Multi-Wavelength Autofluorescence Characteristics and Association With Inflammation in Acute Posterior Multifocal Placoid Pigment Epitheliopathy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate characteristics of chorioretinal lesions secondary to acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE) using multi-wavelength fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and their association with intraocular inflammation.

Methods: In this exploratory cross-sectional study, patients with chorioretinal lesions secondary to APMPPE underwent multimodal imaging including FAF with 450 nm, 488 nm, 518 nm, and 787 nm excitation wavelength, color fundus photography (CFP), and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Lesions were graded for FAF and CFP characteristics and inflammatory activity by an experienced image grader and an ophthalmologist.

Transorbital ultrasonography reveals persistent decrease in retinal artery flow and optic nerve diameter in treated giant cell arteritis.

Objectives: To longitudinally assess ocular involvement in newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis (GCA) patients by evaluating changes in transorbital ultrasonography (TOS) parameters and their association with systemic vascular inflammation and treatment response.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, newly diagnosed GCA patients underwent serial TOS assessments of the central retinal artery flow velocity [peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), resistance index (RI)] and optic nerve diameter (OND) at three-monthly intervals for 12-months. Vascular ultrasonography and calculation of OMERACT Giant Cell Arteritis Ultrasonography (OGUS) Score was conducted.

Advances in diagnosing and treating giant cell arteritis: New hope for arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is an autoimmune disease of medium and large sized vessels. It is the most prevalent form of primary vasculitis in the western world. Vascular inflammation in GCA can lead to vascular occlusion.

Psychometric Performance of a New Condition-Specific Preference-Weighted Measure, Vision Impairment in Low Luminance-Utility Index, and EQ-5D-5L in Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A MACUSTAR Study Report.

Objectives: The Vision Impairment in Low Luminance-Utility Index (VILL-UI) is a novel preference-weighted measure for use in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). No evidence exists on its psychometric performance nor its performance in comparison with the generic preference-weighted measure, EQ-5D-5L, commonly used in economic evaluation. This study compares the psychometric performance of VILL-UI with EQ-5D-5L in patients with AMD.

Biomarkers of ocular manifestation in newly diagnosed giant cell arteritis.

Background: Giant cell arteritis (GCA) is a vasculitis of large and medium-sized vessels that causes severe ophthalmic complications. Timely diagnosis and disease monitoring may prevent permanent vision loss but biomarkers for early ocular involvement are scarce. This study evaluates early optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) biomarkers of ocular involvement in newly diagnosed GCA.

Heterogeneous Visual Function Deficits in Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A MACUSTAR Report.

Objective: To examine the extent to which visual function in Beckman age-related macular degeneration (AMD) disease stages differs from age-similar peers with no AMD and, using reference limits derived from those with no AMD, test the hypothesis that people with intermediate AMD (iAMD) have heterogeneous visual function deficits.

Design: Cross-sectional analyses of a range of baseline visual function measures from the MACUSTAR study-an international, multicenter (n = 20), noninterventional clinical trial.

Participants: Five hundred eighty-five participants with iAMD (67% female, mean [standard deviation] age 72 [7] years) were recruited alongside 56 with no AMD (59% female, 68 [6]), 34 with early AMD (79% female, 72 [6]), and 43 with late AMD (49% female, 75 [6]).

A new generation of patient-reported outcome measures with large language models.

Background: Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are cornerstones of patient-centered clinical medicine and reflect patients' abilities, difficulties, perceptions and behaviors. The highly structured questionnaire format of PROMs currently limits their real-world validity and acceptability to patients, which becomes increasingly relevant with the high clinical interest in PROM data. In this short commentary, we aim to demonstrate the potential use of large language models (LLMs) in the context of PROM data collection and interpretation.

Quantitative autofluorescence is increased in clinically unaffected fellow eyes from patients with posterior uveitis.

The purpose of this prospective case-control study is to investigate differences in quantitative autofluorescence (qAF) in clinically affected and unaffected eyes of patients with inactive posterior uveitis compared to healthy, age-matched controls. Patients with posterior uveitis and healthy controls were imaged using fundus autofluorescence (488 nm excitation; Spectralis HRA + OCT; Heidelberg Engineering) to measure qAF values using the proprietary HEYEX software. Mean background qAF (excluding vessels and retinal lesions) across all segments (as previously defined by Delori et al.

Validating candidate endpoints for intermediate age-related macular degeneration trials in a multi-centre setting-lessons from the MACUSTAR study.

For the conduct of future interventional age-related macular degeneration (AMD) trials, the availability of clinical study endpoints is key. However, no endpoints have been accepted by regulators for evaluation of treatment for intermediate (i) AMD, i.e.

The Spectrum of Functional, Structural, and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A MACUSTAR Study Report.

Introduction: There is an unmet medical need for therapies in intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD). The prospective European multicenter cohort study MACUSTAR validates structural, functional, and patient-reported iAMD endpoints for use in future trials. The multiplicity of assessments allows characterizing iAMD in more dimensions than previously available.

[Digital remote monitoring of chronic retinal conditions-A clinical future tool? : Remote monitoring of chronic retinal conditions].

Background: In view of the predicted increase in incidence and prevalence of chronic retinal diseases and undersupply of care in the population, telemedicine could contribute to reducing access barriers to healthcare and improving the results of treatment.

Objective: A literature review on remote monitoring of chronic retinal diseases was carried out.

Material And Methods: The medical literature was searched for publications on remote monitoring of chronic retinal diseases.

Effects of lorazepam on saccadic eye movements - evidence from prosaccade and free viewing tasks.

Rationale: Peak velocities of saccadic eye movements are reduced after benzodiazepine administration. Even though this is an established effect, past research has only examined it in horizontal prosaccade tasks.

Objectives: The spectrum of saccadic eye movements, however, is much larger.

Heterogeneity of patient-reported outcome measures in clinical research.

Background: The use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in clinical research increases and use of heterogeneous instruments reflects how well diverse traits are captured by a medical specialty. In order to reflect the heterogeneity of current PROM use in ophthalmology, we reviewed the available literature.

Methods: The medical literature database Web of Science was searched for the most cited articles in clinical ophthalmology.

Fundus Autofluorescence in Posterior and Panuveitis-An Under-Estimated Imaging Technique: A Review and Case Series.

Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a prompt and non-invasive imaging modality helpful in detecting pathological abnormalities within the retina and the choroid. This narrative review and case series provides an overview on the current application of FAF in posterior and panuveitis. The literature was reviewed for articles on lesion characteristics on FAF of specific posterior and panuveitis entities as well as benefits and limitations of FAF for diagnosing and monitoring disease.

Transorbital ultrasound in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of transorbital ultrasound (TOS) in patients newly diagnosed with giant cell arteritis (GCA), presenting with visual symptoms.

Methods: Patients with newly diagnosed, untreated GCA were examined using TOS, assessing central retinal artery flow velocity [peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), resistance index (RI)], and optic nerve diameter (OND). Vascular ultrasound was conducted to evaluate the superficial temporal arteries, their branches, facial, axillary, carotid, and vertebral arteries.

Piloting Rasch model scoring of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire in uveitis.

Introduction: The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ) is a common patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) in uveitis trials. Its psychometric properties using state-of-the-art scoring based on Rasch models, a latent trait model that improves accuracy of PROMs assessment, has not yet been investigated.

Methods: The study participants were recruited online from uveitis patient organizations, where individuals self-reported their uveitis diagnosis and visual acuity level.

Development and Valuation of a Preference-Weighted Measure in Age-Related Macular Degeneration From the Vision Impairment in Low Luminance Questionnaire: A MACUSTAR Report.

Objectives: This study generates VILL-UI (Vision Impairment in Low Luminance - Utility Index), a preference-weighted measure (PWM) derived from the VILL-33 measure for use in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and valued to generate United Kingdom and German preference weights.

Methods: A PWM consists of a classification system to describe health and utility values for every state described by the classification. The classification was derived using existing data collected as part of the MACUSTAR study, a low-interventional study on AMD, conducted at 20 clinical sites across Europe.

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

Background: With 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.

Vessel density on optical coherence tomography angiography is prognostic for future disease course in intermediate uveitis.

As most rare diseases, intermediate uveitis lacks reliable endpoints necessary for randomized clinical trials. Therefore, we investigated longitudinal changes of retinal and choriocapillaris perfusion on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) in intermediate uveitis and their prognostic value for future best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT). In this retrospective, longitudinal cohort study eyes of patients with intermediate uveitis were imaged by swept-source OCT-A (macula-centered 3 × 3 mm; PLEX Elite 9000, Zeiss) and stratified into clinically stable, worsened and improved based on changes in clinical parameters.

Choroidal signal hypertransmission on optical coherence tomography imaging: Association with development of geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration.

Background: To examine the association between large choroidal signal hypertransmission ≥250 μm (LHyperT) on optical coherence tomography (OCT) with the risk of developing geographic atrophy (GA) and compare this risk with those associated with nascent geographic atrophy (nGA).

Methods: Two hundred and eighty eyes from 140 participants with bilateral large drusen and without late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or nGA at baseline underwent OCT imaging and colour fundus photography (CFP) at 6-monthly intervals up to 5 years. OCT scans were graded for the presence of LHyperT and nGA, and CFPs were graded for the presence of GA.

Evaluation of the test-retest and inter-mode comparability of the Impact of Vision Impairment questionnaire in people with chronic eye diseases.

Purpose: The main objective of this study is to assess the test-retest and inter-administration mode reliability of the Impact of Vision Impairment profile (IVI), a common patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) for people with chronic eye diseases.

Methods: The IVI was administered to adult patients with stable, chronic eye diseases two to four times per participant (average intervals between administrations 12 to 20 days; maximum two phone interviews, paper administration, electronic administration) by two trained interviewers. Rasch models were fit to the data.