Lack of association between the C2 allele of transferrin and age-related macular degeneration in the Israeli population.

Background: Altered iron metabolism and transferrin expression were associated with neurodegenerations including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Carriers of transferrin C2 allele alone or in combination with the hemochromatosis C282Y variant may have increased risk for developing AD. We aim to assess if these alleles also predispose to AMD.

Ethnic background as a risk factor for advanced age-related macular degeneration in Israel.

Background: Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of legal blindness in the developed world including Israel. Ethnic background is a risk factor for advanced AMD in several populations, however the relative prevalence of this disease in different ethnic groups in the Middle East is unknown.

Objectives: To compare the prevalence of advanced AMD in Arabs and Jews in Israel.

Estimating intraocular pressure using a glass rod.

Four masked examiners studied the usefulness of the glass-rod for estimating intraocular pressure (IOP) in a living, anesthetized rabbit eye manometrically set to 135 different random values. With training, the average error in IOP estimation improved from 7.42 +/- 5.