-
International Ophthalmology Jul 2024To analyse and compare the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with acute angle closure (AAC) who presented before the COVID-19 pandemic, during... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
PURPOSE
To analyse and compare the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of patients with acute angle closure (AAC) who presented before the COVID-19 pandemic, during the COVID-19 management and after their downgrading.
METHODS
Consecutive AAC patients were recruited from our hospital and divided into three groups: those treated before the COVID-19 pandemic (Group1), during the COVID-19 management (Group2) and after the management downgrade (Group3). The demographic variables, clinical characteristics, treatment methods and therapeutic outcomes of the groups were compared.
RESULTS
When compared to Groups1 and 2, Group3 showed a significantly higher incidence of AAC (0.27%, P < 0.001), a longer time from symptoms to treatment (TST; 160.88 ± 137.05 h, P = 0.031) and worse uncorrected visual acuity (P = 0.009) at presentation. In Group3, 68.9% had a history of COVID-19 and 28.5% developed ocular symptoms of AAC after taking medication for COVID-19 symptoms. The average time from the onset of COVID-19 to the appearance of eye symptoms was 3.21 ± 4.00 days.
CONCLUSIONS
The COVID-19 has had a multifaceted impact on the incidence of AAC. Therefore, it is crucial to strengthen health education on glaucoma, especially AAC. The prevention and timely treatment of AAC should be emphasised to combat global blindness.
Topics: Humans; COVID-19; Male; Female; China; Glaucoma, Angle-Closure; Middle Aged; Aged; SARS-CoV-2; Incidence; Acute Disease; Retrospective Studies; Intraocular Pressure; Visual Acuity
PubMed: 38951270
DOI: 10.1007/s10792-024-03228-0 -
BMJ Open Jul 2024Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental vision disorder typically affecting one eye, resulting in compromised binocular function. While evidence-based treatments exist for...
SPEctacle Correction for the TReatment of Amblyopia (SPECTRA): study protocol for a prospective non-randomised interventional trial in adults with anisometropic/mixed mechanism amblyopia.
INTRODUCTION
Amblyopia is a neurodevelopmental vision disorder typically affecting one eye, resulting in compromised binocular function. While evidence-based treatments exist for children, there are no widely accepted treatments for adults. This trial aims to assess the efficacy of appropriate optical treatment in improving vision and visual functions in adults with amblyopia. This is hypothesised to significantly improve visual acuity of the amblyopic eye and other visual functions.
METHODS AND ANALYSIS
SPEctacle Correction for the TReatment of Amblyopia is a prospective non-randomised interventional trial. The following criteria for amblyopia will be used: best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the amblyopic eye of 0.3 to 1.0 (inclusive) logMAR VA and in the fellow eye, 0.1 logMAR or better, with an interocular VA difference of ≥2 logMAR lines. Eligible participants aged 18-39 will receive full/near-full optical treatment requiring wear for at least half their waking hours for the trial duration. A difference of ≥1.00D spherical equivalent between a participant's current refractive correction and the study prescription is required for eligibility. Primary outcome is the change in amblyopic eye BCVA from baseline to 24-week postenrolment. Secondary outcomes include distance and near VA of both eyes, stereoacuity, contrast sensitivity, interocular suppression, angle of strabismus and fixation stability measured at monthly intervals. Visual evoked potentials will also be measured at baseline, week 12 and week 24. Treatment compliance and quality of life for all participants will be monitored.Analyses comparing baseline and week 24 will utilise pairwise comparisons. Linear mixed models will be fitted to the data for measures taken monthly. This allows estimates and inferences to be drawn from the coefficients of the model, while handling missing data.
ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION
Human ethics approval was obtained from the respective ethics board of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HSEARS20210915002) and the University of Waterloo (#44235). The study protocol will conform to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER
NCT05394987; clinicaltrials.org.
Topics: Humans; Amblyopia; Eyeglasses; Visual Acuity; Prospective Studies; Adult; Young Adult; Adolescent; Male; Female; Treatment Outcome; Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Vision, Binocular
PubMed: 38950991
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-080151 -
Translational Vision Science &... Jul 2024To evaluate the relationships among morphology, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), and retinal sensitivity of photocoagulated lesions more than 1 year after panretinal...
PURPOSE
To evaluate the relationships among morphology, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), and retinal sensitivity of photocoagulated lesions more than 1 year after panretinal photocoagulation in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and good vision.
METHODS
This retrospective cohort study included patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy who had undergone panretinal photocoagulation more than 1 year ago. The photocoagulated lesions were classified according to FAF levels: group A, no FAF; group B, diffuse FAF; group C, white-dotted centers with diffuse FAF; group D, white-dotted centers without FAF; and group E, controls. The main outcome measures were FAF, retinal sensitivity, and morphology of the photocoagulated lesions.
RESULTS
The median sensitivity values and number of photocoagulated lesions in groups A (n = 37), B (n = 39), C (n = 4), D (n = 15), and E (n = 39) were 0 dB, 18.0 dB, 13.9 dB, 0.3 dB, and 21.5 dB, respectively. EZ lines were absent in 93.5%, 18.1%, 50%, 93.3%, and 0% of lesions in groups A, B, C, D, and E, respectively. The inner retinal layer was damaged in 45.2%, 3.0%, 50%, 73.3%, and 0% lesions in groups A, B, C, D, and E, respectively. Statistically significant between-group differences were observed in the retinal sensitivities of the photocoagulated lesions, presence of EZ lines, and damage to the inner retinal layer (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
The photoreceptors in most photocoagulated lesions with diffuse FAF retain their morphology and function.
TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE
Using fundus autofluorescence, the damage to photoreceptors after panretinal photocoagulation in patients with diabetes can be estimated in a noninvasive manner. This process can help in determining the need for additional panretinal photocoagulation.
Topics: Humans; Diabetic Retinopathy; Retrospective Studies; Female; Male; Middle Aged; Retina; Aged; Visual Acuity; Fundus Oculi; Fluorescein Angiography; Adult; Laser Coagulation; Optical Imaging
PubMed: 38949634
DOI: 10.1167/tvst.13.7.1 -
Developmental Science Jul 2024Impaired numerosity perception in developmental dyscalculia (low "number acuity") has been interpreted as evidence of reduced representational precision in the...
Impaired numerosity perception in developmental dyscalculia (low "number acuity") has been interpreted as evidence of reduced representational precision in the neurocognitive system supporting non-symbolic number sense. However, recent studies suggest that poor numerosity judgments might stem from stronger interference from non-numerical visual information, in line with alternative accounts that highlight impairments in executive functions and visuospatial abilities in the etiology of dyscalculia. To resolve this debate, we used a psychophysical method designed to disentangle the contribution of numerical and non-numerical features to explicit numerosity judgments in a dot comparison task and we assessed the relative saliency of numerosity in a spontaneous categorization task. Children with dyscalculia were compared to control children with average mathematical skills matched for age, IQ, and visuospatial memory. In the comparison task, the lower accuracy of dyscalculics compared to controls was linked to weaker encoding of numerosity, but not to the strength of non-numerical biases. Similarly, in the spontaneous categorization task, children with dyscalculia showed a weaker number-based categorization compared to the control group, with no evidence of a stronger influence of non-numerical information on category choice. Simulations with a neurocomputational model of numerosity perception showed that the reduction of representational resources affected the progressive refinement of number acuity, with little effect on non-numerical bias in numerosity judgments. Together, these results suggest that impaired numerosity perception in dyscalculia cannot be explained by increased interference from non-numerical visual cues, thereby supporting the hypothesis of a core number sense deficit. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: A strongly debated issue is whether impaired numerosity perception in dyscalculia stems from a deficit in number sense or from poor executive and visuospatial functions. Dyscalculic children show reduced precision in visual numerosity judgments and weaker number-based spontaneous categorization, but no increasing reliance on continuous visual properties. Simulations with deep neural networks demonstrate that reduced neural/computational resources affect the developmental trajectory of number acuity and account for impaired numerosity judgments. Our findings show that weaker number acuity in developmental dyscalculia is not necessarily related to increased interference from non-numerical visual cues.
PubMed: 38949566
DOI: 10.1111/desc.13538 -
Research Square Jun 2024The basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) participates in functions that are global across the brain, such as sleep-wake cycles, but also participates in capacities...
The basal forebrain cholinergic system (BFCS) participates in functions that are global across the brain, such as sleep-wake cycles, but also participates in capacities that are more behaviorally and anatomically specific, including sensory perception. To better understand the underlying organization principles of the BFCS, more and higher quality anatomical data and analysis is needed. Here, we created a "virtual Basal Forebrain", combining data from numerous rats with cortical retrograde tracer injections into a common 3D reference coordinate space and developed a "spatial density correlation" methodology to analyze patterns in BFCS cortical projection targets, revealing that the BFCS is organized into three principal networks: somatosensory-motor, auditory, and visual. Within each network, clusters of cholinergic cells with increasing complexity innervate cortical targets. These networks represent hierarchically organized building blocks that may enable the BFCS to coordinate spatially selective signaling, including parallel modulation of multiple functionally interconnected yet diverse groups of cortical areas.
PubMed: 38947053
DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4504727/v1 -
Evolutionary Ecology 2024Animal and plant colouration presents a striking dimension of phenotypic variation, the study of which has driven general advances in ecology, evolution, and animal...
UNLABELLED
Animal and plant colouration presents a striking dimension of phenotypic variation, the study of which has driven general advances in ecology, evolution, and animal behaviour. Quantitative Colour Pattern Analysis (QCPA) is a dynamic framework for analysing colour patterns through the eyes of non-human observers. However, its extensive array of user-defined image processing and analysis tools means image analysis is often time-consuming. This hinders the full use of analytical power provided by QCPA and its application to large datasets. Here, we offer a robust and comprehensive batch script, allowing users to automate many QCPA workflows. We also provide a complimentary set of useful R scripts for downstream data extraction and analysis. The presented batch processing extension will empower users to further utilise the analytical power of QCPA and facilitate the development of customised semi-automated workflows. Such quantitatively scaled workflows are crucial for exploring colour pattern spaces and developing ever-richer frameworks for analysing organismal colouration accounting for visual perception in animals other than humans. These advances will, in turn, facilitate testing hypotheses on the function and evolution of vision and signals at quantitative and qualitative scales, which are otherwise computationally unfeasible.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10682-024-10291-7.
PubMed: 38946730
DOI: 10.1007/s10682-024-10291-7 -
Journal of Audiology & Otology Jul 2024: Perception of verticality is clinically assessed using the subjective visual vertical (SVV), a test of the otolith system that consists of aligning a bar on the...
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
: Perception of verticality is clinically assessed using the subjective visual vertical (SVV), a test of the otolith system that consists of aligning a bar on the gravitational vertical in darkness. Patients with acute unilateral vestibulopathy (AUVP) show a systematic SVV bias toward the affected side, whichever the side of line orientation. Whether SVV estimates are symmetrical has not been investigated.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
: This study included 10 patients with AUVP (vestibular neuritis) and 10 with BPPV (posterior semicircular canal). SVV measurements were made at two preset angles of line orientation (15° and 30°) toward the ipsilateral and contralateral sides, relative to the affected side.
RESULTS
: The results showed asymmetrical SVV estimates in the AUVP group, with significantly greater SVV errors for ipsilateral than contralateral line orientation, as well as for the preset angle of 30° compared to 15°. SVV estimates were significantly lower in patients with BPPV who also exhibited SVV asymmetry. SVV estimates remained unchanged just after the maneuver and were normalized some days later or after supplementary maneuvers.
CONCLUSIONS
: SVV asymmetry should be routinely considered in the clinic. We recommend individually assessing ipsilateral and contralateral SVV and using at least two preset angles. This allows for a better assessment and diagnosis of otolith organ imbalance that can trigger chronic instability and dizziness. The contribution of neck afferents related to head position in space seems to be the main source of SVV asymmetry.
PubMed: 38946330
DOI: 10.7874/jao.2023.00346 -
Advances in Gerontology = Uspekhi... 2024A study was conducted to investigate the associations of the diseases of the organ of vision and its accessory apparatus with anxiety and depression in the elderly...
A study was conducted to investigate the associations of the diseases of the organ of vision and its accessory apparatus with anxiety and depression in the elderly people. The study included 678 participants of the ESSE-RF3 population study in the Arkhangelsk region in the age of 60-74 years. We used a questionnaire, including the hospital scale of anxiety and depression score (HADS), and the assessment of the ophthalmological status. It was found that all the study participants had diseases of the visual organ. Elevated depression scores were associated with sex, age, marital status (being single), and disability, elevated anxiety scores - with sex. The scores on the anxiety scale were on average 25% higher in participants whose visual acuity decreased to 0,5 units, and showed no independent associations with diagnosed ophthalmological diseases. The scores on the depression scale were on average 33% higher in participants with visual acuity 0,5 units, and 22% higher in the presence of retinopathy. In conclusion, anxiety and depression in the elderly people were more associated with visual deficits rather than with the presence of ophthalmological diseases underlying a decrease in functional status.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Aged; Middle Aged; Russia; Anxiety; Visual Acuity; Depression; Eye Diseases; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vision Disorders
PubMed: 38944776
DOI: No ID Found -
NeuroImage Jun 2024After more than 30 years of extensive investigation, impressive progress has been made in identifying the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC). However, the...
After more than 30 years of extensive investigation, impressive progress has been made in identifying the neural correlates of consciousness (NCC). However, the functional role of spatiotemporally distinct consciousness-related neural activity in conscious perception is debated. An influential framework proposed that consciousness-related neural activities could be dissociated into two distinct processes: phenomenal and access consciousness. However, though hotly debated, its authenticity has not been examined in a single paradigm with more informative intracranial recordings. In the present study, we employed a visual awareness task and recorded the local field potential (LFP) of patients with electrodes implanted in cortical and subcortical regions. Overall, we found that the latency of visual awareness-related activity exhibited a bimodal distribution, and the recording sites with short and long latencies were largely separated in location, except in the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC). The mixture of short and long latencies in the lPFC indicates that it plays a critical role in linking phenomenal and access consciousness. However, the division between the two is not as simple as the central sulcus, as proposed previously. Moreover, in 4 patients with electrodes implanted in the bilateral prefrontal cortex, early awareness-related activity was confined to the contralateral side, while late awareness-related activity appeared on both sides. Finally, Granger causality analysis showed that awareness-related information flowed from the early sites to the late sites. These results provide the first LFP evidence of neural correlates of phenomenal and access consciousness, which sheds light on the spatiotemporal dynamics of NCC in the human brain.
PubMed: 38944172
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2024.120699 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2024Humans can use prior information to optimize their haptic exploratory behavior. Here, we investigated the usage of visual priors, which mechanisms enable their usage,...
Humans can use prior information to optimize their haptic exploratory behavior. Here, we investigated the usage of visual priors, which mechanisms enable their usage, and how the usage is affected by information quality. Participants explored different grating textures and discriminated their spatial frequency. Visual priors on texture orientation were given each trial, with qualities randomly varying from high to no informational value. Adjustments of initial exploratory movement direction orthogonal to the textures' orientation served as an indicator of prior usage. Participants indeed used visual priors; the more so the higher the priors' quality (Experiment 1). Higher task demands did not increase the direct usage of visual priors (Experiment 2), but possibly fostered the establishment of adjustment behavior. In Experiment 3, we decreased the proportion of high-quality priors presented during the session, hereby reducing the contingency between high-quality priors and haptic information. In consequence, even priors of high quality ceased to evoke movement adjustments. We conclude that the establishment of adjustment behavior results from a rather implicit contingency learning. Overall, it became evident that humans can autonomously learn to use rather abstract visual priors to optimize haptic exploration, with the learning process and direct usage substantially depending on the priors' quality.
Topics: Humans; Exploratory Behavior; Male; Female; Adult; Young Adult; Visual Perception; Touch Perception; Learning
PubMed: 38942980
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65958-6