Outliers of Treatment Frequency in Retinal Vein Occlusion: 24-Month Comparative Analysis of Fight Retinal Blindness! Practitioners.

Background: We aimed to describe a 2-year outcome of eyes managed by practitioners benchmarked using a funnel plot by their frequency of treatment using vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors for naive retinal vein occlusion (RVO).

Methods: A multicentre, international, observational study of 29 doctors in 12 countries managing 1110 eyes with RVO commencing VEGF inhibitors between 1 January 2012-2022 tracked in the Fight Retinal Blindness! registry.

Results: We identified 3 outlying 'intensive' practitioners (managing 350/1110 eyes [32%]), 22 'typical' practitioners (604/1110, [54%]) and 4 outlying 'relaxed' practitioners (156/1110, [14%]) with respective 24-month outcomes in Branch and Central RVO including the primary outcome, mean adjusted change in visual acuity (VA) in BRVO: +16.

An exploration of prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy: a scoping review.

Background: Breastfeeding self-efficacy is a woman's self-belief and confidence in her perceived ability to breastfeed. This modifiable determinant is strongly associated with breastfeeding initiation, exclusivity, and duration. It is unclear how important the timing of breastfeeding self-efficacy measurement and interventions are.

Modelled impact of virtual fractional flow reserve in patients undergoing coronary angiography (VIRTU-4).

Background: The practical application of 'virtual' (computed) fractional flow reserve (vFFR) based on invasive coronary angiogram (ICA) images is unknown. The objective of this cohort study was to investigate the potential of vFFR to guide the management of unselected patients undergoing ICA. The hypothesis was that it changes management in >10% of cases.

Women's perspectives on mHealth behavior change interventions for the management of overweight, obesity, or gestational diabetes: A qualitative meta-synthesis.

mHealth interventions play an increasingly important role in health behavior change for gestational diabetes or peripartum obesity management. This qualitative systematic review and meta-synthesis aims to explore women's perceptions of mHealth behavior change interventions for gestational diabetes and/or overweight/obesity management during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Cochrane, Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), and Psychological Information Database (PsycINFO) databases were searched using a Sample, Phenomenon of Interest, Design, Evaluation and Research type (SPIDER) concept framework through to February 2024.

Three-Year Outcomes of VEGF Inhibitors in Naive Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion: Fight Retinal Blindness!

Purpose: To evaluate the 3-year outcomes of VEGF inhibitors in the treatment of cystoid macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) in an international multicenter cohort of eyes.

Design: Multicenter, international, BRVO database study.

Subjects: Seven hundred forty-seven patients (760 eyes) undergoing intravitreal therapy for BRVO for 3 years in a multicenter international setting.

One-Year Anti-VEGF Therapy Outcomes in Diabetic Macular Edema Based on Treatment Intensity: Data from the Fight Retinal Blindness! Registry.

Purpose: To compare 1-year outcomes of eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME) treated in routine clinical practice based on the proportion of visits where intravitreal VEGF inhibitor injections were delivered.

Design: Cohort study.

Participants: There were 2288 treatment-naive eyes with DME starting intravitreal VEGF inhibitor therapy from October 31, 2015 to October 31, 2021 from the Fight Retinal Blindness! international outcomes registry.

Clinical Features Related to OCT Angiography Artifacts in Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema.

Purpose: To investigate the frequency and type of artifacts on OCT angiography (OCTA) images and the relationship with clinical features in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME).

Design: Retrospective, cross-sectional comparative study.

Subjects: One hundred ninety-two eyes of 140 patients with DME were included.

Addressing Technical Failures in a Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Program.

Purpose: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a preventable cause of blindness detectable through screening using retinal digital photography. The Irish National Diabetic Retina Screening (DRS) programme, Diabetic RetinaScreen, provides free screening services to patients with diabetes from aged 12 years and older. A technical failure (TF) occurs when digital retinal imaging is ungradable, resulting in delays in the diagnosis and treatment of sight-threatening disease.

Imaging geographic atrophy: integrating structure and function to better understand the effects of new treatments.

Geographic atrophy (GA) is an advanced and irreversible form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Chronic low grade inflammation is thought to act as an initiator of this degenerative process, resulting in loss of photoreceptors (PRs), retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the underlying choriocapillaris. This review examined the challenges of clinical trials to date which have sought to treat GA, with particular reference to the successful outcome of C3 complement inhibition.

CompARE: study protocol for a phase III randomised controlled platform trial comparing alternative regimens for escalating treatment of intermediate and high-risk oropharyngeal cancer.

Background: Patients with intermediate and high-risk oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) have poorer response to standard treatment and poorer overall survival compared to low-risk OPC. CompARE is designed to test alternative approaches to intensified treatment for these patients to improve survival.

Methods: CompARE is a pragmatic phase III, open-label, multicenter randomised controlled trial with an adaptive multi-arm, multi-stage design and an integrated QuinteT Recruitment Intervention.

European Unmet Needs in the Management of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Daily Practice: Data from the Fight Retinal Blindness! Registry.

Purpose: To evaluate the proportion, predictors, and outcomes of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with a high burden of VEGF inhibitor intravitreal (IVT) injections after 2 years in routine clinical practice.

Design: Retrospective analysis of data from a prospectively designed observational outcomes registry, the Fight Retinal Blindness! Project, of patients treated in European centers.

Participants: Treatment-naïve eyes (1 eye per patient) starting VEGF inhibitors for nAMD from January 2017 to March 2020 with 24 months of follow-up.

Electrochemotherapy vs radiotherapy in the treatment of primary cutaneous malignancies or cutaneous metastases from primary solid organ malignancies: A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Background: Electrochemotherapy has gained international traction and commendation in national guidelines as an effective tool in the management of cutaneous malignancies not amenable to surgical resection. Despite this, no level 5 evidence exists comparing it to radiotherapy in the treatment of cutaneous malignancies. This systematic review aimed to examine the literature directly and indirectly comparing electrochemotherapy and radiotherapy in the treatment of primary cutaneous malignancies or cutaneous metastases from primary solid organ malignancies.

Optimal tool design in micro-milling of difficult-to-machine materials.

The limitations of significant tool wear and tool breakage of commercially available fluted micro-end mill tools often lead to ineffective and inefficient manufacturing, while surface quality and geometric dimensions remain unacceptably poor. This is especially true for machining of difficult-to-machine (DTM) materials, such as super alloys and ceramics. Such conventional fluted micro-tool designs are generally down scaled from the macro-milling tool designs.

Adherence of patients with age-related macular degeneration to AREDS 2-recommended nutritional supplements.

Background: The Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS 2) proved the benefit of vitamin and mineral supplementation in preventing advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AREDS 2 supplements are indicated for patients with either bilateral intermediate AMD (AREDS category 3) or unilateral neovascular AMD (AREDS category 4).

Aims: The aims of this telephone survey were to identify the rate of adherence of patients to AREDS 2 supplements and the factors associated with non-compliance in these patient groups.

The annual conference of the Irish College of Ophthalmologists: examining over a decade of trends.

Background: The annual conference of the Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO) is a key calendar event for ophthalmology research in Ireland.

Aims: We investigated whether there were identifiable trends across various domains for the last twelve ICO meetings. Our objectives were to assess subspeciality and training centre representation, as well as the characteristics of the first author to include gender and stage of training.

OUTCOMES OF SWITCHING FROM PROACTIVE TO REACTIVE TREATMENT AFTER DEVELOPING ADVANCED CENTRAL NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

Purpose: We assessed outcomes of eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) that switched from proactive (treat-and-extend) to reactive (pro re nata) treatment regimen after developing macular atrophy (MA) or submacular fibrosis (SMFi).

Methods: Data were collected from a retrospective analysis of a prospectively designed, multinational registry of "real-world" nAMD treatment outcomes. Eyes without MA or SMFi when starting treatment with a vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor regimen that subsequently developed MA or SMFi were included.

The Effect on Patients' Visual Acuity and Grade, Secondary to Non-Attendance at Treatment Centers, Post Referral from Diabetic RetinaScreen Ireland.

Background: Patient non-attendance following referral to hospital is a significant challenge, in particular, for persons with diabetes.

Aim: We sought to determine the impact on both visual acuity and the subsequent follow-up retinopathy grade of patients when they fail to attend Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment (DRT) Centers following referral from Diabetic RetinaScreen (DRS).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients discharged from DRT due to multiple consecutive missed appointments between January 2016 and June 2021.

Central Retinal Vein Occlusion 36-Month Outcomes with Anti-VEGF: The Fight Retinal Blindness! Registry.

Purpose: To analyze the 3-year outcomes in a broad population of patients starting VEGF inhibitors for central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in routine clinical practice.

Design: Observational database study.

Participants: Overall, 527 treatment-naïve CRVO eyes that commenced VEGF inhibitors between December 1, 2010 and 2018 were tracked in the Fight Retinal Blindness! registry.

Manufacturing of Soft Contact Lenses Using Reusable and Reliable Cyclic Olefin Copolymer Moulds.

We present experimental evidence of reusable, reliable cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) moulds in soft contact lens manufacturing. The moulds showed high performance surface roughness characteristics despite >20 kW exposure to 365 nm ultraviolet (UV) light from repeated use. Ultra-precision manufacturing techniques were used to fabricate transparent COC mould inserts and to produce soft contact lenses from liquid monomer compositions.

Optical coherence tomography as retinal imaging biomarker of neuroinflammation/neurodegeneration in systemic disorders in adults and children.

The retina and the optic nerve are considered extensions of the central nervous system (CNS) and thus can serve as the window for evaluation of CNS disorders. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows for detailed evaluation of the retina and the optic nerve. OCT can non-invasively document changes in single retina layer thickness and structure due to neuronal and retinal glial cells (RGC) modifications in systemic and local inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.

The value of handholding during intravitreal injections.

Background: Repeated intravitreal injections (IVI) have become the therapeutic standard of care for multiple retinal conditions. Reducing discomfort and anxiety around IVIs is important to ensure ongoing patient compliance with therapy.

Aims: The study aimed to investigate if handholding during an IVI reduces patient anxiety, and to ascertain if their anxiety lessens following repeated therapy.