Clinical & experimental ophthalmology
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Clin. Experiment. Ophthalmol. · May 2013
Maintenance of perioperative antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy for vitreoretinal surgery.
The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the risk of bleeding from vitreoretinal surgery in a continuous unbiased cohort of patients taking unsuspended antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy. ⋯ There were no cases of uncontrolled intraoperative haemorrhage or serious postoperative choroidal haemorrhage. Mild haemorrhagic oozing during vitrectomy and dispersed vitreous cavity haemorrhage postoperatively were common. For the majority of patients taking antiplatelet or anticoagulant medication, these agents can be safely continued in the vitreoretinal surgical perioperative period.
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Clin. Experiment. Ophthalmol. · Apr 2013
ReviewPerspective on ophthalmic support in countries of the developing world.
There are over 300 million people living in the world today who are visually impaired and a further 45 million who are blind. The large majority (90%) of these people live in developing countries, and up to 75% of blindness are avoidable. ⋯ Having said that, caution should be exercised that short surgical visits to remote rural areas that are not coordinated with local national eye care managers should be discouraged because they do little for the development of sustainable eye care programmes. With this in view, it has become imperative to design blindness prevention and ophthalmic support programmes that are workable, comprehensive, economical and sustainable.
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Clin. Experiment. Ophthalmol. · Mar 2013
Indigenous access to cataract surgery: an assessment of the barriers and solutions within the Australian health system.
To identify barriers in the health systems that limit access to cataract surgery for Indigenous Australians and present strategies to overcome these barriers. ⋯ The need for surgery is real and services need to expand beyond current levels. The solutions for overcoming barriers to cataract surgery could be used as a model for other health interventions which rely on close interaction between primary and specialist care services.
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Clin. Experiment. Ophthalmol. · Jan 2013
Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging reveals visual pathway damage that correlates with clinical severity in glaucoma.
To investigate nerve fibre damage of the visual pathway in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma using tract-based spatial statistical analysis of diffusion tensor imaging and correlate these measures with the clinical severity of glaucoma. ⋯ The optic tracts and optic radiations of primary open-angle glaucoma patients demonstrated radiological evidence of neurodegeneration. This varied with damage to the optic disc and with the loss of visual function. Tract-based spatial statistical analysis of diffusion tensor imaging is an objective and effective tool for detecting the loss of cortical nerve fibres in primary open-angle glaucoma.
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Clin. Experiment. Ophthalmol. · Sep 2012
Incidence of visual impairment and blindness in indigenous Australians within Central Australia: the Central Australian Ocular Health Study.
To estimate the incidence and causes of visual impairment and blindness among indigenous Australians living in Central Australia. ⋯ This study has demonstrated rates of incident bilateral blindness and visual impairment among the indigenous Australian population within Central Australia, which are substantially higher than those from the non-indigenous population. Services need to address the underlying causes of this incident vision loss to reduce visual morbidity in indigenous Australians living in central Australia.