Binocular Visual Field Loss and Crash Risk: An eFOVID Population-Based Study.

Purpose: Visual field loss poses a high personal cost to those affected, significantly impacting activities of daily living, including driving. However, there is conflicting evidence on the association between visual field loss and crash risk. This study examined the association between severity and location of binocular visual field loss and motor vehicle crashes in older adults aged 50+, using linked population data over a 29-year study period.

Visual field loss and falls requiring hospitalisation: results from the eFOVID study.

Background: Visual fields are important for postural stability and ability to manoeuvre around objects.

Objective: Examine the association between visual field loss and falls requiring hospitalisation in adults aged 50 +.

Methods: Older adults aged 50+ with and without visual field loss were identified using a fields database obtained from a cross-section of ophthalmologists' practices in Western Australia (WA).

Conjunctival amelanotic melanoma presenting as a multifocal pink lesion.

Conjunctival amelanotic malignant melanoma is a rare form of melanoma, which lacks visible pigment and is commonly located underneath the eyelids in the bulbar conjunctiva. In this report, we described a case of a Caucasian women in her 70s who presented with unilateral irritation and tenderness following cataract surgery. On eversion of the eyelid, two elevated pink lesions were noted.

The incidence of falls after first and second eye cataract surgery: a longitudinal cohort study.

Objective: To compare fall incidence, and visual acuity and refractive status, before surgery and after first and second eye cataract surgery.

Design, Setting: Prospective observational study in eight tertiary referral ophthalmology clinics in public hospitals in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.

Participants: People aged 65 years or more referred for bilateral age-related cataract surgery during 2013-16, followed for maximum of 24 months after study entry or until six months after second eye surgery, whichever was shorter.

Incidence of Newly Registered Blindness From Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Australia Over a 21-Year Period: 1996-2016.

Purpose: Report the age-standardized annual incidence of blindness registration due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Australia in patients aged 50 years and older. Frequencies of photodynamic therapy (PDT) and intravitreal therapy (IVT) were examined.

Design: Retrospective observational study.

Outcomes and Predictive Factors After Cataract Surgery in Patients With Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration. The Fight Retinal Blindness! Project.

Purpose: To evaluate outcomes and predictive factors of visual acuity (VA) change after cataract surgery in patients being treated for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Design: Retrospective, matched case-control study.

Methods: We studied eyes undergoing cataract surgery that had been tracked since they first started treatment for nAMD.

Do older drivers with bilateral cataract self-regulate their driving while waiting for first eye cataract surgery?

Objectives: To analyze the association between visual impairment and driver self-regulation among a cohort of older drivers waiting for first eye cataract surgery.

Methods: Ninety-six drivers with bilateral cataract aged 55+ years were assessed before first eye cataract surgery. Data collection consisted of a researcher-administered questionnaire, objective visual measures (visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and stereopsis), a visual attention test (the useful field of view test) and a cognitive test (the Mini-Mental State Examination).

Visual and refractive associations with falls after first-eye cataract surgery.

Purpose: To clarify the effect of first-eye cataract surgery on the incidence of falls and identify components of visual function associated with fall risk.

Setting: Eight public hospital eye clinics in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, Australia.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Clinical and social characteristics associated with reduced visual acuity at presentation in Australian patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a prospective study from a long-term observational data set. The Fight Retinal Blindness! Project.

Importance: Identifying variables that influence presenting visual acuity (VA) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is important because it is a strong predictor of long-term outcomes.

Background: To assess the clinical and social characteristics associated with low presenting VA in nAMD patients.

Design: The present study is a cross-sectional analysis from a prospective, observational database.

Incidence and Outcomes of Infectious and Noninfectious Endophthalmitis after Intravitreal Injections for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To assess the incidence, cumulative rate, and long-term outcomes of infectious and noninfectious endophthalmitis after intravitreal injections (IVTs) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents.

Design: Database study, prospectively designed.

Participants: Treatment-naïve eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) tracked by the Fight Retinal Blindness! (FRB!) registry that commenced anti-VEGF therapy between January 1, 2006, and November 30, 2016.

TWO YEAR OUTCOMES OF "TREAT AND EXTEND" INTRAVITREAL THERAPY USING AFLIBERCEPT PREFERENTIALLY FOR NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

Purpose: To report 24-month outcomes of a treat and extend (T&E) regimen using aflibercept in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: This was a database observational study that included treatment-naive eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration tracked by the Fight Retinal Blindness! outcome registry completing 24 months of sole monotherapy with aflibercept treatment under a T&E regimen between November 1, 2012 and January 31, 2014. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing curves were used to display visual acuity outcomes.

Fear of falling and physical function in older adults with cataract: Exploring the role of vision as a moderator.

Aim: To examine fear of falling and associated factors in a cohort of older adults with cataract, and investigate the interplay of vision and physical function with respect to fear of falling.

Methods: We analyzed baseline data from a longitudinal study of adults aged ≥65 years referred for cataract surgery. Fear of falling was assessed by the Short Falls Efficacy Scale-International.

While We Waited: Incidence and Predictors of Falls in Older Adults With Cataract.

Purpose: Strong evidence indicates an increased fall risk associated with cataract. Although cataract surgery can restore sight, lengthy wait times are common for public patients in many high-income countries. This study reports incidence and predictors of falls in older people with cataract during their surgical wait.

A validation study comparing self-reported travel diaries and objective data obtained from in-vehicle monitoring devices in older drivers with bilateral cataract.

Background: Advances in technology have made it possible to examine real-world driving using naturalistic data obtained from in-vehicle monitoring devices. These devices overcome the weaknesses of self-report methods and can provide comprehensive insights into driving exposure, habits and practices of older drivers.

Aim: The aim of this study is to compare self-reported and objectively measured driving exposure, habits and practices using a travel diary and an in-vehicle driver monitoring device in older drivers with bilateral cataract.

Treatment Patterns and Visual Outcomes during the Maintenance Phase of Treat-and-Extend Therapy for Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To present the treatment patterns, disease activity, and visual outcomes of eyes in the maintenance phase of a treat-and-extend regimen for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). To compare the maintenance phase behavior of eyes with a shorter induction phase (≤3 injections) with those requiring a longer induction phase (>3 injections).

Design: Database observational study.

Twelve-Month Outcomes of Ranibizumab vs. Aflibercept for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Data from an Observational Study.

Purpose: To directly compare visual acuity (VA) outcomes with ranibizumab vs. aflibercept for eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated in routine clinical practice.

Design: Database observational study.

Depressive symptoms in older adults awaiting cataract surgery.

Background: To assess the prevalence and predictors of depressive symptoms in a cohort of older adults awaiting cataract surgery and establish threshold vision at which depressive symptoms may emerge.

Design: Analysis of cross-sectional baseline data from a longitudinal cohort study of patients aged ≥65 years on Australian public hospital cataract surgery waiting lists.

Participants: We included 329 participants enrolled October 2013-August 2015.

Bilateral cataract, crash risk, driving performance, and self-regulation practices among older drivers.

Unlabelled: This comprehensive literature review summarizes published studies examining cataract and cataract surgery and driving outcomes to identify gaps in the literature that require further research. Six electronic databases were searched for articles published up to and including March 2015. Articles were reviewed if they included older drivers with cataract or drivers who had cataract surgery and at least 1 of the following driving outcomes: crash risk, driving self-regulation practices, and driving performance.

Effects of switching from ranibizumab to aflibercept in eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Aims: To examine 12-month outcomes of eyes switching from intravitreal ranibizumab to aflibercept for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: Database observational study of eyes with nAMD tracked by the Fight Retinal Blindness outcome registry that received ranibizumab for at least 12 months before switching to aflibercept and followed for at least 12 months after the switch. Visual acuity (VA) recorded at 12 months after the switch was analysed using locally weighted scatterplot smoothing curves.

Big data and ophthalmic research.

Large population-based health administrative databases, clinical registries, and data linkage systems are a rapidly expanding resource for health research. Ophthalmic research has benefited from the use of these databases in expanding the breadth of knowledge in areas such as disease surveillance, disease etiology, health services utilization, and health outcomes. Furthermore, the quantity of data available for research has increased exponentially in recent times, particularly as e-health initiatives come online in health systems across the globe.

A genetic algorithm enabled ensemble for unsupervised medical term extraction from clinical letters.

Despite the rapid global movement towards electronic health records, clinical letters written in unstructured natural languages are still the preferred form of inter-practitioner communication about patients. These letters, when archived over a long period of time, provide invaluable longitudinal clinical details on individual and populations of patients. In this paper we present three unsupervised approaches, sequential pattern mining (PrefixSpan); frequency linguistic based C-Value; and keyphrase extraction from co-occurrence graphs (TextRank), to automatically extract single and multi-word medical terms without domain-specific knowledge.

Health Service Use and Mortality of the Elderly Blind.

Purpose: To determine whether blindness in older people is associated with increased health service use and mortality.

Design: Retrospective matched cohort study from July 1, 1999, through June 30, 2010.

Participants: A blind cohort 65 years of age and older from a volunteer blind register and a cohort of age- and gender-matched controls selected randomly from the Western Australian electoral roll.

A Proposed Minimum Standard Set of Outcome Measures for Cataract Surgery.

Importance: Aligning outcome measures for cataract surgery, one of the most frequently performed procedures globally, may facilitate international comparisons that can drive improvements in the outcomes most meaningful to patients.

Objective: To propose a minimum standard set of outcome measures for cataract surgery that enables global comparisons.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A working group of international experts in cataract outcomes and registries was convened, along with a patient advocate, to agree on a consensus of outcome measures for cataract surgery.