The impact of COVID-19 on global contact lens education

Purpose: To investigate the effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic on contact lens education around the world. Methods: An online survey among contact lens educators (educator members of the International Association of Contact Lens Educators), conducted in May 2020. Results: A total of 214 responses were received from 32 countries (representing a 39% response rate). Overall, 71% of respondents’ institutions were closed to students to attend at that time. A majority (58%) were delivering more online education than they would normally provide. Live online lectures and discussion was the most commonly used method (68%). Zoom was the most common videoconferencing technology (56%) and the most popular social media platform for communicating with students was WhatsApp (48%). About half (54%) were running online exams or assessments, 24% holding these for students to attend in person, and 27% were conducting practical sessions. Two in three (68%) said they would conduct more than 50% of their total teaching online by the end of 2020, and 12% anticipated 90% or more of their teaching would be online. Of all respondents, 74% expressed interest in an online platform delivering educational resources. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the teaching of contact lenses, as educational institutions worldwide move to online delivery. Major challenges remain with online contact lens education, with respect to teaching practical skills, student assessment and interaction. More support will be needed for educators to meet these challenges as the recovery from the pandemic continues

Contact lens education for the practitioners of the future

The World Health Organization has identified a shortage of trained human resources as one of the greatest challenges to increasing the availability of eye care services and reducing preventable visual impairment around the world. Increased prevalence of myopia and new strategies for myopia management have raised the prospect of various interventions, including contact lenses for therapeutic use as well as for refractive correction. More personnel skilled in contact lens fitting will be needed to address potential worldwide demand for these interventions. This review investigates the current status and future requirements of global contact lens education in light of these developments. The COVD‐19 pandemic led educational institutions worldwide to move towards online delivery. An online survey among 546 educators, conducted in May 2020, investigated changes to contact lens education delivery before and after the onset of the pandemic. A total of 214 responses were received from 32 countries. Prior to COVID‐19 restrictions, 23% of educators had conducted more than 50% of their total teaching online; however, 69% expected to conduct more than half of their teaching online by the end of 2020 and 12% anticipated 90% or more of their teaching would be online. Some 76% of educators expected to provide more online lectures after the pandemic and 63% anticipated new methods to deliver practical education. Around half were planning to introduce new teaching online platforms (54%) and more online assessment methods (53%). The global need for increasing numbers of skilled personnel points to a crucial role for educators in teaching the contact lens practitioners of the future. Contact lens education delivery was already evolving prior to COVID‐19, and changes that are currently occurring may lead to permanent differences in the way contact lenses are taught in future. The International Association of Contact Lens Educators (IACLE) provides educators with a standardised global curriculum, online resources and teaching technology that could also serve as a model for wider ophthalmic education in future

Opportunities and threats to contact lens practice in Spain

OBJECTIVE: An international survey evaluated the opportunities and threats related to contact lens practice reported by eye care professionals worldwide. This study reports on the results specifically found in Spain and how these compare with those from other regions of the world. METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to eye care practitioners around the world through professional associations. The questionnaire consisted of 9, 5 and 12 questions about opportunities, interventions, and potential threats related to contact lens practice, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 2,408 responses were obtained from practitioners worldwide, of which 436 responses were obtained from Spanish practitioners. Spain was found among the regions with the highest perception of opportunities (median: 6.5/10) along with Australasia, North America, Europe, and South America. Spanish (median: 7.3/10), along with South American practitioners, also reported the highest perception of threats. Continuously updating of knowledge/skills, recommending contact lens wearing options to potential patients, creating an efficient recall system for follow-up examinations and being competent in managing contact lens-related complications were reported as important interventions for contact lens practice growth by Spanish eye care practitioners. CONCLUSIONS: Spain is one of the regions in the world with the highest perception of both opportunities and threats regarding future contact lens practice. As such, Spanish practitioners consider it important to continuously update knowledge/skills and to recommend and educate patients on the benefits of contact lens wear. Online sales were found to be one of the most important concerns reported by both Spanish and eye care practitioners worldwide

LRRK2 and RIPK2 variants in the NOD 2-mediated signaling pathway are associated with susceptibility to Mycobacterium leprae in Indian populations

In recent years, genome wide association studies have discovered a large number of gene loci that play a functional role in innate and adaptive immune pathways associated with leprosy susceptibility. The immunological control of intracellular bacteria M. leprae is modulated by NOD2-mediated signaling of Th1 responses. In this study, we investigated 211 clinically classified leprosy patients and 230 ethnically matched controls in Indian population by genotyping four variants in NOD2 (rs9302752A/G), LRRK2 (rs1873613A/G), RIPK2 (rs40457A/G and rs42490G/A). The LRRK2 locus is associated with leprosy outcome. The LRRK2 rs1873613A minor allele and respective rs1873613AA genotypes were significantly associated with an increased risk whereas the LRRK2 rs1873613G major allele and rs1873613GG genotypes confer protection in paucibacillary and leprosy patients. The reconstructed GA haplotypes from RIPK2 rs40457A/G and rs42490G/A variants was observed to contribute towards increased risk whereas haplotypes AA was observed to confer protective role. Our results indicate that a possible shared mechanisms underlying the development of these two clinical forms of the disease as hypothesized. Our findings confirm and validates the role of gene variants involved in NOD2-mediated signalling pathways that play a role in immunological control of intracellular bacteria M. leprae

Differences in Practitioner Experience, Practice Type, and Profession in Attitudes Toward Growing Contact Lens Practice

OBJECTIVE: To investigate eye care practitioners' attitudes and perceptions toward potential interventions that can enhance contact lens (CL) practice across the world, and how this is influenced by their practice setting. METHODS: A self-administered, anonymized survey was constructed in English and then forward and backward translated into six more languages. The survey was distributed online via social media platforms and mailing lists involving reputed international professional bodies. RESULTS: In total, 2,222 responses from 27 countries with sufficient responses were analyzed (53% females, median age- 37 years). Most of the respondents were optometrists (81.9%) and 47.6% were from stand-alone/independent practices. Median working experience in CL prescribing was 11.0 years (IQR: 18.0, 4-22 years). Over two-third of them declared themselves to be very hopeful (22.9%) or hopeful (45.1%) about the future of their CL practice. Among the potential interventions proposed, continuous update of knowledge and skills and competently managing CL-related complications were rated the most important (median score: 9/10 for each). Practitioners working in national/regional retail chains expressed higher proactivity in recommending CLs (9/10) than those in local chains, hospitals, and universities (for all 8/10, P <0.05). National differences were also identified in eye care practitioner attitudes and perceptions ( P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The study provided important information to delineate a variety of elements characterizing CL practice across the world. These insights can serve as a basis to design strategies at national and international levels

Large reduction in the magnitude and thermal variation of Frank elastic constants in a gold nanorod/nematic composite

We report measurements of splay and bend Frank elastic constants in a composite comprising a nematic liquid crystal doped with a small concentration of sterically stabilized gold nanorods. The composite exhibits not only a large reduction in the magnitude of the threshold voltage for switching (V th, 20%), as well as of the splay (K 11, 40%) and bend (K 33, 40%) elastic constants, but also presents an unprecedented feature: a substantial diminution in the temperature dependence of these parameters, almost to the point of becoming thermally invariant. This observation is significant because the electro-optic switching of liquid-crystal devices is largely controlled by the K 11 and K 33 elastic constants. Electrical conductivity measurements also show interesting behavior upon the inclusion of nanorods. Whereas the intrinsic Arrhenius behavior governing the temperature dependence is enhanced, the frequency dependence shows qualitative features of Jonscher's universal model, albeit with a higher exponent. Further, photoisomerization of an azobenzene guest component provides an additional influence on the elastic constants. The results are discussed in terms of (a) the effect of the order parameter dependence seen from the viewpoint of an extended mean-field model, and (b) local order. The advantage of incorporating nanorods with photofunctionality is also pointed out