PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to clarify correlations between corneal deformation parameters measured with a dynamic Scheimpflug analyzer and baseline factors such as axial length, intraocular pressure (IOP), age, central corneal thickness (CCT), and corneal curvature.METHODS. Ninety-six eyes of 96 healthy subjects (mean 55.2 6 16.1 years of age) were examined using a dynamic Scheimpflug analyzer. Eighteen of 35 deformation parameters were selected for analyses based on measurement reliability and clinical relevance. The associations between corneal deformation parameters and axial length, IOP, age, CCT, and average corneal power were evaluated using multivariate regression analyses.RESULTS. Deformation parameters were correlated significantly with axial length (n ¼ 13), IOP (n ¼ 13), age (n ¼ 8), and CCT (n ¼ 6) in the multivariate models. Longer axial length corresponded with greater corneal deformability, less viscous damping, and less movement of the entire eye. Higher IOP was associated with greater corneal resistance and less movement of the entire eye. Older age was associated with less corneal deformability and greater movement of the entire eye. Corneal curvature was correlated significantly with only three deformation parameters.CONCLUSIONS. This study clarified the substantial impact of axial length, age, and IOP on the biomechanical responses of the cornea and the entire eye. In contrast, corneal curvature did not affect most of the deformation parameters. The current results confirmed the importance of corneal biomechanics, especially in eyes with longer axial length and in older subjects.

PurposeWe evaluated the prevalence and characteristics of the defects of the lamina cribrosa (LC) in high myopia and glaucoma, and compared them with control eyes using swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT).MethodsOne hundred fifty-nine eyes of 108 participants were divided into four subgroups; high myopia with glaucoma (MG, 67 eyes of 46 subjects), glaucoma without high myopia (G, 22 eyes of 13 subjects), high myopia without glaucoma (M, 35 eyes of 29 subjects), and a control group with neither glaucoma nor high myopia (C, 35 eyes of 20 subjects). The LC defects were identified and located using a standardized protocol in serial horizontal OCT scans. The prevalence rates of the defects were compared among the groups. Demographic and ocular factors were compared between eyes with and without defects.ResultsLC defects were observed in one eye (0.03%) in the C group, 8 eyes (22.9%) in the M group, 11 eyes (50%) in the G group, and 28 eyes (41.8%) in the MG group. The prevalence rates of the defects differed significantly among the groups (P = 0.0009). Most eyes with defects in the G and MG groups (79.5%) had damage in the corresponding visual hemifields. Other factors such as visual acuity, intraocular pressure, axial length, refractive error, disc ovality, or parapapillary atrophy area did not differ significantly between eyes with and without LC defects.ConclusionsHigh myopia and glaucoma significantly increased the risk of LC damage. The LC damage in non-glaucomatous highly myopic eyes may at least partly explain the increased risk of developing glaucoma in myopic eyes.

Objectives of the present study were to evaluate amounts of collagen in Japanese daily dishes and contents of food-derived collagen peptides in human blood. The meat in one serving of most Japanese daily dishes contains 0.2–2.5 g of collagen, except for beef tendon, eel with skin, and skinned shark tail (7.6–13.3 g). After ingestion of cooked shark meat, nine collagen di- and tripeptides were detected in plasma and the area under the curve of most peptides, except for Hyp-Gly and Pro-Hyp-Gly, was ∼30% of that after ingestion of collagen hydrolysate containing an equivalent amount of collagen. Likewise, only ∼30% of the total collagen in the meat was liberated into solution by pepsin and pancreatin digestion. Thus, ingestion of collagen-rich meat increases the collagen peptides in blood, which depends on not only the collagen content in the meat but also the susceptibility of the collagen/gelatin to digestive endoproteinases.

ObjectiveTo measure the parapapillary atrophy (PPA) area in en face images obtained with swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT), and to evaluate its relationship to glaucoma, myopia, and age in non-highly myopic subjects.DesignRetrospective, cross-sectional study.ParticipantsFifty eyes of 30 subjects with open-angle glaucoma (G group) and forty-three eyes of 26 healthy control subjects (C group). Eyes with high myopia (spherical equivalent refractive error ≤ -8 diopters or axial length ≥ 26.5 mm) were excluded.MethodsMean age ± standard deviation was 59.9 ± 12.4 years. The beta zone and the gamma zone PPA areas were measured in en face images reconstructed from three-dimensional SS-OCT images. Relationship between the PPA areas and patient characteristics such as glaucoma, axial length, and age was statistically evaluated using multivariate mixed-effects models.Main outcome measuresAreas of the beta zone and the gamma zone PPA measured on en face OCT images.ResultsAverage ± standard deviation area of the beta and the gamma zone was 0.64 ± 0.79 and 0.16 ± 0.30 mm2, respectively. In multivariate models, the gamma zone significantly correlated with axial length (P = 0.001) but not with glaucoma (P = 0.944). In contrast, the beta zone significantly correlated with age (P = 0.0249) and glaucoma (P = 0.014).ConclusionsEn face images reconstructed from 3D SS-OCT data facilitated measurements of the beta and the gamma PPA zones even in eyes with optic disc distortion. The OCT-defined beta zone is associated with glaucoma and age, whereas the gamma zone correlated with myopia but not with glaucoma. This study confirmed the clinical usefulness of OCT-based classification of the PPA zones in distinguishing glaucomatous damage of the optic nerve from myopic damage in non-highly myopic eyes.