Types and Presentation of Refractive Error among Individuals Aged 0-30 Years: Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study, Yemen

Epidemiology and trends in the uptake of refractive error services in Harare, Zimbabwe: a hospital-based retrospective study

Aim

The study aimed to determine the epidemiology and evaluate the trends in the uptake of refractive error services in Harare.

Methods

A clinic-based retrospective study at the Greenwood Park Eye Centre and its three subsidiaries was conducted from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2020.

Results

12,216 patients' records were retrieved, out of which 1074 (8.79%) had refractive error cases. The prevalence of visual impairment at presentation was 5.80% [95% CI: 5.39 - 6.23]. Among those with refractive error, the sample prevalence of visual impairment before correction was 41.30% [CI: 38.3 - 44.3, 95%], and 2.20% [95% CI: 1.4 - 3.3] after correction. There was inconsistency in the percentage utilization of refractive error services, with the highest being 42.60% in 2015. Refractive error types were related to age, employment position, and type of visual impairment prior to refractive error treatment.

Conclusion

There was a low percentage of refractive error services uptake in urban Zimbabwe.

The Influence of Visual Input on Electromyographic Activity and Patterns of Masticatory and Cervical Spine Muscles in Emmetropic Caucasian Subjects by Gender

(1) Background: The objective of the research was to analyze the change of visual input on electromyographic activity and patterns of masticatory and cervical spine muscles in emmetropic Caucasian subjects by gender. Supposedly, visual input should not influence activity and electromyographic patterns of masticatory and cervical spine muscles in emmetropic Caucasian subjects by gender. (2) Methods: After applying the inclusion criteria, 50 emmetropic Caucasian subjects were included in the study. Four muscle pairs were analyzed: the temporalis muscle (TA), the masseter muscle (MM), the digastric muscle (DA), and the sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM), during resting and functional activity. (3) Results: It was observed that there were no significant statistical differences in activity and bioelectrical patterns between open and closed eyes in women and men, with the exception of clenching on dental cotton rollers in DA-left and DA mean between tests in women. The observed statistical results had a small effect size, successively equal to 0.32 and 0.29. (4) Conclusions: Changes in the influence of visual input do not affect electromyographic activity and patterns of masticatory and cervical spine muscles in emmetropic Caucasian women and men.

A Study Linking Axial Length, Corneal Curvature, and Eye Axis With Demographic Characteristics in the Emmetropic Eyes of Bangladeshi People

Background Axial length (AL) and corneal curvature (CC) are one of the furthest critical parameters for optometry and oculoplastic surgery. These two variables are crucial in biometry for accurately measuring the power of the intraocular lens in cataract surgery. This research aimed to determine the association linking axial length and corneal curvature with demographic characteristics in emmetropic eyes of Bangladeshi people. Methods This descriptive cross-sectional research was carried out among 200 emmetropic eyes of Bangladeshi people attending the Department of Ophthalmology at Rajshahi Medical College, Bangladesh, with different eye conditions, between July 2017 and June 2018. Data was gathered by conducting person-to-person interviews, checking visual activity using the Snellen chart, and measuring corneal curvature using an auto-keratometer and axial eyeball length using A-scan ultrasonography. Results A total of 200 attendances were studied, 90 males and 110 females. All were emmetropic. The age range was 21-52 years, and the highest contributors were in the 21-30-year age group. The association between right axial length and right corneal curvature shows a negative relation among both sexes. It was -0.61 (β-coefficient (β-coff)), and highly significant in females at -0.89 (β-coff). Additionally, the association between left axial length and left corneal curvature shows a negative relation of -0.65 (β-coff), which was again highly significant in females at -0.87 (β-coff). Both were not significant in males. There was no significant association linking axial length and eye axis in both sexes. The multivariate regression model was used to assess the p-value, and the regression model was adjusted by age. Conclusion Optical parametric measurement is a noninvasive diagnostic and assessment tool that might help in the actual measurement of intraocular lens implantation in cataract surgery and may also provide supplementary information to the researcher domain.

Characteristics of Headache in Children Presenting to Ophthalmology Services in a Tertiary Care Center of South India

Introduction: Headache is a common cause of disability worldwide and can disrupt the education and social life of children. Children regularly present to ophthalmologists with headache. So, we aimed to describe the characteristics of headache in children presenting to the ophthalmology outpatient department (OPD) in our center.

Methodology: We conducted this cross-sectional, prospective study in Bangalore, India. We included all children aged 5-18 years, presenting with headache to the ophthalmology OPD, from September 2018 to September 2020, and excluded nonverbal children, those with prior head trauma, diagnosed psychiatric illnesses, or epilepsy. We provided each child with a headache questionnaire, following which they received a detailed ophthalmologic evaluation. We performed relevant descriptive and inferential analyses.

Results: We included 311 children, with a mean age of 11.1 years. Sixty-eight percent were males. Fifty-one percent reported holocranial headache, and 28% reported frontal headache. Sixty-nine percent reported screen time of ≥2 hours/day. The most common refractive error (RE) was myopia, seen in 48%. The most common type of headache was headache associated with refractive errors (HARE), seen in 64%, followed by migraine, in 19%. Children with HARE were more likely to be males, have daily screen time of >2 hours/day, or have myopia. Their headache was more likely to be for >1 month, or have frontal localization. Children with headache due to other causes were more likely to be adolescents.

Discussion: We found that almost two-thirds of children presenting to our ophthalmology OPD had HARE. Our findings support the association of REs with headache. Children with HARE had a longer history and predominantly frontal localization. Further, they reported longer screen time, a significant finding in today’s world. Ophthalmologists must be aware of the various etiologies of headache and ensure that each child with headache receives a full ophthalmologic evaluation.