Abstract: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a proliferative disorder of the developing retina in premature and low birth weight infants. Recently, the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the pathophysiology of ROP has been well studied and anti-VEGF drugs have been used in phase 2 to treat ROP patients in many ways. At first, ophthalmologists began to give intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) or ranibizumab off-label to treat ROP as a salvage treatment after failure in laser photocoagulation or in combination with laser as an adjuvant treatment for patients had media opacity or rigid pupil. Now anti-VEGF drugs are also used as monotherapy in type I ROP or perioperative use in stage 4/5 ROP. Questions remain regarding long-term safety, dose, timing, visual outcomes and long-term effects, including systemically.

Abstract: As a complex disease, myopia is the most common eye disease worldwide. Many myopia susceptibility genes or variants have been successfully identified in the past years by genome-wide genetic association studies (GWAS), which focus mainly on the single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Little attention has been paid to examine the role of copy number variations (CNVs) in refractive error and myopia. This study adopted a systematic strategy to investigate the role of CNVs in high myopia. In the discovery phase, a pilot GWAS suggests putative CNVs for follow-up. Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification was then used to quantify the copy number of 89 CNV segments in 737 case-control samples in the second phase and then 24 top-ranking CNVs in a second group of 1,029 case-control samples in the final validation phase. This validation phase identified 22 significant CNVs. Further work is needed to examine the role of these few CNVs in myopia development.

Abstract: Myopia and astigmatism, two common refractive errors frequently co-exist, are degrading vision at all working distances in populations worldwide. Eyeballs having high degrees of myopia and astigmatism are known to exhibit abnormal eye shape at the anterior and posterior eye segments, but whether the outer coats of these abnormal eyeballs, cornea anteriorly and sclera posteriorly, are regulated by region-specific molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here we presented the changes in eye shape and mRNA expression levels of three genes (MMP2, TIMP2, and TGFB2), all known to participate in extracellular matrix organization, at five regions of the cornea and sclera in chickens developing high myopia and astigmatism induced by form deprivation. Our results showed that, compared to normal chicks, the highly myopic-astigmatic chicks had significantly astigmatic cornea, deeper anterior chamber, longer axial length, and higher expressions of all three genes in the superior sclera. These results imply that local molecular mechanism may manipulate the eye’s structural remodeling across the globe during refractive eye growth.

Abstract: We reviewed randomized controlled trials associated with the intravitreal use of aflibercept for this article. These studies proved that aflibercept is an effective anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agent for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD), myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV), diabetic macular edema (DME), and macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion. The incidence of severe ocular or systemic complications after intravitreal administration of aflibercept was low.

Abstract: The Guangzhou Twin Eye Study (GTES) is a population-based study of young twins residing in Guangzhou City. The major aim of GTES is to explore the impact of genes, environmental factors and gene-environment interactions on common eye diseases. From 2006, for more than 1,300 twin pairs, age 7–26 years old, progressive ocular phenotypes, such as refraction, ocular biometrics, weight, and height were collected annually, while non-progressive phenotypes such as parental refraction, corneal thickness, retinal fundus, intraocular pressure and DNA only collected at baseline. In the current study, we summarize the major findings on the etiology of myopia in recent decades.

Abstract: Myopia in children remains a major public health problem worldwide, especially in some Asian countries such as China, Singapore and Japan. Although many interventions have been attempted, few has been proven to be effective in controlling onset and progression of myopia in children. Environmental factors, genetic susceptibility or ethnic differences can affect the efficacy of these interventions. However, many questions remain unclear and even controversial for controlling myopia. China has the biggest population with myopia, especially for children myopia. Thus, it is of importance to present what achievements Chinese scientists have made in the field of myopia control in children. We summarize the current findings on myopia control in children from the Anyang Childhood Eye Study, including epidemiological data, clinical trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and compare them with studies in other countries to find potential clues for controlling myopia in children.

Abstract: Between 2011 and 2013, two large-scale cohort epidemiology studies were launched in Shanghai: the SCALE study, which aimed to provide ocular public health services to cover the entire youth population in Shanghai, and the SCES, which was based on sample surveys and aimed to provide information on the prevalence and incidence of visual impairment and different types of refractive errors. A total of 910,245 children and adolescents were finally enrolled in the SCALE study; three possible methods for monitoring refractive error without mydriasis were tested, and the agreement between the refractive outcomes of three commonly used autorefractors were examined to ensure the accuracy of the results of the SCALE study. A total of 8,627 children were enrolled in the SCES, and the baseline prevalence of different refractive errors, different behaviors associated with 1 year myopic shifts, and the different patterns of 2-year myopia progression between internal migrant and local resident school children have been analyzed. In some subset samples of the SCALE study and the SCES, several refraction components such as choroidal thickness (ChT) and crystalline lens power were also measured, to further elucidate the relationships between the refraction components and myopia as well as the mechanism of myopia incidence and development. The three methods used in Shanghai to prevent and intervene with childhood myopia: increasing outdoor time, low concentration atropine, and use of orthokeratology lens are also addressed in this review.