Prevalence Of Eye Disease Research Articles

Epidemiology of Common Eye Diseases in North Kordofan, Sudan

Introduction: Eye illness epidemiology is critical because it identifies the most dangerous diseases in the community and helps decision-makers make better management decisions. This study aims to explore the epidemiology of prevalent eye diseases in north Kordofan State. Methodology: This retrospective descriptive study was conducted at El-Obeid Teaching Hospital's Ophthalmology Department, North Kordofan State, Sudan, and Dr. Khalil's Ophthalmology Center. Out of almost 50000 patient files, we selected 1000 files for this study using a random systemic selection of 1 in 50. The data collection sheet was created, and all data were collected. Results: The corneal diseases made up 19.6% of the 1000 cases in this study, followed by conjunctival 17.7%, lens 15.3%, eye surface 9.8%, uveal tract 9.1%, refractive errors 6.4%, eye lids 5.4%, orbital 5.4%, glaucoma 4.3%, retinopathy 4.6%, anterior chamber diseases 2.1%, lacrimal drainage system disorders 1.8%, and nerve palsies 0.5%. Conclusion: The western Sudan is heavily affected by eye diseases, with corneal diseases being the most common, closely followed by conjunctival diseases. This report delves into the eye disease situation in western Sudan. With absence of such literature from Sudan, the findings of this study presenting baseline of future research in this context.

Developmental characteristics and control effects of myopia and eye diseases in children and adolescents: a school-based retrospective cohort study in Southwest China

ObjectivesTo characterise the prevalence of myopia and eye diseases among school adolescents and children in Southwest China, and to evaluate the effectiveness of myopia control tools.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingAcross 95 basic...

Epidemiology of eye diseases in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is densely populated country in South Asia, faces significant challenges in eye health due to various socioeconomic, environmental, and healthcare access factors. Limited access to quality eye care services, poor hygiene practices, prevalence of infectious diseases, and a high burden of non-communicable diseases contribute to the prevalence of eye disorders in the region. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors associated with various eye diseases among the population of Bangladesh. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to gather data on the epidemiology of eye diseases in Bangladesh. Published studies, national surveys, and reports from relevant health organizations were reviewed to compile data on the prevalence, distribution, and risk factors of common eye conditions, including cataracts, refractive errors, conjunctivitis, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration. The prevalence of eye diseases in Bangladesh is relatively high, with conditions such as refractive errors, cataracts, glaucoma, and corneal diseases being major concerns. Refractive errors, including myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism, affect a substantial portion of the population, particularly among children and young adults. Cataracts, a leading cause of blindness worldwide, also pose a significant burden in Bangladesh, with prevalence increasing with age. While the prevalence of glaucoma in Bangladesh is lower compared to some other countries, the condition remains a cause of concern due to its impact on quality of life and the healthcare system. Diabetic retinopathy, a complication of diabetes mellitus, affects the retina and is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness globally in the elderly. In Bangladesh, the rising prevalence of diabetes, fueled by changing lifestyles and an aging population, has contributed to an increasing burden of diabetic retinopathy. Conjunctivitis is prevalent, particularly in densely populated urban areas and rural communities with limited access to clean water and sanitation facilities.Collaborative efforts involving government agencies, healthcare providers, non-governmental organizations, and the community are essential to effectively address the burden of eye diseases in Bangladesh. By implementing preventive measures and improving access to quality eye care services, it is possible to mitigate the impact of these eye diseases and improve visual health outcomes for the population.

Prevalence and Pattern of Ocular Diseases among Rural Dwellers in Affa, Enugu State

Background: The prevalence and pattern of different ocular diseases among rural dwellers vary in different parts of the world. It is usually influenced by a numerous factor, including but not limited to utilization of eye care services, socio-economic status, and level of education. Aim: To identify the most prevalent eye diseases and their pattern of occurrence, among rural dwellers in South East Nigeria, with a view to influence targeted health policies and subsequently, targeted interventions to improve eye health in the region. Methods: The study was a cross sectional study involving patients willing to participate in the study during a one-day free eye outreach organized by the Ophthalmology department, ESUTH Parklane at Affa Community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu state. A preliminary visit was made one week prior to the health outreach, by some members of the outreach team to mobilize the community, seek their consent and fix a date through their leaders. On the day for the outreach, the objective of the eye screening was explained to the participants in both English and their local language. Subsequently, informed consent was obtained and each subject registered and the bio-data documented. Registered participant had their unaided and aided Visual Acuity (VA) of each eye determined. Then, the anterior and posterior segment was examined. Data collected were recorded using a proforma and later inputted into a computer, cleaned and analysed using SPSS version 21. Results were presented in tables and represented in frequencies percentages. Association between variables were done using t-test and p- value of <0.05 was considered significant. Results: One hundred and sixty-eight participants were screened during the outreach programme/study with mean age of 40+0.5years. There were more females 116 (69.1%) than males 52 (30.9%), giving a female to male ratio of 2:1 and they are predominantly Christians and farmers. The common ocular problems among the participants include cataract 53 (22.6%), refractive error 37 (15.8%), Pterygium 35 (14.9%). Cataract was the most common eye disease among the outreach participants and responsible for 22.6% of all ocular problems. Normal visual acuity was found more in participants < 50 years of age, mild visual impairment occurred more in participants 51-70 years while moderate visual impairment to blindness were seen more in patients >70 years. Conclusion: In this study, the commonest ocular problems among the participants include Cataract, Refractive error, and Pterygium which are reversible causes of visual impairment and blindness. Therefore, health policies and advocacies should be directed towards reducing the burden of these reversible causes of visual impairment and blindness among the rural dwellers which constitute greater proportion of our population.

Preventive Medical Examinations of Children’s Vision Functions as a Guarantee of Maintaining Ophthalmological Health

The objective: retrospective study of the dynamics of the prevalence of ophthalmic pathology and the effectiveness of preventive diagnostic examinations of visual functions in children of different age groups. Materials and methods. To conduct the study we used data from reporting forms 12, 14, 19 and 31-health from the official statistical reporting of the Center for Medical Statistics of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Construction of dynamic series for retrospective analysis and finding out the presence of established trends covered a 15-year research period from 2003 to 2017. During the research, such methods as medical-statistical one, content analysis, system approach and system analysis were used. Results. According to the results of the study, it was found that the prevalence of eye diseases and its accessory apparatus increases with the age of the child, having the lowest value in the age group of children 0–6 years old (3.0±0.685%) and the highest rate was in the age group of adolescents 15–17 years (8.0±0.651%). A comparison of the prevalence refractive errors values, in particular myopia, among preschool children according to the results of 2017 shows an increased indicator with the age of children by almost 10 times (p<0.0001). A retrospective analysis of the formation of indicators dynamics of the visual impairment in children frequency detection in different ages revealed a tendency towards an increase in the values of the indicator in the age group of 7-year-old children and a significant increase in the age group of older adolescents (15–17 years) from 69.5 cases per 1000 examined children of this age in 2003 to 86.77 similar cases in 2017. Conclusions. The increasing prevalence of diagnosed disorders of visual functions among children who started school at the age of 7 years and school adolescents of 9-10 classes the expediency of paying attention to preventive diagnostic ophthalmological examinations and primary prevention measures among these age groups. Primary prevention, including the elimination of controlled risk factors for the development of visual impairments among the children’s population, is a necessary task, the implementation of which requires the combined efforts of all adults who are close to children, parents, teachers, doctors of all levels (primary and specialized ophthalmic) medical care.

Prevalence of Eye Diseases of the Elderly in University Eye Clinic

Objective: To assess the prevalence of eye diseases among elderly receiving care at a University Healthcare eye service. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of medical records was conducted for elderly patients attending Rangsit University Healthcare’s eye services between 2020 and 2021. Data collected included age, gender, underlying systemic diseases, refraction data, and results of comprehensive eye examinations. Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the associations between age, gender, and eye diseases. Results: Out of 22,563 patients that attended the eye service, 1,452 were aged 60 years and older. The most common eye diseases observed were uncorrected refractive errors at 71.14%, followed by cataracts including pseudophakia at 69.77%, glaucoma at 21.9%, and posterior vitreous detachment at 14.6%. Additionally, pinguecula, pterygium, and lid disorders were presented in 10.67% of cases, dry eye 8.47%, retinal breaks 6.89%, epiretinal membrane 5.85%, diabetic retinopathy 4.75%, and age-related macular degeneration 4.13%. The prevalence of retinal breaks, epiretinal membrane, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and corneal diseases increased with age while pinguecula, pterygium, and lid disorders showed an inverse association with age. Cataracts, posterior vitreous detachment, and dry eyes were more common in women, whereas, pinguecula, pterygium, lid disorders, and corneal diseases were more prevalent in men. Refractive error, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration showed no gender difference. Compared to the previous national surveys in Thailand, posterior segment eye diseases were more prevalent in the present study. Conclusion: Uncorrected refractive errors, cataracts, and glaucoma were the most prevalent eye diseases observed in the elderly patients, consistent with the previous national surveys. However, the present study identified an increased prevalence of posterior segment eye diseases. Early screening and referral by optometrists for timely treatment by ophthalmologists are crucial in preventing visual loss and achieving better visual outcomes while optimizing resource utilization.

The impact of the bottleneck to entry into ophthalmology specialty training

Seventy-nine per cent of those living with visual impairment are over 60 and increased longevity will increase the prevalence of eye diseases by more than 50%. To meet the escalating demand for eye care, more ophthalmologists must be trained. Changes to the application in 2024 have been aimed at facilitating this. Aim: To evaluate the opinions of aspiring and current ophthalmology trainees regarding the recent changes. A survey-based questionnaire of 11 questions was developed and distributed amongst medical students and junior doctors. We received responses from 17 medical students (17.6%), foundation doctors (5.9%), junior doctors out of training (17.6%), and ophthalmology trainees (58.9%), with 76.5% trained in the UK. Demographically, 41.2% were Black, 11.8% White, 29.4% Asian, and 5.9% Arab. Among current trainees, 60% had been unsuccessful in their first application, and an additional 10% on their second attempt. Despite 88.2% being aware of the competition, all found securing a training post challenging. Over half disagreed with the sufficiency of ST1 positions, and none supported the elimination of the ST3 application route. Applicants are applying multiple times, each with progressively more competitive portfolios and higher entry exam scores. For this reason, the recruitment process may be missing out on good ophthalmologists who did not have the necessary privileges to excel relatively early on in their professional careers. Such candidates may have fared better as ST3 candidates. To service the widening and complex demographic of patients, changes may need to be made to meet the demand with a diverse workforce.

Ocular complications in adults with psoriasis: a cross-sectional study in a referral center in Brazil

PurposeThere is limited literature on the ocular manifestations in patients with psoriasis. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the prevalence of and factors associated with ocular manifestations in adults with psoriasis.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included Brazilian adults with psoriasis. The dermatological evaluation included diagnosis, clinical form, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) measurement, and location of the lesions. Patients underwent a full ophthalmological examination, including the Schirmer I test, Rose Bengala staining, and tear breakup time tests. The results were analyzed using chi-square and Pearson’s linear correlation tests.ResultsOf the 130 patients assessed, 118 (90.8%) exhibited ocular abnormalities, with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) being the most prevalent (59.2%), followed by dry eye disease (DED) (56.2%). A significant correlation was observed between MGD and PASI (p = 0.05), and between MGD and certain treatment modalities. DED was significantly associated with PASI (p < 0.05). Concurrent use of acitretin was identified as an independent predictor of MGD (odds ratio [OR] = 3.5, p < 0.05), whereas PASI was a protective factor against DED (OR = 0.39, p < 0.01).ConclusionGiven the high prevalence of eye disease among individuals with psoriasis, routine ophthalmological assessments are recommended to prevent possible ocular complications.

Prevalence of Dry Eye Disease in Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis Candidates.

To evaluate the prevalence of dry eye disease (DED) in laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) candidates. A chart review of consecutive LASIK candidates who underwent full ocular surface work-up was performed, including ocular surface disease index (OSDI), noninvasive tests (noninvasive tear breakup time [ni-TBUT], tear meniscus height, lipid layer thickness, and meibography), and invasive tests (Schirmer test I, fluorescein TBUT, corneal staining, and meibomian gland [MG] expressibility). The prevalence of DED was calculated according to the Dry Eye Workshop II (DEWS II), and Japanese and Asia Dry Eye Society (JDES/ADES) criteria. In total, 135 patients (270 eyes) were evaluated. The mean age was 32.6±8.3 years, and 62.9% were women (n=85); 19 patients (15.4%) wore contact lenses, and 31 patients (23.8%) used artificial tears. The mean OSDI was 18.2±16.9, which was abnormal in 54.1% (n=62). Inferior lid MG dropout was the sign with the highest percentage of abnormal results (61.5%; n=83). There were no differences between men and women in any test except for ni-TBUT (6.3±0.3 and 7.2±0.2, respectively; P=0.002). Dry eye disease prevalence was 25.9% and 53.3%, according to JDES/ADES and DEWS II criteria, respectively. The only significant risk factor for DED was artificial tear use for both DEWS II (odds ratio [OR]=3.5, confidence interval [CI] [1.35-9.39]) and JDES/ADES (OR=2.58, CI [1.03-6.48]). This study found a high prevalence of DED and abnormalities in LASIK candidates and highlights the importance of ocular surface evaluation before photorefractive surgery.

Prevalence of Ocular Morbidity and Associated Factors Among Hearing Impaired Children at Embangweni School of the Deaf in Mzimba District, Malawi.

To assess the prevalence of ocular morbidities and associated factors among hearing-impaired (HI) students at the Embangweni School for the Deaf in Mzimba, Malawi. This was an institutional cross-sectional study of HI students at Embangweni School for the Deaf. A series of optometric and audiometric tests was performed, and the results were exported to the Statistical Package for Social Science for statistical analysis (SPSS) version 25. Pearson's chi-square test was used to assess correlations and associations between variables. A P-value less significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 147 children comprising of 76 (51.7%) males and 71 (48.3%) females participated in this study. The prevalence of ocular conditions and visual impairment was 39 (26.5%) and 2 (1.4%), respectively. The Prevalence of eye disease was significantly associated with male sex (p=0.02) and type of HI (p=0.031). Allergic conjunctivitis 36 (24.5%) was the most common ocular condition, followed by refractive error 28 (19%). The prevalence of ocular conditions among HI students was significant and associated with sex. Regular school vision screening of students with HI is highly advised to reduce the burden of visual impairment.

Dry Eye Disease Prevalence and Risk Factors in Eye Outdoor Patients Visiting a Tertiary Care Center: A Prospective Observational Study

Dry Eye Disease Prevalence and Risk Factors in Eye Outdoor Patients Visiting a Tertiary Care Center: A Prospective Observational Study

Ocular Surface Health in Connection with Anxiety and Depression: a Review.

Psychosomatic ophthalmology emerged after World War II because patients attended clinics with symptoms that were not explained by physiological findings, subsequently it became clear that psychological distress could be associated with several ocular disorders, including dry eye syndrome. Dry eye disease is a common disorder with increasing prevalence due to environmental factors such as pollution, smoking, and sleep disorders. The burden of dry eye disease affects both patients and society, making it a very important target for investigation. Numerous studies showed that dry eye disease prevalence including the severity of the symptoms of dry eye is higher in patients suffering from depression and/or anxiety. Some studies suggest the implication of serotonin in tears being dysregulated by the disorders. The current review highlights the evidence of the association between anxiety, depression, and dry eye disease and summarizes the recent advances in research in this area, together with a brief explanation of the physiology of stress that could lead to psychological disorders.

A review on polymers in ocular drug delivery systems

AbstractAmid the escalating prevalence of eye diseases and the intricate nature of the eye as a crucial target organ for drug delivery, researchers face significant challenges in developing delivery systems tailored specifically for ocular complications. Addressing the gaps in the current conventional ocular drug delivery system (ODDS) is crucial and this can be achieved by incorporating polymers while designing newer ODDS. This review aims to offer a concise overview of the diverse polymers utilized in the development of ODDS, designed to address various eye conditions and disorders, enhance treatment outcomes, and ensure patient adherence. Introducing the anatomy of the eye and different ocular routes of administration, alongside the barriers encountered, this review presents polymer‐based ODDS, renowned for their unique properties facilitating the engineering of specialized devices for enhanced drug delivery. Further discussions delve into the applications of polymers in ophthalmology. Emphasis is placed on emerging polymer‐based technologies available in the market for treating ocular diseases, underscoring their potential for revolutionizing ocular healthcare. The review also addresses challenges in translating these advancements into clinical practice, while highlighting the versatility of polymers in treating diverse eye diseases and disorders through customizable properties and sustained drug delivery.

Impact of Clinician Subjectivity on the Assessment of Dry Eye Disease Prevalence in a UK Public Health Care Patient Population.

To understand the impact of subjectivity on diagnosis rates of dry eye disease (DED) in an unbiased population. A multicenter study enrolled 818 subjects with complete report forms (465 females, 67.1 ± 16.7 years, 353 males, 65.0 ± 15.9 years). Subjects were evaluated for staining, TBUT, tear osmolarity, meibomian gland disease, and OSDI. Physicians diagnosed 48.7% of subjects as having DED, ranging from 42.9% to 62.3% between sites. Positivity rates for staining (≥ grade 1) ranged from 41.3% to 84.1% (mean = 0.8 ± 0.9 grade), TBUT (<10s) ranged from 39.1% to 61.6% (mean = 10.4 ± 6.6 seconds), osmolarity (>308 mOsm/L) ranged from 63.7% to 72.4% (mean = 319.7 ± 20.8), MGD grading ranged from 28.9% to 51.3% (mean = 0.5 ± 0.7), and symptoms measured by OSDI ranged from 57.6% to 71.0% (mean = 23.5 ± 20.5) between sites. Tear osmolarity was the most consistent between sites (max/min positivity = 114%), followed by OSDI (123%), TBUT (158%), MGD (178%), and staining (204%). DED markers were uncorrelated (average r2 = 0.05 ± 0.07). A substantial number of subjects (N = 110) exhibited positive symptoms (OSDI = 32.4 ± 15.7) and hyperosmolarity (338.1 ± 20.1 mOsm/L) but no other obvious signs of DED (MGD grade = 0.2 ± 0.4, TBUT = 13.5 ± 7.0 seconds, staining grade = 0.4 ± 0.5). Subjective signs of DED varied considerably, whereas objective measurements of OSDI and osmolarity were the most consistent between sites. A large proportion of subjects exhibited high symptoms and hyperosmolarity but no other obvious signs of dry eye disease, most of whom were undiagnosed by clinical assessment without access to the osmolarity measurement.

A deep integrative approach for diabetic retinopathy classification with synergistic channel-spatial and self-attention mechanism

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a prevalent eye disease that poses a significant risk of vision loss in individuals with diabetes. Accurate classification of DR is crucial for timely intervention and effective treatment. However, the classification task is challenging due to imbalanced datasets, small lesions, and inter-class similarity. This study proposes a novel deep integrative approach for DR classification, leveraging the strengths of residual blocks, channel-spatial attention mechanism (CSAM), and non-local blocks (NLB). The proposed architecture consists of a sequence of residual blocks followed by CSAM modules, which enhance feature discriminability at different scales in DR images. Additionally, the outputs from CSAM blocks are fed into an NLB to capture long-range dependencies, allowing the model to consider global context information. The proposed architecture primarily utilizes the strength of global features extracted from non-local blocks and fuses them to enrich the information representation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method effectively addresses challenges in DR classification and shows superior performance in terms of computational time and improved accuracy compared to existing methods.

Prevalence oftrachomatous inflammation-follicular and associated factors among children aged 1-9 yearsin northeastern Ethiopia.

Trachoma is the most prevalent eye disease in Ethiopia, especially among children aged 1-9 years and continues to be a public health concern. Nevertheless, in Ethiopia's rural Jamma district in South Wollo Zone of Amhara Regional State, factors associated with trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) among children aged 1-9 yearshave not yet been studied. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 616 children aged 1-9 years in rural Jamma district in Ethiopia from January-March, 2019. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire, an observation checklist and clinical examination of study participants for active trachoma. The presence of TF and trachomatous inflammation-intense (TI) was clinically assessed by integrated eye care workers using the World Health Organization simplified grading system. Data were analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) Version 25.0. A logistic regression model with 95% CI was used. From the multivariable analysis, variables with p-value < 0.05 were declared as associated factors of TF. The prevalence of TF was 10.9% (95% CI [8.6 - 13.6%]) among the rural children aged 1-9 years.The mean family size was 5.5 ± 1.9 persons. About one-fifth (20.6%) of households kept domestic animals overnight in the same room as family. Almost one-sixth (17.5%) of the children involved in this study had an ocular discharge. Two-thirds of the children (68.8%) washed their hands once per day and just over half (55.8%) washed their faces once per day. From multivariable analysis, we found that the presence of domestic animals kept overnight in the same room as the family (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.32; 95%CI [2.49-9.52]), mother's/caregiver's illiteracy (AOR = 2.01; 95%CI [1.11-4.67]), household size (> 7 persons) (AOR = 3.50; 95%CI [1.66-8.50]), washing of children's hands and face without soap (AOR = 2.41; 95%CI [1.29-5.18]), feces observed in the compound (AOR = 5.10; 95%CI [2.01-10.14]), presence of ocular discharge (AOR = 7.23, 95%CI [4.10-12.51]) and nasal discharge (AOR = 4.54, 95%CI [1.95-9.26]) were significantly associated with TF. The prevalence of TF among rural children aged 1-9 years in this study was almost two times higher than the WHO-recommended threshold (TF < 5%) for trachoma elimination and beyond the trachoma control target (TF < 10%). Presence of domestic animals kept overnight in the same room as the family, mother's/caregiver's illiteracy, household size (> 7 persons), washing of children's hands and face without soap, feces observed in the compound, presence of ocular and nasal discharge were significantly associated with TF. We recommended interventions that will help household income to be improved to enable families to be able to construct separate rooms in which to keep animals overnight. Furthermore, we also recommend to policy makers to design mechanisms for enhancement of behavioural change among householdersto keep household compounds clean and creating awareness among mothers/caregivers about prevention of trachoma.

Knowledge about age-related eye diseases in the general population in Germany

BackgroundWith a rising prevalence of age-related eye diseases, prevention and early diagnosis of these conditions are key goals of public eye health. Disease-related knowledge in the general public supports these goals but there is little data available. Thus, we have assessed knowledge of cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic eye disease in the German adult general population in a cross-sectional study and identified target groups for health education interventions.MethodsKnowledge assessment content was identified based on a literature review, expert input, and a list of items was generated after a qualitative selection process. The resulting 16-item instrument (4 items per condition) was administered to 1,008 participants from a survey panel, demographically representative of the adult German population. Test properties were evaluated based on a Rasch model and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Binary-logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate associations with age, sex, education level, employment status, marital status, income, reported health status, visual difficulties, and recent general practitioner (GP) and ophthalmologist consultations.ResultsReplies were correct for a median of 9 out of 16 (range 2 – 16) items, which differed between conditions (p < 0.0001). Most responses were correct for cataract items (median: 3 / 4) and least were correct for AMD items (median: 2 / 4). 27%, 9%, 1% and 19% of respondents replied correctly to all cataract, glaucoma, AMD and diabetic eye disease-related items, respectively. Rasch analysis suggested an adequate targeting of items and in MCA, no evidence of multidimensionality was present. Older age, being retired, decreased general health and recent GP or ophthalmology consultations were significantly associated with more knowledge about common eye conditions (p ≤ 0.005). GP or ophthalmology consultations remained significant in a multivariable model (p ≤ 0.011).ConclusionsKnowledge gaps regarding eye health are considerable in the German general population and should therefore be addressed in educational interventions targeting the public. Special attention when designing such campaigns needs to be paid to infrequent users of the healthcare system. Knowledge of AMD seems to be poorer compared to other eye conditions.

A narrative review on dietary components and patterns and age-related macular degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most prevalent eye diseases among the ageing population worldwide. It is a leading cause of blindness in individuals over 55, particularly in industrialised Western countries. The prevalence of AMD increases with age, and genetic factors and environmental influences are believed to contribute to its development. Among the environmental factors, diet plays a significant role in AMD. This review explores the association between dietary components, dietary patterns and AMD. Various nutrients, non-nutrient substances and dietary models that have the potential to counteract oxidative stress and inflammation, which are underlying mechanisms of AMD, are discussed. Consuming fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood, whole grains, olive oil, nuts and low-glycaemic-index foods has been highlighted as beneficial for reducing the risk of AMD. Adhering to the Mediterranean diet, which encompasses these elements, can be recommended as a dietary pattern for AMD. Furthermore, the modulation of the gut microbiota through dietary interventions and probiotics has shown promise in managing AMD.

NmODE-Unet: A Novel Network for Semantic Segmentation of Medical Images

Diabetic retinopathy is a prevalent eye disease that poses a potential risk of blindness. Nevertheless, due to the small size of diabetic retinopathy lesions and the high interclass similarity in terms of location, color, and shape among different lesions, the segmentation task is highly challenging. To address these issues, we proposed a novel framework named nmODE-Unet, which is based on the nmODE (neural memory Ordinary Differential Equation) block and U-net backbone. In nmODE-Unet, the shallow features serve as input to the nmODE block, and the output of the nmODE block is fused with the corresponding deep features. Extensive experiments were conducted on the IDRiD dataset, e_ophtha dataset, and the LGG segmentation dataset, and the results demonstrate that, in comparison to other competing models, nmODE-Unet showcases a superior performance.

Visual Health Status and Visual Impairment among Students in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to determine the visual health status, causes of visual impairment and the prevalence of eye disease among students in Uyo metropolis. Five specific objectives and five research questions were formulated to guard the study. A Quesi-experimental research design was used in the study involving two public and one private secondary schools located in Uyo metropolis. Structured questionnaire was used to collect data as well as clinical examination of the eyes of the students who fulfilled the inclusion criteria and data so generated were analyzed using frequency counts and non parametric statistics. The sample for the study was made up of 419 students, 152 were males and 261 were females. The findings of the study indicated that, testing using chi-square analysis revealed a poor visual health status of majority of the students is caused by refractive error and the prevalence of visual impairment is high among the students, therefore there is need to take appropriate steps to mitigate its effect on the academic performance of these students and their in future. It is recommended that teachers should be trained and equipped for vision screening of their students, pre-school regular eye screening of students including a proper referral chain for students so identified with eye problem should form part of the school health programmers.