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Tien-En Tan,1,2 Jodhbir S Mehta2–4 1Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 2Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore; 3Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore; 4Department of Clinical Sciences, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore Abstract: Intrastromal corneal inlays are an emerging treatment for presbyopic patients. The KAMRA™ small aperture inlay was the first such inlay to receive Conformité Européenne (CE) marking in 2005. It has been shown to improve uncorrected near and intermediate visual acuity without adversely affecting uncorrected distance visual acuity. Due to the age of presbyopic patients, they may eventually develop cataracts. In two such cases, we found that cataract surgery with the KAMRA implant left in place was not technically more difficult, and that the surgical procedure could be improved by additional ocular rotations to improve visualization. Biometry readings were reliable, and it appeared that the SRK/T formula was accurate for calculation of intraocular lens power. Cataract surgery with the KAMRA implant left in situ is a viable option for patients. Keywords: cataract surgery, KAMRA, corneal inlay, AcuTarget, presbyopia

The hospitality industry has been thriving in Taiwan; as a consequence, educational institutions and training programs in the future development of the culinary industry have become extremely important. In vocational education, practical skills were considered the core ability; nevertheless, we examined the importance of creativity in the hospitality and culinary business and challenge the traditional Chinese concept of education in the culinary field. After reviewing creativity literature, a semi-structured interview approach was taken. Data were analyzed according to hermeneutic phenomenology in coding, and in order to eliminate limitations, triangulation was used to cross-reference the findings. Five main themes were found in the structures of how organizations and employees defined creativity and reflection under the traditional Chinese concept. Participants (teachers) gave insights on organizational structure toward creativity. We aimed to contribute to new ways of seeking to raise the academic level of culinary or hospitality education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon photonics has gained great success mainly due to the promise of realizing compact devices in high volume through the low-cost foundry model. It is burgeoning from laboratory research into commercial production endeavors such as datacom and telecom. However, it is unsuitable for some emerging applications which require coverage across the visible or mid infrared (mid-IR) wavelength bands. It is desirable to introduce other wideband materials through heterogeneous integration, while keeping the integration compatible with wafer-scale fabrication processes on silicon substrates. We discuss the properties of silicon-family materials including silicon, silicon nitride, and silica, and other non-group IV materials such as metal oxide, tantalum pentoxide, lithium niobate, aluminum nitride, gallium nitride, barium titanate, piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate, and 2D materials. Typical examples of devices using these materials on silicon platform are provided. We then introduce a general fabrication method and low-loss process treatment for photonic devices on the silicon platform. From an applications viewpoint, we focus on three new areas requiring integration: sensing, optical comb generation, and quantum information processing. Finally, we conclude with perspectives on how new materials and integration methods can address previously unattainable wavelength bands while maintaining the advantages of silicon, thus showing great potential for future widespread applications.

The purpose of this study is to explore and determinants the risk management and prevention in credit card business of Malaysian commercial banks. There were five factors derived through the literature and experimental investigation that are affecting the banks due to credit card which are External Fraud Risk, Internal Operational Risk, Credit Risk of Cardholders, Science and Technology and Intermediary Agency Trades Risk. Hence, 250 respondents participated in this study from state of Selangor and Federal Capital Kuala Lumpur. The data was collected and analyzed by SPPS software and it was concluded that that External fraud risk, Internal operational risk, Credit risk of Cardholder, Science and technology are positively correlated with the Credit card business risks of commercial Banks in Malaysia. These papers have highlighted suggestion for future research to develop this study further by considering the data derived from this study by using Delphi Technique

This paper studies a special form of integer partition of n , where the target is to find a maximal partition P , with the maximum number of parts, that does not include any partition of f as its subset. Let ρ ( f , n ) denote the number of parts in P . We show that such a problem is closely related to the tiny-pan coin weighing problem where each pan of the balance scale can hold exactly one coin, thereby deriving exact bounds for ρ ( f , n ) in some of the cases. Furthermore, we show that ρ ( f , n ) is ultimately periodic as a function of n , so that the computation of ρ ( f , n ) , and its corresponding maximal partition, can be sped up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photolithography is applied to pattern PTDC16DPPTDC17FT4-based organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) array on the ionexchanged NAS glass substrate with pattern features down to 10 µm. Result demonstrates high stability and excellent uniformity of bottom contact OTFT devices incorporated with a photopatternable polymer gate insulator over 2" × 2" Gorilla glass substrates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The invitation to student affairs practitioners in the Asia-Pacific region to participate in the study visit to Germany was extended by the Deutsches Studentenwerk (DSW, German National Association for Student Affairs) through the Asia-Pacific Student Services Association (APSSA). The study visit, held from 20-26 April 2008, was funded by host DSW and the German Federal Foreign Office.

Abstract Background Acute/subacute cerebral infarction (ASCI) in HIV-negative cryptococcal meningoencephalitis (CM) adults has rarely been examined by a series of MRI-based follow-up study. We studied a series of MRI follow-up study of CM adults and compared the clinical characters of those with ASCI and those without ASCI. Methods The clinical characteristics and a series of brain MRI findings of seven CM adults with ASCI were enrolled for analysis. The clinical characteristics of another 30 HIV-negative CM adults who did not have ASCI were also included for a comparative analysis. Results The seven HIV-negative CM adults with ASCI were four men and three women, aged 46-78 years. Lacunar infarction was the type of ASCI, and 86% (6/7) of the ACSI were multiple infarctions distributed in both the anterior and posterior cerebrovascular territories. The seven CM patients with ASCI were significantly older and had a higher rate of DM and previous stroke than the other 30 CM adults without ASCI. They also had a higher incidence of consciousness disturbance at presentation and had a poor prognosis. Conclusion ASCI was found in 18.9% (7/37) of HIV-negative CM adults. Serial MRI follow-up studies may allow a better delineation of ASCI in this specific group of infectious disease and multiple lacunar infarctions was the most common type. Older in age and presence of DM and previous stroke were the significant underlying conditions. CM patients with ASCI also had a poor therapeutic outcome.

Abstract Background Over-expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme has been reported in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the prognostic significance of this has yet to be conclusively determined. Thus, from our randomized trial of radiation versus concurrent chemoradiation in endemic NPC, we analyzed a cohort of tumour samples collected from participants from one referral hospital. Methods 58 out of 88 patients from this institution had samples available for analysis. COX-2 expression levels were stratified by immunohistochemistry, into negligible, weak, moderate and strong, and correlated with overall and disease specific survivals. Results 58% had negligible or weak COX-2 expression, while 14% and 28% had moderate and strong expression respectively. Weak COX-2 expression conferred a poorer median overall survival, 1.3 years for weak versus 6.3 years for negligible, 7.8 years, strong and not reached for moderate. There was a similar trend for disease specific survival. Conclusion Contrary to literature published on other malignancies, our findings seemed to indicate that over-expression of COX-2 confer a better prognosis in patients with endemic NPC. Larger studies are required to conclusively determine the significance of COX-2 expression in these patients.

Background: Planned gene therapies for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) depend on viable photoreceptors for efficacy. Understanding disease severity at presentation, and drivers that influence time to presentation is important when planning interventions. We examined features that influence RP severity at initial presentation., Methods: Multi-centre retrospective cohort study of RP patients at initial presentation. Disease severity was scored using ellipsoid zone (EZ) width on SD-OCT and logistic regression used to determine risk factors for advanced disease at presentation., Results: A total of 146 unrelated RP patients were included. Median age at onset and presentation was 40.5 (range 1-74) and 50.1 (range 3.9-81.8), respectively. Severe disease (<5° of remaining EZ width) was present in 28.1% of cases at presentation. Patients with family history of RP had greater odds of severe disease (OR 3.29, 95% CI 1.56, 6.95; p = 0.002), while male gender, race, age, syndromic features, and socioeconomic status did not. Patients with affected siblings (median EZ width 6.2°; p = 0.01), but not affected parents (median EZ width 9.4°; p = 0.99), presented with severe EZ loss compared to patients without family history (median EZ width 13.1°). Patients with affected siblings had delayed presentation (≥5 years; OR 5.76, 95% CI 1.817, 18.262; p = 0.003) compared to patients without family history., Conclusions: Family history influences the stage of disease at which RP patients initially seek ophthalmology review. This has implications for patient counselling and the number of patients who may benefit from future therapies., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

Background/aims: To compare the performance of generative versus retrieval-based chatbots in answering patient inquiries regarding age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR)., Methods: We evaluated four chatbots: generative models (ChatGPT-4, ChatGPT-3.5 and Google Bard) and a retrieval-based model (OcularBERT) in a cross-sectional study. Their response accuracy to 45 questions (15 AMD, 15 DR and 15 others) was evaluated and compared. Three masked retinal specialists graded the responses using a three-point Likert scale: either 2 (good, error-free), 1 (borderline) or 0 (poor with significant inaccuracies). The scores were aggregated, ranging from 0 to 6. Based on majority consensus among the graders, the responses were also classified as 'Good', 'Borderline' or 'Poor' quality., Results: Overall, ChatGPT-4 and ChatGPT-3.5 outperformed the other chatbots, both achieving median scores (IQR) of 6 (1), compared with 4.5 (2) in Google Bard, and 2 (1) in OcularBERT (all p ≤8.4×10 -3 ). Based on the consensus approach, 83.3% of ChatGPT-4's responses and 86.7% of ChatGPT-3.5's were rated as 'Good', surpassing Google Bard (50%) and OcularBERT (10%) (all p ≤1.4×10 -2 ). ChatGPT-4 and ChatGPT-3.5 had no 'Poor' rated responses. Google Bard produced 6.7% Poor responses, and OcularBERT produced 20%. Across question types, ChatGPT-4 outperformed Google Bard only for AMD, and ChatGPT-3.5 outperformed Google Bard for DR and others., Conclusion: ChatGPT-4 and ChatGPT-3.5 demonstrated superior performance, followed by Google Bard and OcularBERT. Generative chatbots are potentially capable of answering domain-specific questions outside their original training. Further validation studies are still required prior to real-world implementation., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Patients requiring coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) have multiple co-morbidities which need to be considered in totality when determining surgical risks. The objective of this study is to evaluate short-term and long-term mortality rates of CABG surgery, as well as to identify the most significant risk factors for mortality after isolated CABG., Methods: All patients with complete dataset who underwent isolated CABG between January 2008 and December 2017 were included. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression was performed to determine the risk factors for all-cause mortality. Classification and regression tree analysis was performed to identify the relative importance of these risk factors., Results: 3,573 patients were included in the study. Overall mortality rate was 25.7%. In-hospital mortality rate was 1.62% overall. 30-day, 1-year, 5-year, 10-year and 14.5-year mortality rates were 1.46%, 2.94%, 9.89%, 22.79% and 36.30% respectively. Factors associated with death after adjustment for other risk factors were older age, lower body mass index (BMI), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pre-operative renal failure on dialysis, higher last pre-operative creatinine level, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), heart failure, lower left ventricular ejection fraction and New York Heart Association class II, III and IV. Additionally, female gender and logistic EuroSCORE were associated with death on univariate Cox analysis, but not associated with death after adjustment with multivariate Cox analysis. Using CART analysis, the strongest predictor of mortality was pre-operative eGFR < 46.9, followed by logistic EuroSCORE ≥ 2.4., Conclusion: Poorer renal function, quantified by a lower eGFR, is the best predictor of post-CABG mortality. Amongst other risk factors, logistic EuroSCORE, age, diabetes and BMI had a relatively greater impact on mortality. Patients with chronic kidney disease stage 3B and above are at highest risk for mortality. We hope these findings heighten awareness to optimise current medical therapy in preserving renal function upon diagnosis of any atherosclerotic disease and risk factors contributing to coronary artery disease., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) are major causes of visual impairment that challenge global vision health. New strategies are needed to tackle these growing global health problems, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into ophthalmology has the potential to revolutionize DR and DME management to meet these challenges., Main Text: This review discusses the latest AI-driven methodologies in the context of DR and DME in terms of disease identification, patient-specific disease profiling, and short-term and long-term management. This includes current screening and diagnostic systems and their real-world implementation, lesion detection and analysis, disease progression prediction, and treatment response models. It also highlights the technical advancements that have been made in these areas. Despite these advancements, there are obstacles to the widespread adoption of these technologies in clinical settings, including regulatory and privacy concerns, the need for extensive validation, and integration with existing healthcare systems. We also explore the disparity between the potential of AI models and their actual effectiveness in real-world applications., Conclusion: AI has the potential to revolutionize the management of DR and DME, offering more efficient and precise tools for healthcare professionals. However, overcoming challenges in deployment, regulatory compliance, and patient privacy is essential for these technologies to realize their full potential. Future research should aim to bridge the gap between technological innovation and clinical application, ensuring AI tools integrate seamlessly into healthcare workflows to enhance patient outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Color fundus photography (CFP) and Optical coherence tomography (OCT) images are two of the most widely used modalities in the clinical diagnosis and management of retinal diseases. Despite the widespread use of multimodal imaging in clinical practice, few methods for automated diagnosis of eye diseases utilize correlated and complementary information from multiple modalities effectively. This paper explores how to leverage the information from CFP and OCT images to improve the automated diagnosis of retinal diseases. We propose a novel multimodal learning method, named geometric correspondence-based multimodal learning network (GeCoM-Net), to achieve the fusion of CFP and OCT images. Specifically, inspired by clinical observations, we consider the geometric correspondence between the OCT slice and the CFP region to learn the correlated features of the two modalities for robust fusion. Furthermore, we design a new feature selection strategy to extract discriminative OCT representations by automatically selecting the important feature maps from OCT slices. Unlike the existing multimodal learning methods, GeCoM-Net is the first method that formulates the geometric relationships between the OCT slice and the corresponding region of the CFP image explicitly for CFP and OCT fusion. Experiments have been conducted on a large-scale private dataset and a publicly available dataset to evaluate the effectiveness of GeCoM-Net for diagnosing diabetic macular edema (DME), impaired visual acuity (VA) and glaucoma. The empirical results show that our method outperforms the current state-of-the-art multimodal learning methods by improving the AUROC score 0.4%, 1.9% and 2.9% for DME, VA and glaucoma detection, respectively.

Purpose: To describe the early experiences of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) whose treatment was switched to faricimab from other anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents., Methods: This is a prospective cohort of eyes with nAMD and PCV that were previously treated with anti-VEGF agents other than faricimab. We evaluated visual acuity (VA), central subfield thickness (CST), macular volume (MV), pigment epithelial detachment (PED) height, and choroidal thickness (CT) after one administration of faricimab. Where present, fluid was further evaluated according to intraretinal fluid (IRF), subretinal fluid (SRF), or within PED., Results: Seventy-one eyes from 71 patients were included (45.07% PCV and 54.93% typical nAMD). The mean [standard deviation (± SD)] VA, CST, and MV improved from 0.50 logMAR (± 0.27 logMAR) to 0.46 logMAR (± 0.27 logMAR) ( p = 0.20), 383.35 µm (± 111.24 µm) to 322.46 µm (± 103.89 µm ( p < 0.01), and 9.40 mm 3 (± 1.52 mm 3 ) to 8.75 mm 3 (± 1.17 mm 3 ) ( p < 0.01) from switch to post switch visit, respectively. The CT reduced from 167 µm (± 151 µm) to 149 µm (± 113 µm) ( p < 0.01). There was also a significant reduction in the maximum PED height between visits [302.66 µm (± 217.97 µm)] and the post switch visit [236.66 µm (± 189.05 µm); p < 0.01]. This difference was greater in PEDs that were predominantly serous in nature. In the eyes with typical nAMD ( n = 39), improvements were significant for CST, MV, CT, and PED. In the eyes with PCV ( n = 32), only reductions in CT were statistically significant, while VA, CST, MV, and PED only showed numerically smaller improvements. One patient developed mild vitritis without vasculitis, which resolved with topical steroids with no sequelae., Conclusions: In our case series of Asian nAMD patients, switching to faricimab was associated with a stable VA and meaningful anatomical improvements, particularly with typical nAMD subtypes., Competing Interests: CMGC: Consultant/Speaker for Roche, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim; KT: Consultant for Roche, Novartis, Bayer; GT: Consultant for Roche, Novartis, Bayer; AT: Consultant/Advisor for Novartis, Bayer, Roche, Zeiss, Nidek. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ibrahim, Teo, Tan, Chan, Chandrasekaran, Lee, Tan, Mathur, Chan, Sim, Tan, Yeo and Cheung.)

Purpose: There are major gaps in our knowledge of hereditary ocular conditions in the Asia-Pacific population, which comprises approximately 60% of the world's population. Therefore, a concerted regional effort is urgently needed to close this critical knowledge gap and apply precision medicine technology to improve the quality of lives of these patients in the Asia-Pacific region., Design: Multi-national, multi-center collaborative network., Methods: The Research Standing Committee of the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology and the Asia-Pacific Society of Eye Genetics fostered this research collaboration, which brings together renowned institutions and experts for inherited eye diseases in the Asia-Pacific region. The immediate priority of the network will be inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), where there is a lack of detailed characterization of these conditions and in the number of established registries., Results: The network comprises 55 members from 35 centers, spanning 12 countries and regions, including Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The steering committee comprises ophthalmologists with experience in consortia for eye diseases in the Asia-Pacific region, leading ophthalmologists and vision scientists in the field of IRDs internationally, and ophthalmic geneticists., Conclusions: The Asia Pacific Inherited Eye Disease (APIED) network aims to (1) improve genotyping capabilities and expertise to increase early and accurate genetic diagnosis of IRDs, (2) harmonise deep phenotyping practices and utilization of ontological terms, and (3) establish high-quality, multi-user, federated disease registries that will facilitate patient care, genetic counseling, and research of IRDs regionally and internationally., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To review the evidence for imaging modalities in assessing the vascular component of diabetic retinal disease (DRD), to inform updates to the DRD staging system., Design: Standardized narrative review of the literature by an international expert workgroup, as part of the DRD Staging System Update Effort, a project of the Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative. Overall, there were 6 workgroups: Vascular Retina, Neural Retina, Systemic Health, Basic and Cellular Mechanisms, Visual Function, and Quality of Life., Participants: The Vascular Retina workgroup, including 16 participants from 4 countries., Methods: Literature review was conducted using standardized evidence grids for 5 modalities: standard color fundus photography (CFP), widefield color photography (WFCP), standard fluorescein angiography (FA), widefield FA (WFFA), and OCT angiography (OCTA). Summary levels of evidence were determined on a validated scale from I (highest) to V (lowest). Five virtual workshops were held for discussion and consensus., Main Outcome Measures: Level of evidence for each modality., Results: Levels of evidence for standard CFP, WFCP, standard FA, WFFA, and OCTA were I, II, I, I, and II respectively. Traditional vascular lesions on standard CFP should continue to be included in an updated staging system, but more studies are required before they can be used in posttreatment eyes. Widefield color photographs can be used for severity grading within the area covered by standard CFPs, although these gradings may not be directly interchangeable with each other. Evaluation of the peripheral retina on WFCP can be considered, but the method of grading needs to be clarified and validated. Standard FA and WFFA provide independent prognostic value, but the need for dye administration should be considered. OCT angiography has significant potential for inclusion in the DRD staging system, but various barriers need to be addressed first., Conclusions: This study provides evidence-based recommendations on the utility of various imaging modalities for assessment of the vascular component of DRD, which can inform future updates to the DRD staging system. Although new imaging modalities offer a wealth of information, there are still major gaps and unmet research needs that need to be addressed before this potential can be realized., Financial Disclosures: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article., (© 2023 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.)

Objective: To assess the economic impact of inherited retinal disease (IRD) among Singaporeans., Methods: IRD prevalence was calculated using population-based data. Focused surveys were conducted for sequentially enrolled IRD patients from a tertiary hospital. The IRD cohort was compared to the age- and gender-matched general population. Economic costs were expanded to the national IRD population to estimate productivity and healthcare costs., Results: National IRD caseload was 5202 cases (95% CI, 1734-11273). IRD patients (n = 95) had similar employment rates to the general population (67.4% vs. 70.7%; p = 0.479). Annual income was lower among IRD patients than the general population (SGD 19,500 vs. 27,161; p < 0.0001). Employed IRD patients had lower median income than the general population (SGD 39,000 vs. 52,650; p < 0.0001). Per capita cost of IRD was SGD 9382, with a national burden of SGD 48.8 million per year. Male gender (beta of SGD 6543, p = 0.003) and earlier onset (beta of SGD 150/year, p = 0.009) predicted productivity loss. Treatment of the most economically impacted 10% of IRD patients with an effective IRD therapy required initial treatment cost of less than SGD 250,000 (USD 188,000) for cost savings to be achieved within 20 years., Conclusions: Employment rates among Singaporean IRD patients were the same as the general population, but patient income was significantly lower. Economic losses were driven in part by male patients with early age of onset. Direct healthcare costs contributed relatively little to the financial burden., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to The Royal College of Ophthalmologists.)

(1) Purpose: ABCA4 -associated retinal degeneration ( ABCA4 -RD) is a phenotypically diverse disease that often evades diagnosis, even by experienced retinal specialists. This may lead to inappropriate management, delayed genetic testing, or inaccurate interpretation of genetic testing results. Here, we illustrate the phenotypic diversity of ABCA4 -RD using a series of representative cases and compare these to other conditions that closely mimic ABCA4 -RD. (2) Methods: Genetically confirmed ABCA4 -RD cases with representative phenotypes were selected from an inherited retinal disease cohort in Singapore and compared to phenocopies involving other retinal diseases. (3) Results: ABCA4 -RD phenotypes in this series included typical adolescent-onset Stargardt disease with flecks, bull's eye maculopathy without flecks, fundus flavimaculatus, late-onset Stargardt disease, and severe early-onset Stargardt disease. Phenocopies of ABCA4 -RD in this series included macular dystrophy, pattern dystrophy, cone dystrophy, advanced retinitis pigmentosa, Leber congenital amaurosis, drug toxicity, and age-related macular degeneration. Key distinguishing features that often suggested a diagnosis of ABCA4 -RD were the presence of peripapillary sparing, macular involvement and centrifugal distribution, and a recessive pedigree. (4) Conclusions: ABCA4 -RD demonstrates a remarkable phenotypic spectrum that makes diagnosis challenging. Awareness of the clinical spectrum of disease can facilitate prompt recognition and accurate diagnostic testing.

Purpose: The study aimed to describe the phenotypic features of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) associated with the previously described EYS C2139Y variant in Singaporeans and establish the importance of this variant as a prevalent cause of RP among East Asians., Methods: A clinical phenotyping and exome-sequencing study was conducted on consecutive patients with nonsyndromic RP. Epidemiological analysis was performed using Singaporean and global population-based genetic data., Results: A study of 150 consecutive unrelated individuals with nonsyndromic RP found that 87 (58%) of cases had plausible genotypes. A previously described missense variant in the EYS gene, 6416G>A (C2139Y), occurred heterozygously or homozygously in 17 of 150 families (11.3%), all with autosomal recessive RP. Symptom onset in EYS C2139Y-related RP ranged from 6 to 45 years, with visual acuity ranging from 20/20 at 21 years to no light perception by 48 years. C2139Y-related RP had typical findings, including sectoral RP in cases with EYS E2703X in trans . The median age at presentation was 45 years and visual fields declined to less than 20° (Goldmann V4e isopter) by age 65 years. Intereye correlation for visual acuity, fields, and ellipsoid band width was high (r 2 = 0.77-0.95). Carrier prevalence was 0.66% (allele frequency of 0.33%) in Singaporean Chinese and 0.34% in East Asians, suggesting a global disease burden exceeding 10,000 individuals., Conclusion: The EYS C2139Y variant is common in Singaporean RP patients and other ethnic Chinese populations. Targeted molecular therapy for this single variant could potentially treat a significant proportion of RP cases worldwide.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of vision impairment in the global working-age population. In China, with one-third of the world's diabetes population estimated at 141 million, the blindness prevalence due to DR has increased significantly. The country's geographic variations in socioeconomic status have led to prominent disparities in DR prevalence, screening and management. Reported risk factors for DR in China include the classic ones, such as long diabetes duration, hyperglycaemia, hypertension and rural habitats. There is no national-level DR screening programme in China, but significant pilot efforts are underway for screening innovations. Novel agents with longer durations, noninvasive delivery or multi-target are undergoing clinical trials in China. Although optimised medical insurance policies have enhanced accessibility for expensive therapies like anti-VEGF drugs, further efforts in DR prevention and management in China are required to establish nationwide cost-effective screening programmes, including telemedicine and AI-based solutions, and to improve insurance coverage for related out-of-pocket expenses., (© 2023 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.)