The past, present and future management of sickle cell retinopathy within an African context

Levels of anti-insulin antibodies in diabetic retinopathy patients: an observational cross-sectional study

Aim: This study evaluated the levels of anti-insulin antibodies (AIAs) and the influence of some antidiabetic medications on AIA in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients with retinopathy. Patient & methods: An observational cross-sectional study. Results: A lower titer of AIA IgG was observed in the diabetic retinopathy (DR) and DM-only study categories compared with the control group [DR = 86 (5-560), DM-only = 50 (5-500), versus control = 200 (7-565); p = 0.017]. Taking nifedipine and metformin were negatively correlated (r = -0.32, p = 0.04) with the levels of AIA IgE in the DR group. Conclusion: A decreased titer of circulating AIAs was observed in the DR study category, suggesting that AIA may not contribute to the pathogenesis of DR.

Readability and Quality of Online Information on Sickle Cell Retinopathy for Patients

PURPOSE

This study aims to evaluate the readability and quality of Internet-based health information on sickle cell retinopathy.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional website analysis.

METHODS

To simulate a patient's online search, the terms "sickle cell retinopathy" and "sickle cell disease in the eye" were entered into the top 3 search engines (Google, Bing and Yahoo). The first 20 results of each search were retrieved and screened for analysis. The DISCERN questionnaire, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) standards, and the Health on the Net (HON) criteria were used to evaluate the quality of the information. The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), the Flesch Reading Ease (FRES), and the Automated Readability Index (ARI) were used to assess the readability of each website.

RESULTS

Of 16 online sources, 12 (75%) scored moderately on the DISCERN tool. The mean DISCERN score was 40.91 (SD, 10.39; maximum possible, 80). None of the sites met all of the JAMA benchmarks, and only 3 (18.75%) of the websites had HONcode certification. All of the websites had scores above the target American Medical Association grade level of 6 on both the FKGL and ARI. The mean FRES was 57.76 (±4.61), below the recommended FRES of 80 to 90.

CONCLUSION

There is limited online information available on sickle cell retinopathy. Most included websites were fairly difficult to read and of substandard quality. The quality and readability of Internet-based, patient-focused information on sickle cell retinopathy needs to be improved.

Deep learning-based classification of retinal vascular diseases using ultra-widefield colour fundus photographs

Objective

To assess the ability of a deep learning model to distinguish between diabetic retinopathy (DR), sickle cell retinopathy (SCR), retinal vein occlusions (RVOs) and healthy eyes using ultra-widefield colour fundus photography (UWF-CFP).

Methods and Analysis

In this retrospective study, UWF-CFP images of patients with retinal vascular disease (DR, RVO, and SCR) and healthy controls were included. The images were used to train a multilayer deep convolutional neural network to differentiate on UWF-CFP between different vascular diseases and healthy controls. A total of 224 UWF-CFP images were included, of which 169 images were of retinal vascular diseases and 55 were healthy controls. A cross-validation technique was used to ensure that every image from the dataset was tested once. Established augmentation techniques were applied to enhance performances, along with an Adam optimiser for training. The visualisation method was integrated gradient visualisation.

Results

The best performance of the model was obtained using 10 epochs, with an overall accuracy of 88.4%. For DR, the area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC) was 90.5% and the accuracy was 85.2%. For RVO, the AUC was 91.2% and the accuracy 88.4%. For SCR, the AUC was 96.7% and the accuracy 93.8%. For healthy controls, the ROC was 88.5% with an accuracy that reached 86.2%.

Conclusion

Deep learning algorithms can classify several retinal vascular diseases on UWF-CPF with good accuracy. This technology may be a useful tool for telemedicine and areas with a shortage of ophthalmic care.

[Sickle cell retinopathy in children: Report of 42 cases]

We aimed to describe the epidemiological, etiological and clinical features, treatment and clinical course of sickle cell retinopathy in children and to determine the risk factors for serious involvement.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study including all children diagnosed with sickle cell retinopathy. Epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic characteristics, as well as clinical course, were analysed retrospectively by chart review. Two groups were defined: Group 1 (Goldberg stage 1 and 2); Group 2 (Goldberg stage 3, 4 and 5). In order to identify factors independently associated with severe sickle cell retinopathy, we conducted a logistic regression analysis in descending order.

RESULTS

The frequency of sickle cell retinopathy was 14.48%. Forty-two patients (84 eyes) were included; among them 23 boys and 19 girls, aged 10 to 17 with a mean age of 14±1.98 years. Twenty patients were of genotype SS, 11 patients of genotype SC, 8 Sβ and 3 SO Arab. The three patients in group 2 were all of SS genotype. The majority of patients (32) had an HbF level of less than 15%. All our patients had sickle cell retinopathy distributed as follows: 62% at stage 1; 31% at stage 2; 5% at stage 3 and 2% at stage 4. Multivariate analysis revealed a single risk factor independently linked to severe involvement - an HbF level<15%.

CONCLUSION

Retinopathy is a frequent complication of sickle cell disease which may lead to blindness. The HbF level is negatively correlated with severe involvement.

Awareness of Ocular Manifestations, Complications, and Treatment of Sickle Cell Disease in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

AIM:

This study aims to assess the level of awareness about the effect of sickle cell disease (SCD) on the eye and vision and factors influencing SCD awareness.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS:

The study design was cross-sectional and was carried out in 2018 among the general population in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. It was conducted using an online, validated questionnaire, after obtaining consent from the participants. The outcome variable was 557. The level of awareness was correlated to demographic information.

RESULTS:

The study population was 557 Saudi adults. 84 were male and 473 female. Their mean age was 22 ± 23 years. Majority of the participants (57.3%) were not aware that SCD could affect the eye and vision. There was no difference in the knowledge regarding ocular complications of SCD among different ages and sexes.

CONCLUSIONS:

The result of this study indicates the need for raising the knowledge regarding the disease, its ocular complications, screening methods, and management. Health educations campaigns would be an effective tool in increasing SCD awareness.