Background: Corneal sensitivity can decrease by several ocular conditions, such as dry eye or refractive surgery, which favor ocular epithelial lesions and is measured using an esthesiometer. The study's primary objective was to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the non-contact esthesiometer BRILL, which delivers air pulses to the corneal surface to assess corneal sensitivity. Methods: A single-center, prospective, controlled pilot study was carried out in adult patients with healthy eyes and or with pathology. Corneal sensitivity measurements were made in triplicate for both eyes at three consecutive visits. The esthesiometer BRILL was used in all visits, and on the last visit, the contact esthesiometer Cochet-Bonnet was also used. The results of both devices were compared by transforming them into force values. Results: 54 subjects with a mean age of 50.43 (SD 16.55, interval 18–87), 77.78% women, were included. Comparing the forces applied by both esthesiometers in the healthy eyes, in the eyes with pathology in all the groups, and in the dry eyes showed significant differences, p = 0.03603, p = 0.00614, and p = 0.0001, respectively. Conclusion: The BRILL esthesiometer proved to be an effective and safe tool for non-contact assessment of corneal sensitivity with operator-independent repeatability. The measurements had a good agreement and comparable range with the Cochet-Bonet aesthesiometer measurements in healthy and dry eyes but with no interchangeable values. This portable device can help ophthalmologists and optometrists to diagnose eye pathologies that cause decreased corneal sensitivity and to assess the efficacy of therapy and disease progression.

El patrón migratorio entre Ecuador y España ha experimentado transformaciones desde el inicio de la crisis de 2008. A la ralentización de los flujos hacia España y el incremento de retornados ecuatorianos, se suma hoy la migración de españoles cualificados hacia este país para insertarse en educación superior, así como la salida de jóvenes ecuatorianos para adquirir títulos de posgrado en España y, en general, en Europa. El contexto de crisis y desempleo en educación en España, así como las políticas de reforma educativa que se están llevando a cabo en Ecuador se articulan en la conformación de esta circulación entre ambos países. A través de una metodología cuantitativa y cualitativa multisituada, basada en una encuesta y en entrevistas en profundidad, el presente artículo estima el volumen de estos desplazamientos y explora las motivaciones, condiciones y estrategias que los están influenciando.

Background/Objectives: Corneal sensitivity can be decreased by several ocular conditions, including dry eye and refractive surgery, which can lead to ocular epithelial lesions. This decrease can be detected by esthesiometry. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the performance, safety, and efficacy of the Corneal Esthesiometer Brill in healthy subjects without ocular pathologies. Methods: A controlled, randomized, prospective, multicenter pilot clinical study was conducted in adult patients with healthy eyes. Corneal sensitivity measurements were made three times for one eye randomly selected to obtain the corneal sensitivity reference ranges. Additionally, one more measurement was taken after the application of a topical anesthetic. An intra- and inter-observer analysis was performed to assess user dependence, and the last measurement was taken after ocular topical anesthesia to evaluate the device’s sensitivity in detecting corneal sensitivity loss. Results: Ninety-one volunteers were included with a mean age of 25 (SD 3.46, range 18–30), and fifty-eight (63.7%) were female. Corneal sensitivity reference levels ranged from level 2 (3–4 mbar) to level 3 (4–5 mbar). Intra- and inter-observer measurement differences on the same subject without anesthesia were not statistically significant. Corneal pressure before and after local ocular anesthesia had statistically significant differences (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The Corneal Esthesiometer Brill yielded consistent and reproducible measurements in young volunteers with healthy eyes, enabling objective, observer-independent use and facilitating the detection of significant loss of sensitivity.

Purpose: Blepharoplasty is a common surgical technique, performed mainly for aesthetic purposes and for functional disorders of the periorbital, which corrects excess skin of the upper eyelids or excess fat in the lower bags. As a side effect, periorbital hematomas usually occur, which can be annoying for patients. Ice water compresses and head elevation are used, without scientific evidence, for recovery, but specific creams, such as those with lactoferrin, can accelerate tissue repair processes. The study aimed to assess the efficacy of a cream containing lactoferrin encapsulated in liposomes, Kelador®, to reduce post-blepharoplasty bruises. Methods: This controlled, prospective, randomized, single-centre pilot clinical study was conducted at the Barraquer Clinic in Barcelona, Spain. All patients underwent a blepharoplasty, and periorbital hematomas were treated with a Chelating Cream (Kelador®). Patients were followed up two and nine days after surgery, where clinical data and photographs were taken. Images were assessed through an objective analysis method developed with the ImageJ® software. Results: Nineteen patients were enrolled, 16 women and three men. The median age was 60.37 years (SD 14.22), and the median of treatment days was 8.2 (SD 1.6). The mean Reduction % in the treated eyes was 33.3 (SD 31,0), and in untreated eyes, 17.7 (SD38,1). Differences were statistically significant (p = 0.00667). Conclusions: Using a Chelating Cream containing lactoferrin encapsulated in liposomes, such as Kelador®, accelerates the reduction of bruise colour after a periocular intervention such as blepharoplasty.

Objective: The main route of entry of SARS-CoV-2 which responsible of COVID-19 is through the nasal, oral, or conjunctival mucosa and droplets or aerosols transmit the virus. Even if transmission through fomites is considered unlikely, hand hygiene is important to minimize this and other infections, especially in certain scenarios as healthcare facilities and crowded places as public transport or social events. Material and methods: In this study, we assess and compare the virucidal efficacy of HOCl solutions against SARS-CoV-2 at different time-points. a nasopharyngeal swab collected from an 89-year-old male patient during March 2020 in Catalonia, Spain (GISEAD ID EPI_ISL_510689). The virus was propagated in Vero E6 cells (ATCC CRL-1586) cultured in Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium (DMEM). A total of 24 plastic plates (35 mm SPL Ref. PLC20035) for the first study, and 12 plates for the second one, were prepared. One day before titration, 96-well plates were prepared with Vero E6 cells. The day of titration, two replicates of five 10-fold serial dilutions of each sample were performed. Plates were incubated at 37°C and 5% CO2 for 7 days, and afterward, SARS-CoV-2-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) was determined under light microscope Results: The virucidal effect by means of TCID50/mL found after HOCl treatment at different concentrations and times tested. Logarithmic reduction (logR) and the correspondent percentage of inactivation (%) were calculated compared to the untreated controls (desiccated SARS-CoV-2 with water or media). All tested concentrations were able to partially inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Conclusion: Our studies showed that HOCl products represent a valid virucidal alternative to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 potentially present in skin or surfaces.