Visual impairment is associated with disability and poor quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of visual impairment among the suburban elderly in Eastern Taiwan. The cross-sectional research was conducted from April 2012 to August 2012. The ocular condition examination took place in suburban areas of Hualien County. Medical records from local infirmaries and questionnaires were utilized to collect demographic data and systemic disease status. Logistic regression models were used for the simultaneous analysis of the association between the prevalence of visual impairment and risk factors. Six hundred and eighty-one residents participated in this project. The mean age of the participants was 71.4±7.3 years. The prevalence of vision impairment (better eye<6/18) was 11.0%. Refractive error and cataract were the main causes of vision impairment. Logistic regression analysis showed that people aged 65-75 years had a 3.8 times higher risk of developing visual impairment (p=0.021), while the odds ratio of people aged > 75 years was 10.0 (p<0.001). In addition, patients with diabetic retinopathy had a 3.7 times higher risk of developing visual impairment (p=0.002), while the odds ratio of refractive error was 0.36 (p<0.001). The prevalence of visual impairment was relatively high compared with previous studies. Diabetic retinopathy was an important risk factor of visual impairment; by contrast, refractive error was beneficial to resist visual impairment. Therefore, regular screening of ocular condition and early intervention might aid in the prevention of avoidable vision loss.
The prevalence of treatable causes of vision impairment, for example cataracts and corneal opacity, is high among the elderly Amis aborigines. They would, therefore, benefit from a more aggressive and in-depth eye-care program as a blindness-prevention strategy.
BackgroundAZOOR was first described by Gass in 1993 as a syndrome with rapid loss of one or more extensive zones of the outer retinal segments. It is characterized by photopsia, minimal funduscopic changes, and electroretinographic abnormalities. The efficacy of systemic steroids in treating AZOOR has been previously described and advocated by the concept of autoimmune retinopathy. However, the use of intravitreal of sustained-released steroid had not been mentioned to date.Case presentationA 34-year-old man had sudden onset of central scotoma and photopsia in the left eye. His visual acuity continued deteriorating. The visual field defect demonstrated bilateral enlarged blind spots and altitudinal defects. Fluorescein angiography (FA) showed nonspecific retinal inflammation, and an electroretinogram (ERG) illustrated decreased amplitude of the b wave in both eyes. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations revealed parafoveal loss of the photoreceptor inner/outer segment (IS/OS) junction. Therefore, acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR) was diagnosed. Although his vision did not improve under the initial treatment of systemic corticosteroid and calcium channel blocker, remarkable improvement was noticed after the intravitreal injection(IVI) of Ozurdex, consistent with the recovered IS/OS junction disruption.ConclusionsWe herein report a typical case of AZOOR, suggesting that the intravitreal injection of steroid may benefit in certain patients.
A 47-year-old man presented with epiphora and a mass around the lacrimal sac in his left eye. Imaging studies revealed a favorable diagnosis of sinusitis-related mucocele. However, the pathological study of the excised tumor demonstrated a diffuse large B cell lymphoma. The patient was consequently referred to the oncology department for further management. Malignant lymphomas of the lacrimal sac are rare and they can mimic mucoceles. As such, they should be included in the list of differential diagnoses for lacrimal sac mass.
Neurofibroma, a benign peripheral nerve sheath tumor, usually appears together with café-au-lait spots, iris nodules, and other tumors within the scope of neurofibromatosis von Recklinghausen type 1 tumors. A solitary neurofibroma of the eyelid is relatively rare. In this case report, we present a 39-year-old woman who had a lesion on the eyelid crease, previously treated as a chalazion. Due to persistent wound crusting, the lesion was excised above the tarsus. Pathological examination revealed a solitary neurofibroma. The patient did not have other clinical symptoms of neurofibromatosis, and there was no recurrence of the nodule during the 1-year follow-up.
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