A subretinal visual implant (Alpha IMS, Retina Implant AG, Reutlingen, Germany) was implanted in 29 blind participants with outer retinal degeneration in an international multicenter clinical trial. Primary efficacy endpoints of the study protocol were a significant improvement of activities of daily living and mobility to be assessed by activities of daily living tasks, recognition tasks, mobility, or a combination thereof. Secondary efficacy endpoints were a significant improvement of visual acuity/light perception and/or object recognition (clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01024803). During up to 12 months observation time twenty-one participants (72%) reached the primary endpoints, of which thirteen participants (45%) reported restoration of visual function which they use in daily life. Additionally, detection, localization, and identification of objects were significantly better with the implant power switched on in the first 3 months. Twenty-five participants (86%) reached the secondary endpoints. Measurable grating acuity was up to 3.3 cycles per degree, visual acuities using standardized Landolt C-rings were 20/2000, 20/2000, 20/606 and 20/546. Maximal correct motion perception ranged from 3 to 35 degrees per second. These results show that subretinal implants can restore very-low-vision or low vision in blind (light perception or less) patients with end-stage hereditary retinal degenerations.

The prevalence of myopia is increasing extensively worldwide. The number of people with myopia in 2020 is predicted to be 2.6 billion globally, which is expected to rise up to 4.9 billion by 2050, unless preventive actions and interventions are taken. The number of individuals with high myopia is also increasing substantially and pathological myopia is predicted to become the most common cause of irreversible vision impairment and blindness worldwide and also in Europe. These prevalence estimates indicate the importance of reducing the burden of myopia by means of myopia control interventions to prevent myopia onset and to slow down myopia progression. Due to the urgency of the situation, the European Society of Ophthalmology decided to publish this update of the current information and guidance on management of myopia. The pathogenesis and genetics of myopia are also summarized and epidemiology, risk factors, preventive and treatment options are discussed in details.

Neuronal circuit asymmetries are important components of brain circuits, but the molecular pathways leading to their establishment remain unknown. Here we found that the mutation of FRMD7, a gene that is defective in human congenital nystagmus, leads to the selective loss of the horizontal optokinetic reflex in mice, as it does in humans. This is accompanied by the selective loss of horizontal direction selectivity in retinal ganglion cells and the transition from asymmetric to symmetric inhibitory input to horizontal direction-selective ganglion cells. In wild-type retinas, we found FRMD7 specifically expressed in starburst amacrine cells, the interneuron type that provides asymmetric inhibition to direction-selective retinal ganglion cells. This work identifies FRMD7 as a key regulator in establishing a neuronal circuit asymmetry, and it suggests the involvement of a specific inhibitory neuron type in the pathophysiology of a neurological disease.

To evaluate the precision, reproducibility, and applicability of an optical method based on partial coherence interferometry for intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation. Ultrasound laboratory of a university eye hospital. A prospective comparison of measurements made by the IOLMaster optical instrument (Carl Zeiss) and Ultrascan Digital 2000 contact ultrasound A-scan (Alcon) for IOL calculations was performed. Examined were 255 eyes of 134 persons (204 phakic, 47 pseudophakic, and 4 aphakic). The mean age of the patients was 67.9 years (range 7 to 94 years). The IOLMaster measurements were successful in more than 80% of cases: in 82%, 99%, and 99% for axial length (AL), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and keratometry measurements, respectively. The reproducibility of the AL and ACD measurements was very high (coefficient of variation 0.13% and 2.20%, respectively). The AL and ACD values were significantly larger with the IOLMaster (P <.001) than with the Ultrascan Digital 2000. The correlation between ultrasound and optical AL measurements was high (r = 0.985; P <.001); however, there was no correlation between ACD measurements (r = 0.079; P =.397). The corneal refractive power measurements of a Javal-type keratometer and the IOLMaster were highly correlated (r = 0.955; P <.001), with a mean difference of 0.2 diopter. The results show that measurements for IOL calculation are easy and precise with the optical method. It is a noncontact method, so no anesthesia is needed and there is no risk of infection.