Relationship between nerve fiber layer defect and the presence of epiretinal membrane in a Japanese population: The JPHC-NEXT Eye Study

The study subjects were residents of Chikusei city, Japan, aged 40 years or older who attended annual health check-up programs and participated in the JPHC-NEXT Eye Study which performed non-mydriatic fundus photography of both eyes. The relationship of glaucomatous fundus changes such as optic disc cupping (cup to disc ratio ≥ 0.7) and retinal nerve fiber layer defect (NFLD) with the presence of epiretinal membrane (ERM) were examined cross-sectionally. A total of 1990 persons gave consent to participate in this study in 2013. The overall prevalence of ERM was 12.9%. Of these, 1755 had fundus photographs of sufficient quality and no history of intraocular surgery (mean age: 62.3 ± 10.0 years). After adjusting for age, sex and refractive error, NFLD was positively associated with the presence of ERM (odds ratio [OR]: 2.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.24, 4.96; P = 0.010), but optic disc cupping was not (OR: 1.33; CI: 0.71, 2.48; P = 0.37). The results did not necessarily suggest an association between glaucoma and ERM, but indicated an association between NFLD and ERM

Body mass index and colorectal cancer risk : A Mendelian randomization study

Traditional observational studies have reported a positive association between higher body mass index (BMI) and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, evidence from other approaches to pursue the causal relationship between BMI and CRC is sparse. A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study was undertaken using 68 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the Japanese genome-wide association study (GWAS) and 654 SNPs from the GWAS catalogue for BMI as sets of instrumental variables. For the analysis of SNP-BMI associations, we undertook a meta-analysis with 36 303 participants in the Japanese Consortium of Genetic Epidemiology studies (J-CGE), comprising normal populations. For the analysis of SNP-CRC associations, we utilized 7636 CRC cases and 37 141 controls from five studies in Japan, and undertook a meta-analysis. Mendelian randomization analysis of inverse-variance weighted method indicated that a one-unit (kg/m2) increase in genetically predicted BMI was associated with an odds ratio of 1.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.06-1.20; P value <.001) for CRC using the set of 68 SNPs, and an odds ratio of 1.07 (1.03-1.11, 0.001) for CRC using the set of 654 SNPs. Sensitivity analyses robustly showed increased odds ratios for CRC for every one-unit increase in genetically predicted BMI. Our MR analyses strongly support the evidence that higher BMI influences the risk of CRC. Although Asians are generally leaner than Europeans and North Americans, avoiding higher BMI seems to be important for the prevention of CRC in Asian populations

Discrepancies in Persistent Dry Eye Signs and Symptoms in Bilateral Pseudophakic Patients

Despite the increased awareness of early prophylaxis and treatment for dry eye disease (DED) during the first few weeks after cataract surgery, the chronic effect of cataract surgery on the risk of ocular surface abnormalities has not been fully explored. This study was to assess the prevalence of DE subjective symptoms and clinical tests according to the cataract surgery. A total of 172 patients who underwent bilateral cataract surgeries at least 5 months before the recruitment date and 1225 controls with no cataracts were evaluated for their subjective DE symptoms (dry sensation, foreign-body sensation, ocular pain, ocular fatigue, sensitivity to bright light, and blurred vision) and ophthalmic parameters (tear break-up time, keratoconjunctival staining scores, and maximum blinking interval). The presence of subjective DE symptoms was generally inversely associated with cataract surgeries, whereas abnormal clinical tests were more pronounced among postsurgical cataract patients than among controls. Pseudophakic patients showed a 57% increased prevalence of severe keratoconjunctivitis, compared to controls (P = 0.02). In contrast, among subjective DE symptoms, significantly lower odds of sensitivity to bright light were detected among cases than controls; the multivariable-adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) comparing pseudophakic patients with noncataract patients was 0.56 (0.34&#8315;0.92) (P = 0.02). In conclusion, persistent tear instability and corneal epitheliopathy were found even at several months or more after cataract surgery. This study demonstrates the importance of evaluating ocular surface conditions in pseudophakic patients, even if they lack DE symptoms

Effect of Violet Light-Transmitting Eyeglasses on Axial Elongation in Myopic Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The fact that outdoor light environment is an important suppressive factor against myopia led us to invent violet light-transmitting eyeglasses (VL glasses) which can transmit violet light (VL), 360&ndash;400 nm in wavelength, for the suppression of myopia, and can meanwhile block harmful ultraviolet waves from sunlight. The current study is a double-blinded randomized clinical trial to investigate the myopia-suppressive effect of VL glasses compared to conventional eyeglasses (placebo glasses) that do not transmit VL. The subjects were children aged from 6 to 12 years old, the population in which myopia progression is generally accelerated, and the myopia suppressive effect was followed up for two years in a city in Japan. Periodical ophthalmic examinations, interviews, and measurements of reflection and axial length under mydriasis were performed at the initial visit (the baseline) and at 1, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. The mean change in axial length in the VL glasses group was significantly smaller than in the placebo glasses group when time for near-work was less than 180 min and when the subjects were limited to those who had never used eyeglasses before this trial (p &lt; 0.01); however, this change was not significant without subgrouping. The suppressive rate for axial elongation in the VL glasses group was 21.4% for two years

Short-Term Exposure to Violet Light Emitted from Eyeglass Frames in Myopic Children: A Randomized Pilot Clinical Trial

Violet light (VL), 360–400 nm wavelength, is contained in the sunlight and is an effective element for myopia suppression. This study is to investigate the safety and efficacy of novel eyeglasses that emit VL from the frames. This is a double-masked, randomized, pilot clinical trial conducted in a clinic in Japan. Forty-three children with myopia were enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups, wearing VL-emitting eyeglass frames (VLf) that emitted VL of 310 μW/cm2 (VLf group, n = 22) or pseudo-placebo eyeglass frames with a minimal emission of VL (2) (control group, n = 21). The exposure time was 3 h per day. The primary outcomes were visual acuity, tear film break-up time, corneal endothelial cell density, and the slit-lamp/fundus examinations. The secondary outcome was the 6-month changes in the axial lengths and cycloplegic refractions. Forty-one (95%) participants were included; twenty-one in the VLf group and twenty in the control group. No significant differences were seen in any safety evaluation. Significant changes were seen in axial elongation, choroidal thickness, and cycloplegic refractions in the subgroup analysis of 8- to 10-year-old children (p < 0.05), but otherwise no significant differences were seen. The VLf showed short-term safety and effectiveness against myopia progression

Children in Tokyo Have a Long Sustained Axial Length from Age 3 Years: The Tokyo Myopia Study

Background: myopia prevalence is high among Japanese schoolchildren, but the underlying causes are unclear. Objective: To examine the distributions of ocular biometry and refraction and their associations with lifestyle variables among Japanese schoolchildren. Methods: This cross-sectional school-based study included 2140 children aged 3&ndash;14 years in Tokyo, Japan, and evaluated the distributions under non-cycloplegic conditions and the associated environmental factors. Results: The prevalence of spherical equivalent (SE) &le;&minus;0.75 diopter among preschoolers (aged 3&ndash;6 years), elementary school students (aged 6&ndash;11 years), and junior high school students (aged 12&ndash;14 years) was 49.7%, 72.4%, and 87.7%, respectively. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the time spent using digital devices was associated positively with lens thickness (&beta; = 0.010; p &lt; 0.050) but not SE, axial length, or vitreous chamber depth. The time spent reading was associated negatively with lens thickness (&beta; = &minus;0.012; p &lt; 0.050), SE (&beta; = &minus;0.152; p &lt; 0.010), axial length (&beta; = 0.110; p &lt; 0.001), and vitreous chamber depth (&beta; = 0.110; p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: The data indicated that almost half of preschoolers may be myopic. The association with the lens thickness differed depending on the type of near work performed

Associations between fatty acid intake and diabetic retinopathy in a Japanese population

Abstract Residents of Chikusei City, aged 40–74 years, underwent systemic and ophthalmological screening, and participants with diabetes were included in this analysis. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and calculated as a percentage of the total energy. The presence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) was defined as Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study levels ≥ 20 in either eye. The association between dietary fatty acid intake and DR has been examined in a cross-sectional study. Among the 647 diabetic participants, 100 had DR. The mean total fat and saturated fatty acid (SFA) intakes were 22.0% and 7.3% of the total energy intake, respectively. After adjusting for potential confounders, the highest quartiles of total fat and SFA intake were positively associated with the presence of DR compared with the lowest quartiles (odds ratios (95% confidence intervals), 2.61 (1.07–6.39), p for trend = 0.025, and 2.40 (1.12–5.17), p for trend = 0.013, respectively). No significant associations were found between DR prevalence and monounsaturated or unsaturated fatty acid intake. These results suggest that a high intake of fat and SFA may affect the development of DR, even in individuals whose total fat intake is generally much lower than that of Westerners

Slowing of Greater Axial Length Elongation Stemming from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic with Increasing Time Outdoors: The Tokyo Myopia Study

Purpose: To investigate the changes in axial length (AL) elongation and other ocular parameters before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Design: A longitudinal school-based study. Participants: Public elementary schoolchildren in Tokyo (grades 1–6; age, 6–12 years) participated in this study from 2018 to 2021. Methods: All participants underwent eye examinations and provided written consent to measurements of the noncycloplegic refraction and ocular biometry including AL, among others. The students’ parents also completed a questionnaire about the students’ lifestyles. We included the right eye in our analysis and compared the changes in the ocular parameters among the periods using a linear mixed-effects model for repeated measures and examined the univariate and step-wise multiple regression analyses to evaluate the associations between myopia and other covariates. Main Outcome Measures: Changes in AL elongation and other ocular parameters from 2018 to 2019 (prepandemic), that of 2019 to 2020 (immediately after the pandemic onset), and that of 2020 to 2021 (during the pandemic). Results: A total of 578 students before the pandemic period, 432 immediately after the pandemic onset, and 457 during the pandemic period were evaluated. The changes in the ALs and spherical equivalents (SEs) a year before, immediately after onset, and during the pandemic were 0.31 mm/−0.20 diopter, 0.38 mm/−0.27 diopter, and 0.28 mm/−0.47 diopter, respectively (ALs, P < 0.001; SEs, P = 0.014). The results of the questionnaire showed that time spent outdoors daily had changed during the 3 years to 79, 63, and 77 minutes/day, respectively (P < 0.001). Time spent using smartphones or tablets increased year by year to 41, 52, and 62 minutes/day (P < 0.001). The greatest AL elongation occurred during the period when the shortest amount of time was spent outdoors during the 3 years. Conclusions: These results suggested that the school closures and decreasing time spent outdoors might have caused greater AL elongation among schoolchildren in Tokyo; however, it is possible that, although the time spent in near work still increased, the return to the time spent outdoors to the prepandemic levels may have affected the slowing of AL elongation after lockdown. Financial Disclosure(s): Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article