Relationship between retinal layer thickness and the visual field in early age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE: To quantify and compare the structural and functional changes in subjects with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and microperimetry. METHODS: Twenty-one eyes of 21 subjects with early AMD were examined. MP-1 10-2 visual fields (VFs) and SD-OCT line and detail volume scans were acquired. The thicknesses of the outer segment (OS; distance between inner segment ellipsoid band and upper retinal pigment epithelium [RPE] border) and RPE layers and elevation of the RPE from Bruch's membrane were measured using a computer-aided manual segmentation technique. Thickness values were compared with those for 15 controls, and values at locations with VF total deviation defects were compared with values at nondefect locations at equivalent eccentricities. RESULTS: Sixteen of 21 eyes with AMD had VF defects. Compared with controls, line scans showed significant thinning of the OS layer (P = 0.006) and thickening and elevation of the RPE (P = 0.037, P = 0.002). The OS layer was significantly thinner in locations with VF defects compared with locations without defects (P = 0.003). There was a negligible difference between the retinal layer thickness values of the 5 eyes without VF defects and the values of normal controls. CONCLUSIONS: In early AMD, when VF defects were present, there was significant thinning of the OS layer and thickening and elevation of the RPE. OS layer thinning was significantly associated with decreased visual sensitivity, consistent with known photoreceptor loss in early AMD. For AMD subjects without VF defects, thickness values were normal. The results highlight the clinical utility of both SD-OCT retinal layer quantification and VF testing in early AMD

“I Got You”: Centering Identities and Humanness in Collaborations Between Mathematics Educators and Mathematicians

Existing literature widely reports on the value of collaborations between mathematicians and mathematics educators, and also how complex those collaborations can be. In this paper, we report on four collaborations that sought to address what mathematics is and who gets to do it. Drawing on the literature and from the careful and intentional work of the collaborators, we offer a framework to capture the richness of those collaborations – one that acknowledges the importance of acknowledging and welcoming the extensive personal and professional experience of each person involved in the collaboration – and a look at how collaborations built with that intentionality and acknowledgment can be impactful for students and institutions and be personally and professionally rewarding for the collaborators

Gender, Marital Status and Life Satisfaction

*This paper uses materials from the World Values Survey and the European Values Study from 2006-2014 to study the relationship of gender and marital status to life satisfaction. In an analysis of 103,217 respondents from 81 nations I find that while there do not seem to be main effects of gender on life satisfaction – that is, women are no more or less satisfied with their lives than are men -- gender moderates the effects of geographical region, age, employment status, education, religious affiliation, and attendance of religious services on life satisfaction. In particular, there are substantial differences in the effects of marital status on life satisfaction by gender. The gender differences in most effects are so substantial that I argue that it makes no sense to analyze life satisfaction data without performing separate analyses by gender.

Comparison between MP-1 and Humphrey visual field defects in glaucoma and retinitis pigmentosa

Purpose. To compare MP-1 microperimeter and Humphrey Field Analyzer (HFA) defects, in patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a disease primarily affecting the photoreceptors, and in patients with glaucoma, a disease primarily affecting postreceptoral ganglion cells, and to analyze the similarities and differences between the results. Methods. Eleven patients (11 eyes) with RP and 10 patients (10 eyes) with primary open-angle glaucoma (OAG) underwent MP-1 and HFA visual field testing (10-2 pattern). All tested eyes had defects encroaching within 10° of fixation. MP-1 total deviation (TD) probability defects, derived from a previously collected normative database of 50 subjects, were compared to HFA TD defects and to the local defect map of the MP-1. Test duration was compared between instruments. Results. In RP patients, MP-1 scotomata were deeper and wider than HFA defects; however in OAG, the opposite was observed. Examination duration in both patient groups was 12 to 14 min for the MP-1 and 6 min for the HFA. The MP-1 local defect map tended to overestimate defects compared to the MP-1 TD analysis. Conclusions. The differences in results between the MP-1 and HFA for the two groups of patients with RP and OAG can be attributed to the different adaptation levels and to the dynamic range of test lights available for the two instruments. The clinician should also be aware of the possible consequences of the differences in the method of derivation of normative data for the two instruments, as this may affect the interpretation of visual field results

Relationship between Retinal Layer Thickness and the Visual Field in Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE: To quantify and compare the structural and functional changes in subjects with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD), using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and microperimetry. METHODS: Twenty-one eyes of 21 subjects with early AMD were examined. MP-1 10-2 visual fields (VFs) and SD-OCT line and detail volume scans were acquired. The thicknesses of the outer segment (OS; distance between inner segment ellipsoid band and upper retinal pigment epithelium [RPE] border) and RPE layers and elevation of the RPE from Bruch's membrane were measured using a computer-aided manual segmentation technique. Thickness values were compared with those for 15 controls, and values at locations with VF total deviation defects were compared with values at nondefect locations at equivalent eccentricities. RESULTS: Sixteen of 21 eyes with AMD had VF defects. Compared with controls, line scans showed significant thinning of the OS layer (P = 0.006) and thickening and elevation of the RPE (P = 0.037, P = 0.002). The OS layer was significantly thinner in locations with VF defects compared with locations without defects (P = 0.003). There was a negligible difference between the retinal layer thickness values of the 5 eyes without VF defects and the values of normal controls. CONCLUSIONS: In early AMD, when VF defects were present, there was significant thinning of the OS layer and thickening and elevation of the RPE. OS layer thinning was significantly associated with decreased visual sensitivity, consistent with known photoreceptor loss in early AMD. For AMD subjects without VF defects, thickness values were normal. The results highlight the clinical utility of both SD-OCT retinal layer quantification and VF testing in early AMD

Evaluation of multimodal imaging in carriers of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa

The aim of this study was to investigate visualization of the tapetal-like reflex using current imaging modalities and evaluate SD-OCT changes in known carriers of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP); the objective being the development of an optimal protocol for clinicians to identify carriers. Ten XLRP carriers (19 eyes) were examined using color fundus photography, 488 nm reflectance (488-R), near-infrared reflectance (NIR-R), autofluorescence (AF) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) imaging (Spectralis SLO-OCT, Heidelberg). Horizontal line scans through the fovea were acquired in all subjects and in a group of 10 age-similar controls. Peripheral SD-OCT scans (extending to 27.5° eccentricity) were also acquired in both eyes of 7 carriers. MP-1 microperimetery (10-2 pattern; Nidek) was performed in one eye of each carrier. For the XLRP carriers, a tapetal reflex was observed with all imaging modalities in 8 of 19 eyes. It had the same retinal location on color fundus, 488-R and NIR-R imaging but a different location on AF. The tapetal reflex was most easily detected in 488-R images. The horizontal foveal SD-OCT scans were qualitatively normal, but measurements showed significant outer retinal layer thinning in all eyes. Additionally, the 14 eyes with peripheral SD-OCTs demonstrated patchy loss of the inner segment ellipsoid band. Microperimetry exhibited patchy visual sensitivity loss in 9 eyes. Full field ERGs were variable, ranging from normal to severely abnormal rod and cone responses. Our findings suggest that an optimal protocol for identifying carriers of XLRP should include 488-R imaging in a multimodal approach. Peripheral SD-OCT imaging and central retinal layer quantification revealed significant structural abnormalities