Osmoprotectants, carboxymethylcellulose and hyaluronic acid multi-ingredient eye drop: a randomised controlled trial in moderate to severe dry eye.

PurposeTo assess the safety and efficacy of an eye drop combining osmoprotectants, carboxymethylcellulose and hyaluronic acid (O/CMC/HA) in reducing symptomatic, moderate to severe dry eye, compared with HA.MethodsIn this investigator-masked, randomised study, patients instilled 1-2 drops/eye of O/CMC/HA or HA (2-6 times/day) for 3 months. Primary endpoint: mean change in Global Ocular Staining Score (GOSS) from baseline at day 35.

Clinical impact of inflammation in dry eye disease: proceedings of the ODISSEY group meeting.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a common, multifactorial ocular condition with major impact on vision and quality of life. It is now well recognized that the pathophysiology of chronic DED can include a cycle of inflammation involving both innate and adaptive immune responses. Recently, in vitro/in vivo models have been used to obtain a better understanding of DED-related inflammatory processes at molecular/cellular levels although they do not truly reproduce the complex and chronic hallmarks of human DED.

Effects of music intervention on anxiety and pain reduction in ambulatory maxillofacial and otorhinolaryngology surgery: a descriptive survey of 27 cases.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine patients' opinion regarding listening to music before an ambulatory maxillofacial surgery and effects on anxiety and pain reduction.

Methods: This study was conducted on outpatients having a maxillofacial surgery between December 2015 and April 2016 at Poissy/Saint-Germain-en-Laye hospital (France). Patients listened with headphones to an easy-listening music in the operation theater before the first ambulation.

[Diplopia: An important symptom in internal medicine!].

Diplopia is defined as "double vision" when looking at a single object. Monocular diplopia is related to an ocular disorder and must be differentiated from binocular diplopia which is secondary to ocular misalignment. The examination of the patient with binocular diplopia is often challenging for non-specialists.

Reorganization of early visual cortex functional connectivity following selective peripheral and central visual loss.

Behavioral alterations emerging after central or peripheral vision loss suggest that cerebral reorganization occurs for both the afferented and deafferented early visual cortex (EVC). We explored the functional reorganization of the central and peripheral EVC following visual field defects specifically affecting central or peripheral vision. Compared to normally sighted, afferented central and peripheral EVC enhance their functional connectivity with areas involved in visual processing, whereas deafferented central and peripheral EVC increase their functional connectivity with more remote regions.

Generation of Storable Retinal Organoids and Retinal Pigmented Epithelium from Adherent Human iPS Cells in Xeno-Free and Feeder-Free Conditions.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are potentially useful in regenerative therapies for retinal disease. For medical applications, therapeutic retinal cells, such as retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells or photoreceptor precursors, must be generated under completely defined conditions. To this purpose, we have developed a two-step xeno-free/feeder-free (XF/FF) culture system to efficiently differentiate hiPSCs into retinal cells.

Effect of benzalkonium chloride on trabecular meshwork cells in a new in vitro 3D trabecular meshwork model for glaucoma.

Purpose: To validate a new culture model of primary human trabecular meshwork cells (p-hTMCs) using Matrigel®, in order to mimic in vitro 3D-TM organization, and to investigate the proinflammatory effect of benzalkonium chloride (BAK) in 3D p-hTMC cultures.

Methods: p-hTMCs, seeded onto Matrigel®-coated inserts were stimulated with BAK (10%), dexamethasone (DEX) (10M) or transforming growth factor-beta 2 (TGF-β2) (5ng/ml) for 48h and observed with confocal microscopy. The BAK effect at 10% or 5.

Emerging strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction: Proceedings of the OCEAN group meeting.

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a common and chronic disorder that has a significant adverse impact on patients' quality of life. It is a leading cause of evaporative dry eye disease (DED), as meibomian glands play an important role in providing lipids to the tear film, which helps to retard the evaporation of tears from the ocular surface. MGD is also often present in conjunction with primary aqueous-deficient DED.

Visual acuity and quality of life in dry eye disease: Proceedings of the OCEAN group meeting.

Dry eye disease (DED) results in tear film instability and hyperosmolarity, inflammation of the ocular surface and, ultimately, visual disturbance that can significantly impact a patient's quality of life. The effects on visual acuity result in difficulties with driving, reading and computer use and negatively impact psychological health. These effects also extend to the workplace, with a loss of productivity and quality of work causing substantial economic losses.

Combined tomography and epithelial thickness mapping for diagnosis of keratoconus.

Purpose: Scanning Scheimpflug provides information regarding corneal thickness and 2-surface topography while arc-scanned high-frequency ultrasound allows depiction of the epithelial and stromal thickness distributions. Both techniques are useful in detection of keratoconus. Our aim was to develop and test a keratoconus classifier combining information from both methods.

ANGPTL4-αvβ3 interaction counteracts hypoxia-induced vascular permeability by modulating Src signalling downstream of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2.

Dynamic control of endothelial cell junctions is essential for vascular homeostasis and angiogenesis. We recently provided genetic evidence that ANGPTL4 is a key regulator of vascular integrity both during developmental and in hypoxia-induced pathological conditions. The purpose of the present study was to decipher the molecular mechanisms through which ANGPTL4 regulates vascular integrity.

[Neuropsychological benefit of cataract surgery among sight impaired Alzheimer's patient].

Purpose: Evaluation of neuropsychological benefits of cataract surgery for 46 Alzheimer patients on the basis of neuropsychiatric index (NPI), as the principal criterion of analysis of the VIVA study.

Methods: Prospective, monocentric neuropsychiatric study, performed from 2005 to 2011. All Alzheimer's patients with 10 View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Improvements in vision-related quality of life in blind patients implanted with the Argus II Epiretinal Prosthesis.

Background: The purpose of this analysis is to report the change in quality of life (QoL) after treatment with the Argus II Epiretinal Prosthesis in patients with end-stage retinitis pigmentosa.

Methods: The Vision and Quality of Life Index (VisQoL) was used to assess changes in QoL dimensions and overall utility score in a prospective 30-patient single-arm clinical study. VisQoL is a multi-attribute instrument consisting of six dimensions (injury, life, roles, assistance, activity and friendship) that may be affected by visual impairment.

Consensus Paper: Cerebellum and Emotion.

Over the past three decades, insights into the role of the cerebellum in emotional processing have substantially increased. Indeed, methodological refinements in cerebellar lesion studies and major technological advancements in the field of neuroscience are in particular responsible to an exponential growth of knowledge on the topic. It is timely to review the available data and to critically evaluate the current status of the role of the cerebellum in emotion and related domains.

An innovative strategy for the molecular diagnosis of Usher syndrome identifies causal biallelic mutations in 93% of European patients.

Usher syndrome (USH), the most prevalent cause of hereditary deafness-blindness, is an autosomal recessive and genetically heterogeneous disorder. Three clinical subtypes (USH1-3) are distinguishable based on the severity of the sensorineural hearing impairment, the presence or absence of vestibular dysfunction, and the age of onset of the retinitis pigmentosa. A total of 10 causal genes, 6 for USH1, 3 for USH2, and 1 for USH3, and an USH2 modifier gene, have been identified.

Five-Year Safety and Performance Results from the Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System Clinical Trial.

Purpose: The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System (Second Sight Medical Products, Inc, Sylmar, CA) was developed to restore some vision to patients blind as a result of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or outer retinal degeneration. A clinical trial was initiated in 2006 to study the long-term safety and efficacy of the Argus II System in patients with bare or no light perception resulting from end-stage RP.

Design: Prospective, multicenter, single-arm clinical trial.

Subretinal mononuclear phagocytes induce cone segment loss via IL-1β.

Photo-transduction in cone segments (CS) is crucial for high acuity daytime vision. For ill-defined reasons, CS degenerate in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and in the transitional zone (TZ) of atrophic zones (AZ), which characterize geographic atrophy (GA). Our experiments confirm the loss of cone segments (CS) in the TZ of patients with GA and show their association with subretinal CD14(+)mononuclear phagocyte (MP) infiltration that is also reported in RP.

Visual Acuity Loss and Associated Risk Factors in the Retrospective Progression of Stargardt Disease Study (ProgStar Report No. 2).

Purpose: To examine the association between characteristics of Stargardt disease and visual acuity (VA), to estimate the longitudinal rate of VA loss, and to identify risk factors for VA loss.

Design: Retrospective, multicenter cohort study.

Participants: A total of 176 patients (332 eyes) with molecularly and clinically confirmed Stargardt disease enrolled from the United States and Europe.

[Migraine with visual aura].

Migraine with visual aura is marked by recurrent episodes of transient visual disturbance, often followed by headaches. Its pathophysiology has not been fully understood, but visual auras might be related to a self-propagating wave of cortical depolarization called "cortical spreading depression", triggering a trigemino-vascular "storm" ultimately leading to headaches. The most specific visual symptom is the "fortification spectrum" consisting of glimmering jagged lines spreading from the center to the periphery, and leaving a transient scotoma in its wake.