Background: Benign essential blepharospasm (BEB), aberrant facial nerve degeneration and hemifacial spasm (HFS) are all examples dystonia which, though not life-threatening, can have a significant impact on patient quality of life. The need for reliable self-rating surveys to monitor functional disability is fundamental. The Blepharospasm Disability Index (BSDI) is already a widely utilised and validated self-rating score for blepharospasm whilst the functional disability score (FDS) requires further validation. The principle aim of this study is to repeat validation of the FDS against the BSDI, which has been validated by several groups since its original description but only in patients with BEB.

Methods: A randomised blinded prospective cohort study was conducted at a single unit on 38 patients with BEB, aberrant facial nerve degeneration and HFS. Patients were blinded to complete the FDS followed by the BSDI or the BSDI followed by the FDS with a 30-minute interval.

Results: Both the FDS and BSDI were found to be reliable with high internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Both scales were also found to be moderately correlated with the Jankovic disease severity score.

Conclusions: This study is the first to use the FDS as a rating scale in patients with HFS and aberrant facial nerve degeneration. It is also the first study to formally validate the FDS as an acceptable rating scale for patients with dystonia and in particular it provides validation for its use in patients with HFS and aberrant facial nerve degeneration.

Background: The “flipped classroom” is a learner-centered approach that centers on delivering videos, podcasts or slide-based material to learners prior to a lecture or class session. The class session is then dedicated to discussion, analysis, and problem-solving activities. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the flipped classroom could be adapted to medical (ophthalmology) students learning about ocular trauma and to assess the impact of the flipped classroom on those students’ performance and attitudes.

Methods: Questionnaires (using a 4-point scale) were distributed to 93 fifth-year medical students at Sun Yat-sen University, and the data showed that the majority of students preferred the flipped classroom approach to the traditional lecture method.

Results: The results of pre- and post-test scores were 14.35±3.404 and 20.37±4.356, which showed a significant improvement in students’ performance after the flipped classroom was introduced (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Student response to the flipped classroom strategy was largely positive, indicating that the strategy received a high level of approval in an ophthalmology clerkship course taken by medical students in China.

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 Handan Offspring Myopia Study (HOMS) is the first offspring eye study in a Chinese population. The study design is based on another representative study, Handan Eye Study. In this study, we found 1 diopter (D) of generational myopic shift, a weak protective effect of the outdoor activity on myopia, and a modest protective effect of the eye exercises of acupoints on myopia, among the rural children in the northern area.

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.