AimTo determine the relationship between some visual functions: colour vision defects, abnormal stereopsis, visual acuity and the occurrence of road traffic accident (RTAs) among commercial vehicle drivers in the central region of Ghana, and to assess their knowledge of these anomalies.MethodA descriptive cross-sectional study employing a multi-stage random sampling approach was conducted in the major commercial towns within the central region of Ghana. Participants were taken through a comprehensive eye examination after the administration of a structured questionnaire.Results520 male commercial vehicle drivers were enrolled for this study with a mean age of 39.23 years ±10.96 years and mean visual acuity of 0.02 ± 0.08 logMAR. Protans were more likely to be involved in RTAs (χ2 = 6.194, p = 0.034). However, there was no statistically significant association between abnormal stereopsis (OR = 0.89 95% CI: 0.44–1.80, p = 0.56), poor vision due to refractive error (χ2 = 3.090, p = 0.388) and the occurrence of RTAs. While 86.9% were aware of abnormal stereopsis, only 45% were aware of colour vision defects. There was a statistically significant association between stereopsis anomaly and colour vision defect (r = 0.371, p < 0.005).ConclusionThe study found an association between protanopia and RTAs but none between stereopsis anomalies, refractive errors and the occurrence of RTAs. Drivers were less knowledgeable on colour vision defects as compared to stereopsis anomalies.

Key Clinical MessageReported case of leukemic retinopathy mimicking common ischemic retinopathies in a young adult where ophthalmic visit was the first step to the diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia. It highlights the importance of routine eye exams and that clinicians should suspect leukemia in an otherwise healthy patient presenting with ischemic retinopathy.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the dynamics and longevity of the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and assess the performance of professional use of the UK-RTC AbC-19 Rapid Test lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for the target condition of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG antibodies.DesignNationwide serological study.SettingNorthern Ireland, UK, May 2020–February 2021.ParticipantsPlasma samples were collected from a diverse cohort of individuals from the general public (n=279), Northern Ireland healthcare workers (n=195), pre-pandemic blood donations and research studies (n=223) and through a convalescent plasma programme (n=183). Plasma donors (n=101) were followed with sequential samples over 11 months post-symptom onset.Main outcome measuresSARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in plasma samples using Roche Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgA/IgM, Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG and EuroImmun IgG SARS-CoV-2 ELISA immunoassays over time. UK-RTC AbC-19 LFIA sensitivity and specificity, estimated using a three-reference standard system to establish a characterised panel of 330 positive and 488 negative SARS-CoV-2 IgG samples.ResultsWe detected persistence of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies for up to 10 months post-infection, across a minimum of two laboratory immunoassays. On the known positive cohort, the UK-RTC AbC-19 LFIA showed a sensitivity of 97.58% (95.28% to 98.95%) and on known negatives, showed specificity of 99.59% (98.53 % to 99.95%).ConclusionsThrough comprehensive analysis of a cohort of pre-pandemic and pandemic individuals, we show detectable levels of IgG antibodies, lasting over 46 weeks when assessed by EuroImmun ELISA, providing insight to antibody levels at later time points post-infection. We show good laboratory validation performance metrics for the AbC-19 rapid test for SARS-CoV-2 spike protein IgG antibody detection in a laboratory-based setting.

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Manuscript title Quantitative assessment of the conjunctival microcirculation using a smartphone and slit-lamp biomicroscope Highlights  The conjunctiva has a readily-accessible microcirculation for haemodynamic analysis  Smartphone-assisted haemodynamic assessment of the conjunctiva is feasible  Increasing conjunctival vessel diameter results in increased blood volume flow  Wall shear rate decreases as conjunctival vessel diameter increases