Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy: Diagnostic pitfalls in genetic testing.

Purpose: To investigate the possibility and consequences of false positive testing for Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) using repeated testing.

Methods: In three cases of suspected LHON, initial mutation analysis using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and direct sequencing showed rare mtDNA mutations at nt 14482 in two cases and a mutation in nt 14484 in the third case which has been associated with a mild variant of LHON. All three patients consulted a specialized neuro-ophthalmology center for a second opinion.

The perception of strabismus by children and adults.

Background: Visible strabismus has been shown to have adverse psychosocial consequences. It remains controversial if esotropia or exotropia is perceived more negatively. The aim of this study was to determine if esotropia or exotropia and the eye (side) in which strabismus is present are perceived differently.

Strabismus and discrimination in children: are children with strabismus invited to fewer birthday parties?

Aim: To determine the social acceptance of children with strabismus by their peers and to determine the age at which the negative impact of strabismus on psychosocial interactions emerges.

Methods: Photographs of six children were digitally altered in order to create pictures of identical twins except for the position of the eyes (orthotropic, exotropic and exotropic) and the colour of the shirt. One hundred and eighteen children aged 3-12 years were asked to select, for each of the six twin pairs, one of the twins to invite to their birthday party.

Distance doubling visual acuity test: a reliable test for nonorganic visual loss.

Background: To determine the value of the distance doubling visual acuity test in the diagnosis of nonorganic visual loss in a comparative observational case series.

Methods: Twenty-one consecutive patients with nonorganic visual acuity loss and 21 subjects with organic visual loss as controls were included. Best corrected visual acuity was tested at the normal distance of 5 meters using Landolt Cs.

Opinion of headhunters about the ability of strabismic subjects to obtain employment.

Background: Through the opinion of Swiss headhunters, we wanted to determine the influence of strabismus on the ability to obtain employment.

Methods: Out of 31 randomly selected Swiss headhunters, 20 could be interviewed using a validated questionnaire.

Results: Forty-seven percent of the headhunters judged that strabismic subjects have more difficulties in obtaining a job.

[In paediatric ophthalmology there is no preferred timing for retinoscopy].

Background: In paediatric ophthalmology retinoscopy may be performed immediately after an orthoptic examination or during an additional ambulatory visit. So far, no studies have been performed to investigate which of both procedures is preferred by the persons accompanying or examining the children.

Patients And Methods: 32 consecutive children under the age of 16 were randomly assigned to have retinoscopy immediately after the orthoptic examination or during an additional visit.

[In kinetic perimetry high refractive errors also influence the isopter position outside the central 30 degrees].

Background: In kinetic perimetry, refractive errors are usually only corrected within the central 30 degrees of the visual field. In this study, we determined whether refractive errors have an influence on the peripheral visual field.

Patients And Methods: The peripheral visual field was determined with and without contact lens correction always by the same examiner in 58 myopic in 30 hyperopic eyes (range of refractive errors - 25 D to + 17.