1,720,963 research outputs found
Impact of a strabismus surgery suture course for first- and second-year ophthalmology residents
No full textPurpose: To investigate the effectiveness of an eye muscle surgery course on first- and second-year postgraduate ophthalmology residents. Methods: This prospective cohort pilot study invited first- and second-year ophthalmology residents to participate in a 2-hour strabismus surgery course at Wills Eye Hospital. The course consisted of a didactic session followed by a wet laboratory session. The wet laboratory session simulated strabismus surgery using a model constructed of chicken breast followed by partial-thickness scleral suture passes in pig eyes. A structured self-assessment evaluation form and a questionnaire in the validated Ophthalmology Surgical Competency Assessment Rubric approved by the International Council of Ophthalmology (ICOOSCAR: strabismus) were used to assess the effectiveness of the course. Results: A total of 12 residents, 8 (67%) first-year and 4 (33%) second-year, were enrolled for this survey. Following the course, most residents felt less anxious (73%). All residents responded that the course was helpful or somewhat helpful in preparation for strabismus surgery. Regarding the distribution of ratings on questions of subjective experience, knowledge of steps, and understanding of potential complications, the residents gave significantly higher ratings after the course (P < .029). The change in the modified ICO-OSCAR:strabismus assessment's mean score was statistically significant before and after training (P = .038). Conclusions: A strabismus course can play an important role in preparing residents for strabismus surgery
A pilot study using electronic reminders for amblyopia treatment
No full textTreatment compliance is the most important factor for predicting a successful outcome in amblyopia treatment. Electronic applications have been successfully employed in other medical conditions in an effort to improve compliance. Aim: To determine whether a smartphone medical adherence application (app) (RxmindMe® Prescription/Medicine Reminder and Pill Tracker) may be successfully incorporated into the treatment plan of patients 3–7 years of age who have not previously been treated for amblyopia. Methods: Children 3–7 years of age were randomized to receive electronic reminders (reminders group) or standard instructions (control group). Visual acuity and compliance with treatment was assessed at the first follow-up visit. The child’s adherence with the prescribed treatment was calculated as the reported number of hours of patching performed divided by the number of hours prescribed or compliance percentage. The validated “Amblyopia Treatment Index Parental Questionnaire” was administered to the parent/guardian to assess any differences in the compliance subscale between the two treatment groups. Any difficulties encountered with the use of the reminder app were also recorded at the follow-up visit. Results: Twenty-four participants were enrolled. Twelve participants in the reminder group (eight female, four male; mean age 4.5 ± 1.3) were compared with 12 participants in the control group (five female, seven male; mean 4.8 ± 1.1). No significant differences were found between the two groups in terms of age (p = 0.62), gender (p = 0.22), or degree of amblyopia at the start of treatment (p = 0.99). Eleven of 12 participants in the reminders group were able to incorporate the reminder app into amblyopia treatment. No participant reported malfunction of the alarm portion of the reminder app. There was no significant difference seen in degree of visual acuity improvement, reported percentage compliance or effect on the compliance subscale as assessed by the ATI questionnaire. Several participants reported the app to be “helpful” in initiating treatment. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that use of a smartphone app is feasible in this patient population. Targeting the app to specific patient demographics or when difficulty with compliance is encountered needs to be further investigated
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Visual improvement in amblyopic eye following treatment induced vision loss in dominant eye with uveal melanoma
No full textVariations on the Author
No full text“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Visual improvement in amblyopic eye following treatment-induced vision loss in dominant eye with uveal melanoma
No full textVisual improvement in amblyopic eye following treatment-induced vision loss in dominant eye with uveal melanoma
No full textObjective: To determine the frequency and amount of visual improvement in amblyopic eyes of adults following visual loss in the dominant eye resulting from treatment of uveal melanoma. Methods and analysis: Retrospective case series of adult patients with amblyopia and dominant eye visual loss resulting from treatment of uveal melanoma. Review of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in each eye (amblyopia eye vs melanoma eye) at date first seen and over time following treatment of uveal melanoma. BCVA in each eye was graded as improved (>2 logarithm of minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) lines) or unimproved (<2 logMAR lines). Results: Twenty-one patients that met the inclusion criteria. Mean age at presentation was 56 years (range 39-73 years). Following treatment of the uveal melanoma and decline of BCVA in the dominant, the BCVA in the amblyopic eye improved in 11/21 (52%; 95% CI 30% to 74 %) patients. The degree of visual loss in the melanoma eye was to the level of the amblyopic eye or worse in 14 patients. In this group, BCVA improved in the amblyopic eye in 9/14 (64%; 95% CI 35% to 87 %) patients. Of these nine with improved eyes, the mean starting visual acuity was logMAR 0.6 (20/80) with mean improvement of logMAR 0.4 (4 lines±0.13 (range 0.2-0.6). Eight of nine eyes achieved a BCVA of 20/25 (n=3) or 20/20 (n=5). Conclusion: Visual acuity in the amblyopic eye of adults can improve following visual loss in the contralateral dominant eye associated with treatment for uveal melanoma
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