bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Congenital myopia
Authors: Robert Matthieu 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIntroduction: Acquired myopia – usually known as “myopia” – because of its a very high and growing prevalence, is increasingly discussed in the scientific literature. It shares hardly any feature with congenital myopia, which is a completely distinct entity.Objective: To describe the clinical and pathophysiological characteristics, and management challenges, of congenital myopia.Methods: Literature review using Pubmed and Google Scholar and chosen clinical case series.Results: While temporary and moderate myopia in newborns, especially premature ones, can be considered physiological, congenital high myopia is rare and mostly monogenic. It is almost always characterized by an excessive growth of the globe in utero, leading to a high or very high myopia from birth, quite stable over time after birth. It results from collagenopathies in the vast majority of cases (most often Stickler syndrome); more rarely to proteoglycanopathies or lamininopathies. Rarely, it can result from congenital lens ectopia. In both cases, management is debated and mainly relies on small series of cases. The rate of visual and oculomotor complications is particularly high.Conclusions: Congenital myopia are a challenge for both clinicians and geneticists; recent progress has been achieved in these fields.
Congenital and childhood toxoplasmosis
Authors: Kozyreff Alexandra 
Published: December 2022

AbstractToxoplasmic retinochoroiditis is a world‐wide disease and the most frequent infectious posterior uveitis resulting in vision loss with considerable consequences for the patient. Genetic and environmental factors may influence the course of the disease but the prenatal and postnatal antibiotic treatment of the infected neonates and the follow‐up of these children may substantially influence and improve their vision prognosis.The actualized recommendations will be discussed in this presentation.
The 9 months and beyond dilemma: Glaucoma and pregnancy
Authors: Stalmans Ingeborg 
Published: December 2022

AbstractPregnancy comes with various challenges for glaucoma patients.First of all, alterations and fluctuations in intra‐ocular pressure may occur not only during pregnancy but also during delivery. The clinical impact of these IOP changes in pregnant women with glaucoma will be discussed.Secondly, medical therapy needs to be scrutinized and if necessary adjusted to avoid toxic effects to the fetus. Also during lactation, this aspect must be taken into account. The different classes of glaucoma medications will be discussed in this aspect and finally a potential therapeutic strategy for pregnant and lactating women will be proposed.Also, the role of lasertrabeculoplasty and surgery will be highlighted and practical guidance will be given for these specific situations.Lastly, the general recommendations from the Guidelines of the European Glaucoma Society for the management of women with glaucoma during pregnancy and lactation will be summarized.
Old is the new young: A paradox for glaucoma patients
Authors: Oddone Francesco 
Published: December 2022

AbstractOlder/mature glaucoma patients are increasingly active these days and it is a myth that glaucoma patients are all passive and sedentary. Glaucoma does not only occur in the elderly, but even those glaucoma patients who are mature are working longer and staying more active. So perceptions of the ‘normal’ glaucoma patient need to be adjusted. Quality of life is increasingly important as older patients still feel young inside and want to enjoy their daily lives and interests and treatment must therefore be effective, but also tolerable so that patients' QoL is not limited by side effects. These patients have high expectations, but at the same time, this older population has a higher incidence of ocular and systemic comorbidities which can pose challenges. For instance, to start with ocular comorbidities it is well known that glaucoma patients have a higher risk of suffering from ocular surface disease and that the prevalence of ocular surface disease increases with increasing age. In this context therapeutic choices should be focused at lowering the intraocular pressure while preserving as much as possible the health of ocular surface for example by using preservative‐free medications to minimize ocular side‐effects. We know from published studies and from clinical experience that ocular surface disease shows improvements after switching from preserved to preservative free topical medications. Since glaucoma prevalence increases with age the prevalence of age‐related ocular comorbidities increases as well such as in the case of macular degeneration with additional deterioration of vision and increased impact on quality of life.Important to keep in mind that also systemic comorbidities that may particularly impact older patients, and the effect this might have on treatment (e.g. impairment in fine motor skills that can impact their ability of self‐administering the drops).Additionally, more mature patients may experience increased prevalence of systemic comorbidities such as cardiovascular or pulmonary ones limiting the therapeutic choices. More challenges to diagnosing and monitoring the disease might be posed by increased difficulties in performing psychophysical tests such as visual field testing.In this scenario it has to be highlighted the importance of communication to assess patients' level of comprehension and ability to cooperate with treatment and monitoring schedule.
Vitrectomy with ILM peeling and subretinal injections of BSS in diabetic macular oedema in one eye vs. intravitreal anti‐VEGF injections in the second eye – A swept source OCT angiography study
Authors: Nawrocka Zofia Anna , Nawrocka Zofia , Nawrocki Jerzy 
Published: December 2022

AbstractPurpose: The aim of this study was to compare the results of vitrectomy performed in patients' worse eyes with diabetic macular oedema to the results of continuous anti‐VEGF treatment performed in patients' fellow eyes.Methods: A retrospective interventional study of patients with diabetic macular edema in both eyes. The better eye was always qualified for aflibercept injections (group 1), and the worse eye was scheduled for vitrectomy (group 2). The follow‐up lasted 12 months. The following parameters were measured: visual acuity (V), central retinal thickness (CRT), maximum retinal thickness (MRT), central choroidal thickness (CCT), superficial (sFAZ) and deep fovea avascular zone (dFAZ), and vessel density at the level of superficial (sVD) and deep (dVD) retinal vessels.Results: None of the analysed factors differed between groups with statistical significance at any timepoint. The time of recovery of vision was identical in both eyes (F = 0.91, p = 0.449). The final sFAZ was significantly smaller for group 2 (median 196 μm), than for group one (median 375 μm; U = 101.0; p = 0.022; r = 0.44).Conclusion: Both techniques resulted in similar improvements in visual acuity and decreases in CRT after one year. sFAZ decreased in all eyes, with a higher extent after vitrectomy.
Intraocular drug delivery methods: Conventional versus modern approaches
Authors: Lytvynchuk Lyubomyr 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIntravitreal injection (IVI) belongs to a standard and most used drug delivery technique for the treatment of exudative age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) and other ocular diseases associated with increase of VEGF concentration in the vitreous cavity and retinal layers. Moreover, this technique is used to inject antibiotics, steroids, antiviral, antifungal and cytostatic agents during the treatment of eye infection and eye injury. The risk of serious vision‐threatening complications after IVI, including aseptic and septic intraocular inflammation, is very low. However, the number of patients who require the IVI grows together with the absolute number of serious injection‐associated complications. Regarding the rate of endophthalmitis, various possible contamination mechanisms have been considered, including contamination of the surface of the eye, contamination of the needles or therapeutic substances, etc. Nevertheless, an accurate mechanism of these contaminations as well as the ways to prevent them remains unclear. It was suggested, that one of the possible causes of the post‐IVI inflammation is the use of hypodermic needles with the sharp tip, which cuts out potentially contaminated cellular material and brings it inside the eye together with the drug. Modern studies are focused on the enhancement of the safety of the IVI technique by developing less traumatic injection needles. Drug companies are developing the new drugs, which action is more prolonged in order to reduce the number of required injections. Additionally, the new alternative drug delivery systems have been proposed and already tested in the clinical condition. Development of novel intraocular drug delivery techniques with their implication into the everyday practice will improve the safety profile of the treatment methods.
No dye, no glory: Fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography in uveitis
Authors: Salas Ester Carreño 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe advantages of the new imaging techniques such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT‐angiography (OCT‐A) have decreased the use of fluorescein angiography (FA) and indocyanine green angiography (ICG) in the diagnosis and management of uveitis. The aim of this talk is to highlight the need of using FA and ICG (including wide field and ultra‐wide field devices) in the diagnosis and follow‐up of uveitis patients.
The magic of time: Imaging analysis in uveitis
Authors: Agarwal Aniruddha 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn the recent times, there has been a significant interest in the quantification of retinochoroidal vasculature in ocular inflammatory diseases. Using various imaging modalities such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA), non‐invasive ultra‐structural imaging of the retinochoroidal vasculature is now possible. Various authors have attempted to quantify the alterations in retinochoroidal vasculature in various uveitic conditions, including anterior and posterior/panuveitis. Using third‐party software, it is possible to perform quantification in an automated manner using predesigned pipelines with optimum thresholding strategies and image binarization techniques. The quantification must be performed after careful consideration of the retinochoroidal anatomy to avoid incorrect interpretation of the data. In this talk, the speaker will highlight the various techniques of quantification of retinochoroidal vasculature, paying specific attention to the correct ways of pre‐processing and application of image processing algorithms to obtain the most accurate results.
Management and prognosis of vitreous haemorrhage
Authors: Xirou Tina 
Published: December 2022

AbstractVitreous haemorrhage is one of the most common causes of sudden deterioration in vision with an incidence of seven cases per 100 000 and it is affecting most often only one eye.The most common causes for nontraumatic, spontaneous vitreous haemorrhage include diabetic retinopathy, retinal tear/detachment, vitreoretinal traction resulting from posterior vitreous detachment, retinal venous occlusive disease, ruptured retinal macroaneurysm, and exudative age‐related macular degeneration In the setting of severe vitreous haemorrhage and no visualization of the fundus and without a history of underlying cause the diagnosis may be challenging. B‐scan is the most useful diagnostic tool but ultrasound has limitations both in sensitivity and specificity for excluding retinal tear and detachment, as well as operator dependent variability. General ophthalmologists tend to follow up patients, waiting the haemorrhage to clear or to have some indication for the underlying pathology. This waiting time could compromise the final visual outcome of a vitreous haemorrhage related to retinal breaks or affect the quality of life of patients. With the safety profile of modern small gauge vitreoretinal surgery we would suggest an early referral of all cases to vitreoretinal surgeons as delayed diagnosis and management could implicate consequences affecting the final visual result.
Management and diagnosis of subretinal and suprachoroidal haemorrhage
Authors: Kontou Evgenia 
Published: December 2022

AbstractSubretinal and suprachoroidal haemorrhage, particularly when central macula is involved, represent challenging clinical entities since their natural course, if left untreated, often leads to severe, progressive and irreversible vision loss, due to photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) damage. Significant variation in prognosis and treatment of different types of haemorrhage dictates the need to establish the level of haemorrhage, which is primarily based on fundus appearance, as haemorrhage in different levels tends to present with a distinct configuration. Additional modalities, such as ultra‐sonography, optical coherence tomography, fluorescein angiography and focal electroretinography, contribute to diagnosis the clinical evaluation.Despite the wide range of techniques described for managing both subretinal and suprachoroidal haemorrhage, there is still no consensus among vitreoretinal surgeons on optimal approach. Pneumatic displacement with or without the intraretinal use of tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA), pars plana vitrectomy with subretinal t‐PA and gas tamponade, pars plana vitrectomy and retinectomy for clot extraction and co‐treatment with anti‐vascular endothelial growths factors (anti‐VEGFs) and pars plana vitrectomy with choroidal blood drainage, have all been described as effective management approaches. Over the last few years, a trend towards a more timely and less invasive approach has emerged. However, the preferred technique is often determined by the level, the extent and duration of haemorrhage as well as surgeon preference.
From biomimetic in vitro culture towards functional transplantation of hPSC‐RPE
Authors: Skottman Heli 
Published: December 2022

AbstractHuman pluripotent stem cell‐derived retinal pigment epithelium (hPSC‐RPE) transplantation is currently under evaluation as treatment for macular degeneration. In our studies, we have shown that the culture substrate affects hPSC‐RPE properties in vitro, and our results also suggest that the choice of coating proteins may have implications to the functional properties of these cells also after important cryostorage cell banking. Importantly, transplanted cells must tolerate cellular stress caused by various sources such as retinal inflammation and regain their functions rapidly after the transplantation. In our studies, we have shown that the maturation level of the cultured hPSC‐RPE cells influence for example their calcium signalling properties and for the ability to tolerate cellular stress. With our collaborators, we have also studied the role of ion channels and their involvement in diverse physiological functions of hPSC‐RPEs. Last but not least, we have transplanted hPSC‐RPE as cell sheets in a novel immunosuppressed non‐human primate (NHP) model with a disrupted ocular immune privilege to study safety and submacular graft integration. In transplantations, microscope‐integrated intraoperative optical coherence tomography (miOCT)‐guided surgery, postoperative follow‐up incorporated scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, spectral domain (SD‐) OCT, and full‐field electroretinography (ERG) were used as outcome measures in addition to the histology performed after a 28‐day follow‐up. As a result, miOCT revealed foveal disruption and ERG showed amplitude and peak time preservation in cases with favourable surgical outcomes. Histology confirmed photoreceptor preservation above the grafts and in vivo phagocytosis by hPSC‐RPE, albeit evidence of cytoplasmic redistribution of opsin in photoreceptors and glia hypertrophy. The established immunosuppression protocol efficiently suppressed retinal T cell infiltration and microglia activation. As a conclusion, our results suggest the important role of biomimetic in vitro culture for the hPSC‐RPE maturation and for the functional transplantation outcome.
Developing autologous cell therapy for macular degeneration: From bench‐to‐bedside
Authors: Bharti Kapil , Investigator Senior 
Published: December 2022

AbstractInduced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can provide autologous and allogeneic replacement tissues, potentially for all degenerative diseases. Autologous tissues have the advantage of not requiring immune‐suppressive drugs that have deleterious side‐effects. The safety and feasibility of autologous iPSC‐based therapies has not been established. Here, we developed an autologous iPSC‐based therapy for age‐related macular degeneration (AMD), a blinding eye disease that affects over 30 million people world‐wide. AMD is caused by the progressive degeneration of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a monolayer tissue that maintains photoreceptor function and survival. We tissue engineered a clinical‐grade iPSC‐RPE‐patch on a biodegradable scaffold using autologous cells from AMD patients. Preclinical investigational new drug (IND)‐enabling studies performed on iRPE‐patch derived from multiple AMD patients demonstrated reproducible manufacturing, validating our manufacturing process – a key requirement for an autologous phase I trial. Functional validation of clinical‐grade iRPE‐patches allowed determination of tissue barrier resistance, purity of RPE cells, and RPE cell shape metrics as key critical quality attributes now used as clinical product release criteria. Preclinical animal studies performed in immune‐compromised rats confirmed safety of the auto‐iRPE‐patch and efficacy studies performed in a porcine laser‐induced RPE injury model that mimics AMD‐like eye conditions demonstrated integration and functionality of RPE patches. A phase I/IIa IND‐application for an auto‐iRPE‐patch to treat AMD was recently cleared by the FDA. This Phase I/IIa clinical trial will test safety, feasibility, and integration of an auto‐iRPE‐patch in twelve advanced AMD patients. The trial is currently being run as a single site study at the NIH and targets patient enrollment in two cohorts – with visual acuity between 20/100 to 20/500 and between 20/80 to 20/500.
Subretinal application of cell cultures: Surgical methods and its transition to the use in human
Authors: Lytvynchuk Lyubomyr 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe progression of age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) results in irreversible and untreatable impairment of central vision. The formation of the drusen and subsequent atrophy of in the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) with development of neovascular membranes remain the typical features of AMD pathogenesis. As the result of the disorganization of the RPE the death photoreceptor cell develops, which is associated with altered RPE phagocytosis, increased RPE permeability, formation of choroidal neovascularization, and involvement of resident and monocytic microglial cells. Nevertheless, the exact cause of the RPE degeneration is still not fully understood. Up to date there is no therapeutic approach, which could reverse the course of AMD progression. Injection of anti‐vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs), laser‐photo coagulation and photodynamic therapy of the neovascularisations are being widely used to treat the complications of exudative AMD and therefore to prevent visual loss. Since few decades, the concept of substitutional cell‐based regenerative treatment has been investigated by many groups. It could offer in the near future an alternative approach to restore impaired vision in AMD. Th studies have shown that subretinal implantation of RPE cells seeded on a biodegradable scaffold enhances the integration of the donor cells compared to the injection of cell‐suspension as method of delivery. This could improve the differentiation of donor RPE cells into the host retina and help with the proper cellularization of the RPE monolayer. However, the implantation techniques including surgical procedure with exposion of subretinal space and the development and use of delivery instruments remains challenging. Experimental studies with subretinal RPE transplantation are focused on development of optimal surgical techniques, which could be easily transferred to the application in humans. The cultivation and reproducible viability of hRPEs for transplantation purposes on biodegradable scaffolds for human transplantation shall correspond and be adapted to the instrumentation used during the surgery. Hence, the advances in the methodology and the results of improved approaches shall be investigated further.
The importance of Cajal contribution to the knowledge of the visual system
Authors: de Castro Fernando 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe Spanish neurohistologist Santiago Ramón y Cajal is universally considered as the founder of modern Neuroscience. His works were fundamental to unravel the structure of the nervous system, coining concepts that transformed the scientific society, opening the door for the scientific exploration of the brain. In his titannic labour, Cajal focused a significant number of his studies on the retina and the visual system, in general, of different species. Maybe the most known among these were the one that he wrote on the retina of the vertebrates (originally published in French, in 1893, which also includes some fundamental discoveries beyond the visual system, like the first description axonal growth cones), or the collaboration with his disciple Domingo Sánchez devoted to the retina and optic centers of the insects (published in Spanish, in 1915). In the present communication, I will try to put these studies in their historical and scientific context, as well as to emphasize the relevance of the visual system for the overall conception of the CNS structure that Cajal gifted to Humanity.
Retinal function: From Cajal drawings to present physiological techniques
Authors: De La Villa Pedro 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn this Special Interest Symposium we want to present to the European scientific community of retinal researchers the book LA RETINA DE LOS VERTEBADOS. The book was originally published by Santiago Ramón y Cajal in 1892 only in French. Two years later it was translated into German by Richard Greeff and in 1972 it was translated into English by Sylvia Thorpe and Mitchell Glickstein, but it has never been translated into Spanish. We now present the Spanish edition of “La Retina de los Vertebrados” in the context of current knowledge of the functions of retinal neurons. Cajal Figure is widely recognized by physiologists and retinal specialists. However, Cajal's work on the retina and, above all, his masterpiece, “La Retina de los Vertebrados” is not fully known by all the researchers currently working on the physiology of the retina.In addition, this presentation to the members of EVER, intends to highlight the importance of Cajal's studies in order to understand the physiological mechanisms of the retina. Some classic schemes of retinal cells and their connections will be shown, in which Cajal suggests a series of specific functions for each neuronal element of the retina. In the present work, it will be considered how the methodological advances over the years, and the modern techniques of functional exploration of the nervous system, have allowed us to demonstrate that the functional aspects suggested by Cajal more than one century ago were correct.
Corneal biomechanics for beginners – Understanding the basics
Authors: Sakellaris Dimitris 
Published: December 2022

AbstractCovering the basic aspects on biomechanical properties of the cornea, my talk will deal with the definition of it. I will refer to both the viscous and the elastic behaviour of the cornea, how these properties change naturally through age and pathologically in case of a corneal diseases. I will briefly analyse basic terms such as visco‐elasticity, stress–strain curve, elastic modulus, stiffness and hysteresis, how these parameters help us understand the corneal tissue better and how this understanding becomes a valuable diagnostic tool.