Association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and myopia in the U.S. Population - Results from the NHANES 2001-2008.

Background: myopia is associated with sight-threatening potential complications, and it becoming increasingly common globally. However, the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and myopia remains unclear and the evidence is controversial. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and myopia in the U.

Ocular biometric characteristics of Han ethnicity in Tianjin and Uyghur ethnicity in Xinjiang undergoing cataract surgery.

Aim: To analyze and compare the differences among ocular biometric parameters in Han and Uyghur populations undergoing cataract surgery.

Methods: In this hospital-based prospective study, 410 patients undergoing cataract surgery (226 Han patients in Tianjin and 184 Uyghur patients in Xinjiang) were enrolled. The differences in axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), keratometry [steep K (Ks) and flat K (Kf)], and corneal astigmatism (CA) measured using IOL Master 700 were compared between Han and Uyghur patients.

Comparative study of objective visual quality between FS-LASIK and SMART in myopia.

Aim: To compare the changes in the objective visual quality of patients with low and moderate myopia postoperatively after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy using the smart pulse technology (SMART) and femtosecond laser keratomileusis (FS-LASIK).

Methods: Corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs), horizontal coma, vertical coma and spherical aberration were measured using Pentacam, and cutoff for modulation transfer function (MTF cutoff), objective scatter index (OSI) and Strehl ratio (SR) was measured using an optical quality analysis system (OQAS-II), before and after operation at 1, 3, and 6mo, and data were analyzed by repeated measurement two-way analysis of variance.

Results: The difference in uncorrected distance visual acuity between SMART and FS-LASIK was statistically significant only 1wk postoperatively.

Alteration of EIF2 Signaling, Glycolysis, and Dopamine Secretion in Form-Deprived Myopia in Response to 1% Atropine Treatment: Evidence From Interactive iTRAQ-MS and SWATH-MS Proteomics Using a Guinea Pig Model.

Atropine, a non-selective muscarinic antagonist, effectively slows down myopia progression in human adolescents and several animal models. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is unclear. The current study investigated retinal protein changes of form-deprived myopic (FDM) guinea pigs in response to topical administration of 1% atropine gel (10 g/L).

Lag of accommodation predicts clinically significant change of spherical equivalents after cycloplegia.

Aim: To evaluate related factors with the change of spherical equivalents (ΔSE) and determine the suitable predictor of clinically significant ΔSE (≥0.50 D) with cyclopentolate hydrochloride on Chinese children.

Methods: A total of 145 right eyes of 145 children aged 4 to 15y were enrolled.

Protective effects of riboflavin-UVA-mediated posterior sclera collagen cross-linking in a guinea pig model of form-deprived myopia.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of posterior sclera collagen cross-linking induced by riboflavin-ultraviolet A (UVA) on form-deprived myopia in guinea pigs.

Methodes: Twenty-five pigmented guinea pigs of 3-week-old were randomly assigned into 4 groups that included normal control (NOR, =7), form-deprived (FDM, =7), normal with riboflavin-UVA cross-linking (NOR+CL, =5) and form-deprived with cross-linking (FDM+CL, =6). The NOR+CL group and the FDM+CL group received the riboflavin-UVA induced cross-linking at day 0.

Comparison between two autorefractor performances in large scale vision screening in Chinese school age children.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of Grand Seiko Ref/Keratometer WAM-5500 compared to Topcon KR800 autorefractor in detecting refractive error in large scale vision screening for Chinese school age children with the WHO criteria.

Methods: A total of 886 participants were enrolled with mean age of 9.49±1.

The prevalence of vision impairment and refractive error in 3654 first year students at Tianjin Medical University.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of vision impairment (VI) and refractive error in first year university students at the Tianjin Medical University.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional observational cohort study of VI and refractive error among first year university students at the Tianjin Medical University. The first year university students were involved in this study and were given a detailed questionnaire including age, birth date, and spectacle wearing history.

Clinical evaluation of surgery-induced astigmatism in cataract surgery using 2.2 mm or 1.8 mm clear corneal micro-incisions.

Aim: To evaluate corneal astigmatism after phacoemulsification using 2.2 mm or 1.8 mm clear corneal micro-incisions and its effects on visual function.

α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone ameliorates ocular surface dysfunctions and lesions in a scopolamine-induced dry eye model via PKA-CREB and MEK-Erk pathways.

Dry eye is a highly prevalent, chronic, and multifactorial disease that compromises quality of life and generates socioeconomic burdens. The pathogenic factors of dry eye disease (DED) include tear secretion abnormalities, tear film instability, and ocular surface inflammation. An effective intervention targeting the pathogenic factors is needed to control this disease.

α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone prevents glutamate excitotoxicity in developing chicken retina via MC4R-mediated down-regulation of microRNA-194.

Glutamate excitotoxicity is a common pathology to blinding ischemic retinopathies, such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and central retinal vein or artery occlusion. The development of an effective interventional modality to glutamate excitotoxicity is hence important to preventing blindness. Herein we showed that α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) time-dependently protected against glutamate-induced cell death and tissue damage in an improved embryonic chicken retinal explant culture system.

Anti-VEGF treatment for myopic choroid neovascularization: from molecular characterization to update on clinical application.

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia has a very high incidence in global, especially in Asian, populations. It is a common cause of irreversible central vision loss, and severely affects the quality of life in the patients with pathologic myopia. The traditional therapeutic modalities for CNV secondary to pathologic myopia include thermal laser photocoagulation, surgical management, transpupillary thermotherapy, and photodynamic therapy with verteporfin.

Nerve growth factor expression and nerve regeneration in monkey corneas after LASIK.

Purpose: To determine whether changes in cornea nerve growth factor (NGF) protein and gene expression correlate with corneal nerve regeneration after LASIK in rhesus monkeys.

Methods: Ten rhesus monkeys underwent randomly assigned LASIK procedures to correct -8.0 diopters of myopia in both eyes and two additional monkeys (with no surgery) served as controls.

Evaluation of corneal cell growth on tissue engineering materials as artificial cornea scaffolds.

The keratoprosthesis (KPro; artificial cornea) is a special refractive device to replace human cornea by using heterogeneous forming materials for the implantation into the damaged eyes in order to obtain a certain vision. The main problems of artificial cornea are the biocompatibility and stability of the tissue particularly in penetrating keratoplasty. The current studies of tissue-engineered scaffold materials through comprising composites of natural and synthetic biopolymers together have developed a new way to artificial cornea.

[Clinical research of the phakic foldable angle-supported intraocular lens for the correction of high myopia].

Objective: To assess the safety, efficacy, predictability and stability of the phakic foldable angle-supported intraocular lens (IOL) (CACHET IOL, Alcon Inc., USA.) for correction of high-to-extremely high myopia in adults.

[Research status of photodynamic therapy for corneal neovascularization].

Pathological corneal neovascularization is an important reason of visual impairment. Research outcomes showed that angiogenesis mechanism is similar in all the tissues of the body and photodynamic therapy demonstrate a useful effect in blocking tumor and choroidal neovascularization. This method is currently being tried for the treatment of corneal neovascularization.

[Coverage on cataract surgery among adults aged 40 or above in a multiethnic rural district of high altitude area in Gongshan county, Yunnan province, China].

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of cataract and its surgical coverage rate together with the burden related to bilateral cataract-blindness, among adults aged 40 or above in Gongshan county of Yunnan province and to evaluate the current cataract status and the efficacy of local cataract prevention program.

Methods: Cluster sampling was used. The protocol consisted of personal interview, pilot study, visual acuity checking, measuring the intraocular pressure; slit lamp microscopy and the fundus of the eye examination etc.

[Zebrafish-a new animal models of anterior segment embryonic development and diseases basic research].

In recent years, zebrafish has become ideal animal models of human disease with its unique characteristics, such as small body, fecundity, fast development and growth, embryo transparency, and so on. Furthermore, the structure and gene of zebrafish eye are highly conservative with human eye, which make ophthalmologists to pay close attention to zebrafish. This review focus on the studies and applications on zebrafish embryonic development of anterior segment, including the morphogenesis of cornea, lens and anterior chamber, and diseases of anterior segment (corneal diseases, cataract, glaucoma).