Incremental Concentrations of Tacrolimus Eye Drops as a Strategy for the Management of Severe Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis.

To assess the effect of different concentrations of tacrolimus eye suspension on the epithelium and stromal keratocytes of human corneas and investigate whether it can be safely used for severe cases of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC). Tacrolimus eye suspension was prepared in a range of concentrations of 0.005%, 0.

Why Ophthalmology: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Motivating Factors Influencing the Choice of Ophthalmology as a Career Among Medical Students in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Choosing a future career is a frightening and anxious decision for medical students; understanding any factor that influences making such a decision will be helpful for the medical students to reach it with satisfaction.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the factors that would influence the choice of ophthalmology as a future career among medical students in multi-medical colleges in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted for pre-clinical and clinical medical students from February 2021 to May 2021 in multi-medical colleges in Saudi Arabia.

Frameshift variant in MITF gene in a large family with Waardenburg syndrome type II and a co-segregation of a C2orf74 variant.

Waardenburg syndrome (WS) is a hereditary disorder affecting the auditory system and pigmentation of hair, eyes, and skin. Different variants of the disease exist with the involvement of mutation in six genes. The aim of the study is to identify the genetic defects underlying Waardenburg syndrome in a large family with multiple affected individuals.

Genetic variations in autoimmune genes and VKH disease.

Purpose: Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is a rare autoimmune disease. The autoimmune response in VKH disease is against the melanin-producing cells; therefore, in affected individuals melanocyte-containing organs manifest disease symptoms including eyes, ears, skin and nervous system. VKH is a multifactorial disease, and the precise cause of the VKH disease is unknown.

Whole genome genotyping mapped regions on chromosome 2 and 18 in a family segregating Waardenburg syndrome type II.

Objectives: Waardenburg syndrome is a rare genetic disorder. It is characterized by sensorineural hearing impairment and pigment defects of the skin, hair and iris. In some cases abnormalities in the tissues derived from neural crest have also been reported.

Novel homozygous loss-of-function mutations in and genes in retinitis pigmentosa patients.

: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a heterogeneous group of ocular dystrophy. It is challenging to identify the underlying genetic defect in individuals with RP due to huge genetic heterogeneity. This study was designed to delineate the genetic defect(s) underlying RP in extended Saudi families and to describe the possible disease mechanism.

Long-term use of 0.003% tacrolimus suspension for treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 0.003% tacrolimus suspension for the treatment of refractory vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC).

Materials And Methods: This prospective study included 40 eyes of 20 patients with severe VKC.

Prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors among children aged 3-10 years in western Saudi Arabia.

To determine the prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors (URE) among children 3-10 years and to affirm the necessity of a national school-based visual screening program for school-aged children. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in Medina, Saudi Arabia in 2015. Children were selected through a multistage stratified random sampling from 8 kindergarten and 8 primary schools.

Whole exome sequencing identified a novel single base pair insertion mutation in the EYS gene in a six generation family with retinitis pigmentosa.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited progressive retinal dystrophies (RD) and is characterized by photoreceptor degeneration. RP is clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. More than 70 genes are known and, thus, identification of causative genes and mutations in known genes is challenging.

Sequence analysis of four vitamin D family genes (VDR, CYP24A1, CYP27B1 and CYP2R1) in Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) patients: identification of a potentially pathogenic variant in CYP2R1.

Background: VKH is a rare autoimmune disease. Decreased level of vitamin D has recently been found to be involved in the pathogenesis of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease. This study was designed to screen the vitamin D pathway genes for pathogenic mutations, if any, in VKH patients.