Pentacam and Corvis ST findings in myopic Chinese patients with different corneal diameters in Singapore.

Purpose: To study the effect of corneal white-to-white diameter on Pentacam Scheimpflug cornea tomography and Corvis ST corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology parameters in myopic eyes.

Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, 190 eyes of 190 Chinese myopic patients (spherical equivalent range: -1.25 D to -11.

Novel artificial intelligence algorithms for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) and diabetic macular edema (DME) are major causes of visual impairment that challenge global vision health. New strategies are needed to tackle these growing global health problems, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into ophthalmology has the potential to revolutionize DR and DME management to meet these challenges.

Main Text: This review discusses the latest AI-driven methodologies in the context of DR and DME in terms of disease identification, patient-specific disease profiling, and short-term and long-term management.

A comparative study of an on premise AutoML solution for medical image classification.

Automated machine learning (AutoML) allows for the simplified application of machine learning to real-world problems, by the implicit handling of necessary steps such as data pre-processing, feature engineering, model selection and hyperparameter optimization. This has encouraged its use in medical applications such as imaging. However, the impact of common parameter choices such as the number of trials allowed, and the resolution of the input images, has not been comprehensively explored in existing literature.

The Natural History of Retinal Sensitivity Loss in Diabetic Macular Ischemia over One Year Evaluated by Microperimetry.

: This one-year prospective observational study, conducted at two centers, aimed to report the natural history of retinal sensitivity (RS) loss in diabetic macular ischemia (DMI). : Patients with stable-treated proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) were recruited if there was evidence of DMI on optical coherence tomography angiography, defined as a foveal avascular zone ≥ 0.5 mm or parafoveal capillary dropout ≥ 1 quadrant.

Defining the structure-function relationship of specific lesions in early and advanced age-related macular degeneration.

The objective of this study is to define structure-function relationships of pathological lesions related to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using microperimetry and multimodal retinal imaging. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 87 patients with AMD (30 eyes with early and intermediate AMD and 110 eyes with advanced AMD), compared to 33 normal controls (66 eyes) recruited from a single tertiary center. All participants had enface and cross-sectional optical coherence tomography (Heidelberg HRA-2), OCT angiography, color and infra-red (IR) fundus and microperimetry (MP) (Nidek MP-3) performed.

A Systematic Review of Tear Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and External Eye Diseases.

We aim to summarize the current evidence of Vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF)s in external eye diseases and determine whether serum and plasma VEGF levels are associated with tear and ocular surface tissues. A systematic search of PUBMED and EMBASE was conducted using PRISMA guidelines between October 2022 and November 2023, with no restriction on language or publication date. Search terms included relevant MESH terms.

Six-Year Outcomes in Subjects with Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy in the EVEREST II Study.

Introduction: The EVEREST II study previously reported that intravitreally administered ranibizumab (IVR) combined with photodynamic therapy (PDT) achieved superior visual gain and polypoidal lesion closure compared to IVR alone in patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). This follow-up study reports the long-term outcomes 6 years after initiation of the EVEREST II study.

Methods: This is a non-interventional cohort study of 90 patients with PCV from 16 international trial sites who originally completed the EVEREST II study.

Allogeneic Umbilical Cord Plasma Eyedrops for the Treatment of Recalcitrant Dry Eye Disease Patients.

Background: Dry eye disease is a significant disease in Singapore. While there have been studies using allogenic cord serum for the treatment of dry eye disease, treatment of dry eyes with allogenic umbilical cord plasma drops has yet to be started in Singapore.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of umbilical cord plasma eyedrops for the treatment of recalcitrant dry eyes in a local Singaporean context.

Risk factors affecting visual outcomes following dropped nucleus after cataract surgery.

Background/ Aims: To describe the visual outcomes in eyes with dropped nucleus during phacoemulsification surgery.

Setting: Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC).

Design: Retrospective chart review of prospectively reported cases of dropped nucleus.

Molecular Basis of Transglutaminase-2 and Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptors in Experimental Myopia: A Target for Myopia Treatment.

Myopia, a prevalent refractive error disorder worldwide, is characterized by the elongation of the eye, leading to visual abnormalities. Understanding the genetic factors involved in myopia is crucial for developing therapeutic and preventive measures. Unfortunately, only a limited number of genes with well-defined functionality have been associated with myopia.

Review of Retinal Imaging Modalities for Hydroxychloroquine Retinopathy.

This review provides an overview of conventional and novel retinal imaging modalities for hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) retinopathy. HCQ retinopathy is a form of toxic retinopathy resulting from HCQ use for a variety of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Each imaging modality detects a different aspect of HCQ retinopathy and shows a unique complement of structural changes.

Release of frustration drives corneal amyloid disaggregation by brain chaperone.

TGFBI-related corneal dystrophy (CD) is characterized by the accumulation of insoluble protein deposits in the corneal tissues, eventually leading to progressive corneal opacity. Here we show that ATP-independent amyloid-β chaperone L-PGDS can effectively disaggregate corneal amyloids in surgically excised human cornea of TGFBI-CD patients and release trapped amyloid hallmark proteins. Since the mechanism of amyloid disassembly by ATP-independent chaperones is unknown, we reconstructed atomic models of the amyloids self-assembled from TGFBIp-derived peptides and their complex with L-PGDS using cryo-EM and NMR.

Conjunctival T Cell Profile in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients after Instilling Topical Cyclosporine-A 0.1% Cationic Emulsion.

Introduction: To profile conjunctival T cell populations in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) patients after instillation of daily topical cyclosporine-A (CsA) 0.1% cationic emulsion (Ikervis), and to evaluate patients' tolerance to these eye drops.

Methods: Nineteen participants were prescribed Ikervis prophylaxis once daily to both eyes from 3-5 weeks pre-HSCT to 12 months post-HSCT.

Corneal elastic property investigated by terahertz technology.

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy technique has been applied in ex vivo biomechanical properties analysis of human corneas. Upon the application of light pressure on the cornea, the photo elastic birefringent effect, anisotropic deformation, thickness changes and hydration levels will contribute to the sudden phase changes of terahertz time domain signal. The shelf lifetime study shows that the phase shift is reduced and cornea loose the biomechanical properties with the increase of hydration level.

Correlation of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Characteristics with Visual Function to Define Vision-Threatening Diabetic Macular Ischemia.

The thresholds of macular microvasculature parameters associated with mild visual impairment in diabetic macular ischemia (DMI) patients are unclear. Therefore, this prospective observational study is aimed at demonstrating the optical coherence tomography angiography parameters that best correlate with mild visual impairment (<70 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letters, Snellen equivalent 20/40) in DMI. The study was completed at the Moorfields Eye Hospital from December 2019 to August 2021.

Shapley variable importance cloud for interpretable machine learning.

Interpretable machine learning has been focusing on explaining final models that optimize performance. The state-of-the-art Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) locally explains the variable impact on individual predictions and has recently been extended to provide global assessments across the dataset. Our work further extends "global" assessments to a set of models that are "good enough" and are practically as relevant as the final model to a prediction task.

Evaluation of Ocular Biometric and Optical Coherence Tomography Parameters in Preterm Children Without Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Purpose: To evaluate and compare biometric and optical coherence tomography parameters of ocular structures in preterm children without retinopathy of prematurity with term children.

Methods: A cross-sectional, comparative study was carried out from 2018 to 2019. In this study, 124 eyes of 62 preterm children were compared with 132 eyes of 66 term children aged between 7 and 9 years.

Novel volumetric imaging biomarkers for assessing disease activity in eyes with PCV.

The aim of this study was to evaluate influence of baseline imaging features on visual and anatomical outcomes in eyes with PCV treated with anti-VEGF monotherapy. In this prospective study we enrolled participants with treatment-naïve PCV who followed a treat-and-extend protocol using intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) monotherapy. Baseline clinical features evaluatedincluded best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), traditional features such as lesion size, fluid-related OCT parameters and novel parameters using automated software.

Molecular mechanisms of amyloid disaggregation.

Introduction: Protein aggregation and deposition of uniformly arranged amyloid fibrils in the form of plaques or amorphous aggregates is characteristic of amyloid diseases. The accumulation and deposition of proteins result in toxicity and cause deleterious effects on affected individuals known as amyloidosis. There are about fifty different proteins and peptides involved in amyloidosis including neurodegenerative diseases and diseases affecting vital organs.

Effect of peripheral iridectomy on VEGF-A and TGF-β levels in rabbit aqueous humour.

Background: Peripheral iridectomy (PI), routinely performed during glaucoma filtration surgery, may contribute to scarring. This study aims to determine whether PI alters the concentrations of VEGF-A and TGF-β isoforms in the rabbit aqueous humour.

Methods: Anterior chamber paracentesis (ACP) was performed in both eyes of six New Zealand white rabbits, with additional surgical PI performed in the right eyes.