PurposeTo examine the prevalence of refractive errors and prevalence and causes of vision loss among preschool and school children in East China.MethodsUsing a random cluster sampling in a cross-sectional school-based study design, children with an age of 4–18 years were selected from kindergartens, primary schools, and junior and senior high schools in the rural Guanxian County and the city of Weihai. All children underwent a complete ocular examination including measurement of uncorrected (UCVA) and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and auto-refractometry under cycloplegia. Myopia was defined as refractive error of ≤−0.5 diopters (D), high myopia as ≤−6.0D, and amblyopia as BCVA ≤20/32 without any obvious reason for vision reduction and with strabismus or refractive errors as potential reasons.ResultsOut of 6364 eligible children, 6026 (94.7%) children participated. Prevalence of myopia (overall: 36.9±0.6%;95% confidence interval (CI):36.0,38.0) increased (P<0.001) from 1.7±1.2% (95%CI:0.0,4.0) in the 4-years olds to 84.6±3.2% (95%CI:78.0,91.0) in 17-years olds. Myopia was associated with older age (OR:1.56;95%CI:1.52,1.60;P<0.001), female gender (OR:1.22;95%CI:1.08,1.39;P = 0.002) and urban region (OR:2.88;95%CI:2.53,3.29;P<0.001). Prevalence of high myopia (2.0±0.2%) increased from 0.7±0.3% (95%CI:0.1,1.3) in 10-years olds to 13.9±3.0 (95%CI:7.8,19.9) in 17-years olds. It was associated with older age (OR:1.50;95%CI:1.41,1.60;P<0.001) and urban region (OR:3.11;95%CI:2.08,4.66);P<0.001). Astigmatism (≥0.75D) (36.3±0.6%;95%CI:35.0,38.0) was associated with older age (P<0.001;OR:1.06;95%CI:1.04,1.09), more myopic refractive error (P<0.001;OR:0.94;95%CI:0.91,0.97) and urban region (P<0.001;OR:1.47;95%CI:1.31,1.64). BCVA was ≤20/40 in the better eye in 19 (0.32%) children. UCVA ≤20/40 in at least one eye was found in 2046 (34.05%) children, with undercorrected refractive error as cause in 1975 (32.9%) children. Amblyopia (BCVA ≤20/32) was detected in 44 (0.7%) children (11 children with bilateral amblyopia).ConclusionsIn coastal East China, about 14% of the 17-years olds were highly myopic, and 80% were myopic. Prevalence of myopia increased with older age, female gender and urban region. About 0.7% of pre-school children and school children were amblyopic.

An amazing millimeter-sized lanthanide metal–organic framework, Tb-MOF, was synthesized. Due to the larger volume, Pb2+ ions can be sensitively and selectively detected by visible fluorescence quenching of Tb-MOF. Additionally, a Tb-MOF crystal film with an ultra-high recognition ability of Pb2+ ions has been fabricated successfully.

PurposeTo determine the effect of 1% cyclopentolate on the refractive status of children aged 4 to 18 years.MethodsUsing a random cluster sampling in a cross-sectional school-based study design, children with an age of 4–18 years were selected from kindergardens, primary schools, junior and senior high schools in a rural county and a city. Auto-refractometry was performed before and after inducing cycloplegia which was achieved by 1% cyclopentolate eye drops.ResultsOut of 6364 eligible children, data of 5999 (94.3%) children were included in the statistical analysis. Mean age was 10.0±3.3 years (range: 4–18 years). Mean difference between cycloplegic and non-cycloplegic refractive error (DIFF) was 0.78±0.79D (median: 0.50D; range: -1.00D to +10.75D). In univariate analysis, DIFF decreased significantly with older age (P<0.001;correlation coefficient r:-0.24), more hyperopic non-cycloplegic refractive error (P<0.001;r = 0.13) and more hyperopic cycloplegic refractive error (P<0.001;r = 0.49). In multivariate analysis, higher DIFF was associated with higher cycloplegic refractive error (P<0.001; standardized regression coefficient beta:0.50; regression coefficient B: 0.19; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.18, 0.20), followed by lower intraocular pressure (P<0.001; beta: -0.06; B: -0.02; 95%CI: -0.03, -0.01), rural region of habitation (P = 0.001; beta: -0.04; B: -0.07; 95%CI: -0.11, -0.03), and, to a minor degree, with age (P = 0.006; beta: 0.04; B: 0.009; 95%CI: 0.003, 0.016). 66.4% of all eyes with non-cycloplegic myopia (≤-0.50D) remained myopic after cycloplegia while the remaining 33.6% of eyes became emmetropic (18.0%) or hyperopic (15.7%) under cycloplegia. Prevalence of emmetropia decreased from 37.5% before cycloplegia to 19.8% after cycloplegia while the remaining eyes became hyperopic under cycloplegia.ConclusionsThe error committed by using non-cycloplegic versus cycloplegic refractometry in children with mid to dark-brown iris color decreased with older age, and in parallel manner, with more myopic cycloplegic refractive error. Non-cycloplegic refractometric measures lead to a misclassification of refractive error in a significant proportion of children.

New MIL-101 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) dually functionalized with amino and sulfo groups were fabricated by postsynthetic modification and used to catalyze one-pot deacetalization-Knoevenagel condensation. We proved that the MOFs take the zwitterionic form, with the catalytic acid site being the ammonium group rather than the sulfo one. The acid and base concentrations in the materials are correlated, and the ratio can be readily tuned to achieve optimal catalytic performance.

The postsynthetically created electron-deficient 2,2'-bipyridinium moieties in a Zr-MOF provide charge-transfer interacting sites for recognizing and capturing alkylamines with excellent selectivity; meanwhile the MOF shows fast and reversible vapochromism and luminescence quenching in response to alkyamines.

Purpose: To investigate ocular axial length (AL) in Chinese children. Methods: The Shandong Children Eye Study included 6,364 children aged 4-18 years. Results: Longer AL (mean 23.45 ± 1.20 mm, range 18.80-28.59 mm) was associated (multivariate analysis; correlation coefficient r²: 0.61) with older age (p < 0.001, standardized correlation coefficient β = 0.35, unstandardized regression coefficient B = 0.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12, 0.15), male gender (p < 0.001, β = -0.24, B = -0.10, 95% CI -0.29, -0.19), urban region (p < 0.001, β = 0.10, B = 0.25, 95% CI 0.20, 0.31), body height (p < 0.001, β = 0.22, B = 0.02, 95% CI 0.01, 0.02), maternal education (p < 0.001, β = 0.07, B = 0.07, 95% CI 0.05, 0.10), paternal myopia (p < 0.001, β = 0.09, B = 0.26, 95% CI 0.20, 0.33), maternal myopia (p < 0.001, β = 0.08, B = 0.23, 95% CI 0.17, 0.30), more time spent indoors reading/writing (p < 0.001, β = 0.05, B = 0.03, 95% CI 0.02, 0.04), less time spent outdoors (p = 0.005, β = -0.03, B = -0.01, 95% CI -0.02, -0.003), longer corneal curvature radius (p < 0.001, β = 0.36, B = 1.63, 95% CI 1.53, 1.74) and higher intraocular pressure (p = 0.008, β = 0.03, B = 0.01, 95% CI 0.004, 0.02). High axial myopia (AL ≥26.0 mm) present in 202 children (3.4 ± 0.2%, 95% CI 2.92, 3.84) was associated with less time spent outdoors (p = 0.002, odds ratio 0.92, 95% CI 0.87, 0.97) in multivariate analysis. Conclusions: In children in the less developed Eastern Chinese province of Shandong, the prevalence of high axial myopia was >10% among 16-year-olds. A modifiable factor associated with higher prevalence of high axial myopia was less time spent outdoors.

PURPOSE.To examine the thickness of the macular choroid and its associations in school children aged 6 to 18 years. METHODS.The school-based cross-sectional Shandong Children Eye Study included 6026 (94.7%) of 6364 eligible children fulfilling the inclusion criterion of an age from 4 to 18 years. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was performed for a subgroup of 972 school children aged 6þ years. All participants underwent ocular examinations, including measurement of visual acuity, cycloplegic refractometry, biometry, and SD-OCT (enhanced depth imaging mode) for measurement of choroidal thickness. RESULTS.The study included 972 children (501 girls) with a mean age of 11.3 6 3.3 years (range, 6-18 years) and mean axial length of 24.10 6 1.56 mm (range, 16.57-28.82 mm). Mean choroidal thickness was thicker (P < 0.001) at 500 lm temporal to the foveola (290 6 67 lm) than in the subfoveal region (283 6 67 lm; range, 113-507 lm) and the region 500 lm superior to the fovea (283 6 66 lm), where it was thicker (P < 0.001) than at 500 lm inferior of the foveola (281 6 66 lm), and it was thinnest (P < 0.001) at 500 lm nasal of the foveola (268 6 67 lm). In multivariate analysis, thicker SFCT was (overall correlation coefficient r: 0.51) associated with shorter axial length (P < 0.001; standardized correlation coefficient b: À0.48; B: À23.7; 95% confidence interval [CI]: À27.2 to À20.3), male sex (P ¼ 0.006; b: À0.08; B: À10.7; 95% CI: À18.3 to À3.11), and younger age (P ¼ 0.04; b: À0.07; B: À1.46; 95% CI: À2.85 to À0.07).CONCLUSIONS. As in adults, thicker SFCT in children and teenagers was markedly associated with shorter axial length, and to a lesser degree with male sex and older age. As in adults, increasing axial myopia in teenagers is associated with choroidal thinning and development of a leptochoroid.Keywords: choroidal thickness, choroid, optical coherence tomography, leptochoroid, Shandong Children Eye Study D evelopment of the enhanced depth imaging mode of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) has made the visualization and measurement of the choroid in vivo feasible. 1,2 Previous investigations have determined the thickness of the choroid in the macular region and have assessed relationships between choroidal thickness measurements and other ocular and systemic variables such as axial length and age.3-5 Most of these studies were performed on adults, whereas children and teenagers have only rarely been examined, and if, then mostly in relatively small study populations. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] The study by Park and Oh,6 in which the choroidal thickness profiles were assessed in 48 healthy children, revealed a mean subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) of 348 6 83 lm. In the investigation by Read and colleagues 7 on 194 children with an age of 4 to 12 years and a spherical equivalent refractive error ranging between þ1.25 and À0.50 diopters, mean SFCT was 330 6 65 lm (range, 189-538 lm). Interestingly, SFCT increased significantly (P ¼ 0.04) with older age from 312 6...

In 4- to 18-year-old children, refractive anisometropia and anisomyopia increased with systemic parameters such as age, parental education level, and lifestyle of the children, for example, more time spent indoors reading or writing. In contrast, hyperopic anisometropia and cylindrical anisometropia were not related with lifestyle parameters.