PurposeA percentage tissue altered (PTA) score of ≥40% has been advocated as an independent indicator of post-operative ectasia risk following laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK). This study was performed to test the hypothesis that refractive procedures, such as laser-assisted sub-epithelial keratectomy (LASEK) or small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE), may alter the range of PTA, within which refractive corneal surgery can be safely performed.SettingRefractive department, tertiary ophthalmic hospital.DesignRetrospective observational study.MethodsReview of case notes was performed for patients who presented for refractive surgeries, other than LASIK. To determine the risk of corneal ectasia for each patient prior to refractive surgery, we estimated what each patient’s PTA would have been if they had undergone LASIK. The Randleman Ectasia Risk Score System (ERSS) was also calculated.Results114 eyes (66 patients) were included. 94 eyes underwent SMILE. 20 eyes underwent LASEK. A significant proportion of eyes had PTA ≥40% – SMILE eyes: up to 31.9%, LASEK eyes: up to 60.0% (at presumed LASIK flap of 120 μm). The maximum calculated PTA was up to 47.9% in the SMILE group and up to 51.5% in the LASEK group. Using ERSS, 12.8–16% of SMILE eyes and 15.0–80.0% of LASEK eyes would have been considered to have moderate-to-high ectasia risk. No post-surgical ectasia was observed at 3 years.ConclusionSMILE and LASEK alter the range of PTA, within which corneal refractive surgery may be performed with a lower risk of developing post-operative corneal ectasia; a safe PTA threshold needs to be determined for these procedures before recommendations for clinical practice can be made.

BACKGROUND: The increased utility of CT coronary angiography (CTCA) in cardiovascular screenings of aircrew has led to the increased detection of asymptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD). A systematic review of studies relevant to the interpretation of CTCA for the occupational fitness assessment of high-risk vocations was performed, with findings used to describe the development of a pathway for the aeromedical disposition of military aviators with asymptomatic CAD.METHODS: Medline was searched using the terms CT coronary angiogram and screening and prognosis. The inclusion criteria were restricted to study populations ages > 18 yr, were asymptomatic, were not known to have CAD, had undergone CTCA, and with their associations with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and other relevant cardiac outcomes reported.RESULTS: Included in this systematic review were 10 studies. When compared to subjects with no or nonobstructive CAD, those with obstructive CAD on CTCA had hazard ratios (HR) for cardiac events ranging from 1.42 to 105.48. Comparing subjects with nonobstructive CAD and those without CAD on CTCA, a lower HR of 1.19 for cardiac events was found. The annual event rates of subjects with no CAD on CTCA were extremely low, ranging from 0 to 0.5%.CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings, we suggest that CTCA should only be performed in aircrew with higher cardiac risk profiles. Those found to have no CAD or minimal CAD (i.e., 25% stenosis) in a non-left main coronary artery on CTCA can be returned to flying duties. All other results should be further evaluated with an invasive angiogram.Cheong RWL, See B, Tan BBC, Koh CH. Coronary artery disease screening using CT coronary angiography. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(10):812817.

This study shows that the spectrum of eyelid margin malpositions in Singapore is unique and that developmental epiblepharon remains the commonest eyelid margin malposition requiring surgery. In terms of involutional eyelid margin malpositions, entropion is more common than ectropion, especially among the Chinese. The similarity in terms of eyelid involvement and ethnic distribution of both epiblepharon and involutional entropion suggests that there is a common factor in both these conditions, which the authors infer is due to the unique anatomy of the Asian eyelid.

INTRODUCTION: This study sought to determine the incidence, severity, and time-course of simulator sickness (SS) among Asian military pilots following flight simulator training.METHODS: A survey was conducted on Republic of Singapore Air Force pilots undergoing simulator training. Each subject completed a questionnaire immediately after (0H), and at the 3-h (3H) and 6-h (6H) marks. The questionnaire included the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ) and a subjective scale to rate their confidence to fly.RESULTS: In this study, 258 pilots with a median age of 31.50 yr (range, 2155 yr) and mean age of 32.61 6.56 yr participated. The prevalence of SS was 48.1% at 0H, 30.8% at 3H, and 16.4% at 6H. Based on a threshold of an SSQ score >10, the prevalence of operationally significant SS was 33.3% at 0H, 13.2% at 3H, and 8.1% at 6H. The most frequent symptoms were fatigue (38.1%), eye strain (29.0%), and fullness of head (19.9%). There was no significant difference in mean scores between rotary and fixed wing pilots. Older, more experienced pilots had greater scores at 0H, but this association did not persist. A correlation was found between SSQ score and self-reported confidence.DISCUSSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first to report the prevalence of operationally significant SS in Asian military pilots over serial time points. Most pilots with SS are able to subjectively judge their fitness to fly. Sensitivity analysis suggests the true prevalence of SS symptoms at 3H and 6H to be closer to 23.8% and 12.0%, respectively.Loi JEQ, Lee MLL, Tan BBC, See B. Time course of simulator sickness in Asian military pilots. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2020; 91(11):892896.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of the Cone Contrast Test (CCT) as a color vision screening tool in an Asian population of aircrew applicants and compare it against the Ishihara Psuedo Isochromatic Plates (PIP) – Edridge Lantern Test (ELT) screening pathway, assessing its impact on attrition with CCT cut-off scores of 55 and 75.METHODS: This is a retrospective review of 862 Republic of Singapore Airforce aircrew applicants tested with CCT and Ishihara PIP–ELT combination as screening. CCT repeatability was analyzed by comparing the subject’s interocular (right vs. left eye) scores measured as the coefficient of repeatability (COR), with COR differing by ≥15 points considered to be outside normal limits.RESULTS: Of the applicants, 17 (1.97%) failed to achieve a CCT score of ≥55 (5 protan, 12 deutan), while 26 (3.02%) applicants failed to achieve a score ≥75 (5 protan, 21 deutan). Of the 17 applicants who obtained a CCT score of <55, 16 failed the Ishihara PIP test. The only applicant who passed the Ishihara PIP test had a CCT score of 50. Of all applicants, 1.7% had a COR of ≥15, with 93.3% of them identified as color vision deficient (CVD). Our results demonstrated excellent test repeatability, with 99.9% (835 out of 836) of color vision normal (CVN) applicants achieving a COR of <15 points.CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated a high correlation between the CCT (passing score of ≥55) and the Ishihara PIP. Employing the CCT with a passing score of ≥75, instead of the Ishihara PIP–ELT combination, led to an increase in attrition rate of 0.7–3.0%.Chay IW, Lim SWY, Tan BBC. Cone Contrast Test for color vision deficiency screening among a cohort of military aircrew applicants. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2019; 90(2):71–76.