Dry Eye Disease Among Mongolian and Han Older Adults in Grasslands of Northern China: Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Vision-Related Quality of Life

Deep learning-based fully automated grading system for dry eye disease severity

There is an increasing need for an objective grading system to evaluate the severity of dry eye disease (DED). In this study, a fully automated deep learning-based system for the assessment of DED severity was developed. Corneal fluorescein staining (CFS) images of DED patients from one hospital for system development (n = 1400) and from another hospital for external validation (n = 94) were collected. Three experts graded the CFS images using NEI scale, and the median value was used as ground truth. The system was developed in three steps: (1) corneal segmentation, (2) CFS candidate region classification, and (3) estimation of NEI grades by CFS density map generation. Also, two images taken on different days in 50 eyes (100 images) were compared to evaluate the probability of improvement or deterioration. The Dice coefficient of the segmentation model was 0.962. The correlation between the system and the ground truth data was 0.868 (p<0.001) and 0.863 (p<0.001) for the internal and external validation datasets, respectively. The agreement rate for improvement or deterioration was 88% (44/50). The fully automated deep learning-based grading system for DED severity can evaluate the CFS score with high accuracy and thus may have potential for clinical application.

Prevalence and Determinants of Symptomatic Dry Eye Disease Among Adult Urban Residents of High-Altitude Areas of Southwest Saudi Arabia - A Survey

Purpose

To estimate the prevalence and determinants of Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) score based dry eye disease (DED) among the adult urban population of four cities located at high altitudes in Southwest Saudi Arabia.

Methods

This cross-sectional survey was held in 2023. OSDI questionnaire was used to collect the responses of the adult participants. The score was further graded into none, mild, moderate, and severe DED to estimate age-sex-adjusted DED prevalence. The OSDI score was correlated to demographic (age group, gender, education, occupation, city) and risk factors like smoking and co-morbidities.

Results

Of the 401 adults, 388 (response rate of 97.8%) participated. The age-sex-adjusted prevalence of mild, moderate, and severe DED was 21.7%, 13.1%, and 32%, respectively. The median ODSI score was 22.9 [Interquartile range (IQR) 10.4; 47.9)]. The score was significantly higher in females (Mann-Whitney U-test P = 0.038), residents of Taif city (KW P = 0.05), those with primary/middle school education (Kruskal-Wallis P = 0.004), comorbidities like hypertension, asthma (KW P < 0.001) and risk factors like past refractive surgeries, arthritis (KW P = 0.013). Education status (P <0.001) [B = -9.0 95%] and presence of comorbidity (P = 0.022), [B = -0.823] were significant predictors of DED.

Conclusion

The prevalence of DED and severe grade was high. The level of education and presence of comorbidities significantly influenced DED in the adult urban Saudi population of cities at high altitudes.

Difficulties in Performing Daily Activities in Patients with Dry Eye before and after Treatment

Dry eye disease (DED) represents an important public health problem causing visual discomfort which affects the quality of life. This paper investigates the current comprehension of DED on life quality and vision.

METHODS

This research consists of a cross-sectional study of 121 patients, with a mean age of 70 ± 9 years, diagnosed with DED. All patients were treated in the University Clinic for Ophthalmology in "St. Spiridon" Emergency Hospital, Iasi. For all patients, we evaluated visual acuity on the Snellen chart, tear breakup time (TBUT), Schirmer I test scores, and contrast sensitivity. For this study, we used the Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) version 2000, modified and adapted for this research (19 items).

RESULTS

Prior to treatment, patients had very high difficulty reading a text in a newspaper or on TV, reading prices on products in shops, or recognizing people they already met. Performing manual work or favorite activities was also very difficult. Post-treatment visual challenges improved in the majority of cases, regardless of the treatment method used.

CONCLUSIONS

We found that symptomatic dry eye disease was associated with reduced ability in performing several important vision-related daily tasks and has a significant impact on life quality and visual performance.

Ameliorative Potential of Resveratrol in Dry Eye Disease by Restoring Mitochondrial Function

Methods

The mitochondrial dysfunction of HCE-2 human corneal epithelial cells was induced by high osmotic pressure exposure and treated with resveratrol (50 μM). Western blotting was used to detect the expression of the antioxidant proteins SOD2, GPx, and SIRT1, and flow cytometry was used to detect cell apoptosis and ROS production. The DED mouse model was induced by 0.2% benzalkonium chloride (BAC) and treated with resveratrol. The tear yield was measured by the phenol cotton thread test, the density of cup cells in the conjunctiva was measured by periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining, and the expression levels of SIRT1, GPx, and SOD2 in lacrimal glands were detected by Western blotting.

Results

In hypertonic conditions, the apoptosis of HCE-2 cells increased, the expression of the antioxidant proteins SOD2 and GPx decreased, ROS production increased, and the expression of SIRT1 protein, an essential regulator of mitochondrial function, was downregulated. Treatment with resveratrol reversed the mitochondrial dysfunction mediated by high osmotic pressure. In the DED mouse model, resveratrol treatment promoted tear production and goblet cell number in DED mice, decreased corneal fluorescein staining, upregulated SIRT1 expression, and induced SOD2 and GPx expression in DED mice.

Conclusion

Resveratrol alleviates mitochondrial dysfunction by promoting SIRT1 expression, thus reducing ocular surface injury in mice with dry eye. This study suggests a new path against DED.

Elevated Rheumatoid Factor Associates with Dry Eye in Patients with Common Autoimmune Diseases

Purpose

Patients and Methods

Results

Conclusion