Purpose: To compare the postoperative visual acuity curves following 3 pseudophakic presbyopic correction techniques. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Alexandroupolis, Greece. Design: Prospective, randomized, comparative trial. Methods: For this study, patients with stage 2 Lens Opacities Classification System III cataract were divided into 3 study groups: (1) premium monovision group, including patients who received the Panoptix intraocular lens (IOL) in the recessive eye and Vivity IOL in the dominant one; (2) bilateral trifocal group, including those who received bilaterally the Panoptix IOL; and (3) bilateral xEDOF group, including patients who received bilaterally the Vivity IOL. Postoperative bilateral uncorrected distance visual acuity was measured at 25.5, 28, 33, 40, 50, 66, 100, 200, and 300 cm distances. Spline curve fitting was attempted, and areas of the curves (AOCs) and curvature k were calculated. All patients responded to the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (NEI-VFQ-25). Results: 90 patients were equally divided into the 3 groups. Premium monovision and bilateral trifocal implantations delivered similar visual acuity (all AOC P > .05); however, the trifocal patients suffered from drops in vision acuity in certain distance ranges as expressed by negative curvature values. Bilateral xEDOF patients demonstrated worse near vision acuity (P < .05). Premium monovision patients reported better scores in NEI-VFQ 25 (P = .03) and in the near activities (P = .02) and distant activities (P = .04) subscales. Conclusions: All surgical options provided impressive outcomes. Premium monovision appeared to deliver the best results.

Purpose: To validate the Democritus Digital Acuity and Reading Test (DDART) as a distance VA (dVA) test against a series of prevalent conventional distance vision charts. Setting: Ophthalmology Department, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Alexandroupolis, Greece; Ophthalmology Department, AHEPA University Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece; and Ophthalmica Institute of Ophthalmology & Microsurgery, Thessaloniki, Greece. Design: Prospective multicenter validation study. Methods: The distance best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (dBSCVA) was compared in normal (NVG) and low (LVG) vision participants against 4 prevalent conventional distance vision charts (ETDRS, Snellen, Landolt C, and Tumbling E) by a predefined 2.5-symbol noninferiority margin and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). DDART's test–retest (TRT) reliability was assessed with ICCs. Results: 534 participants (471 and 63 with normal and low vision, respectively) were included in the study. The mean difference between dBSCVA measured with DDART and conventional charts ranged between −0.84 and +0.85 symbols, without exceeding the 2.5-symbol noninferiority margin. ICCs indicated an excellent level of agreement for all patient groups (from 0.848 to 0.985). TRT reliability indicated differences below 1 symbol both for the NVG and LVG, with ICCs ranging between 0.912 and 0.964 for the 4 DDARTs. Conclusions: DDART was a valid web-based dVA test that provided reliable measurements in clinical and telemedical settings, both for normal and low vision patients.

(1) Background: While smartphones are among the primary devices used in telemedical applications, smart TV healthcare apps are not prevalent despite smart TVs’ penetrance in home settings. The present study’s objective was to develop and validate the first smart TV-based visual acuity (VA) test (Democritus Digital Visual Acuity Test (DDiVAT)) that allows a reliable VA self-assessment. (2) Methods: This is a prospective validation study. DDiVAT introduces several advanced features for reliable VA self-testing; among them: automatic calibration, voice recognition, voice guidance, automatic calculation of VA indexes, and a smart TV-based messaging system. Normal and low vision participants were included in the validation. DDiVAT VA results (VA_DDiVAT) were compared against the ones from: (a) the gold-standard conventional ETDRS (VA_ETDRS), and, (b) an independent ophthalmologist who monitored the self-examination testing (VA_RES). Comparisons were performed by noninferiority test (set at 2.5-letters) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). DDiVAT’s test-retest reliability was assessed within a 15-day time-window. (3) Results: A total of 300 participants (185 and 115 with normal and low vision, respectively) responded to ETDRS and DDiVAT. Mean difference in letters was −0.05 for VA_ETDRS–VA_RES, 0.62 for VA_RES–VA_DDiVAT, and 0.67 for VA_ETDRS–VA_DDiVAT, significantly lower than the 2.5 letter noninferiority margin. ICCs indicated an excellent level of agreement, collectively and for each group (0.922-0.996). All displayed letters in DDiVAT presented a similar difficulty. The overall accuracy of the voice recognition service was 96.01%. ICC for VA_DDiVAT test-retest was 0.957. (4) Conclusions: The proposed DDiVAT presented non-significant VA differences with the ETDRS, suggesting that it can be used for accurate VA self-assessment in telemedical settings, both for normal and low-vision patients.

Purpose: To screen visual acuity in two refugee camps in Greece and explore the feasibility of replicating these methods on a nationwide scale. Methods: Visual acuity was assessed in all participants using web-based Democritus Digital Acuity & Reading Test (DDART). Furthermore, the immigrants responded to a structured questionnaire regarding their demographics and medical history. Results: A total of 330 adult refugees and immigrants were recruited. A total of 47.3% of the patients had never undergone ophthalmological examination. A significant negative correlation was detected between age (r = −0.207, p < 0.001) and educational background (r = −0.135, p = 0.014), suggesting that younger immigrants who had attended compulsory education were more likely to have their eyes checked in their home country. A total of 6.97% of patients presented with impaired vision and were referred for further care. All remote DDART measurements presented no differences from the corresponding hospital-based data in the referred cases. Conclusions: Visual acuity screening using DDART provides valuable information regarding the visual capacity of refugees. The study outcomes suggest that pilot methods can be replicated on a nationwide scale. Clinical trials. Gov number NCT05209581; date of registration: January 13, 2022. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose. Patients Consent Statement: The patients sign written consent form.

Purpose: To identify the minimally required number of distances of visual acuity (VA) measurements for the reliable estimation of the visual acuity curve (VAC) and area of the curve (AoC) in presbyopia correction. Patients and Methods: The study was divided into a validation and a clinical phase with a total recruitment of 120 participants (120 eyes) who underwent uncomplicated pseudophakic presbyopia surgery with bilateral premium intraocular lenses (IOL) implantation. This study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Alexandroupolis, Alexandroupolis, Greece. Postoperative VAC and AoC were calculated with VA measurements taken at nine pre-defined distances. A mathematical model based on cubic spline interpolation was developed and assessed comparing the VAC and AoC values obtained using nine distances, with the ones predicted when a subset of VA measurements was inserted into the model. Results: Less than four measurements resulted in unreliable VAC and AoC assessment. Optimal distances for four to six VA measurements were determined. Mean error in the prediction of VAC and AoC of the clinical group ranged from 2.54 Letters/1.74% (6 measurements) to 2.90 letters/2.9% (4 measurements), respectively. Conclusion: Mathematical models that use cubic spline interpolation provide reliable VAC and AoC estimation, even with four VA measurements, when obtained at specific distances.

Background/Objectives: Western societies introduce school-based or school-linked programs in order to improve the physical health status of students and prevent the negative impact of the late diagnosis of a series of diseases and conditions. Preschool visual acuity (VA) screening represents an established school-based approach aimed at the early detection of amblyopia risk factors and vision-related learning difficulties. In this study, we report the methods and outcomes of the first officially organized kindergarten-based VA screening program in Greece, implemented using the Democritus Digital Visual Acuity Test (DDiVAT) screening suite and involving trained educators as part of the screening workflow. The present analysis focuses on the operational performance and screening outcomes within this defined setting. Methods: This study was a kindergarten-based screening. Each kindergarten was equipped with the DDiVAT screening framework, which consisted of a 32-inch, 4K, Android Smart TV with the DDiVAT application preinstalled, a site-license granting access to the secure DDiVAT database, and two vouchers for teachers to participate in the official lifelong DDiVAT training program. Results: From 2476 enrolled students, 207 (8.36%) were referred due to suboptimal presenting VA in one or both eyes. Average VA ranged from logMAR 0.11 to 0.07, which is consistent with former reports. Conclusions: No major technical difficulties were encountered, suggesting that DDiVAT may represent a feasible digital approach for preschool VA screening in real-world educational settings.