Raman spectroscopic analysis of human blood serum of glaucoma patients supplemented with macular pigment carotenoids.

As all major dietary carotenoids are contained in blood, it is a suitable substrate to evaluate their content, in vivo. Following 18-month supplementation of open-angle glaucoma patients with macula-pigment carotenoids (Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Meso-Zeaxanthin) in the European Nutrition in Glaucoma Management trial, Raman spectroscopic analysis of the carotenoid content of pre- and post-supplementation participant blood serum was carried out, to investigate the systemic impact of the supplementation regimen and explore a more direct way of quantifying this impact using routine blood tests. Using a 532 nm laser source for optimal response, a consistent increase in serum carotenoid concentration was observed in the supplemented serum, highest in patients with initial high baseline carotenoid content.

The long and short of it: a comprehensive assessment of axial length estimation in myopic eyes from ocular and demographic variables.

Background/objectives: Axial length, a key measurement in myopia management, is not accessible in many settings. We aimed to develop and assess machine learning models to estimate the axial length of young myopic eyes.

Subjects/methods: Linear regression, symbolic regression, gradient boosting and multilayer perceptron models were developed using age, sex, cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction (SER) and corneal curvature.

Myopia progression patterns among paediatric patients in a clinical setting.

Purpose: This retrospective analysis of electronic medical record (EMR) data investigated the natural history of myopic progression in children from optometric practices in Ireland.

Methods: The analysis was of myopic patients aged 7-17 with multiple visits and not prescribed myopia control treatment. Sex- and age-specific population centiles for annual myopic progression were derived by fitting a weighted cubic spline to empirical quantiles.

Short-term effects of cyclopentolate and tropicamide eye drops on macular choroidal thickness in myopic children.

Background: To investigate the short-term effects of cyclopentolate and tropicamide eyedrops on choroidal thickness (ChT) in myopic children using placebo or low-dose atropine eyedrops.

Methods: The analysis included 242 myopic individuals (7-19 years) enrolled in two randomised placebo-controlled clinical trials of low-dose atropine eyedrops. Cycloplegia was induced using either one drop of 1% cyclopentolate (n = 161), two drops of 1% cyclopentolate (n = 32) or two drops of 1% tropicamide (n = 49).

Ability to Process Multisensory Information Is Impaired in Open Angle Glaucoma.

Prcis: Patients with glaucoma demonstrated deficiencies in their ability to process multisensory information when compared with controls, with those deficiencies being related to glaucoma severity. Impaired multisensory integration (MSI) may affect the quality of life in individuals with glaucoma and may contribute to the increased prevalence of falls and driving safety concerns. Therapeutic possibilities to influence cognition in glaucoma should be explored.

Myopia outcome study of atropine in children: Two-year result of daily 0.01% atropine in a European population.

Purpose: The Myopia Outcome Study of Atropine in Children (MOSAIC) is an investigator-led, double-masked, randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy and safety of 0.01% atropine eye drops for managing myopia progression in a predominantly White, European population.

Methods: Children aged 6-16 years with myopia were randomly allocated 2:1 to nightly 0.

Choroidal Thickness Profiles and Associated Factors in Myopic Children.

Significance: This study addresses the lack of choroidal thickness (ChT) profile information available in European children and provides a baseline for further evaluation of longitudinal changes in ChT profiles in myopic children as a potential biomarker for myopia treatment and identifying children at risk of myopic progression.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate ChT profiles and associated factors in myopic children.

Methods: Baseline data of 250 myopic children aged 6 to 16 years in the Myopia Outcome Study of Atropine in Children clinical trial were analyzed.

Prescribing patterns of myopia control contact lenses among optometrists in Ireland.

Purpose: This retrospective analysis of electronic medical record (EMR) data investigated the prescribing patterns of soft myopia control contact lens (MCCL) treatments since their introduction in Ireland in 2017.

Methods: Anonymised EMR data were sourced from 33 optometry practices in Ireland from 2017 to 2021 to determine the number of practices prescribing MCCLs to myopic children 5-18 years old. In MCCL-prescribing practices, the proportion of contact lens wearing children fitted with MCCLs and the proportion of progressive (≤-0.

Raman Spectroscopy of Carotenoid Compounds for Clinical Applications-A Review.

Carotenoid compounds are ubiquitous in nature, providing the characteristic colouring of many algae, bacteria, fruits and vegetables. They are a critical component of the human diet and play a key role in human nutrition, health and disease. Therefore, the clinical importance of qualitative and quantitative carotene content analysis is increasingly recognised.

The Refractive Error and Vision Impairment Estimation with Spectacle Data Study.

Purpose: To investigate whether spectacle lens sales data can be used to estimate the population distribution of refractive error among patients with ametropia and hence to estimate the current and future risk of vision impairment.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Participants: A total of 141 547 436 spectacle lens sales records from an international European lens manufacturer between 1998 and 2016.

Using electronic medical record data to establish and monitor the distribution of refractive errors.

Objective: To establish the baseline distribution of refractive errors and associated factors amongst a population that attended primary care optometry clinics.

Design: Retrospective cross sectional cohort study of electronic medical records (EMR).

Methods: Electronic medical record data was extracted from forty optometry clinics, representing a mix of urban and rural areas in Ireland.

Low-concentration atropine eyedrops for myopia control in a multi-racial cohort of Australian children: A randomised clinical trial.

Background: To test the hypothesis that 0.01% atropine eyedrops are a safe and effective myopia-control approach in Australian children.

Methods: Children (6-16 years; 49% Europeans, 18% East Asian, 22% South Asian, and 12% other/mixed ancestry) with documented myopia progression were enrolled into this single-centre randomised, parallel, double-masked, placebo-controlled trial and randomised to receive 0.

Regional variations and temporal trends of childhood myopia prevalence in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Purpose: To provide contemporary and future estimates of childhood myopia prevalence in Africa.

Methods: A systematic online literature search was conducted for articles on childhood (≤18 years) myopia (spherical equivalent [SE] ≤ -0.50D; high myopia: SE ≤ -6.

Quantitative Raman Analysis of Carotenoid Protein Complexes in Aqueous Solution.

Carotenoids are naturally abundant, fat-soluble pigmented compounds with dietary, antioxidant and vision protection advantages. The dietary carotenoids, Beta Carotene, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin, complexed with in bovine serum albumin (BSA) in aqueous solution, were explored using Raman spectroscopy to differentiate and quantify their spectral signatures. UV visible absorption spectroscopy was employed to confirm the linearity of responses over the concentration range employed (0.

Will treating progressive myopia overwhelm the eye care workforce? A workforce modelling study.

Purpose: Treatments for myopia progression are now available, but implementing these into clinical practice will place a burden on the eye care workforce. This study estimated the full-time equivalent (FTE) workforce required to implement myopia control treatments in the UK and Ireland.

Methods: To estimate the number of 6- to 21-year-olds with myopia, two models utilising separate data sources were developed.

Big Data Analysis of Vision Screening Standards Used to Evaluate Fitness to Drive.

Purpose: Visual acuity (VA) assessment is the most commonly performed vision screening method for drivers. The standards and repeat assessment intervals used, however, are arbitrary, lack an evidence base and are highly variable across different countries. This study utilizes the power of Big Data to provide evidence-based recommendations for standardized driver vision screening.

Macular Pigment Response to Lutein, Zeaxanthin, and Meso-zeaxanthin Supplementation in Open-Angle Glaucoma: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate macular pigment response to carotenoid supplementation in glaucomatous eyes.

Design: Double-masked, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, the European Nutrition in Glaucoma Management Study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT04460365).

Application of big-data for epidemiological studies of refractive error.

Purpose: To examine whether data sourced from electronic medical records (EMR) and a large industrial spectacle lens manufacturing database can estimate refractive error distribution within large populations as an alternative to typical population surveys of refractive error.

Subjects: A total of 555,528 patient visits from 28 Irish primary care optometry practices between the years 1980 and 2019 and 141,547,436 spectacle lens sales records from an international European lens manufacturer between the years 1998 and 2016.

Methods: Anonymized EMR data included demographic, refractive and visual acuity values.

Is optometry ready for myopia control? Education and other barriers to the treatment of myopia.

With the increasing prevalence of myopia there is growing interest in active myopia control. However, the majority of progressive myopes are still prescribed single vision spectacles. This prospective study aims to elucidate the knowledge and attitudes of optometrists toward myopia control, and thereby identify perceived barriers to the implementation of a risk focussed model of myopia management.

Investigation of Surrogate Biomarkers Associated with Macular Pigment Status in a Group of Older Irish Adults.

Significance: Macular pigment (MP) confers potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects at the macula; however, its optical density in the eye is not routinely measured in clinical practice.

Purpose: This study explored a range of surrogate biomarkers including anthropometric, clinical, and plasma measures that may be associated with lower MP optical density (MPOD).

Methods: Two thousand five hundred ninety-four subjects completed a full MP assessment as part of wave 1 of The Irish Longitudinal Study of Aging.

Macular Pigment Optical Density Fluctuation as a Function of Pupillary Mydriasis: Methodological Considerations for Dual-Wavelength Autofluorescence.

Purpose Of The Study: Macular pigment (MP), comprising the dietary carotenoids lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin, is believed to benefit eye health and vision. Numerous clinical and research devices and techniques are currently available to facilitate MP optical density (MPOD) measurement. One of those techniques, dual-wavelength fundus autofluorescence (AF) is being increasingly used for measurement of MP in the eye.

Smartphone use as a possible risk factor for myopia.

Clinical Relevance: This study demonstrates an association between myopia and smartphone data usage. Youths now spend more time participating in near tasks as a result of smartphone usage. This poses an additional risk factor for myopia development/progression and is an important research question in relation to potential myopia management strategies.