visual impairment

A 79-year-old woman visited our department for chronic visual field abnormalities with a floating sensation for two months. Neurological and ophthalmologic examinations yielded normal results, except for brain MRI indicating left hippocampal atrophy. Cognitive function tests were normal. EEG revealed frequent spikes and slow waves in the left frontotemporal region, corroborated by reduced accumulation in 123 I-iomazenil single photon emission computed tomography. A diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy was established, and treatment with lacosamide resulted in a remarkable improvement in symptoms and EEG findings...

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application effect of intelligent health education based on the health belief model on patients with postoperative kinesophobia after surgical treatment of cervical spondylosis. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted with patients who underwent anterior cervical discectomy, decompression, and fusion surgery with a single central nerve and spine center, and who had postoperative kinesophobia, ie, fear of movement. The patients made voluntary decisions concerning whether they would receive the intervention of intelligent health education...

Spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is characterized by decreased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volume due to leakage through the dural membrane. We present the case of a patient with SIH manifested by fluctuating low-frequency hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo. In this patient, endolymphatic hydrops in the cochlea and saccule were visualized by means of a special sequence of inner ear magnetic resonance imaging scans, with a gadolinium-based contrast agent administered intravenously. Endolymphatic hydrops is a potential underlying pathophysiology of SIH-associated hearing impairment...

Retinal waves represent an early form of patterned spontaneous neural activity in the visual system. These waves originate in the retina before eye-opening and propagate throughout the visual system, influencing the assembly and maturation of subcortical visual brain regions. However, because it is technically challenging to ablate retina-derived cortical waves without inducing compensatory activity, the role these waves play in the development of the visual cortex remains unclear. To address this question, we used targeted conditional genetics to disrupt cholinergic retinal waves and their propagation to select regions of primary visual cortex, which largely prevented compensatory patterned activity...

In the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD), timely identification is paramount for effective management, acknowledging its chronic and irreversible nature, where medications can only impede its progression. Our study introduces a holistic solution, leveraging the hippocampus and the VGG16 model with transfer learning for early AD detection. The hippocampus, a pivotal early affected region linked to memory, plays a central role in classifying patients into three categories: cognitively normal (CN), representing individuals without cognitive impairment; mild cognitive impairment (MCI), indicative of a subtle decline in cognitive abilities; and AD, denoting Alzheimer's disease...

OBJECTIVE: To establish reference values for the computerized cognitive test and evaluate cognitive function improvements across different age groups, we introduce the computerized Cognitive Function Test program (eCFT), specifically designed for children. We aimed to establish eCFT reference values and assess cognitive function improvements across different age groups. METHODS: We included children aged 3-6 years with confirmed normal cognition based on the Korean Developmental Screening Test for Infants and Children and Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-II...

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the commonest inherited blood disorder leading to complications occurring due to vaso-occlusion including sight-threatening retinopathy. Retinopathy can be managed if diagnosed early and vision loss can be prevented. Since, very less data are available from India, hence, this study was conducted in children (7-18 years) with SCD to diagnose retinopathy by using ocular coherence tomography (OCT) in subclinical stages. METHODS: This cross sectional single-center study was performed in 7-18 years age group children with SCD without any visual symptoms...

This is a cross-sectional exploratory analysis of publicly available Internet data to examine compliance to web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) on patient education social media posts in ophthalmology. WCAG ensures web content accessibility for those with disabilities (including visual impairment). A total of 100 social media posts were sampled from ten ophthalmology patient education social media pages and ten non-ophthalmology (cardiopulmonary) pages as the comparison group. Three independent graders evaluated the selected posts based on the WCAG 2 checklist by WebAIM, a non-profit affiliated with Utah State University, after its adaptation for social media posts...

Leber's hereditary optic atrophy (LHON) is a genetic optic neuropathy that is more prevalent in young males but can occur from childhood to old age. The primary cause is mitochondrial genetic mutations, which are associated with dysfunction of mitochondrial electron transport chain complex I. It manifests as acute to subacute visual impairment, often starting unilaterally but progressing to involve both eyes within weeks to months. Visual loss is severe, with many patients having corrected visual acuity below 0...

Cognitive impairment is a core symptom of schizophrenia. The gut microbiota (GM) and oxidative stress may play important roles in the pathophysiological mechanisms of cognitive impairment. This study aimed to explore the relationship between GM and oxidative stress in the cognitive function of schizophrenia. GM obtained by 16S RNA sequencing and serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels from schizophrenia patients (N = 68) and healthy controls (HCs, N = 72) were analyzed. All psychiatric symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)...

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and comprises a group of chronic optic neuropathies characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss. Various etiologies, including impaired blood supply to the optic nerve, have been implicated for glaucoma pathogenesis. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive imaging modality for visualizing the ophthalmic microvasculature. Using blood flow as an intrinsic contrast agent, it distinguishes blood vessels from the surrounding tissue...

BACKGROUND: Executive functioning deficits are central to established neuropsychological models of ADHD. Oscillatory activity, particularly the alpha rhythm (8-12Hz) has been associated with cognitive impairments in ADHD. However, most studies to date examined such neural mechanisms underlying executive dysfunction in children and adolescents with ADHD, raising the question of whether and to what extent those ADHD-related working memory impairments are still present in adults. To this end, the current study aimed to investigate the role of alpha event-related decreases (ERD) during working memory processes in adults with and without ADHD...

BACKGROUND: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major cause of visual impairment in premature infants, often requiring surgical interventions in advanced stages. This retrospective case series study investigates non-surgical management for Stage 4A ROP, specifically the use of combined laser therapy and intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections. METHODS: Ten eyes from five infants with Stage 4A ROP were treated with a combined laser and anti-VEGF approach...

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the progress made in the field of optical coherence tomography (OCT) has helped to understand the changes in eye layers in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Early diagnosis of AMD as a leading cause of irreversible vision impairment is helpful. Therefore, we aim to perform a meta-analysis on OCT measurement alterations before and after anti-VEGF therapy in patients with AMD and controls. METHOD: We systematically searched Scopus, PubMed, Cochrane, and Web of Science to find articles that measured choroidal and retinal layer changes after anti-VEGF therapy in AMD Patients...

Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder with significant morbidity. Treatment options that address the spectrum of symptoms are limited, highlighting the need for innovative therapeutic approaches. Gamma Entrainment Using Sensory Stimulation (GENUS) is an emerging treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders that uses sensory stimulation to entrain impaired oscillatory network activity and restore brain function. Aberrant oscillatory activity often underlies the symptoms experienced by patients with schizophrenia...

Ophthalmic diseases affect many people, causing partial or total loss of vision and a reduced quality of life. The anterior segment of the eye accounts for nearly half of all visual impairment that can lead to blindness. Therefore, there is a growing demand for ocular research and regenerative medicine that specifically targets the anterior segment to improve vision quality. This study aims to generate a microfluidic platform for investigating the formation of the anterior segment of the eye derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) under various spatial-mechanoresponsive conditions...

BACKGROUND: Lycium barbarum glycopeptide (LbGp), extracted from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) of Lycium barbarum (LB), provides a neuroprotective effect against neurodegenerative and neuroimmune disorders contributing to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory roles. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is an autoimmune-mediated central nervous system (CNS) demyelinating disease, clinically manifested as transverse myelitis (TM) and optic neuritis. However, no drug has been demonstrated to be effective in relieving limb weakness and visual impairment of NMOSD patients...

BACKGROUND: Isolated ischemic oculomotor nerve palsy as a type of ophthalmic disease is rarely observed in clinical practice. Quality of life is frequently impacted by isolated ischemic oculomotor nerve palsy due to its lack of treatment options and long-term visual impairment. We describe an acupuncture-treated instance of isolated ischemic oculomotor paralysis. METHODS: Acupoints including Jingming (BL 1), Chengqi (ST 1), Cuanzhu (BL 2), and Sizhukong (TE 23) on the right side, and bilateral Fengchi (GB 20), Waiguan (TE 5), Hegu (LI 4), and Zulinqi (GB 41) were selected for needling...

BACKGROUND: Vision loss increases with age and is thus more likely to happen later in one's career. With more individuals working beyond typical retirement age, the possibility of experiencing vision loss while working has increased. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate how developing vision loss during midlife affects employment and retirement. METHOD: Using longitudinal Health and Retirement Study data, we identified a sample of 167 workers, 44 to 64 years old, who developed vision loss and a matched comparison sample of 800 workers who did not...

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) progress silently, making early diagnosis challenging, especially in less educated populations. The visual paired comparison (VPC) task, utilizing eye-tracking movement (ETM) technology, offers a promising alternative for early detection of memory decline. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of the VPC task, utilizing ETM as a tool for assessing age-related cognitive changes...