Physical, Psychosocial, and Practical Burden of Patients Receiving Care for Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Canada: A Mixed-Methods Qualitative Study.

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss. Documentation of the disease's description and treatment experience of Canadian patients is limited but of interest given the aging population and resultant implications for healthcare systems. A mixed-methods study was conducted to understand the challenges experienced by patients living in Canada with AMD to identify areas of need and for potential reform.

A Pandemic Innovation: Student-Led Model to Increase Accessibility to Educational and Mentorship Opportunities.

The Canadian Ophthalmology Student Interest Group (COSIG) is the first national medical student-led specialty interest group in Canada. COSIG has run several initiatives aimed at increasing students' opportunities for ophthalmology exposure and learning, including a resident-medical student mentorship program, an annual 6-week introductory course, amongst other events, and webinars.

Sensitivity and specificity of the uniform field electroretinogram in glaucoma detection in comparison to the pattern electroretinogram.

Purpose: To determine the ability of the photopic negative response (PhNR) of the uniform field electroretinogram (UF-ERG) to identify early glaucomatous changes in comparison to the checkerboard and bar stimuli of the pattern electroretinogram (PERG).

Methods: Forty-nine glaucoma patients were classified into two groups: glaucoma-suspect (23 eyes) and early to moderate glaucoma (30 eyes), based on their clinical examination and the results of standard automated perimetry. Thirty patients (30 eyes) with intraocular pressures (IOP) of 21 mmHg or less, with no history of reported high IOP, were included as controls.

Orbital Edema Secondary to a Sphenoidal Mass as the Presenting Symptom of High-Risk Precursor B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Introduction: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy, known to present with ocular manifestations in rare cases.

Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 9-year-old previously healthy male who developed a 2-day history of periocular swelling and was found on MRI to have a large sphenoidal mass. Further work up showed involvement of the spinal cord, iliac crests, and kidneys.

Safety and Efficacy of Adeno-Associated Viral Gene Therapy in Patients With Retinal Degeneration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: This systematic review evaluates the safety and efficacy of ocular gene therapy using adeno-associated virus (AAV).

Methods: MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched systematically for controlled or non-controlled interventional gene therapy studies using key words related to retinal diseases, gene therapy, and AAV vectors.

Efficacy of intravitreal dexamethasone implant used as monotherapy for the treatment of macular edema in non-infectious uveitis: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Uveitic macular edema is a complication of acute or chronic uveitis. Current treatment regiments frequently have numerous side effects, often requiring supplemental treatment. This study investigates the efficacy of dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implants as monotherapy for treatment of macular edema in non-infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis.

Stacked implantation of two prosthetic iris devices for patients with iris defects: A modified surgical technique.

Purpose: Iris pigment deficiency in patients with oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) often causes debilitating photophobia, which is routinely managed by sequential intracapsular insertion of two aniridia rings. A common concern of this technique is the risk of segment interdigitation, which can lead to intraoperative complications.

Observations: In this report, we describe a modified technique through which both rings were stacked together and inserted simultaneously in a 62-year-old male patient with oculocutaneous albinism and a mild cataract.

Dr. Gottlieb et al reply.

We thank the author for their reply and appreciate the approach of having clear terminology and standard definitions within clinical practice guidelines or recommendations, that are applicable across specialist groups. A definition of controlled anterior uveitis or quiescent disease is important for treatment decisions, particularly when classifying a patient's disease as failing current therapy and making decisions for escalating therapy.

Proof-of-concept and Randomized, Placebo-controlled Trials of an FcRn Inhibitor, Batoclimab, for Thyroid Eye Disease.

Context: Inhibition of the neonatal fragment crystallizable receptor (FcRn) reduces pathogenic thyrotropin receptor antibodies (TSH-R-Ab) that drive pathology in thyroid eye disease (TED).

Objective: We report the first clinical studies of an FcRn inhibitor, batoclimab, in TED.

Design: Proof-of-concept (POC) and randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trials.

Assessment of the uniform field electroretinogram for mouse retinal ganglion cell functional analysis.

Purpose: The uniform field electroretinogram (UF-ERG) has been suggested as an alternative to the pattern electroretinogram (PERG) for non-invasive assessment of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) function in primates. We evaluated the validity of the UF-ERG to assess mouse RGC activity in vivo.

Methods: Unilateral optic nerve crush (ONC) was performed on adult C57BL/6J mice.

Sequential central retinal artery occlusions associated with cryoglobulinemia.

Background: Cryoglobulinemia, the presence of serum cryoglobulins which are immunoglobulins or complement components that precipitate at temperatures below 37 °C, commonly present with cutaneous manifestations initially, but are more rarely associated with ocular manifestations. To our knowledge, we report the first case of a patient presenting with sequential central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) associated with cryoglobulinemia.

Case Presentation: A 69-year-old female with a history of indolent B-cell lymphoma associated cryoglobulinemia, treated hepatitis B infection and CRAO in the left eye presented with acute vision loss and diffuse retinal whitening with a cherry red spot in her right eye, suggestive of sequential CRAO.

Risk Factors for Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty Rejection: Current Perspectives- Systematic Review.

Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) is a corneal endothelial transplantation procedure with selective removal of a patient's defective Descemet membrane and endothelium. It is replaced with a healthy donor Descemet membrane and endothelium without a stromal component. Corneal graft rejection can be at the level of epithelium, stroma as well endothelium.

Extended Depth of Focus Versus Trifocal for Intraocular Lens Implantation: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: To compare the extended depth of focus (EDOF) vs trifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) in patients undergoing IOL implantation.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: An electronic search was conducted as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to include studies comparing EDOF vs trifocal IOLs.

The Scleral Cap Technique for Porous and Nonporous Orbital Implants.

Purpose: To describe the results and potential benefit of a banked homologous donor scleral cap over the anterior surface of polyglactin 910 mesh-wrapped porous and nonporous orbital implants during enucleation and secondary orbital implant surgery.

Methods: This is a single center, retrospective, clinical case series of 83 patients who received a polyglactin 910 mesh (Vicryl knitted mesh, undyed, Ethicon, Sommerville, New Jersey, USA) wrapped bioceramic or polymethylmethacrylate orbital implant (sphere or mounded) following enucleation and secondary orbital implant surgery by one surgeon over a 10-year period. A homologous donor scleral cap (approximately 1.

Canadian Rheumatology Association Recommendations for the Screening, Monitoring, and Treatment of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis-Associated Uveitis.

Objective: To develop Canadian recommendations for the screening, monitoring, and treatment of uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

Methods: Recommendations were developed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE)-ADOLOPMENT approach. A working group of 14 pediatric rheumatologists, 6 ophthalmologists, 2 methodologists, and 3 caregiver/patient representatives reviewed recent American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/Arthritis Foundation (AF) recommendations and worked in pairs to develop evidence-to-decision (EtD) tables.

Biochemical and molecular alterations and potential clinical applications of biomarkers in keratoconus.

Keratoconus (KC) is a complex multifactorial corneal ectatic disorder, with disease onset commonly in the second-third decades significantly affecting quantity, quality of vision, and quality of life. Several pathways and factors such as eye rubbing, inflammatory, oxidative, metabolic, genetic, and hormonal among others have been studied in the last two decades. However, the management of KC is still based on a few "one-size fits all" approaches and is predominantly guided by topo/tomographic parameters.

Pythium insidiosum Keratitis: Past, Present, and Future.

Pythium insidiosum (PI) is an oomycete, a protist belonging to the clade Stramenopila. PI causes vision-threatening keratitis closely mimicking fungal keratitis (FK), hence it is also labeled as "parafungus". PI keratitis was initially confined to Thailand, USA, China, and Australia, but with growing clinical awareness and improvement in diagnostic modalities, the last decade saw a massive upsurge in numbers with the majority of reports coming from India.