1,596 results match your criteria: "University of Houston College of Optometry; Houston[Affiliation]"

Purpose: To assess the safety of acoustic radiation force optical coherence elastography in the crystalline lens in situ.

Methods: Acoustic radiation force (ARF) produced by an immersion single-element ultrasound transducer (nominal frequency = 3.5 MHz) was characterized using a needle hydrophone and used for optical coherence elastography (OCE) of the crystalline lens.

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Neurons use cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs) to interact with other neurons and the extracellular environment: the combination of CAMs specifies migration patterns, neuronal morphologies, and synaptic connections across diverse neuron types. Yet little is known regarding the intracellular signaling cascade mediating the CAM recognitions at the cell surface across different neuron types. In this study, we investigated the neural developmental role of Afadin, a cytosolic adapter protein that connects multiple CAM families to intracellular F-actin.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study emphasizes the importance of identifying when visual acuity (VA) in amblyopia patients has stabilized to inform treatment choices.
  • The researchers simulated various VA measurements to assess the accuracy (false-positive and false-negative rates) of different rules for determining VA stability across multiple visits and treatments.
  • Results showed significant variability in false-positive and false-negative rates depending on the measurement rules used, suggesting that clinicians should choose rules based on whether they want to minimize overlooking stabilization or misclassifying improvement.
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Purpose: To characterize private equity (PE) acquisition of ophthalmology and optometry practices and compare procedural utilization before and after acquisition.

Methods: Ophthalmologists and optometrists in practices acquired from 2012 to 2016 were identified and characterized using an internet archive with an additional search in 2017 to characterize doctor turnover. United States Census Bureau and Internal Revenue Service Data were used to determine population health insurance and adjusted gross income (AGI).

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Visual Improvement With Wavefront-Guided Scleral Lenses for Irregular Corneal Astigmatism.

Eye Contact Lens

December 2024

Cornea and Laser Eye Institute-CLEI Center for Keratoconus (J.D.G., B.S., T.P., C.E., P.S.H., S.A.G.), Teaneck, NJ; Department of Ophthalmology (J.D.G., D.K., P.S.H., S.A.G.), Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ; TX; OVITZ Corporation (N.B., J.W.), Rochester, NY; College of Optometry (G.Y.), University of Houston, Houston, TX.

Purpose: To report interim results of a single center, randomized, double-blind, crossover-controlled clinical trial comparing wavefront-guided (wfg) scleral lenses (SLs) to traditional scleral lenses (tSLs) for patients with a history of irregular corneal astigmatism (ICA).

Methods: Thirty-one ICA eyes of 18 participants were reviewed, 23 with keratoconus, six postcorneal refractive ectasia, and two postpenetrating keratoplasty. Patients with corneal or lens opacities were not excluded from participating.

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Article Synopsis
  • The text discusses the importance of forecasting future health issues in the USA for effective planning and public awareness regarding disease and injury burdens.
  • It describes the methodology for predicting life expectancy, cause-specific mortality, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) from 2022 to 2050 using the Global Burden of Diseases framework.
  • The forecasting includes various scenarios to assess the potential impacts of health risks and improvements across the country, focusing on demographic trends and health-related risk factors.
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Adult Myopia Progression.

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci

November 2024

College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, United States.

Purpose: To explore evidence for myopic shift between the ages of 20 and 50 years.

Methods: Three usable sets of data with long-term adult refractive progression were identified: (1) US population-based prevalence data for those 18 to 24 years of age in 1971 and 1972 and 45 to 54 years of age from 1999 to 2004; a logit transformation of prevalence values at different refractive error thresholds allowed estimation of myopic progression in this group. (2) German clinical data describing 5- to 10-year progression for different refractive error groupings across 5-year age bands from 20 to 49 years; these were extracted, adjusted, and analyzed.

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We investigated how long-term visual experience with habitual spherical aberration (SA) influences subjective depth of focus (DoF). Nine healthy cycloplegic eyes with habitual SAs of different signs and magnitudes were enrolled. An adaptive optics (AO) visual simulator was used to measure through-focus high-contrast visual acuity after correcting all monochromatic aberrations and imposing + 0.

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Introduction: Keratoconus (KC) is the most prevalent corneal ectasia in the world and its pathogenesis is influenced by both ocular and systemic factors. This review explores the multifaceted associations between keratoconus and systemic health conditions, ocular characteristics, and various other environmental/exogenous factors, aiming to illuminate how these relationships influence the pathophysiology of the disease.

Areas Covered: This review will summarize the fundamental attributes of KC, review and discuss the systemic and ocular association of KC including molecular biomarkers, and provide an organized overview of the parallel alterations occurring within various biological pathways in KC.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated factors linked to myopia progression and axial elongation in children with myopia.
  • It analyzed data from a trial comparing atropine treatment with a placebo, focusing on children aged 5 to <13 with specific refractive errors and other characteristics.
  • Results showed that younger children and those with higher initial myopia experienced more significant changes in refractive error and axial length, highlighting the need for treatments to slow progression in this at-risk group.
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Referral Pattern and Comanagement of Patients With Keratoconus in West Africa: A Survey-Based Study of Optometrists in Ghana and Nigeria.

Eye Contact Lens

October 2024

Cornea and Contact Lens Unit (C.J.O., S.B.), De Lens Ophthalmic Family and Vision Care Centre, Abuja, Nigeria; Department of Optometry and Visual Science (E.K.-A., P.A.), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Centre for Eye Research Ireland (E.K.-A.), Environmental Sustainability and Health Institute, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Permeff Eye Care (P.E.T.), Accra, Ghana; First Vision Eye Care (L.A.A.K.), Kumasi, Ghana; and College of Optometry (P.A.), University of Houston, Houston, TX.

Article Synopsis
  • - The study aimed to analyze how primary eye care practitioners in Ghana and Nigeria refer and manage patients with keratoconus, utilizing a survey sent out via email and social media.
  • - Out of 169 responses, the majority of optometrists lacked access to necessary equipment like corneal topographers, were hesitant to fit rigid gas-permeable (RGP) lenses due to various barriers, and acknowledged the need for further training to improve their skills.
  • - Results indicated significant gaps in the management of keratoconus, with many practitioners unaware of local corneal surgeons, suggesting a need for improved clinical guidelines and training in West Africa.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study analyzed global, regional, and national trends in injury burden and identified risk factors contributing to injuries using data from the GBD 2019.
  • In 2019, there were approximately 713.9 million injury incidents and 4.3 million injury-related deaths globally, with low bone mineral density emerging as the leading risk factor.
  • The findings emphasize the need for effective global injury prevention policies by highlighting the persistent impact of injuries on global health.
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Toxicity of nuclear-localized GFP in reporter mice.

Sci Rep

October 2024

College of Optometry, University of Houston, 4401 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77204-2020, USA.

Various techniques using fluorescent reporter probes have been developed, such as GFP transgenic mouse lines that are used to detect spatial-temporal expression levels of genes. Although GFP expression is largely considered non-toxic, recent reports have indicated that under certain conditions GFP can display cellular toxicity. We hereby report the nuclear toxicity of H2B-GFP using a K14 specific Tet-on reporter mouse system.

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ChatGPT for Addressing Patient-centered Frequently Asked Questions in Glaucoma Clinical Practice.

Ophthalmol Glaucoma

October 2024

School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia; Centre for Eye Health, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Concord Clinical School, Concord Repatriation General Hospital, Concord, New South Wales, Australia. Electronic address:

Purpose: Large language models such as ChatGPT-3.5 are often used by the public to answer questions related to daily life, including health advice. This study evaluated the responses of ChatGPT-3.

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Chirp excitation for natural frequency optical coherence elastography.

Biomed Opt Express

October 2024

Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Intelligent Micro-Nano Optoelectronic Technology Joint Laboratory, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Foshan University, Foshan, Guangdong 528000, China.

Optical coherence elastography (OCE) has recently been used to characterize the natural frequencies of delicate tissues (e.g., the human cornea) with sub-micron tissue oscillation magnitudes.

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Standard automated perimetry for glaucoma and diseases of the retina and visual pathways: Current and future perspectives.

Prog Retin Eye Res

January 2025

School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia; School of Medicine (Optometry), Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC, Australia; College of Optometry, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Static automated perimetry (SAP) is a crucial technique for evaluating visual field function in conditions like glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, although its basic methodology has remained largely unchanged since the 1980s.
  • Ongoing research is aimed at addressing issues such as optimizing testing parameters, understanding the impact of subjective responses, and aligning structural and functional assessments for better defect detection.
  • The manuscript will discuss psychophysical principles, propose frameworks for improving tests, and explore methods to enhance clinical outcomes by reconciling subjective responses with objective measurements.
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The synthetic peptide of lumican C-terminal 13 amino acids with the cysteine replaced by an alanine, hereafter referred to as lumikine (LumC13: YEALRVANEVTLN), binds to TGFβ type I receptor/activin-like kinase5 (TBR1/ALK5) in the activated TGFβ receptor complex to promote corneal epithelial wound healing. The present study aimed to identify the minimum essential amino acid epitope necessary to exert the effects of lumikine via ALK5 and to determine the role of the Y (tyrosine) residue for promoting corneal epithelium wound healing. This study also aimed to determine the signaling pathway(s) triggered by lumican-ALK5 binding.

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Article Synopsis
  • Gap junctions made by the connexin Cx36 are crucial for electrical signaling between neurons, helping synchronize their activities and support network oscillations.
  • The transport pathways of Cx36 from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus are investigated using HEK293T cells, revealing the importance of its C-terminal region in binding to the COPII complex and the Golgi stacking protein Grasp55.
  • The C-terminal valine functions as a signal for ER export, aiding in Cx36's movement from the ER, while Grasp55 helps stabilize Cx36 in the Golgi, both of which play significant roles in the regulation and formation of electrical synapses in the nervous system.
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Efficacy in myopia control-The impact of rebound.

Ophthalmic Physiol Opt

January 2025

Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA.

Purpose: When myopia control treatment is discontinued, progression will increase, but does it revert to expected values based on the age and race of the child or does it accelerate further? The latter scenario is considered a rebound.

Methods: A PubMed search was conducted with the words 'rebound' and 'myopia control', identifying further papers from reviews. Inclusion was limited to prospective studies with ≥6 months of treatment, ≥3 months of data following cessation and with axial length data, which allowed calculation of rebound.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the relationship between the prevalence of high myopia and myopia, noting that as overall myopia rates increase, high myopia rates rise at a faster rate.
  • It uses data from 41 datasets to model how changes in myopia prevalence impact the prevalence of high myopia, demonstrating that the ratio of increase varies with overall myopia rates.
  • The findings suggest that while interventions may effectively influence high myopia prevalence, strategies aimed at delaying the onset of myopia will be more impactful for both conditions.
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Article Synopsis
  • * Recent efforts to stop smoking haven't been put into action yet, and it’s important to see what could happen if smoking rates stay the same or improve.
  • * Researchers used models to predict health outcomes by 2050 based on different scenarios of smoking rates, showing that cutting smoking could greatly improve health and life expectancy.
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Visual field testing in glaucoma using the Swedish Interactive Thresholding Algorithm (SITA).

Surv Ophthalmol

November 2024

School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Kensington, NSW, Australia; Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia; Centre for Eye Health, UNSW, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • The Swedish Interactive Thresholding Algorithm (SITA) is the primary method used for visual field assessments with the Humphrey Field Analyser, and the study compares the sensitivity and reliability of its three versions: SITA Standard (SS), Fast (SF), and Faster (SFR).
  • The results show that while SFR gives similar sensitivity outputs to SS and SF, it may not be suitable for cases with severe visual field loss, and the study critiques the existing thresholds for measuring test reliability, especially concerning false positives.
  • Additionally, the 24-2C test grid can help identify central visual field defects, while the 10-2 grid provides a more detailed assessment; the text also suggests
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Article Synopsis
  • Researchers studied strokes from 1990 to 2021 to understand how many people get them and how they are affected around the world.
  • In 2021, strokes caused about 7.3 million deaths and were a major cause of health problems, especially in specific regions like Southeast Asia and Oceania.
  • There are differences in stroke risks based on where people live and their age, and some areas actually saw more strokes happening since 2015.
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  • The study focuses on understanding how axial elongation, a key factor in the progression of primary myopia in children, is affected by various factors through a meta-regression analysis.
  • Researchers conducted a systematic search of multiple databases, analyzing data from 64 studies to model the mean rate of axial elongation in low to moderate myopia cases.
  • Results revealed that axial elongation is significantly greater in Asian children compared to non-Asians, with both groups showing a consistent decline in elongation rates as they age, highlighting the complexity of managing myopia in individual children.
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