Background: The enhancement of ocular drug delivery is achieved by using biopolymer carriers in liquid ophthalmic preparations. Using natural polysaccharides to formulate ocular medications is attractive because they are economical and readily available. The primary goal of the study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of Tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP)/Hyaluronic acid (HA) containing Rohto eye drops (TSP/HA drops) in alleviating the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease (DED) under dry environmental conditions using controlled environmental chamber (CEC). Methods: 12 participants were subjected to harsh environmental conditions in a CEC with a relative humidity (RH) of 5% and an ambient temperature of 21°C. TSP/HA drops were used in the two treatment modalities, protection (drops instilled before exposure to the dry environment and relief (drops instilled after exposure to the dry environment. Before and after administering drops, patients undergo screening for ocular symptoms, tear osmolarity, ocular surface temperature (OST), and tear production using the ocular Surface Disease Index questionnaire (OSDI), OcuSense TearLab Osmometer, FLIR System ThermaCAM P620, and phenol red test (PRT) respectively. Tear production was calculated by the Tear Function Index test (TFI). Results: Before (protection) and after (relief) exposure to the dry environment, TSP/HA resulted in a mean tear osmolarity of 296.0 mOsm/L and 292.0 mOsm/L, with no significant statistical difference. The presence of TSP/HA in both protection and relief modes led to an increase in tear production. TSP/HA drops did not significantly affect OST compared to the absence of TSP/HA drops at 5% RH. There was a significant increase in mean symptom score from 14 at 40% RH to 128 at 5% RH (p=0.003). A substantial reduction in symptoms was found in both protection (before exposure) (35) (p=0.003) and relief (after exposure) (50) (p=0.005) compared to when no drop was used. Conclusion: It was apparent that using TSP/HA for protection was superior to relief for osmolarity and eye comfort. To optimise the therapeutic efficacy of TSP/HA, it is advisable to instruct patients to administer it before exposure to dry atmospheric conditions. The small sample size limits the ability to generalize the findings. Future studies should evaluate the tear supplement with a larger sample to improve statistical power.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to establish normative values of eye parameters such as lens thickness (LT), lens diameter (LD), and axial length (AXL) among wide age range of Saudis using Pentacam AXL and compare these values between gender, in addition to that, to find the correlation between the age and those parameters. METHODS: In this prospective cross-sectional study, we measured LT, LD, and AXL in 125 healthy Saudi controls aged between 8 and 60 years using OCULUS Pentacam AXL. The screening tests were performed for each subject to exclude any ocular abnormalities using slit lamp (Haag-Streit BQ 900), refractive error measured using auto refractometer (Topcon KR-1 Autorefractor/Keratometer), and subject who has spherical equivalent more than ± 4.00D and astigmatism more than 1.00DC was excluded from the study. The mean of three readings of LT, LD, and AXL was taken. All examination was applied on one eye (right eye). RESULTS: The overall mean and standard deviation of LT, LD, and AXL was 2.2 mm ± 0.5, 2.7 mm ± 0.6, and 23.8 mm ± 1.0, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between males and females in these parameters in all age groups, except in Group 2 (age: 19–30 years), there was a statistically significant difference between males and females in AXL, mean difference ( M = 0.48), and P = 0.015. The mean of LT and LD was negatively associated with age. However, there was no significant correlation between AXL and age. CONCLUSION: Normative values of LT, LD, and AXL have been established in wide age group of healthy Saudis; the findings of the present study can highlight not only the normal range of the different ocular parameters, namely LT, LD, and AXL, but also their variation with age and gender.

Purpose: To translate the 5-Item Dry Eye Questionnaire (DEQ-5) into Arabic and conduct a preliminary psychometric evaluation of its reliability and internal consistency for DED symptom screening in Arabic-speaking populations. Methods: Two native Arabic translators initially translated the DEQ-5 from English into Arabic. An interdisciplinary committee developed a unified consensus version, subsequently back-translated by two native English speakers. The finalized questionnaire was administered to 60 healthy Arabic-speaking volunteers (aged 18– 40 years) by two independent observers at two sessions spaced 2– 5 days apart, enabling assessment of test–retest stability under standardized, blinded administration conditions. Results: The participants had an average age of 21.6 ± 3.9 years, with 45% male and 55% female. Total DEQ-5 scores averaged 9.0 ± 5.2 (range: 0– 19); 73.3% scored above the > 6 clinical threshold. Test–retest reliability was good-to-excellent at the scale level (ICC = 0.887; 95% CI: 0.819– 0.931; P < 0.001). At the item level, Spearman ρ ranged from 0.679 to 0.861, all P < 0.001, and quadratic weighted κw from 0.650 to 0.853. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach’s α = 0.878). Floor (10%) and ceiling effects (1.7%) were within acceptable psychometric limits. Conclusion: The Arabic DEQ-5 demonstrates strong preliminary reliability and good internal consistency, supporting its application as a psychometrically evaluated screening instrument for DED symptom identification in Arabic-speaking populations. These findings provide a foundation for standardized symptom screening, cross-cultural epidemiological comparisons, and future validation studies in Arabic-speaking communities. The infographic details the translation and preliminary psychometric evaluation of the Arabic DEQ-5. The process includes seven steps: 1. Source from DEQ-5 (English), 2. Forward translation by two Arabic translators, 3. Expert committee with eight specialists, 4. Back-translation by a native English speaker, 5. Cognitive debrief with ten readers, 6. Field test with two observers over two sessions and 7. Validation for clinical use of the Arabic DEQ-5. The study cohort consists of 60 Arabic-speaking adults aged 18 to 40 years, with two observers conducting two sessions 2 to 5 days apart. The results show an ICC test-retest reliability of 0.887 with a 95 percent confidence interval of 0.819 to 0.931, an internal consistency of 0.878 across the five DEQ-5 items and 73.3 percent symptomatic dry eye with a score greater than 6 as the clinical cut-off.Infographic on Arabic DEQ-5 translation and psychometric evaluation process and results.

Background/Objectives: This study aimed to examine how interpupillary distance (IPD) influences motor and sensory binocular vision functions at distance and near, and to examine associations between different motor and sensory binocular vision functions. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed involving 100 random participants of both genders, aged 20 to 38 years. Optically corrected and non-strabismic participants were selected from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between June 2024 and June 2025. Distance and near IPD were assessed with a pupillometer. Motor binocular functions included horizontal phoria using the von Graefe technique and near point of convergence (NPC). Sensory binocular vision was assessed using crossed and uncrossed TNO and Random-dot E stereopsis tests at near and distance respectively. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 26 (p ≤ 0.05). Results: IPD and phoria were not significantly associated at distance or near. However, moderate and significant correlations were found between IPD (distance and near) and NPC. Significant correlations were also found between IPD and both crossed and uncrossed stereopsis at distance, but correlations were weak or non-significant at near. A strong correlation was observed between NPC and stereopsis at distance. Conclusions: As interpupillary distance (IPD)increases, near point of convergence (NPC) receded, and stereopsis at distance declined, suggesting that anatomical variation influences binocular vision primarily at distance.

PurposeTo investigate the immediate impact of nicotine consumption on Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer (RNFL) thickness in healthy young individuals, comparing nicotine gum and electronic cigarette (vaping) as delivery methods.Materials and MethodsTwenty participants underwent RNFL measurements at baseline, 30, and 60 minutes after consuming 4 mg of nicotine, based on product labeling and specifications. Measurements were obtained using optical coherence tomography (OCT) (Topcon 3D OCT-1 Maestro System). Nicotine was delivered through either nicotine gum or vaping.ResultsBoth nicotine gum and vaping led to a statistically significant increase in RNFL thickness, with no significant difference between the two methods. The analysis revealed that area, time, and visit factors significantly affected RNFL scores. Stratification by smoking type (tobacco, vaping, dual) demonstrated significant effects for area, time, and visit factors, with an interaction effect among these factors.ConclusionsThe findings highlight the acute impact of nicotine intake on RNFL thickness in young healthy smokers. Researchers and clinicians should account for recent nicotine exposure when evaluating RNFL thickness, particularly within the first hour post-smoking. The observed significant effects warrant further research, especially in older or health-compromised populations, to improve clinical protocols and diagnostic evaluations across different demographics.