Abstract: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common microvascular complication in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), and remains the single greatest cause of blindness in working age adults around the world. In this article, we review the evolution of pharmacotherapies for both diabetic macular edema (DME) and DR such as anti-vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors and various steroid formulations, as well as other emerging pharmacotherapies currently in late stage clinical testing for this disease.

Background: In recent years posterior corneal astigmatism and its effect on total corneal astigmatism has been studied, with research showing that this can impact total astigmatism. This study aims to ascertain if there is significant change in the posterior corneal astigmatism after cataract surgery and its impact on the total astigmatism.

Methods: Analysis of 76 eyes that underwent cataract surgery with monofocal intraocular lens implantation. Corneal topography was performed with Pentacam (OCULUS^?) pre- and post-operatively. Total corneal astigmatism was calculated with the algorithm of vergence tracing. We compared preoperative and postoperative changes in the magnitude and axis differences of anterior corneal curvature astigmatism, posterior corneal curvature astigmatism and the calculated total corneal astigmatism. We calculated the correlation between the total preoperative astigmatism and the difference between total corneal astigmatism and anterior corneal astigmatism.

Results: The mean preoperative and postoperative posterior astigmatism was 0.31±0.02 D, showing no significant differences before and after surgery (P=0.989). Statistically significant differences between the calculated total corneal astigmatism and anterior corneal astigmatism were registered preoperatively and postoperatively in the with-the-rule anterior (WTR) corneal astigmatism (P=0.004, P<0.0001); against-the-rule (ATR) anterior corneal astigmatism (P<0.0001, P<0.0001) and in the oblique (P=0.026, P=0.019) subgroups. The posterior corneal astigmatism and the total corneal astigmatism correlated positively with the differences between the total corneal and anterior corneal astigmatism (R=0.378, P=0.001).

Conclusions: There were statistically significant differences between the magnitude of the total astigmatism and anterior corneal astigmatism, underlining the impact of posterior corneal astigmatism. A positive correlation between the preoperative posterior astigmatism and the difference between the total corneal and the anterior corneal astigmatism suggests a specially relevant role of posterior corneal astigmatism when evaluating patients with higher degrees of astigmatism.

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: This submission will briefly review the anatomy and physiology of the optic nerve, and highlight various ischemic optic neuropathies including anterior ischemic optic neuropathies (non-arteritis and arteritic), diabetic papillopathy, posterior ischemic optic neuropathies, and ischemic optic neuropathies in the setting of hemodynamic compromise.

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: Acute retinal arterial ischemia, which includes transient monocular vision loss (TMVL), branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO), central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) and ophthalmic artery occlusion (OAO), is most commonly the consequence of an embolic phenomenon from the ipsilateral carotid artery, heart or aortic arch, leading to partial or complete occlusion of the central retinal artery (CRA) or its branches. Acute retinal arterial ischemia is the ocular equivalent of acute cerebral ischemia and is an ophthalmic and medical emergency. Patients with acute retinal arterial ischemia are at a high risk of having further vascular events, such as subsequent strokes and myocardial infarctions (MIs). Therefore, prompt diagnosis and urgent referral to appropriate specialists and centers is necessary for further work-up (such as brain magnetic resonance imaging with diffusion weighted imaging, vascular imaging, and cardiac monitoring and imaging) and potential treatment of an urgent etiology (e.g., carotid dissection or critical carotid artery stenosis). Since there are no proven, effective treatments to improve visual outcome following permanent retinal arterial ischemia (central or branch retinal artery occlusion), treatment must focus on secondary prevention measures to decrease the likelihood of subsequent ischemic events.

Abstract: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an ocular imaging technique that can complement the neuro-ophthalmic assessment, and inform our understanding regarding functional consequences of neuroaxonal injury in the afferent visual pathway. Indeed, OCT has emerged as a surrogate end-point in the diagnosis and follow up of several demyelinating syndromes of the central nervous system (CNS), including optic neuritis (ON) associated with: multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD), and anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies. Recent advancements in enhanced depth imaging (EDI) OCT have distinguished this technique as a new gold standard in the diagnosis of optic disc drusen (ODD). Moreover, OCT may enhance our ability to distinguish cases of papilledema from pseudopapilledema caused by ODD. In the setting of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), OCT has shown benefit in tracking responses to treatment, with respect to reduced retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) measures and morphological changes in the angling of Bruch’s membrane. Longitudinal follow up of OCT measured ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness may be of particular value in managing IIH patients who have secondary optic atrophy. Causes of compressive optic neuropathies may be readily diagnosed with OCT, even in the absence of overt visual field defects. Furthermore, OCT values may offer some prognostic value in predicting post-operative outcomes in these patients. Finally, OCT can be indispensable in differentiating optic neuropathies from retinal diseases in patients presenting with vision loss, and an unrevealing fundus examination. In this review, our over-arching goal is to highlight the potential role of OCT, as an ancillary investigation, in the diagnosis and management of various optic nerve disorders.

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.