impairment of GSH homeostasis, with the subsequent manifestation of age-related eye diseases such as lens cataracts. Currently, the only way to treat cataracts is by cataract surgery, in which the opaque lens is replaced with an artificial plastic lens. Keywords: lens; glutathione; circadian rhythms; cataract EN lens glutathione circadian rhythms cataract N.PAG N.PAG 12 08/29/22 20220801 NES 220801 1. This has led to the idea that circadian rhythms may be involved in controlling GSH levels in the lens and that the age-dependent dysfunction of circadian rhythms may contribute to impairment of GSH homeostasis, with the subsequent manifestation of age-related lens cataract. [Extracted from the article]

Meibomian glands (MGs) and their holocrine secretion—meibum—play crucial roles in the physiology of the eye, providing protection from environmental factors and desiccation, among other functions. Importantly, aging was implicated in the deterioration of the morphology and functions of MGs, and the quantity and quality of meibum they produce, leading to a loss of its protective properties, while the meibum of young individuals and experimental animals provide ample protection to the eye. Currently, the molecular mechanisms of meibum biosynthesis (termed meibogenesis) are not fully understood. To characterize the physiological changes in developing and maturing MGs, we studied the lipidomes and transcriptomes of mouse MGs ranging from newborns to adults. The results revealed a gradual increase in the critical genes of meibogenesis (such as Elovl3, Elovl4, Awat2, and Soat1, among others) that positively correlated with the biosynthesis of their respective lipid products. The MG transcriptomes of young and adult mice were also analyzed using single-cell RNA sequencing. These experiments revealed the existence of multiple unique populations of MG cells (meibocytes, epithelial cells, and others) with specific combinations of genes that encode meibogenesis-related proteins, and identified clusters and subclusters of cells that were tentatively classified as meibocytes at different stages of differentiation/maturation, or their progenitor cells. A hypothesis was formulated that these cells may produce different types of lipids, and contribute differentially to the Meibomian lipidome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article outlines wearable filter evaluation (WFE), a systematic and qualitative approach to maximize filter benefits for individuals with low vision or neurological visual impairment. Topics discussed include the goal of the WFE, flowchart of the WFE process, and type, source and location of glare. Also mentioned are additional strategies for reducing glare.

The unique physiological makeup of the eye limits the use of small-molecule drugs for treating the posterior segment of the eye. Nevertheless, transmembrane-peptide-mediated non-invasive drug delivery can serve as an ideal treatment strategy, as it is capable of delivering small-molecule drugs across the membrane in the form of eye drops, thereby achieving the effective treatment of neovascularisation in the posterior cavity. In this study, we screened and compared the posterior segment distribution of two poly(ethylene glycol)-distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine carriers modified using targeting-peptides. Thereafter, a transmembrane peptide (i.e. , PENE) with a greater ability of transmembrane delivery was selected for delivering the anti-vascular drug (i.e. , Axitinib) to the posterior segment of the eye. Using two different mouse models with fundus neovascular diseases, the complete non-invasive delivery of Axitinib to the posterior segment of the eye was confirmed using the targeted system; the designed eye drops (i.e. , PENE-nanoparticles) could achieve drug distribution to the retina and veins of the eye as well as good drug permeability for renewal. Moreover, using the eye-drop treatment, neovascularisation was substantially reduced, demonstrating the high efficacy of this drug delivery system. This study, which combines nanodrug-loading technology and the transmembrane delivery of penetrating-peptides to achieve the goal of the non-invasive delivery of small-molecule drugs through the dense blood vessels of the sclera, shows wide applicability and considerably expands the use of ocular drugs. Thus, this study is expected to help develop a more acceptable drug administration strategy for the drug treatment of the posterior segment of the eye. Penetrating-peptide-mediated non-invasive axitinib delivery to the posterior segment of the eye for anti-neovascularization. Good fundus-targeting provides a broad potential for the non-invasive treatment of fundus neovascular diseases. [Display omitted] • Due to unique eye physiology, drug delivery in eyes is difficult. • Transmembrane-peptide-mediated non-invasive drug delivery is suitable. • Penetrating-peptide-mediated non-invasive axitinib delivery was achieved. • Neovascularization was substantially reduced using this delivery system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is increasingly recognized as a systemic disease, characterized by dysregulation in multiple physiological systems (eg, neural, cardiovascular, endocrine). Many of these changes are observed as early as the first psychotic episode, and in people at high risk for the disorder. Expanding the search for biomarkers of schizophrenia beyond genes, blood, and brain may allow for inexpensive, noninvasive, and objective markers of diagnosis, phenotype, treatment response, and prognosis. Several anatomic and physiologic aspects of the eye have shown promise as biomarkers of brain health in a range of neurological disorders, and of heart, kidney, endocrine, and other impairments in other medical conditions. In schizophrenia, thinning and volume loss in retinal neural layers have been observed, and are associated with illness progression, brain volume loss, and cognitive impairment. Retinal microvascular changes have also been observed. Abnormal pupil responses and corneal nerve disintegration are related to aspects of brain function and structure in schizophrenia. In addition, studying the eye can inform about emerging cardiovascular, neuroinflammatory, and metabolic diseases in people with early psychosis, and about the causes of several of the visual changes observed in the disorder. Application of the methods of oculomics, or eye-based biomarkers of non-ophthalmological pathology, to the treatment and study of schizophrenia has the potential to provide tools for patient monitoring and data-driven prediction, as well as for clarifying pathophysiology and course of illness. Given their demonstrated utility in neuropsychiatry, we recommend greater adoption of these tools for schizophrenia research and patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To investigate the relationship of contrast sensitivity (CS) with binocularity, eye dominance, and interpupillary distance at various spatial frequencies in healthy adults. Method: Thirty-seven healthy adults (age range, 19-45 years; 27 males) were included. Binocular and monocular measurements of CS were performed with Automatize ClearChart 2 test on monocular (right and left) and both eyes at low-(1.5 cpd), mid- (6 cpd), and high- (18 cpd) spatial frequencies. Eye dominance was determined with the Hole-in-card test and interpupillary distance was measured with PlusOptics photo scanner, and the results were compared statistically. Results: Eye dominance was identified in 35 (94.59 %) subjects with the right eye being dominant in 23 (65.7%) subjects. The logarithmic CS (logCS) in the dominant eye, non-dominant eye, both eyes were 2.58±0.29, 2.62±0.37, and 2.50±0.00, respectively at 1.5 cpd; 2.54±0.16, 2.50±0.00, and 2.50±0.00, respectively at 6 cpd; and 5.46±2.49, 5.26±2.61, and 3.82±1.82, respectively at 18 cpd. The logCS did not significantly differ between dominant and non-dominant eyes. Binocular logCS was lower than monocular logCS significantly at 18 cpd (p=0.001). The interpupillary distance (mean, 58.78±3.63 mm) was not correlated with binocular logCS. Conclusions: Dominant eye was similar to non-dominant eye in terms of CS function at all frequencies in healthy adults. No functional relationship was detected between interpupillary distance and binocular CS. Binocular CS function showed individual differences at high-spatial frequency in healthy adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the combined treatment of occlusion and active vision therapy in a total of 27 amblyopic children, including 14 strabismic and 13 anisometropic cases. For such purpose, changes in distance and near visual acuity as well as in the binocular function was evaluated during a two-year follow-up. In both amblyopia groups, significant improvements were found in distance and near visual acuity in the non-dominant eye (p < 0.001). In the strabismic amblyopia group, the percentage of patients with binocular function score (BF) > 3.3 decreased significantly from a baseline value of 64.3% to a two-year follow-up value of 7.1% (p < 0.001). In the anisometropic amblyopia group, this percentage also decreased significantly from a baseline value of 15.4% to a two-year follow-up value of 0.0% (p < 0.001). No recurrences were observed in the anisometropic amblyopia group, whereas recurrence occurred in two cases of the strabismic amblyopia group after finishing the vision rehabilitation process. In conclusion, the combined approach of the treatment evaluated is efficacious for providing an improvement in visual acuity and binocular function in both anisometropic and strabismic amblyopia, which was maintained over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern aviation, in particular in the military context, increasingly many aviation tasks are performed at night. To improve the safety of night flights, night vision goggles (NVGs) are commonly used. This study aimed to examine whether changes in ophthalmic parameters during NVGs use vary depending on phosphor screen type (green or white coded as P43 and P45 respectively). Thirteen participants were studied during a 2-h visual task in a night vision laboratory. Before and after NVGs use, we examined visual acuity, pachymetry, critical flicker-frequency thresholds, stereoscopic and contrast vision. During the use of NVGs, visual acuity, intra-ocular pressure and eye refraction were measured. We found no difference in visual performance between NVGs with green and white phosphor screens; however, NVGs use in general may lead to subjective eye fatigue, neck pain and headaches associated with the time of wearing and the weight of the helmet with additional equipment attached. Practitioner summary Night vision goggles (NVGs), widely used to improve the safety of night flights, were examined according to the applied type of the phosphor screen. There was no difference in visual performance between a white and green phosphor screens; however, NVGs and helmet manufacturers should strive to design these devices to be as lightweight as possible. Abbreviations: ANOVA: analysis of variance; CCT: central corneal thickness; CFF: critical flicker frequency; CNS: central nervous system; CS: contrast sensitivity; FOV: field-of-view; I2: image intensifier; IOP: intra-ocular pressure; NVGs: night vision goggles; SV: stereoscopic vision; VA: visual acuity; VAS: visual analog scale [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document discusses recent breakthroughs in retinal cell biology research, shedding light on various aspects of ocular physiology and providing new avenues for therapeutic interventions. The studies explore topics such as mitophagy in astrocytes, endothelial barrier restoration, synaptic ribbon enrichment, cellular signaling pathways, retinal detachment, impaired antioxidant responses, and the immune response in ocular degenerative diseases. These findings deepen our understanding of eye health and offer potential strategies for treating retinal disorders. The document emphasizes the importance of ongoing research in improving the lives of individuals affected by vision-related conditions. [Extracted from the article]

Lectures constitute a basic component of physiology instruction in scientific and healthcare curricula. Technological progress has allowed a switch from face to face to video lectures, yet there is no evidence of video efficacy in physiology. Because videos increase the cognitive load during a learning task, identifying tools that decrease students' cognitive load during video lectures is critical. Segmenting videos with pauses and inducing joint attention with eye movement modeling examples (EMME) could reduce the cognitive load and improve second-year medical students' learning in physiology video lectures. Second-year medical students were randomized into four groups [EMME + pauses (EMME + P), EMME without pause's (EMME-NoP), pauses only (NoEMME + P), and no EMME and no pause (NoEMME-NoP)], took pretest quizzes, watched a renal physiology video lecture, and answered a cognitive load questionnaire and posttest quizzes on the Moodle learning management system. Student prior knowledge was assessed by a pretest, and learning gains were assessed by the difference between posttest and pretest scores. One hundred ninety-five students completed the experiment. Pauses improved learning gains (P < 0.01) but not EMME (P = 0.11). Student prior knowledge has several interactions with other variables: low-prior knowledge students obtained better learning gains (P < 0.001) and high-prior knowledge students had lower learning gains with EMME (P < 0.05). Our study shows the potential role of tools designed to reduce students' cognitive load during a renal physiology video lecture and the critical need for empirical validation of pedagogical solutions that are adapted to the specificities of physiology lectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To investigate the difference of spherical equivalent (SE) and pupil diameter in adult patients with intermittent exotropia (IXT) under various viewing conditions before and after surgery.Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 23 adult patients who underwent a surgery for IXT. The angle of deviation was measured by the prism and alternative cover test. Refractive error and pupil diameter were measured using the Grand Seiko WAM-5500 open-field autorefractor under binocular and monocular viewing conditions when patients stared at distance (6 m) and near (33 cm). Regression analyses were performed between accommodative load and the angle of deviation.Results: Twenty-three patients (10 males, 13 females) with a mean age of 31.17±8.95 years, of whom 13 (56.5%) had the right eye as the dominant eye. The mean angle of deviation at near and at distance was 69.57±26.37 and 65.43±28.92 prism diopters respectively. There were no significant differences in accommodative response and pupil diameter between the dominant and non-dominant eyes. SE decreased when patients changed from monocular to binocular viewing, and from distant to near viewing (all P< 0.05), so as the pupil diameter (all P< 0.001). During binocular, not monocular viewing, SE was significantly greater after operation than it was before operation (P< 0.001). Accommodative load and pupillary constriction narrowed (p< 0.001) after the operation. Linear regression analysis showed a correlation between the angle of deviation at distance and accommodative load at distance (r2=0.278, p=0.010) and at near (r2=0.332, p=0.005).Conclusion: In order to maintain ocular alignment, patients with IXT suffer a large accommodative load, which is related to the angle of deviation. Surgery helps eliminating extra accommodation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional experiments indicate that prediction is important for efficient speech processing. In three virtual reality visual world paradigm experiments, we tested whether such findings hold in naturalistic settings (Experiment 1) and provided novel insights into whether disfluencies in speech (repairs/hesitations) inform one's predictions in rich environments (Experiments 2–3). Experiment 1 supports that listeners predict upcoming speech in naturalistic environments, with higher proportions of anticipatory target fixations in predictable compared to unpredictable trials. In Experiments 2–3, disfluencies reduced anticipatory fixations towards predicted referents, compared to conjunction (Experiment 2) and fluent (Experiment 3) sentences. Unexpectedly, Experiment 2 provided no evidence that participants made new predictions from a repaired verb. Experiment 3 provided novel findings that fixations towards the speaker increase upon hearing a hesitation, supporting current theories of how hesitations influence sentence processing. Together, these findings unpack listeners' use of visual (objects/speaker) and auditory (speech/disfluencies) information when predicting upcoming words. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The transition of Taiwan from an aging to a super-aging society has come with a cost as more elderly now suffer from cognitive impairment. The main purpose of our study was to investigate if early detection can be developed so that timely intervention can be instituted. We analyzed the correlation of cognitive function with ocular physiology and visual functions between senior citizens aged 60 years or older in Taiwan. Methods: Thirty-six healthy subjects were recruited for the study. Addenbrooke's cognitive examination III (ACE-III), binocular functions (including objective and subjective refraction, distance and near dissociated phoria, stereopsis, contrast sensitivity, adult developmental eye movement (ADEM), and ocular physiology (by using optical coherence tomography, OCT, and macular pigment measurement, MPS) were performed, and the data were analyzed via independent t-test, chi-square test, Pearson correlation, linear regression, and ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve. Results: Data analysis showed that (1) patients with poor eye movement had a strong correlation with the total score and all dimensions of cognitive functions, (2) the thickness of the macula had a strong correlation with attention and memory, and (3) patients with poor eye movement and poor stereopsis in combination with thinner inferior macula appeared to have lower cognitive abilities. Discussion and Conclusions: Cognitive dysfunction is not readily identified during the early stage of cognitive decline. The use of simple and inexpensive ADEM or stereopsis test and comparing the OCT results that are popular in optometry clinics for reference can be diagnostic in identifying patients with mild cognitive impairments. With the combined use of macular pigment density or retinal thickness measurements, it was possible to effectively predict the early degradation of cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In-vivo optic nerve head (ONH) biomechanics characterization is emerging as a promising way to study eye physiology and pathology. We propose a high-accuracy and high-efficiency digital volume correlation (DVC) method to characterize the in-vivo ONH deformation from optical coherence tomography (OCT) volumes. Using a combination of synthetic tests and analysis of OCTs from monkey ONHs subjected to acutely elevated intraocular pressure, we demonstrate that our proposed methodology overcame several challenges for conventional DVC methods: First, a pre-registration technique was used to remove large ONH rigid body motion in OCT volumes which could lead to analysis failure; second, a modified 3D inverse-compositional Gaussian Newton method was used to ensure sub-voxel accuracy of displacement calculations despite high noise and low image contrast of some OCT volumes; third, a tricubic B-spline interpolation method was applied to improve computational efficiency; fourth, a confidence parameter was introduced to guide the searching path in the displacement calculation; fifth, a confidence-weighted strain calculation method was applied to further improve the accuracy. The proposed DVC method had displacement errors smaller than 0.037 and 0.028 voxels with Gaussian and speckle noises, respectively. The strain errors in the three directions were less than 0.0045 and 0.0018 with Gaussian and speckle noises, respectively. Compared with the conventional DVC method, the proposed method reduced the errors of displacement and strain calculations by up to 70% under large body motions, with 75% lower computation time, while saving about 30% memory. Our study demonstrates the potential of the proposed technique to investigate ONH biomechanics. The biomechanics of the optic nerve head (ONH) in the posterior pole of the globe play a central role in eye physiology and pathology. The application of digital volume correlation (DVC) to the analysis of optical coherence tomography (OCT) images of the ONH has emerged as a promising way to quantify ONH biomechanics. Conventional DVC methods, however, face several important challenges when analyzing OCT images of the ONH. We introduce a high-accuracy and high-efficiency DVC method to characterize in vivo ONH deformations from OCT volumes. We demonstrate the new method using synthetic tests and actual OCT data from monkey ONHs. The new method also has the potential to be used to study other tissues, as OCT applications continue to expand. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Anomalous phantom visual perceptions coupled to an aversion and discomfort to some visual patterns (especially grating in mid-range spatial frequency) have been associated with the hyperresponsiveness in migraine patients. Previous literature has found fluctuations of alpha oscillation (8-14 Hz) over the visual cortex to be associated with the gating of the visual stream. In the current study, we examined whether alpha activity was differentially modulated in migraineurs in anticipation of an upcoming stimulus as well as post-stimulus periods. Methods: We used EEG to examine the brain activity in a group of 28 migraineurs (17 with aura /11 without) and 29 non-migraineurs and compared their alpha power in the pre/post-stimulus period relative to the onset of stripped gratings. Results: Overall, we found that migraineurs had significantly less alpha power prior to the onset of the stimulus relative to controls. Moreover, migraineurs had significantly greater post-stimulus alpha suppression (i.e event-related desynchronization) induced by the grating in 3 cycles per degree at the 2nd half of the experiment. Conclusions: These findings, taken together, provide strong support for the presence of the hyperresponsiveness of the visual cortex of migraine sufferers. We speculate that it could be the consequence of impaired perceptual learning driven by the dysfunction of GABAergic inhibitory mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]