The British journal of ophthalmology
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Artificial tears are first-line therapy for patients with dry eye symptoms. It is not known, however, which patient factors associate with a positive response to therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether certain ocular and systemic findings are associated with a differential subjective response to artificial tears. ⋯ Both ocular and systemic (non-ocular) pain complaints are associated with a differential subjective response to artificial tears.
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Comparative Study
Factors influencing big-bubble formation during deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty in keratoconus.
To investigate recipient and operative factors that can influence the rate of achieving a bare Descemet's membrane (DM) during deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) for keratoconus. ⋯ The rate of successful big-bubble formation was 79.2% in keratoconus. Among the different factors, recipient sex and trephination size significantly influenced this rate. Females had a lower probability of big-bubble formation, and a large trephination size was associated with an increase in the probability of achieving a bare DM.
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To develop a Turkish version of the 25-item Cardiff Visual Ability Questionnaire for Children (CVAQC) and to evaluate the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. ⋯ The Turkish version of the CVAQC is a valid, reliable, and unidimensional questionnaire for partially sighted children aged 6-18 years.
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To evaluate whether medical students who have expressed a strong desire to pursue ophthalmology as a career perform simulated ophthalmic surgical tasks to a higher level than medical students whose interests lie elsewhere. ⋯ This study is the first to suggest that medical students with a strong career interest in ophthalmology do not perform microsurgical tasks to a higher level than medical students who have no goal in this area. This also indicates variation in scores between novices, which may serve as a pitfall in the use of simulators as a tool for entry into training.
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Methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) and propionic acidemia (PA) are rare hereditary disorders of protein metabolism, manifesting early in life with ketoacidosis and encephalopathy and often resulting in chronic complications. Optic neuropathy (ON) has been increasingly recognised in both conditions, mostly through isolated case reports or small cases series. We here report the clinical features and visual outcomes of a case series of paediatric patients with a diagnosis of MMA or PA. ⋯ Our study suggests that ON is under-reported in patients with MMA and PA. Clinical presentation can be acute or insidious, and episodes of acute metabolic decompensation appear to trigger visual loss. Photoreceptor involvement may coexist. Active clinical surveillance of affected patients is important as comorbidities and cognitive impairment may delay diagnosis.