The Ocular Surface and the Anterior Segment of the Eye in the Pseudoexfoliation Syndrome: A Comprehensive Review.

Pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PXS) is an age-related fibrillopathy where fibrillar exfoliation material accumulates and deposits in ocular and extra-ocular tissue. Within the eye, this substance accumulates on the ocular surface and in the anterior segment of the eye, impacting ocular structures such as the conjunctiva, Tenon's capsule, sclera, cornea, iris, ciliary body, trabecular meshwork, and lens. This review aims to collate the current literature on how each anatomical part of the eye is affected by PXS, with a strong focus on molecular changes.

Current and Emerging Therapeutic Strategies for the Management of Neurotrophic Keratitis.

Neurotrophic keratitis is a rare eye condition characterised by reduced or absent corneal sensation. This leads to impaired corneal healing through a loss of protective mechanisms such as blinking. The cornea becomes vulnerable to persistent epithelial defects, ulceration, infection and ultimately, vision loss or loss of the eye.

Characterisation of the ocular inflammatory response to AAV reveals divergence by sex and age.

Progress for ocular AAV gene therapy has been hindered by AAV-induced inflammation, limiting dose escalation and long-term efficacy. Broadly, the extent of inflammatory responses alters with age and sex, yet these factors are poorly represented in pre-clinical development of ocular AAV gene therapies. Here, we combined clinical imaging, flow cytometry and bulk-sequencing of sorted microglia to interrogate the longitudinal inflammatory response following intravitreal delivery of AAV2 in young (3-month), middle aged (9-month) and old (18-month) Cx3cr1-creER:R26tdTomato+/- mice of both sexes.

User-Centred Design and Development of a Smartphone Application () for Digital Phenotyping in Ophthalmology.

Background: Visual impairment can significantly impact an individual's daily activities. Patients require regular monitoring, typically occurring within hospital eye services. Capacity constraints have necessitated innovative solutions to improve patient care.

Oxidative Stress, Inflammation and Altered Glucose Metabolism Contribute to the Retinal Phenotype in the Choroideremia Zebrafish.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the retina play a key role in maintaining function and cell survival. However, excessive ROS can lead to oxidative stress, inducing dysregulation of metabolic and inflammatory pathways. The zebrafish models choroideremia (CHM), an X-linked chorioretinal dystrophy, which predominantly affects the photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and choroid.

Opportunities and Challenges of Chatbots in Ophthalmology: A Narrative Review.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly influential in ophthalmology, particularly through advancements in machine learning, deep learning, robotics, neural networks, and natural language processing (NLP). Among these, NLP-based chatbots are the most readily accessible and are driven by AI-based large language models (LLMs). These chatbots have facilitated new research avenues and have gained traction in both clinical and surgical applications in ophthalmology.

Corneal Artificial Endothelial Layer (EndoArt): Literature Review and Our Experience.

: The objective of this study was to examine the morphological corneal changes and outcomes following the implantation of an artificial endothelial layer (EndoArt) in patients with chronic corneal oedema. : A systematic review of the literature was conducted alongside a detailed analysis of two clinical cases with chronic corneal oedema that were treated using EndoArt. Our experience with these two cases is included to provide practical insights and real-world outcomes.

The Role of Immune Cells and Signaling Pathways in Diabetic Eye Disease: A Comprehensive Review.

Diabetic eye disease (DED) encompasses a range of ocular complications arising from diabetes mellitus, including diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, diabetic keratopathy, diabetic cataract, and glaucoma. These conditions are leading causes of visual impairments and blindness, especially among working-age adults. Despite advancements in our understanding of DED, its underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain incompletely understood.

Clinical Outcomes of Modified Manual Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty for Eyes with Previous Radial Keratotomy.

: The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraoperative complications and visual outcomes of manual deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (mDALK) in patients who underwent previous radial keratotomy (RK) for myopia. : The notes of patients who underwent mDALK after RK at three different hospitals-San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital (Rome, Italy), Mount Saint Joseph Hospital (Vancouver, Canada), and Tor Vergata University Hospital (Rome, Italy)-were retrospectively reviewed. We analyzed the manual dissection success rate and conversion to penetrating keratoplasty (PK), the residual recipient stromal thickness, the postoperative corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), postoperative refraction, and topographic astigmatism.

Brolucizumab in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration: Real-life outcomes from a tertiary care eye hospital.

Purpose: To report real-world clinical evidence of brolucizumab in treating neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: This study included 37 eyes with nAMD treated with intravitreal injections of brolucizumab. The main outcomes were best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) changes, central retinal thickness (CRT), and serious ocular adverse events.

No Evidence That Vitamin D Levels or Deficiency Are Associated with the Risk of Open-Angle Glaucoma in Individuals of European Ancestry: A Mendelian Randomisation Analysis.

Background: Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, with intraocular pressure as the only known modifiable risk factor. Vitamin D has been proposed to influence intraocular pressure and decrease retinal ganglion cell degeneration. Based on these findings, vitamin D has been suggested to prevent or reduce the severity of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), which is the most common form.

Incidence and outcomes of post-operative endophthalmitis following elective phacoemulsification cataract surgery, between 2015 and 2022.

Background: Cataract surgery remains the commonest ophthalmic surgical procedure in the UK. Post-operative endophthalmitis (POE) is a sight-threatening complication. This study presents the incidence and outcomes of POE within Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MEH) in London, UK.

Daylight and Electric Lighting in Primary and Secondary School Classrooms in the UK-An Observational Study.

Only a few recent studies report direct assessment or monitoring of light levels in the indoor learning environment, and no consensus exists on minimum exposures for children's health. For instance, myopia is a common progressive condition, with genetic and environmental risk factors. Reduced daylight exposure, electric lighting changes, increased near-work for school children, greater academic focus, and use of display screens and white boards may have important detrimental influences.

The effect of four loading intravitreal aflibercept injections on macular fluid in treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of four versus three loading aflibercept injections on macular fluid resolution and visual acuity (VA) in exudative neovascular AMD (nAMD).

Methods: Multicentre, retrospective cohort study of treatment naïve nAMD eyes undergoing 3 versus 4 loading doses of aflibercept. Change in VA and fluid resolution on optical coherence tomography (OCT), were evaluated at 8 weeks post loading.

Enhanced Learning and Memory in Patients with Retinopathy.

Unlabelled: Mutations in the gene are associated with a diverse spectrum of retinopathies with phenotypic variability causing severe visual impairment. The gene has a role in retinal development and is expressed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus, but its role in cognition has not been described before. This study compares cognitive function in retinopathy individuals with subjects with other retinopathies and the normal population.

Adenylyl Cyclase in Ocular Health and Disease: A Comprehensive Review.

Adenylyl cyclases (ACs) are a group of enzymes that convert adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) to cyclic adenosine 3',5' monophosphate (cAMP), a vital and ubiquitous signalling molecule in cellular responses to hormones and neurotransmitters. There are nine transmembrane (tmAC) forms, which have been widely studied; however, the tenth, soluble AC (sAC) is less extensively characterised. The eye is one of the most metabolically active sites in the body, where sAC has been found in abundance, making it a target for novel therapeutics and biomarking.

The Fate of RPE Cells Following hESC-RPE Patch Transplantation in Haemorrhagic Wet AMD: Pigmentation, Extension of Pigmentation, Thickness of Transplant, Assessment for Proliferation and Visual Function-A 5 Year-Follow Up.

(1) Background: We reviewed a stem cell-derived therapeutic strategy for advanced neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) using a human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (hESC-RPE) monolayer delivered on a coated, synthetic basement membrane (BM)-the patch-and assessed the presence and distribution of hESC-RPE over 5 years following transplantation, as well as functional outcomes. (2) Methods: Two subjects with acute vision loss due to sub-macular haemorrhage in advanced nAMD received the hESC-RPE patch. Systematic immunosuppression was used peri-operatively followed by local depot immunosuppression.

Increasing the diagnostic yield of childhood glaucoma cases recruited into the 100,000 Genomes Project.

Childhood glaucoma (CG) encompasses a heterogeneous group of genetic eye disorders that is responsible for approximately 5% of childhood blindness worldwide. Understanding the molecular aetiology is key to improving diagnosis, prognosis and unlocking the potential for optimising clinical management. In this study, we investigated 86 CG cases from 78 unrelated families of diverse ethnic backgrounds, recruited into the Genomics England 100,000 Genomes Project (GE100KGP) rare disease cohort, to improve the genetic diagnostic yield.