Refractive error and vision correction in a general sports-playing population

Purpose: To evaluate, in an amateur sports-playing population, the prevalence of refractive error, the type of vision correction used during sport and attitudes toward different kinds of vision correction used in various types of sports. Method: A questionnaire was used for people engaging in sport and data was collected from sport centres, gyms and universities that focused on the motor sciences. Results: One thousand, five hundred and seventy-three questionnaires were collected (mean age 26.5 ± 12.9 years; 63.5 per cent male). Nearly all (93.8 per cent) subjects stated that their vision had been checked at least once. Fifty-three subjects (3.4 per cent) had undergone refractive surgery. Of the remainder who did not have refractive surgery (n = 1,519), 580 (38.2 per cent) reported a defect of vision, 474 (31.2 per cent) were myopic, 63 (4.1 per cent) hyperopic and 241 (15.9 per cent) astigmatic. Logistic regression analysis showed that the best predictors for myopia prevalence were gender (p < 0.001) and location of sport practice (p < 0.001). Sports that present higher prevalence of outdoor activity have lower prevalence of myopia. Contact lens penetration over the study sample was 18.7 per cent. Contact lenses were the favourite system of correction among people interviewed compared to spectacles and refractive surgery (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This study showed that sport was not associated with different levels of myopia prevalence in the adult population. However, subjects engaging in outdoor sports had lower rates of myopia prevalence. Penetration of contact lens use in sport was four times higher than the overall adult population. Contact lenses were the preferred system of correction in sports compared to spectacles or refractive surgery, but this preference was affected by the type of sport practised and by the age and level of sports activity for which the preference was required

Accuracy, inter-observer and intra-observer reliability in topography assessment of multifocal contact lens centration

PURPOSE: To evaluate the accuracy and reliability (inter and intra-observer) of a method to assess multifocal contact lenses (MCLs) centration using a corneal topography unit. METHOD: Daily-disposable MCLs (Fusion 1 day Presbyo) were fitted on both eyes of the subjects. For each lens fit a slit lamp digital picture and videokeratograph image were taken in a rapid but randomised sequence. Photo-editing software was used to assess the position of the MCL centre with respect to pupil centre as taken from the slit lamp photograph. The position of the MCL centre was automatically detected as the point of maximum curvature from the videokeratography. Three further manual and qualitative procedures to detect MCL centre, comparing a template of CLs optic zones to the videokeratographic image were performed by 4 practitioners using 3 different algorithms to represent the topographic map. Each manual reading was repeated 3 times. RESULTS: Twenty-two subjects (11 males) aged 22.8 ± 1.9 years (range 20.8-27.0 years) were recruited. The accuracy of the 4 topographic assessments in determining the centre coordinates of the MCL with respect to SL assessment was good: no differences were found in the left eyes and although in the right eyes a more temporal and superior position of MCLs was determined (paired t-test, p < 0.05) the difference was clinically negligible (0.16 ± 0.36 mm horizontally, 0.23 ± 0.48 vertically). Amongst the 4 practitioners one-way Anova for repeated measures showed no differences for any of the 3 manual assessments. Intra-class correlation coefficient was calculated among the 3 readings for each manual procedure and was very good (between 0.75 and 0.98) in 3 practitioners and moderate (between 0.49 and 0.92) in the fourth. CONCLUSIONS: The assessment of MCL centration by performing corneal topography over the MCL is an accurate method. Furthermore, inter and intra-practitioner reliability showed by manual procedures appeared very good

Cortical dynamics in visual areas induced by the first use of multifocal contact lenses in presbyopes

A common non-spectacle strategy to correct presbyopia is to provide simultaneous images with multifocal optical designs. Understanding the neuroadaptation mechanisms behind multifocal devices usage would have important clinical implications, such as predicting whether patients will be able to tolerate multifocal optics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the brain correlates during the initial wear of multifocal contact lenses (CLs) using high-density visual evoked potential (VEP) measures. Fifteen presbyopes (mean age 51.8 ± 2.6 years) who had previously not used multifocal CLs were enrolled. VEP measures were achieved while participants looked at arrays of 0.5 logMAR Sloan letters in three different optical conditions arranged with CLs: monofocal condition with the optical power appropriate for the distance viewing; multifocal correction with medium addition; and multifocal correction with low addition. An ANOVA for repeated measures showed that the amplitude of the C1 and N1 components significantly dropped with both multifocal low and medium addition CL conditions compared to monofocal CLs. The P1 and P2 components showed opposite behavior with an increase in amplitudes for multifocal compared to monofocal conditions. VEP data indicated that multifocal presbyopia corrections produce a loss of feedforward activity in the primary visual cortex that is compensated by extra feedback activity in extrastriate areas only, in both early and late visual processing

Translation and validation of convergence insufficiency symptom survey to Italian: Psychometric results

Purpose: This study aimed to translate the Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS) into the Italian language and assess psychometric properties of the translated questionnaire (CISS_I). Methods: The CISS_I was arranged according to guidelines for a comprehensive multistep methodologic process for translating, adapting, and validating psychometric instruments in health care research. The CISS_I questionnaire was administered to 103 volunteers (21.8 ± 2.2 years), students in higher education, at two different times. A complete optometric evaluation was performed including subjective refraction, best corrected visual acuity, near point of convergence, prism fusional ranges to blur, diplopia and recovery, TNO stereo test and prism cover test for measurement of heterophoria. Results: The performance of the CISS_I in terms of validity showed some points of weakness. Sensitivity was 42%, specificity was 74%, positive predictive value was 27% and negative predictive value was 85%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.672. On the contrary, the results showed good internal consistency of the CISS_I (Cronbach's alpha - α=0.89) and good test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.92). Rasch analysis showed good model fit (all items, except one, with infit and outfit mean square between 0.7 and 1.3), good measurement precision (person separation = 2.66) and good targeting –0,81 logits but also some evidence of multidimensionality. Conclusions: The CISS_I showed some point of weakness in terms of validity but also good psychometric properties and has been shown to be applicable to an Italian speaking population to quantify the visual discomfort associated with near vision in higher education students. The results show that high CISS_I score is not necessarily linked to convergence insufficiency, while low scores can exclude the presence of this anomaly. The CISS_I can help in interpreting and monitoring convergence insufficiency symptoms in already identified subjects, but it is not suitable for screening a general population of young adults