Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system characterized by relapses and autoimmunity caused by antibodies against the astrocyte water channel protein aquaporin-4. Over the past decade, there have been significant advances in the biologic knowledge of NMOSD, which resulted in the IDENTIFICATION of variable disease phenotypes, biomarkers, and complex inflammatory cascades involved in disease pathogenesis. Ongoing clinical trials are looking at new treatments targeting NMOSD relapses. This review aims to provide an update on recent studies regarding issues related to NMOSD, including the pathophysiology of the disease, the potential use of serum and cerebrospinal fluid cytokines as disease biomarkers, the clinical utilization of ocular coherence tomography, and the comparison of different animal models of NMOSD.

Fifty-two eyes of 52 patients with treatment-naïve macular edema associated with perfused branch retinal vein occlusion were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-seven cases received PRN intravitreal bevacizumab, and 25 cases were treated by PRN intravitreal aflibercept with monthly follow-ups for 12 months. Both aflibercept and bevacizumab were effective in reduction of macular thickness and improvement of visual acuity for the participants. Both antivascular endothelial growth factor agents had similar efficacy and duration of treatment for these eyes with macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion during a 12-month period. No serious systemic or ocular adverse events were reported. Fifty-two eyes of 52 patients with treatment-naïve macular edema associated with perfused branch retinal vein occlusion were retrospectively reviewed. Twenty-seven cases received PRN intravitreal bevacizumab, and 25 cases were treated by PRN intravitreal aflibercept with monthly follow-ups for 12 months. Both aflibercept and bevacizumab were effective in reduction of macular thickness and improvement of visual acuity for the participants. Both antivascular endothelial growth factor agents had similar efficacy and duration of treatment for these eyes with macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion during a 12-month period. No serious systemic or ocular adverse events were reported.

Purpose: To investigate the accuracy of 6 intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation formulas in predicting refractive outcomes in extremely long eyes.Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, Taiwan.Design: Retrospective comparative study.Methods: In this retrospective single-center study, we reviewed 70 eyes of 70 patients with axial length (AL) ≥ 28 mm who had received an uneventful 2.2 mm corneal wound phacoemulsification and in-the-bag IOL placement. The actual postoperative refractive results were compared to the predicted refraction calculated with 6 formulas (Haigis, Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, SRK/T, T2, Barrett Universal II formulas) using IOLMaster 500 as optical biometry in the User Group for Laser Interference Biometry (ULIB) constants.Results: Overall, the Haigis and Barrett formulas achieved the lowest level of mean prediction error (PE) and median absolute error (MedAE). Hoffer Q, Holladay 1, SRK/T, and T2 had hyperopic prediction errors (p < 0.05). The Hoffer Q and Holladay 1 had significantly more MedAE between the 6 formulas. After the mean PE was zeroed out, the MedAE had no significant difference between each group. The absolute error tends to be larger in patients with longer AL. The absolute errors were 30.0–37.1% and 60.0–64.3% within 1.0 D of all patients compared to predicted refraction calculated using various formulas.Conclusion: The Haigis and Barrett Universal II formulas had a better success rate in predicting IOL power in high myopic eyes with AL longer than 28 mm using the ULIB constant in this study. The postoperative refractive results were inferior to the benchmark standards, which indicated that the precision of IOL power calculation in patients with high myopia still required improvement.

Artificial intelligence has revolutionised smart medicine, resulting in enhanced medical care. This study presents an automated detector chip for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using a support vector machine (SVM) and three-dimensional (3D) optical coherence tomography (OCT) volume. The aim is to assist ophthalmologists by reducing the time-consuming AMD medical examination. Using the property of 3D OCT volume, a modified feature vector connected method called slice-sum is proposed, reducing computational complexity while maintaining high detection accuracy. Compared to previous methods, this method significantly reduces computational complexity by at least a hundredfold. Image adjustment and noise removal steps are excluded for classification accuracy, and the feature extraction algorithm of local binary patterns is determined based on hardware consumption considerations. Through optimisation of the feature vector connection method after feature extraction, the computational complexity of SVM detection is significantly reduced, making it applicable to similar 3D datasets. Additionally, the design supports model replacement, allowing users to train and update classification models as needed. Using TSMC 40 nm CMOS technology, the proposed detector achieves a core area of 0.12 mm² while demonstrating a classification throughput of 8.87 decisions/s at a maximum operating frequency of 454.54 MHz. The detector achieves a final testing classification accuracy of 92.31%.

Background: Dexamethasone (DEX) implant has been shown to improve visual and anatomic function in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of DEX implant between refractory and naive eyes with DME. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed data from pseudophakic patients with center-involved DME who received DEX implant (1 + as needed retreatment) from May 2015 to May 2017. Baseline clinical characteristics, changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT) were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Adverse events were recorded. Results: Thirty-four eyes of 31 patients refractory to anti–vascular endothelial growth factor agents and 41 eyes of 38 treatment-naive patients were reviewed. Baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups (p > 0.05). In the refractory eyes, significant improvements in both BCVA and CFT were observed at 1 month post DEX implant and sustained throughout 6 months. Mean change from baseline in BCVA at 6 months was –0.17 ± 0.35 logMAR (7.29 ± 16.22 letters) and 155.44 ± 112.67 μm in CFT. Similar trends of improvement were seen in treatment-naive eyes; however, the visual improvement (–0.30 ± 0.29 logMAR [16.42 ± 14.38 letters]) was significantly better than the refractory group, with significantly less injections (1.54 ± 0.49 versus 1.82 ± 0.38, p = 0.007). Between-group changes in CFT were comparable. No serious ocular complications occurred, and about a quarter of the patients had elevated intraocular pressures that were manageable with topical medications. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this was the first study comparing DEX implant between treatment-naive and refractory Asian patients with DME. Intravitreal DEX implant can effectively treat refractory and treatment-naive patients with DME. In addition, superior visual outcomes were observed in the naive group comparing to the refractory group following DEX implant treatment in Taiwanese pseudophakic eyes with DME.