Background: To evaluate the peripapillary choroidal thickness of a healthy Chinese population, and to determine its influencing factors. Methods: A total of 76 healthy volunteers (76 eyes) without ophthalmic or systemic symptoms were enrolled. Choroidal scans (360-degree 3.4 mm diameter peripapillary circle scans) were obtained for all eyes using enhanced depth imaging spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Choroid thickness was measured at the temporal, superotemporal, superior, superonasal, nasal, inferonasal, inferior, and inferotemporal segments. Results: The average peripapillary choroidal thicknesses were 165.03 ± 40.37 μm. Inferonasal, inferior, and inferotemporal thicknesses were significantly thinner than temporal, superotemporal, superior, superonasal, nasal thicknesses (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found among inferonasal, inferior, and inferotemporal thicknesses. The average peripapillary choroidal thickness decreased linearly with age (β = −1.33, 95% CI −1.98, -0.68, P < 0.001). No correlation was noted between average choroidal thickness and other factors (gender, refractive error, axial length, average retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, intraocular pressure, diastolic blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, mean blood pressure, diastolic ocular perfusion pressure, systolic ocular perfusion pressure, and mean ocular perfusion pressure). Conclusions: The inferonasal, inferior, inferotemporal peripapillary choroidal thicknesses were significantly thinner than temporal, superotemporal, superior, superonasal, and nasal thicknesses. A thinner peripapillary choroid is associated with increasing age.

To report the thickness of the retina, retinal ganglion cell (RGC)-related layers, and choroid in healthy subjects using swept source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT). One hundred and forty-six healthy volunteers were consecutively recruited for this prospective observational study. Thickness of retina, RGC-related layers, and choroid in the standard early treatment of diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) grid were automatically measured using one SS-OCT (DRI OCT-1, Topcon, Japan). The IOL Master (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Germany) was used to measure axial length (AL). Thicknesses of the average macular ganglion cell complex (GCC) and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) were 105.3 ± 9.7 and 78.5 ± 6.2 um respectively. Neither of them was significantly related with sex, age, or AL. Both showed strong correlations with retinal thickness (r = 0.793, p = 0.000; r = 0.813, p = 0.000, respectively) and with similar topographic distributions within the retina. The thicknesses of retina and GCC/GCIPL in the inner sectors were significantly higher than in the outer sectors of the EDTRS area, while in the same region of the macula, the choroid exhibited completely different patterns of topographic variation. Men had 7.8 um thicker retina and 34.9 um thicker choroid than women after adjustment for age and AL (all p < 0.05). Age and AL could significantly influence the choroidal thickness but not the retina (all p < 0.05). Thickness of GCC/GCIPL in healthy Chinese individuals is not dramatically different across gender, age, and AL groups in terms of ETDRS grid, but sex is critical for retinal and choroidal thickness. Choroidal structure (but not retinal) can be significantly influenced by age and AL.

The existing literature contains no information regarding inflammatory cytokine expression in unilateral acute primary angle-closure (APAC) affected eyes and fellow eyes with primary angle closure suspect (PACS). To measure levels of various inflammatory cytokines in the aqueous humor (AH) of APAC affected eyes and fellow eyes with a diagnosis of PACS (18 unilateral APAC eyes and 18 fellow eyes with PACS), and determine the underlying correlation between them. The total levels of 12 cytokines including granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1, MCP-3, macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1β, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) etc. were assessed using the multiplex bead immunoassay technique. The level of cytokines in different groups was analyzed by a 2-related-samples nonparametric test. Data on patient demographics, preoperative intraocular pressure (IOP), number of glaucoma medications, as well as several ocular biological parameters were also collected for correlation analysis. The APAC patients had significantly higher levels of G-CSF, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, MCP-3, MDC, MIP-1β, and VEGF in the AH samples from unilateral APAC affected eyes than in fellow eyes with PACS (all P < 0.05). The cytokines showed positive correlations between each other (P < 0.0071). Cytokine networks in the AH may have critical roles in the progression of APAC. Thus, different cytokine expression in both eyes of the same patient may help us to understand the different pathology in APAC and PACS.

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of trabeculectomies performed with and without releasable sutures in the treatment of patients with uncontrolled glaucoma.

To evaluate the surgical outcome of Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation with a new technique of mitomycin C (MMC) application. This is a retrospective study. All patients with refractory glaucoma underwent FP-7 AGV implantation. Two methods of MMC application were used. In the traditional technique, 6 × 4 mm cotton soaked with MMC (0.25–0.33 mg/ml) was placed in the implantation area for 2–5mins; in the new technique, the valve plate first was encompassed with a thin layer of cotton soaked with MMC, then inserted into the same area. A 200 ml balanced salt solution was applied for irrigation of MMC. The surgical success rate, intraocular pressure (IOP), number of anti-glaucoma medications used, and postoperative complications were analyzed between the groups. The surgical outcomes of two MMC applied techniques were compared. The new technique group had only one case (2.6%) of encapsulated cyst formation out of 38 eyes, while there were eight (19.5%) cases out of 41 eyes the in traditional group. The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.030). According to the definition of success rate, there was 89.5% in the new technique group and 70.7% in the traditional group at the follow-up end point. There was a significant difference between the two groups (P = 0.035). Mean IOP in the new technique group were significantly lower than those of the traditional group at 3 and 6 months (P < 0.05). By using a thin layer of cotton soaked with MMC to encompass the valve plate, the new MMC application technique could greatly decrease the incidence of encapsulated cyst and increase the success rate following AGV implantation.

Background: Eye diseases with increasing mortality are common health problems that affect people of all ages and demographic backgrounds. In this study, we study the publication characteristics in international ophthalmic journals of the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, Japan, and China. Methods: Articles published in 53 ophthalmic journals from 2000 to 2011 were retrieved from the PubMed database. We recorded the number of articles published each year, analyzed the publication type, and evaluated the accumulated and average impact factors (IFs), and the distribution of articles in ophthalmic journals in relation to IFs. The characteristics of publication outputs from China and other top-ranking countries were compared. Results: The total number of articles increased significantly during the past 12 years, with an increase of 51.0%. The growth in the annual number of articles from the US, the UK, Australia, and China showed a significantly positive trend. Publications from the US exceeded those from any other country and had the highest IFs, largest number of total citations of articles, and the most articles published in leading ophthalmic journals. During the past 12 years, China contributed 3.5% of the total publications, and the number of Chinese articles showed a more than 6-fold increase (from 99 to 605, R2 =0.947, P<0.001). The numbers of IFs and citations of articles originating in China were mostly lower than for other top-ranking counties. Conclusions: Research on ophthalmic journals has maintained an upward growing trend from 2000 to 2011. Chinese ophthalmology research has developed rapidly, but the gap still exists between China and other top-ranking countries for the advanced level of research.