Association of Birth Parameters with Refractive Status in a Sample of Caucasian Children Aged 4–17 Years

Purpose. To investigate the association of birth parameters with refractive status in different age groups of Caucasian children. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study included 564 eyes of 282 children aged 4 to 17 years. All children underwent complete ophthalmologic examination. The children were divided into three groups according to their refractive status (emmetropia,myopia, and hyperopia), ages (4–7, 8-9, 10–12, and 13–17), and appropriateness for gestational age, respectively. Results. The mean age of the children was 9.2±2.8 (age range 4–17 years). The mean spheric equivalent was +0.3±1.7 (range: (−10.0)–(+10.0) diopters). The mean birth weight and gestational age were 2681.1±930.8 grams (750–5000 grams) and 37.2±3.7 weeks (25–42 weeks). According to multinominal logistic regression analysis, children with myopia were more likely to have higher birth weights than emmetropic children (OR: 1.0, 95% CI: 1.000–1.001, and P=0.028). The hypermetropes were found to be significantly small for gestational age between 13 and 17 years of age. Conclusion. Birth weight and appropriateness for gestational age as birth parameters may have an impact on development of all types of refractive errors. The hypermetropic children tended to be small for gestational age

Comparison of polymethylmethacrylate versus hydrophobic acrylic lenses for primary intraocular lens implantation in pediatric cataract surgery

AIM: To compare the visual results and postoperative complications of polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA)and hydrophobic acrylic intraocular lenses(IOLs)in children who underwent cataract extraction with primary IOL implantation.METHODS:This retrospective study included 117 eyes of 63 children with bilateral pediatric cataract undergoing cataract surgery and primary IOL implantation. The patients were divided into two groups, Group I included 58 eyes of 30 patients with PMMA IOLs; Group II included 59 eyes of 33 patients with hydrophobic acrylic IOLs. The clinical features, refraction errors, best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)and surgical complications were compared between two groups.RESULTS:The mean age at the time of surgery was 5.8(2-12)y and mean follow up period was 40.5(6-196)mo. Postoperatively, BCVA was ≥0.5 in 80 eyes(68.4%)and this was comparable in two groups. Visual axis opacification was seen in 28 eyes(48.3%)in Group I and 16 eyes(27.1%)in Group II and this difference was statistically significant(P=0.018). Postoperative IOL dislocation and posterior synechia formation were also noted. When all postoperative complications were considered, there were significantly less complications in the acrylic IOL group than PMMA IOL group(P=0.020).CONCLUSION: Pediatric cataract surgery with primary IOL implantation is a safe procedure. Hydrophobic acrylic IOLs may lead to less postoperative complications compared to PMMA IOLs

Relation between Smartphone Use and Unilateral Ocular Pain and Headache

Ocular pain and headache may stem from many causes, ranging from infections and inflammations to radiating pain. Nowadays, use of smartphones may be an emerging cause of unilateral ocular pain and headache, especially in young population. In this study, we implemented a survey and examined the eyes of patients who used smartphones with 20/20 vision. The patients with normal neurologic and ear-nose-throat (ENT) examination findings comprised the study group. The age, duration of smartphone use, ocular examination findings, and results of ocular surface disease index (OSDI) were recorded. An association between smartphone use and ocular pain/headache was found. Spherical equivalent values of the patients with headache or ocular pain were significantly lower than those who had no pain. The OSDI scores of patients with ocular pain were significantly higher than others without ocular pain. Adverse effects of smartphone use on ocular surface and over accommodation induced by near vision may have an effect on the occurrence of ocular pain and headache

Demographic Characteristics and Clinical Outcome of Work-related Open Globe Injuries in the Most Industrialised Region of Turkey

Objectives: To evaluate demographic characteristics and clinical outcomes of work-related open globe injuries in the most industrialized region of Turkey. Materials and Methods: The demographic and medical records of patients with work-related open globe injuries who presented to the ophthalmology or emergency departments with an official occupational accident report were retrospectively reviewed. Visual acuity categories were defined according to the World Health Organization. The injury types and zones of the open globes were classified according to Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology System. Results: Among 479 patients with work-related eye injuries in 5 years, there were 102 eyes of 101 patients with open globe injuries (21%). The mean age of the patients was 34.5±8.9 years with a mean follow-up of 12.5±12.6 months. The injuries peaked in June in the hour between 12:00 and 13:00. Eighty-six percent presented to emergency services within 12 hours after the injury. Twenty-two percent of the patients had been wearing protective eyewear at the time of injury. The open globe injuries were penetrating in 51%, intraocular foreign body in 40%, rupture in 7% and perforation in 2% of the eyes. The most frequent finding was traumatic cataract. Final visual acuity of 33.3% of patients was below 3/60. Seventy-eight percent of patients that had visual acuity worse than 6/18 at presentation had visual acuity of 6/18 or better at final visit. Sixty-three percent of eyes which had injuries involving all 3 zones resulted in phthisis bulbi, enucleation or evisceration. Conclusion: Work-related open globe injuries may have severe consequences such as visual impairment and blindness among the young male working population in industrialized areas. Nearly half of the occupational open globe injuries resulted in visual impairment and blindness

How Important Is the Etiology in the Treatment of Epiphora?

Purpose. There are several etiological factors that cause epiphora, and treatment differs according to the cause. We aimed to evaluate the etiology of epiphora and the treatment modalities of the affected patients. Materials and Methods. Data of patients who were referred to ophthalmology clinics for epiphora were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were evaluated for epiphora etiology, treatment modalities, and duration of complaints, after complete ophthalmologic examination. Results. This study consisted of 163 patients with a mean age of 64.61 +/- 16.52 years (range 1-92 years). Lacrimal system disease (48.4% [79/163]) was the most common cause, followed by ocular surface disease (dry eye/blepharitis) (38.7% [ 63/163]). Among the patients included in this study, 69% (113/163) did not receive any treatment, whereas only 1.8% (3/163) were treated surgically. About 4.3% of the patients (7/163) had a complaint for more than 5 years (p = 0.012) and six of these had chronic dacryocystitis and one had ectropion. Conclusion. Epiphora not only has a negative impact on patients' comfort, but also puts them at risk for probable intraocular operations in the future. Therefore, the wide range of its etiology must be taken into consideration and adequate etiology-specific treatment options must be applied

Sociodemographic status of severely disabled and visually impaired elderly people in Turkey

ABSTRACT Purpose: To identify the prevalence of ophthalmologic diseases in elderly patients who had been classified as severely disabled and to identify the ophthalmologic conditions leading to visual impairment and blindness. Methods: The medical records of 2806 patients who had applied to the Health Board of the Erzurum Region Training and Research Hospital between January 2011 and December 2012 were reviewed. One hundred ninety-nine patients aged >64 years who were classified as severely disabled with disability rates of over 50%, and who were unable to care for themselves or to move and/or communicate without help were included in the study. Results: The most frequently seen disabilities were neurological (47.2%) and those resulting from eye diseases (17.1%). The most common ophthalmologic diseases were cataract, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. The mean right and left eye visual acuities were 1.17 ± 1.10 logMAR and 1.13 ± 1.0 logMAR, respectively. Of the 60 patients with ophthalmologic diseases or conditions, 33 were blind (visual acuity worse than 20/400) and 10 were visually impaired (visual acuity worse than 20/70 but better than 20/400). Cataracts were the main cause of blindness. The mean age of the patients who were still being followed up at the time of application to the disability board was significantly lower than that of the others (p =0.015). Seventy-nine percent of the blind patients were from rural areas, and 88% of these had no regular follow-up. Among the blind and visually impaired, significantly more patients from urban areas had social security insurance (SSI) than those from rural areas (p =0.043). Nearly 64% of the blind patients were women. The follow-up rate was significantly lower in women (p =0.025). According to multinomial logistic regression analysis, the visually impaired and blind patients were more likely to have lower follow-up rates than the other types of severely disabled patients (OR: 0.231, 95% Cl: 0.077-0.688, p=0.009). Conclusions: Blindness gives rise to severe disability, and the most common ophthalmologic diseases that cause severe disabilities in elderly patients are cataract, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Sociodemographic factors that may affect the accessibility of visually impaired and blind people to health services include their place of residence and gender

Relationship among Corneal Biomechanics, Anterior Segment Parameters, and Geometric Corneal Parameters

Purpose. To investigate the relationship between corneal biomechanical parameters, anterior segment parameters, and geometric corneal parameters in a healthy Caucasian group. Methods. This retrospective study included the healthy eyes with best corrected visual acuity of at least 20/40 of 122 Caucasian subjects. The anterior segment parameters and geometric corneal parameters such as corneal volume, central corneal thickness, horizontal and vertical corneal radii, anterior and posterior steep, and flat keratometric values were measured with a Scheimpflug camera. The biomechanical properties were measured with Ocular Response Analyzer. Results. One hundred and twenty-two healthy Caucasian subjects (67 males, 55 females) with a mean age of 45.32±20.23 were enrolled. Both corneal hysteresis and corneal resistance factor were positively correlated with CCT (r=0.529, p<0.001; r=0.638, p<0.001) and CV (r=0.635, p<0.001; r=0.579, p<0.001) and negatively correlated with age (r=-0.373, p<0.001; r=-0.249, p<0.001). Both in age-gender and multivariate models, CH and CRF had statistically significant negative association with the posterior steep K value. Conclusions. CH and CRF are negatively correlated with posterior steep and average posterior K values