Approaches for delivery of refractive and optical care services in community and primary care settings.

Background: Uncorrected refractive error is a leading cause of vision impairment which, in most cases, can be managed with the appropriate spectacle correction. In 2021, the World Health Assembly endorsed a global target of a 40-percentage-point increase in effective coverage of refractive error by 2030. To achieve this global target, equitable access to refractive and optical services within community and primary care settings needs to be strengthened.

Anti-angiogenic biomolecules in neovascular age-related macular degeneration; therapeutics and drug delivery systems.

Blindness in the elderly is often caused by age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The advanced type of AMD known as neovascular AMD (nAMD) has been linked to being the predominant cause of visual impairment in these people. Multiple neovascular structures including choroidal neovascular (CNV) membranes, fluid exudation, hemorrhages, and subretinal fibrosis, are diagnostic of nAMD.

Risk of Induction of Corneal Neovascularization with Topical Erythropoietin: An Animal Safety Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the pro-angiogenic effect of topical erythropoietin on cornea in chemical burn-injured rabbit eyes.

Methods: The corneal alkali-burn injury was induced in 10 eyes of 10 rabbits using filter paper saturated with 1.0 mol sodium hydroxide.

The Effect of Early Posttrabeculectomy Bleb Leakage on Surgical Outcome: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of early posttrabeculectomy bleb leakage on trabeculectomy surgery outcomes and success rate.

Methods: The present prospective cohort study was conducted on 203 eyes of 203 patients who underwent trabeculectomy at Torfeh and Imam Hossein Medical Centers, Tehran, Iran, between 2016 and 2021. Patients were divided into two groups: those with early bleb leakage (within the 1 month of surgery) and those without bleb leakage.

Polymeric Propranolol Nanoparticles for Intraocular Delivery: Formulation, Characterization, and Vitreous Pharmacokinetics.

Purpose: Recent studies have reported the promising effect of intravitreal propranolol on retinal neovascularization. However, rapid clearance and short half-life of the drug in the vitreous are the main drawbacks of this therapeutic approach. This study investigates the extension of the residence time of propranolol in the vitreous by polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) with the prospect of improving choroidal neovascularization treatment.

Short-Term Effects of Adding Topical Ketorolac to Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Diabetic Macular Edema: A Crossover Randomized Clinical Trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the short-term additive effects of topical ketorolac to intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in the management of center-involved diabetic macular edema (CI-DME).

Methods: In a randomized double-masked placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial, eyes with CI-DME and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) between (20/40) and (20/400) were included. These eyes should have had at least one intravitreal anti-VEGF injection in the preceding two months.

A Novel Ornithine Aminotransferase Splice Site Mutation Causes Vitamin B6-Responsive Gyrate Atrophy.

Purpose: Gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina (GACR) is a rare congenital disorder and mutations in the ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) gene has been specified as the underlying cause. Patients show a high level of ornithine in body fluids which may be controlled by low protein diets. Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) supplementation may also be effective, however, most patients appear to be nonresponsive to this modality of treatment.

Modification of a Selective NTRK2 Agonist and Confirmation of Activity in a Glaucoma-on-a-Chip Model.

Purpose: RNYK is a selective agonist of the neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor type 2 (NTRK2) which has been screened from a phage-displayed peptide library. Its sequence is SGVYKVAYDWQH, similar to a native NTRK2 ligand, that is, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The current study was performed to recognize and confirm critical residues for RNYK activity in a glaucoma-on-a-chip model.

A Framework for Future Analysis of Ophthalmology Fellowships in Iran: Call for Action, Implications and Recommendations.

Ophthalmology fellowship is focusing on the educational advancement, medical research progress and academic productivity by transforming general ophthalmologists into superior clinical capacities in ophthalmology. There is a vast majority of ophthalmologists who wish to undertake fellowship degrees. The fellowship programs have several benefits for ophthalmologists and medical institutions.

Femtosecond thin-flap laser assisted in situ keratomileusis for correction of post-penetrating keratoplasty ametropia: long-term outcome.

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term clinical outcomes of femtosecond thin-flap LASIK (femto-LASIK) for correction of refractive error after penetrating keratoplasty in keratoconus-affected eyes.

Setting: a private ophthalmology clinic.

Design: Prospective interventional case series.

Text mining of hypertension researches in the west Asia region: a 12-year trend analysis.

More than half of the world population lives in Asia and hypertension (HTN) is the most prevalent risk factor found in Asia. There are numerous articles published about HTN in Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO) and artificial intelligence (AI) methods can analyze articles and extract top trends in each country. Present analysis uses Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) as an algorithm of topic modeling (TM) in text mining, to obtain subjective topic-word distribution from the 2790 studies over the EMRO.

Topical erythropoietin for the management of scleral necrosis after ocular chemical burns.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of topical erythropoietin for chemical burn induced scleral necrosis.

Methods: This study included 18 eyes of 16 patients with chemical burn induced scleral necrosis who presented within 6 weeks of the injury. In the prospective arm, 11 eyes received topical erythropoietin, 3000 IU/mL every 6 h, along with standard medical treatment.

Compared to oxcarbazepine and carbamazepine, botulinum toxin type A is a useful therapeutic option for trigeminal neuralgia symptoms: A systematic review.

Objectives: This review aimed to compare the effectiveness of three treatments: BTX A, CBZ, and OXB, in managing trigeminal neuralgia (TN).

Material And Methods: We conducted a thorough search for research articles related to our issue using specific keywords on several databases, including Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, Elsevier, Springer Journals, Ovid Medline, EBSCO, and Web of Science. Our focus was on publications from 1965 to 2023.

Superior Oblique Muscle Extramedullary Plasmacytoma in a Patient with Multiple Myeloma and a Review of Literature.

Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM), a plasma cell malignancy, is a systemic disease affecting various body organs. Plasmacytoma of bone and extramedullary disease (EMD) are presentations of MM. EMD is usually the sign of a more aggressive form of the disease.

Optical coherence tomography angiography in diabetic retinopathy: A major review.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is characterized by retinal vasculopathy and is a leading cause of visual impairment. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is an innovative imaging technology that can detect various pathologies and quantifiable changes in retinal microvasculature. We briefly describe its functional principles and advantages over fluorescein angiography and perform a comprehensive review on its clinical applications in the screening or management of people with prediabetes, diabetes without clinical retinopathy (NDR), nonproliferative DR (NPDR), proliferative DR (PDR), and diabetic macular edema (DME).

Keratoconus: exploring fundamentals and future perspectives - a comprehensive systematic review.

Background: New developments in artificial intelligence, particularly with promising results in early detection and management of keratoconus, have favorably altered the natural history of the disease over the last few decades. Features of artificial intelligence in different machine such as anterior segment optical coherence tomography, and femtosecond laser technique have improved safety, precision, effectiveness, and predictability of treatment modalities of keratoconus (from contact lenses to keratoplasty techniques). These options ingrained in artificial intelligence are already underway and allow ophthalmologist to approach disease in the most non-invasive way.

Determinants of multimorbidity in older adults in Iran: a cross-sectional study using latent class analysis on the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program.

Background And Objectives: Multimorbidity, defined as the presence of two or more long-term health conditions in an individual, is one of the most significant challenges facing health systems worldwide. This study aimed to identify determinants of classes of multimorbidity among older adults in Iran.

Research Design And Methods: In a cross-sectional sample of older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) from the second stage of the Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) program in southern Iran, latent class analysis (LCA) was used to identify patterns of multimorbidity.

Bilateral helicoid peri-papillary sub-retinal fibrosis due to a biallelic mutation: Describing variable expressivity of a mutation.

Background: To describe different clinical presentations of a same recessive mutation in two families and within one family.

Design: Interventional family study.

Results: Our first case was a one-year-old male child with high hyperopia and refractive accommodative esotropia.

Expression Profiling of (L) Superfamily of Genes in Various Human Eye Tissues.

Background: A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) is a superfamily of extracellular proteinases found in both mammals and invertebrates. Although there is some evidence about the role of ADAMTSs in ocular diseases such as glaucoma and ectopia lentis, but there is little information about the expression patterns of and ADAMTS-like ( and ) genes in human ocular tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the expression profiling of (L) superfamily of genes in different ocular tissues based on age.

Vision-related quality of life in patients with retinal vein occlusion.

Purpose: This study aims to assess the vision-related quality of life in patients with retinal vein occlusion (RVO) among those referred to Labbafinejad Medical Center and Imam Hossein Hospital between 2019 and 2021.

Methods: This comparative study included 37 eligible patients diagnosed with various types of RVO, with an average age of 61 ± 9. To ensure data validity, we included 74 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals.

The effect of combination therapy with intravitreal bevacizumab and topical timolol-dorzolamide eye drops on diabetic macular edema: a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

Background: The mainstay of treatment in diabetic macular edema (DME) is intravitreal administration of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGFs). Aqueous depressants may enhance the effects of anti-VEGF agents by prolonging their clearance via aqueous outflow.

Purpose: To compare the anatomical and functional outcomes of treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) and topical timolol-dorzolamide versus IVB alone.