1,720,977 research outputs found
Acute transient macular detachment after uneventful cataract surgery in a highly myopic eye
Full text linkPurpose: We report a case of a highly myopic patient who presented a serous macular detachment at 24 hours after uncomplicated cataract surgery. Observations: Surprisingly, after six days from surgery, a reabsorption of the detachment was noticed and the macular area returned to be anatomically normal without any surgical intervention. This early postoperative complication could be caused by changes in the vitreoretinal interface and ocular fluid dynamics or to a rupture of blood-retinal barriers due to postoperative inflammation. Conclusions and importance: Our case reports on the occurrence of an early transient macular detachment after uneventful cataract surgery in a highly myopic eye. This finding suggests the importance of an OCT-based control in the immediate postoperative hours
Multifocal electroretinographic responses in sector retinitis pigmentosa
No full textHeadings: Multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) may be useful in the management of sector retinitis pigmentosa (SRP). Aim: To compare multifocal electroretinographic responses in SRP, generalised retinitis pigmentosa (GRP), and healthy controls. Methods: Eighteen patients with SRP, twelve with GRP, and fifteen controls were included in the study. All participants underwent: complete ophthalmological examination, Humphrey visual field testing, full-field ERG, and mfERG. The mean P1 amplitude, the implicit time (IT), and the mapping of the local responses were evaluated. Results: The mean P1 amplitude was higher in the SRPs than in GRPs (p < 0.001), while it did not differ between SRPs and controls (p = 0.913). In the SRPs, the P1 amplitude in pathologic areas was higher than in the GRPs (p < 0.001). In normal areas, this parameter did not differ from the controls (p = 0.499). Moreover, in the SRPs, no differences in the P1 amplitude and the IT between pigmented and non-pigmented areas were found. Conclusion: In the present study, the mfERG examination displayed significant differences between sector and generalised RP, showing normal values in sector RP even in pigmented areas. Considering the patients included in this study, SRP seems to represent a favourable variant of the disease, characterised by a limited retinal involvement and apparently mild functional damage. It is still unclear how these results can be extended to other forms of SRP
Evaluation of the impact of cataract surgery on cognitive function in very elderly patients: a prospective, observational study
No full textAim: To evaluate the impact of cataract surgery on cognitive function in very elderly patients (≥ 85 years). Methods: A prospective, nonrandomized, comparative study of very elderly patients (≥ 85 years), and elderly patients (≥ 65 < 85 years) scheduled for first time cataract surgery. Cognitive function, quality of life (QoL), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), endothelial cell count (ECC), and central corneal thickness (CCT) were assessed at 90 days before surgery (T0), at surgery (T1), and at 30 (T2) and 90 days (T3) after surgery. Macular thickness (MT) was evaluated at T2. Six-item cognitive impairment test (6CIT) was used to evaluate cognitive function while the Catquest-9SF test was used to assess QoL. The confusion assessment method (CAM) was used to evaluate the presence of delirium episodes at within 48 h from T1. Results: A total of 78 patients (very elderly n = 24, elderly n = 54) were enrolled; average age 80.3 ± 6.2 years old. Significant improvements for cognitive function, BCVA, QoL (p < 0.01) during the observational period were observed among the cohort. A greater improvement in cognitive function was observed in the very elderly patients between T1 and T2 (p = 0.02), while there was no difference in BCVA and QoL between the groups. There were no significant differences in ECC and CCT changes between the groups. No delirium episodes or significant macular abnormalities were registered. Conclusions: Cataract surgery in very elderly patients seems to offer a greater improvement in cognitive function as compared to elderly patients, and it is associated with a significant improvement in QoL, without any incidence of postoperative delirium
“Branch retinal artery occlusion in a sixteen-year-old girl with patent foramen ovale”
Full text linkIntroduction: The etiology and risk factors of the extremely rare retinal artery occlusion (RAO) in pediatric patients are poorly understood. We report a case of transient branch RAO (BRAO) patent foramen ovale (PFO)-related left circulation thromboembolism. Observations: A healthy sixteen-year-old female presented with painless decreased vision in her left eye. Examinations revealed ischemic edema of a localized sector of the macular area and delayed artero-venous blood transit. Following neurological, cardiological and genetic examinations, a diagnosis and subsequent treatment for PFO were undertaken. Conclusions and importance: This rare case shows that a PFO should be always considered as a potential etiology of RAO in young patients, thus highlighting the importance of investigating all potential sources of embolisms to prevent further ischemic events
Subthreshold micropulse yellow laser for the management of refractory cystoid macular edema consequent to complicated cataract surgery
No full textPurpose: To report the safety and efficacy of subthreshold micropulse yellow laser of 577 nm for a complex case of refractory pseudophakic cystoid macular edema. Methods: A retrospective chart review of an interventional case report of three subthreshold micropulse yellow laser interventions for refractory pseudophakic cystoid macular edema. Patient: A 77-year-old healthy female underwent pseudoexfoliative cataract surgery complicated by posterior capsule rupture and sulcus intraocular lens implantation. After 3 months, she required a scleral fixation of the same lens, due to a lack of capsular support and decentration of the intraocular lens. One month later, she experienced a severe pseudophakic cystoid macular edema (foveal thickness of 399 μm and best-corrected visual acuity of 20/80 Snellen). The condition was refractory to conventional treatments prior to subthreshold micropulse yellow laser interventions, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory eye drops, topical steroids, oral indomethacin and three sub-Tenon’s triamcinolone injections, attempted over a 14-month period. Results: Subthreshold micropulse yellow laser treatment was performed and immediate resolution was achieved and maintained for 2 months. Two cases of edema relapse were observed at 3 months from initial laser treatment and again at 4 months from the second laser treatment. Final patient’s follow-up at 6 months from the third laser treatment evidenced the absence of edema, improved visual acuity (foveal thickness of 265 μm/best-corrected visual acuity of 20/30 Snellen) and the absence of complications. Conclusions: Subthreshold micropulse yellow laser seems to be a safe and effective treatment for short-term resolution of refractory pseudophakic cystoid macular edema after complicated cataract surgery and represents a useful alternative to expensive and invasive therapies. A trend towards a longer duration of edema resolution with every subthreshold micropulse yellow laser repetition was observed
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Variations on the Author
Full text link“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
Full text linkWe 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
Evaluation of macular pigment optical density following femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery
Full text linkTommaso Verdina,1 Purva Date,2 Caterina Benatti,1 Andrea Lazzerini,1 Elisa Fornasari,1 Michele De Maria,3 Elena Pellacani,1 Matteo Forlini,4 Gian Maria Cavallini11Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 2Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital, Mumbai, India; 3Clinical and Experimental Medicine PhD Program, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; 4Domus Nova Hospital, Ravenna, ItalyBackground: To evaluate macular pigment optical density (MPOD) after bimanual femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS) compared to standard bimanual phacoemulsification (B-MICS).Methods: A prospective, case matched, comparative cohort study conducted at the Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy); 30 eyes underwent bimanual FLACS with low-energy Ziemer LDV Z8 (FLACS) and 30 underwent B-MICS standard technique (B-MICS). All interventions were conducted by the same expert surgeon. MPOD using the Macular Pigment Screener II (MPS II) was evaluated at baseline, 7 and 30 days after surgery. As secondary outcomes, we considered best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) obtained using optical coherence tomography.Results: In all cases, a BunnyLens AF IOL was safely implanted in the capsular bag through a 1.4 mm incision. We found a significant reduction in MPOD in both groups at 7 and 30 days; 0.16±0.14 and 0.10±0.12 (FLACS) and 0.18±0.13 and 0.15±0.14 (B-MICS), respectively (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference between the two groups at either 7 (P=0.52) or 30 days (P=0.18). BCVA improved significantly in both groups and CMT increased in both groups (P<0.001, P<0.001, respectively). BCVA and CMT were similar between the groups with a significant difference in CMT in favor of the FLACS group at 30 days (P=0.017).Conclusions: MPOD was reduced in both groups without any significant difference between the FLACS and B-MICS cataract interventions. FLACS is associated with a significantly higher increase of macular thickness at 30 days compared to B-MICS.Keywords: femtosecond laser, macular pigment, macular pigment optical density (MPOD), femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS), bimanual microincision cataract surgery (B-MICS), flicker photometr
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