The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Visual Acuity Changes in Schoolchildren: A One-Year Follow-Up.

(1) Background: Visual acuity (VA) is essential for children's quality of life, and its relationship with socioeconomic status (SES) highlights disparities in healthcare. This study investigated the influence of SES on changes in schoolchildren's VA over one year. (2) Methods: Initial examinations were conducted on 1822 children (8-10 years).

Does the subjective response during the measurement of fusional reserves affect the clinical diagnosis?

Introduction: Fusional reserves differ with the method of measurement. The goal of this study was to compare the subjective and objective responses during the measurement of positive and negative fusional reserves using both step and ramp methods.

Methods: A haploscopic system was used to measure fusional reserves.

Relationship between socioeconomic status and myopia in school children: CISViT project.

Purpose: Evidence indicates the existence of an association between socioeconomic status (SES) and the prevalence of myopia in the adult population. In contrast, there are limited studies investigating this association in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the presence of myopia in 8-year-old children from southern Europe and SES defined as parental educational level and employment status.

Ciliary muscle and anterior segment characteristics in pre-presbyopic adults with Down syndrome.

Purpose: Previous research has shown that accommodation deficits are common in individuals with Down syndrome (DS), but the origin and mechanisms behind these deficits are still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of different ocular structures involved in accommodation, in particular the ciliary muscle (CM), in a population of individuals with DS to further understand this deficit and its mechanisms.

Methods: Thirty-two volunteer participants of pre-presbyopic age with (n = 16) and without DS (n = 16) were recruited.

Precision and agreement of axial length in paediatric population measured with MYAH and AL-Scan biometers.

Clinical Relevance: Measuring axial length is key in the field of myopia development and control. Hence, the precision and agreement of commercially available biometers is of vital interest to understand their variability and interchangeability in the paediatric population.

Background: Different biometers are available to measure axial length and monitor myopia progression in clinical practice.

Eye movements in patients with post-COVID condition.

Eye movement control is impaired in some neurological conditions, but the impact of COVID-19 on eye movements remains unknown. This study aims to investigate differences in oculomotor function and pupil response in individuals who suffer post-COVID-19 condition (PCC) with cognitive deficits. Saccades, smooth pursuit, fixation, vergence and pupillary response were recorded using an eye tracker.

Feasibility of measuring fusional vergence amplitudes objectively.

Two tests to measure fusional vergence amplitudes objectively were developed and validated against the two conventional clinical tests. Forty-nine adults participated in the study. Participants' negative (BI, base in) and positive (BO, base out) fusional vergence amplitudes at near were measured objectively in an haploscopic set-up by recording eye movements with an EyeLink 1000 Plus (SR Research).

What Advice Is Currently Given to Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) by Eyecare Practitioners, and How Effective Is It at Bringing about a Change in Lifestyle? A Systematic Review.

There is currently no treatment for early/intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) but Eye Care Professionals (ECPs) are recommended to advise patients about modifiable lifestyle factors, including dietary changes, that can slow disease progression. The aim of this review was to understand advice currently given to patients with AMD by ECPs and to evaluate evidence regarding patient compliance. A systematic review was conducted of literature published in electronic databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PyscARTICLES, EMBASE, AMED.

Behavioural Features of Cerebral Visual Impairment Are Common in Children With Down Syndrome.

It is widely recognised that children with Down syndrome have a broad range and a high prevalence of visual deficits and it has been suggested that those with Down syndrome are more likely to exhibit visual perception deficits indicative of cerebral visual impairment. This exploratory study aims to determine the prevalence of behavioural features suggestive of cerebral visual impairment (CVI) occurring with Down syndrome and whether the visual problems can be ascribed to optometric factors. A cohort of 226 families of children with Down syndrome (trisomy 21), aged 4-17, were invited to participate in a validated question inventory, to recognise visual perception issues.

In-vivo anterior segment OCT imaging provides unique insight into cerulean blue-dot opacities and cataracts in Down syndrome.

Down syndrome (DS) is frequently associated with cataract, but there remains scant information about DS cataract morphology. Supra-nuclear cataracts in DS have been proposed as indicative of beta-amyloid (Aβ) aggregation and thus potential biomarkers for Alzheimer's (AD). This study employed anterior segment OCT (AS-OCT) and slit-lamp (SL) photography to image the crystalline lens in DS, compared with adult controls.

Quantitative Characterization of Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements in School-Age Children Using a Child-Friendly Setup.

Purpose: It could be argued that current studies investigating smooth pursuit development in children do not provide an optimal measure of smooth pursuit characteristics, given that a significant number have failed to adjust their setup and procedures to the child population. This study aimed to characterize smooth pursuit in children using child-friendly stimuli and procedures.

Methods: Eye movements were recorded in 169 children (4-11 years) and 10 adults, while a customized, animated stimulus was presented moving horizontally and vertically at 6°/s and 12°/s.

Different visual development: norms for visual acuity in children with Down's syndrome.

Background: Visual acuity is known to be poorer in children with Down's syndrome than in age-matched controls. However, to date, clinicians do not have access to norms for children with Down's syndrome that allow differential discrimination of healthy from anomalous visual development in this population.

Methods: The Down's Syndrome Vision Research Unit at Cardiff University has been monitoring visual development in a large cohort of children since 1992.

Saccades and fixations in children with delayed reading skills.

Purpose: Previous studies have reported that eye movements differ between good/average and poor readers. However, these studies have been limited to investigating eye movements during reading related tasks, and thus, the differences found could arise from deficits in higher cognitive processes involved in reading rather than oculomotor performance. The purpose of the study is to determine the extent to which eye movements in children with delayed reading skills are different to those obtained from children with good/average reading skills in non-reading related tasks.

Effect of Stimulus Type and Motion on Smooth Pursuit in Adults and Children.

Purpose: This study presents a two-degree customized animated stimulus developed to evaluate smooth pursuit in children and investigates the effect of its predetermined characteristics (stimulus type and size) in an adult population. Then, the animated stimulus is used to evaluate the impact of different pursuit motion paradigms in children.

Methods: To study the effect of animating a stimulus, eye movement recordings were obtained from 20 young adults while the customized animated stimulus and a standard dot stimulus were presented moving horizontally at a constant velocity.