Importance of Optimizing Visual Acuity in Vulnerable Seniors Living in an Institution

Visual acuity is an important measurement taken during an eye exam for checking an individual’s ability to see properly and to guide the adjusting of ocular refraction. It is a routine test usually done in a few minutes and with no particularly difficulty. However, this measurement can be more difficult to do in seniors with cognition or communication disabilities. For example, this may be true for a senior with dementia or suffering from aphasia following a stroke. The purpose of this article is to present certain aspects of population aging, data connected with institutionalization of seniors, various conditions that are more prevalent with age, as well as specific factors demonstrating the importance of optimizing vision in seniors. Lastly, this article will provide an overview of various scales available for measuring visual acuity

Macular hemodynamic responses to short-term acute exercise in young healthy adults

AbstractWe investigated the effects of vigorous exercise on blood flow in the macular vasculature. The velocity and density of entoptically viewed leukocytes in the paramacular retinal capillaries were measured with an Oculix BFS-2000 blue field simulator in 18 healthy adults first at rest, and then after 20 min of exercise. Exercise typically increased the density of leukocytes with more variable effects on their velocity. When leukocyte velocity and density were factored together, macular blood flow increased only marginally after exercise. We conclude that retinal blood flow in the macula is subject to the influence of autoregulatory mechanisms presumably to sustain normal central visual function during increased systemic blood flow

Prevalence of Convergence Insufficiency-Type Symptomatology in Parkinson’s Disease

This article has been published in a revised form in Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences https://doi.org/10.1017/cjn.2017.39 This version is free to view and download for private research and study only. Not for re-distribution, re-sale or use in derivative works. © The Canadian Journal of Neurological SciencesBackground: Individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often present with visual symptoms (e.g., difficulty in reading, double vision) that can also be found in convergence insufficiency (CI). Our objective was to estimate the prevalence of CI-type visual symptomatology in individuals with PD, in comparison with controls. Methods: Participants ≥50 years with (n=300) and without (n=300) PD were recruited. They were administered the Convergence Insufficiency Symptom Survey (CISS–15) over the phone. A score of ≥21 on the CISS–15, considered positive for CI-type symptomatology, served as the cutoff. Data from individuals (n=87 with, n=94 without PD) who were approached but who reported having a known oculovisual condition were analysed separately. Student’s t test and chi-square at the 0.05 level were employed for statistical significance. Results: A total of 29.3% of participants with versus 7.3% without PD presented with a score of ≥21 on the CISS–15 (p=0.001). Of the participants having a known oculovisual condition, 39.1% with versus 19.1% without PD presented with a score of ≥21 on the CISS–15 (p=0.01). Conclusions: The prevalence of CI-type visual symptoms is higher in individuals with versus without PD whether or not they have a coexisting oculovisual condition. These results suggest that PD per se places individuals with the disease at greater risk of visual symptomatology. These results further underline the importance of providing regular eye exams for individuals with PD.This work was supported by the Comité aviseur pour la recherche clinique (CAREC) at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (IUGM), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR: MOP-123462) and the Canadian Optometric Education Trust Fund (COETF)

Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) host-plant variants: two host strains or two distinct species?

International audienceThe moth Spodoptera frugiperda is a well-known pest of crops throughout the Americas, which consists of two strains adapted to different host-plants: the first feeds preferentially on corn, cotton and sorghum whereas the second is more associated with rice and several pasture grasses. Though morphologically indistinguishable, they exhibit differences in their mating behavior, pheromone compositions, and show development variability according to the host-plant. Though the latter suggest that both strains are different species, this issue is still highly controversial because hybrids naturally occur in the wild, not to mention the discrepancies among published results concerning mating success between the two strains. In order to clarify the status of the two host-plant strains of S. frugiperda, we analyze features that possibly reflect the level of post-zygotic isolation: (1) first generation (F1) hybrid lethality and sterility; (2) patterns of meiotic segregation of hybrids in reciprocal second generation (F2), as compared to the meiosis of the two parental strains. We found a significant reduction of mating success in F1 in one direction of the cross and a high level of microsatellite markers showing transmission ratio distortion in the F2 progeny. Our results support the existence of post-zygotic reproductive isolation between the two laboratory strains and are in accordance with the marked level of genetic differentiation that was recovered between individuals of the two strains collected from the field. Altogether these results provide additional evidence in favor of a sibling species status for the two strains

Islet Endothelial Activation and Oxidative Stress Gene Expression Is Reduced by IL-1Ra Treatment in the Type 2 Diabetic GK Rat

Inflammation followed by fibrosis is a component of islet dysfunction in both rodent and human type 2 diabetes. Because islet inflammation may originate from endothelial cells, we assessed the expression of selected genes involved in endothelial cell activation in islets from a spontaneous model of type 2 diabetes, the Goto-Kakizaki (GK) rat. We also examined islet endotheliuml/oxidative stress (OS)/inflammation-related gene expression, islet vascularization and fibrosis after treatment with the interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra)

Importance d’optimiser l’afférence visuelle chez la personne âgée vulnérable vivant en institution

L’acuité visuelle est une mesure importante effectuée lors de l’examen visuel afin de vérifier la capacité d’une personne à bien voir et guider l’ajustement de la réfraction oculaire. Il s’agit d’un test de routine qui s’effectue généralement en quelques minutes et sans difficulté particulière. Cette mesure peut par contre être plus difficile à obtenir chez la personne âgée atteinte de troubles de la cognition ou de la communication. Ceci pourrait être le cas par exemple chez la personne âgée atteinte de démence ou celle souffrant d’aphasie suite à un accident vasculaire cérébral. Le but de cet article est de présenter certains aspects du vieillissement de la population, des données liées à l’institutionnalisation de la personne âgée, diverses conditions plus prévalentes liées à l’âge, ainsi que des facteurs particuliers démontrant l’importance d’optimiser la vision chez les personnes âgées. Finalement, cet article fera un survol de diverses échelles disponibles pour mesurer l’acuité visuelle