Acute and chronic effects of soccer game on the retinal vessel diameters in middle-aged adults.

Background: Although changes in retinal vessel diameter is a new biomarker for the evaluation of cardiovascular risk factors, limited information is available regarding the effects of endurance exercises on retinal microcirculation. Thus, we aimed to evaluate both chronic and acute effects of soccer game on the diameters of retinal vessels in middle-aged players.

Methods: Retinal vessel diameters were measured in 12 middle-aged amateur players (44.

Morphometric parameters of the optic disc in normal and glaucomatous eyes based on time-domain optical coherence tomography image analysis.

Background And Objective: Assessment of optic disc morphology is essential in diagnosis and management of visual impairment. The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between optic disc morphometric parameters, i.e.

Coats' retinitis or retinoblastoma in a 3-year-old girl: a case report.

Coats' disease is an idiopathic disorder defined by an abnormal development of retinal vessels with a progressive deposition of intraretinal or subretinal exudates, leading to exudative retinal detachment. The most difficult task is to differentiate Coats' disease from retinoblastoma. We present a rare case of Coats' disease diagnosed in a 3-year-old girl.

Algorithms and results of eye tissues differentiation based on RF ultrasound.

Algorithms and software were developed for analysis of B-scan ultrasonic signals acquired from commercial diagnostic ultrasound system. The algorithms process raw ultrasonic signals in backscattered spectrum domain, which is obtained using two time-frequency methods: short-time Fourier and Hilbert-Huang transformations. The signals from selected regions of eye tissues are characterized by parameters: B-scan envelope amplitude, approximated spectral slope, approximated spectral intercept, mean instantaneous frequency, mean instantaneous bandwidth, and parameters of Nakagami distribution characterizing Hilbert-Huang transformation output.

Correlations between digital planimetry and optical coherence tomography, confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy in assessment of optic disc parameters.

Objective And Aim: In routine clinical practice, laser methods for the evaluation of optic disc parameters are expensive and not accessible for all ophthalmologists; therefore, there is a need for less expensive technique. The aim of this study was to assess correlations between the parameters of the optic disc measured by digital planimetry (DP), optical coherence tomography (OCT), and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (CSLO) in healthy and glaucoma patients with the normal biometric parameters of the eye.

Material And Methods: This case-control study enrolled 40 patients with glaucoma and 32 healthy patients with the normal biometric parameters of the eye.

Pre- and postoperative C-reactive protein levels in patients with cataract and age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To assess whether patients with early or intermediate forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) benefit from cataract surgery in terms of visual acuity and contrast sensitivity, and to determine the levels of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) as a systemic marker of inflammation before and after cataract surgery in patients with AMD.

Methods: Three groups of patients (n=132) were studied at baseline and 8-12 weeks later: 1) a study group of patients with AMD who underwent cataract surgery (n=47), 2) a control group of patients without ocular comorbidities who underwent cataract surgery (n=36), and 3) a second control group with AMD and no surgery (n=49). Visual acuity (VA) was obtained by letter charts and expressed as decimal notations +/- SD.

[Severe open-globe eye injuries: socio-demographic aspects and risk factors].

The Aim Of Study: To evaluate sociodemographic aspects and risk factors of severe open-globe ocular injuries.

Material And Methods: We present data from prospective study of 315 patients with severe open-globe ocular injuries, meeting inclusion criteria.

Results: The patients in our series were predominantly male (92.

Relation between cataract and metabolic syndrome and its components.

Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of cataract in the middle-aged urban population and the relation between cataract and metabolic syndrome and metabolic syndrome components.

Methods: The survey was carried out in Kaunas City, Lithuania, from 2001 to 2002, according to WHO MONICA study protocol. The ophthalmologic investigation was performed for 1282 respondents (573 men and 709 women) aged 35-64 years.

The relationship of the intensity of lens opacity with physical activity.

Objective: To study the character and the intensity of lens opacity and the visual acuity in cataract patients and controls and to determine the association of these indices with the subjects' physical activity.

Material And Methods: The lens opacity in 110 eyes of patients (n=110) aged 60.3+/-0.

The use of information technologies for diagnosis in ophthalmology.

In 2003, a health IT programme for clinical decision support started in Lithuania. An initial goal was to create databases for ophthalmology images and to develop processing algorithms to extract diagnostically valuable information from images. We have investigated how vectors, consisting of the parameters derived from fundus images, are distributed and whether they form specific groups.

[Association of metabolic syndrome components with cataract].

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association of metabolic syndrome and its components with cataract among the middle-aged Kaunas population in relation to gender and age.

Material And Methods: The epidemiological examination was carried out in Kaunas, Lithuania, during 2001-2002. Health survey has been carried out according to the protocol of Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular disease (MONICA) study.

An assessment of telemedicine possibilities in massive casualties situations.

The use of existing possibilities of Telemedicine Center of Kaunas University of Medicine allows the live distant consultations from high-level medical specialised centers to rural areas. On July 2004 the Telemedicine Center took part in the RESCUER/MEDCEUR project exercise. A special objective was the use of telemedicine facilities for distant consultations and sorting of victims directly at the event place.

[Prevalence of cataract in 35-64 years old Kaunas city population].

Unlabelled: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of lens opacity among 35-64 years old Kaunas population as well as to evaluate the stage and type of age-related cataract and its distribution in the groups of age and gender.

Material And Methods: The material of our study was Kaunas city population aged 35 to 64 years who participated in the scientific Monitoring of Trends and Determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA-4) study during 2001-2002 in the Laboratory of Population Researches, Institute of Cardiology of Kaunas University of Medicine. During this study random sampling method was used for grouping of 1354 persons according to the age and gender (596 males and 759 females).

Ultrasonic and biochemical evaluation of human diabetic lens.

Objective: To evaluate the ultrasonic attenuation and amount of soluble proteins of human diabetic lens.

Materials And Methods: The examination was performed in the Clinic of Eye Diseases of Kaunas University of Medicine. The study included 4 groups of patients (110 eyes).

Early age-related maculopathy and risk factors of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged Lithuanian urban population.

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of age-related maculopathy (ARM) in a middle-aged urban population and the relationship between ARM and the main risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: The survey according to the WHO MONICA study protocol was carried out in Kaunas city, Lithuania, from 2001 to 2002. A total of 1403 persons aged 35 to 64 years were screened (626 men and 777 women: response rate 62.

The influence of hypodynamic stress on ultrastructure of the cortical layer cells of eye lens.

The aim of the study was to determine the influence of 48-day hypodynamic stress on the ultrastructure of the cortical layer cells of eye lens. Hypodynamic stress was induced in Chinchilla male rabbits (weight 2.5-3.

[Association of age-related maculopathy with ischemic heart disease and its risk factors in middle-aged population of Kaunas city].

Aim: To determine the prevalence of age-related maculopathy in a sample of Lithuanian middle-aged population and to assess the relationship between age-related maculopathy and ischemic heart disease and its risk factors, including smoking, arterial hypertension, obesity, hyperglycemia, and dyslipidemias.

Material And Methods: A random sample of urban population of 1357 adults (ranging from 35-64 years of age; 597 males and 760 females) living in Kaunas, Lithuania was examined during the interval from 2001 to 2002. Each participant underwent a comprehensive examination that included an ophthalmic examination.

[Prevalence and risk factors of age-related maculopathy among middle aged people].

To investigate the prevalence of age-related maculopathy and the relationships of age-related maculopathy to age, sex, ocular factors, education, work exposures. A population-based cohort study included 1357 subjects (35-64 years of age) living in Kaunas (Lithuania), who were examined during the interval from 2001 to 2002. The diagnosis of age-related maculopathy was based on ophthalmoscopic findings or on fundus photographs.

Age-related maculopathy and consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits in urban elderly.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the rate of age-related maculopathy among elderly males and females in relation to frequency of consumption of fresh vegetables and fruit. During ophthalmological investigation of Kaunas city inhabitants aged 65-74 years (240 males and 206 females) age-related maculopathy (early and late) was determined for 22.1% of males and 20.

The effect of pulsed electromagnetic field on patients with endocrine ophthalmopathy.

Purpose: To evaluate eye signs, proptosis and ocular movements in patients with endocrine ophthalmopathy under the influence of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy.

Methods: We examined 14 patients (9 women, 5 men) with endocrine ophthalmopathy and evaluated eye signs, proptosis and ocular movements before and after the course of pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, and 12 controls. Their age ranged from 29 to 57 years.

[Ways to increase the information value of ultrasonic studies in the diagnosis of intraocular tumors].

The paper discusses possibilities to increase information value of ultrasound investigations in diagnostics of intraocular tumors by means of a developed informative system of acoustic diagnostics ISAD-2 on the basis of a microcomputer "Electronika-60" (OVK-2) and broad-band ultrasound piezo-transformer with a working frequency from 2 to 20 mHz. Examination of 50 patients (50 eyes) with suspected intraocular tumors resulted in enucleation of the eye ball in 45 patients (45 eyes). Comparison of ultrasound and histomorphologic investigations revealed a correlative connection between the structure of intraocular tumor and the texture of their radio-frequency echograms as well as with relative frequency dependence of ultrasound attenuation in it.