Flying Blind: How Thorough are IRBs when Assessing Scientific Value?

Background: Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in the United States play a crucial role in ensuring the ethical conduct of clinical trials, including assessing the scientific merit of studies to justify the risks to participants. However, prior research suggests that many IRBs do not systematically evaluate scientific merit, raising concerns about the approval of low-quality trials.

Objective: To investigate whether IRBs provide adequate guidance on assessing scientific merit in their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other relevant materials.

A rare intraocular foreign body resulting from a workplace accident.

A 54-year-old man presented to the ophthalmic emergency department of our center with eye pain and blurred vision in his right eye following a workplace accident. Examination revealed a penetrating corneal injury with the presence of an intraocular foreign body (IOFB) involving the corneoscleral limbus, perforating the cornea, iris, anterior lens capsule, and lens. Immediate surgical intervention was carried out with the extraction of the IOFB, identified as an 8mm mussel shell fragment, and the removal of the resulting traumatic cataract.

The Relationship between Fixation Stability and Retinal Structural Parameters in Children with Anisometropic, Strabismic and Mixed Amblyopia.

(1) Background: Amblyopia is an ocular condition leading to structural and functional changes. The relationship between these changes is complex and remains poorly understood. (2) Methods: Participants included 31 children aged 5 to 9 years with strabismic ( = 9), anisometropic ( = 16) and mixed ( = 6) unilateral amblyopia, and 14 age-matched non-amblyopic children.