OBJECTIVE: To analyze the hotspots and trends in artificial intelligence (AI) research in the field of cataracts.
METHODS: The Science Citation Index Expanded of the Web of Science Core Collection was used to collect the research literature related to AI in the field of cataracts, which was analyzed for valuable information such as years, countries/regions, journals, institutions, citations, and keywords. Visualized co-occurrence network graphs were generated through the library online analysis platform, VOSviewer, and CiteSpace tools.
RESULTS: A total of 222 relevant research articles from 41 countries were selected. Since 2019, the number of related articles has increased significantly every year. China (n = 82, 24.92%), the United States (n = 55, 16.72%) and India (n = 26, 7.90%) were the three countries with the most publications, accounting for 49.54% of the total. The Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (n = 13, 5.86%) and Translational Vision Science & Technology (n = 10, 4.50%) had the most publications. Sun Yat-sen University (n = 25, 11.26%), the Chinese Academy of Sciences (n = 17, 7.66%), and Capital Medical University (n = 16, 7.21%) are the three institutions with the highest number of publications. We discovered through keyword analysis that cataract, diagnosis, imaging, classification, intraocular lens, and formula are the main topics of current study.
CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the hot spots and potential trends of AI in terms of cataract diagnosis and intraocular lens power calculation. AI will become more prevalent in the field of ophthalmology in the future.

OBJECTIVE: In this study we investigated the efficacy of short-term intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGF) in treating traumatic submacular hemorrhage.
METHODS: A total of 115 patients were diagnosed with submacular hemorrhage between 2018 and 2022 at Shenzhen Eye Hospital. In a retrospective analysis, we examined 13 of these patients who presented with submacular hemorrhage and choroidal rupture due to ocular trauma. Eight patients were treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF injection and 5 with oral drugs. We systematically analyzed changes in their ocular conditions pre and post-treatment. The evaluations encompassed best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optical coherence tomography, fundus fluorescein angiography, and retinal imaging.
RESULTS: The 13 patients diagnosed with submacular hemorrhage comprised of 10 males and 3 female, with their age ranging between 27 and 64 years, with an average age of 38.1 years (standard deviation [SD]: 11.27). A statistically significant reduction in central foveal thickness (CFT) was observed following intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF drugs (P = 0.03). In control group, the CFT was reduced without statistical significance (P = 0.10). The BCVA of the patients in treatment group improved significantly from 1.15 (SD: 0.62. Range: 0.4-2) to 0.63 (SD: 0.59. Range: 0.1-1.6), indicating an average increase of 4.13 lines (SD: 3.36. Range: 0-9) as measured by the visual acuity test using an eye chart (P = 0.01). The difference between baseline visual acuity and final visual acuity was not statistically significant in control group (P = 0.51).
CONCLUSIONS: Short-term administration of anti-VEGF drugs exhibited significant efficacy in reducing submacular hemorrhage following ocular trauma and enhancing visual acuity.

Anterior ischaemic optic neuropathies (AIONs) are a common cause of permanent visual loss in the elderly population. The non-arteritic subtype has been intensively studied. While systemic associations such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus are commonly recognized and treated, others such as obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) are largely overlooked in daily practice. A 60-year-old man who gave no history of any systemic illness presented to us 1 week following an uneventful cataract surgery with posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation in his right eye. The surgery was performed elsewhere by an eye-healthcare professional where the patient presented primarily with a history of progressively worsening diminution of vision in the same eye for 5 days and was diagnosed with a senile cataract. The postoperative visual gain was unsatisfactory; hence he sought another opinion. A diagnosis of non-arteritic AION (NAION) was established. Systemic evaluation revealed elevated diastolic blood pressure, dyslipidaemia and severe OSA. Prompt treatment with systemic steroids and simultaneous management of the accompanying systemic morbid conditions saved some useful vision in the affected eye. This also prevented involvement of the fellow unaffected eye. A comprehensive ocular examination with emphasis on systemic evaluation of the patient for coexisting illness is imperative before proceeding with any medical or surgical intervention. OSA is a definitive risk factor for the development of NAION, though it remains underdiagnosed and untreated. Cataract surgery has been shown to worsen underlying NAION. Systemic stabilization averts potentially blinding sequel in the unaffected eye of these patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore ocular characteristics of patients with cataracts after renal transplantation and analyze the results of phacoemulsification combined with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation.
METHODS: Patients with cataracts after renal transplantation and control patients who underwent phacoemulsification combined with IOL implantation were enrolled. All patients underwent phacoemulsification combined with IOL implantation. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, type of lens opacity, corneal endothelial cell density, and ocular biological parameters were evaluated before surgery. Visual prognosis, dry eye, and postoperative complications were monitored for 6 months after phacoemulsification.
RESULTS: We analyzed 25 eyes of 16 patients after renal transplantation and 30 eyes of 21 control patients. The most common type of cataract of renal transplantation group was posterior subcapsular, while the most common type of cataract of control group was cortical. Significant differences in corneal astigmatism, white-to-white ratio, and keratometry values were observed between the groups. The postoperative visual acuity of both groups significantly improved following surgery. Postoperative complications, such as the degree of anterior and posterior capsule opacification and the incidence of a requirement of neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser capsulotomy, were significantly lower in the renal transplantation group. Moreover, secondary glaucoma occurred in two eyes in the renal transplantation group.
CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that cataracts after renal transplantation were mostly posterior subcapsular. Postoperative visual acuity recovered well in most patients, with reduced incidence of postoperative complications. This study suggested that phacoemulsification combined with IOL implantation was safe and effective, providing a reference for multi-focal IOL implantation in kidney transplant recipients.

To define the characteristics of fundus manifestations in patients after SARS-CoV-2 infection with multimodal imaging techniques. This is a retrospective multicenter and multimodal imaging study including 90 patients. All patients with a visual complaint occurring immediately after SARS-CoV-2 infection were referred to six clinics between December 2022 and February 2023. Demographic information and the temporal relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and visual symptoms were documented. The characteristics of the fundus lesions were evaluated using multimodal imaging. Ninety patients from six hospitals were included in this study, including 24 males (26.67%) and 66 (73.33%) females. Seventy-eight patients (86.66%) (146 eyes) were diagnosed with Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy (AMN). The AMN patients were primarily young women (67.95%). Sixty-eight patients (87.18%) had AMN in both eyes. Thirty-eight eyes (24.36%) included Purtscher or Purtscher-like lesions. optical coherence tomography and infrared retinal photographs can show AMN lesions well. Eleven cases were diagnosed with simple Purtscher or Purtscher-like retinopathy (2 cases, 2.22%), Vogt‒Koyanagi‒Harada (VKH) syndrome or VKH-like uveitis (3 cases, 3.33%), multiple evanescent white-dot syndrome (MEWDS) (2 cases, 2.22%), and rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis (ROCM) (5 cases, 5.56%). After SARS-CoV-2 infection, diversified fundus lesions were evident in patients with visual complaints. In this report, AMN was the dominant manifestation, followed by Purtscher or Purtscher-like retinopathy, MEWDS, VKH-like uveitis, and ROCM.

OBJECTIVE: To study prognostic factors and functional visual outcomes of soldiers after firearm-related ocular trauma in the conflict zone.
METHODS: A cross-sectional analytical study was carried out from January 2017 to December 2022 in the ophthalmology departments of three military hospitals. Soldiers with firearm-related ocular trauma were selected. Epidemiological and clinical data, prognostic factors and functional outcomes were studied. Statistical analyses were performed using IBM-SPSS version 23.0 software. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed, and a P-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: A total of 162 eyes of 136 patients were included. The mean age was 28.93±6.52 years. All patients were male. Improvised firearms were the most frequent cause (77%). Bilateral involvement was observed in 26 patients (19.1%). The mean visual acuity of the affected eyes was 1.66±1.04logMAR on admission. Closed globe injuries predominated (72%). The most frequent anatomical lesions of the globe were hyphema (23.4%) and vitreous hemorrhage (19.7%). The mean final visual acuity was 1.38±1.17logMAR, and blindness was observed in 50% of eyes. Factors influencing final visual acuity were type of trauma, initial visual acuity, hyphema and vitreous hemorrhage.
CONCLUSIONS: Blindness due to firearm-related eye injuries in the conflict zone of Cameroon is common. Wearing protective glasses or visors might reduce its frequency.

RNA isolation is an essential first step for many types of molecular analyses, including reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR)/quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), Northern blotting, microarrays, and RNA-sequencing. While many RNA purification methods have been reported, it can be challenging to extract sufficient quantity, and suitable quality, of RNA from very small amounts of tissue and/or samples containing low numbers of cells. Here we outline a total RNA isolation method that reproducibly yields high-quality RNA from human stem cell-derived retinal organoids for downstream transcriptomic analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the refractive results of Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy (t-PRK) with the Technolas Teneo2 Excimer laser platform.
METHODS: In this retrospective comparative interventional case series, a total of 199 patients with myopia ranging from - 1 to - 7 diopters were enrolled and separated into three groups based on their target refraction of zero (group 1), - 0.25 (group 2), and - 0.5 diopters (group 3), respectively. The main outcome measure was post-operative cycloplegic refraction. Trans-PRK was performed using the Technolas Teneo2 Excimer laser. To prevent any remaining epithelium during stromal ablation, we adopted the thickest epithelial point in the 7 mm central map as the reference for Phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) depth. Patients were examined three and twelve months after the procedure, and the results were analyzed.
RESULTS: At the 12-month follow-up, uncorrected distance visual acuity was 20/20 in all patients. However, there was a significant difference in cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction between the three groups. The 12-month post-operative spherical equivalent refraction was 0.90 ± 0.33 D, 0.79 ± 0.26 D, and 0.60 ± 0.19 D in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively (P < 0.001; Kruskal-Wallis test). The rates of spherical equivalent refraction of more than 0.75 D were 58.3%, 39.1%, and 9.1% in the 0 D, - 0.25 D, and -0.50 D groups, respectively (P < 0.001; Chi-squared test).
CONCLUSIONS: The t-PRK with Technolas Teneo2 Excimer laser and epithelial thickness map adjustment of PTK induce a significant amount of residual hyperopia (> 0.75 D) in a large proportion of eyes with a target refraction of 0 or - 0.25, which is significantly reduced by using a target refraction of - 0.5.

OBJECTIVE: To review the literature on visual dysfunction in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), including its mechanisms and clinical implications.
RESULTS: Recent studies have explored novel aspects of visual dysfunction in DLB, including visual texture agnosia, mental rotation of 3-dimensional drawn objects, and reading fragmented letters. Recent studies have shown parietal and occipital hypoperfusion correlating with impaired visuoconstruction performance. While visual dysfunction in clinically manifest DLB is well recognized, recent work has focused on prodromal or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) due to Lewy body pathology with mixed results. Advances in retinal imaging have recently led to the identification of abnormalities such as parafoveal thinning in DLB. Patients with DLB experience impairment in color perception, form and object identification, space and motion perception, visuoconstruction tasks, and illusions in association with visual cortex and network dysfunction. These symptoms are associated with visual hallucinations, driving impairment, falls, and other negative outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To identify risk factors influencing visual outcomes in patients with pathological myopia-associated choroidal neovascularization (PM-CNV) following intravitreal injections of conbercept.
METHODS: A total of 86 eyes from 86 patients received intravitreal conbercept in a 1 + PRN regimen. After the initial injection, patients were followed for 12 months. They were categorized into two groups based on their 12-month visual acuity change: those who achieved greater than a one-line improvement in BCVA (improved group; n = 65) and those who experienced a one-line or lesser improvement or a decrease in BCVA (non-improved group; n = 21).
RESULTS: Over the 12-month period, the mean BCVA in the improved group significantly improved from 0.82 to 0.41 LogMAR. In the non-improved group, BCVA changed from 1.24 to 1.09 LogMAR. Similarly, the mean CRT decreased from 426.21 μm at baseline to 251.56 μm at 12 months in the improved group, and from 452.47 to 382.45 μm in the non-improved group. Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that older age (OR 1.287; 95% CI 1.019-1.625; P = 0.034), poorer baseline BCVA (OR 6.422; 95% CI 1.625-25.384; P = 0.008), the presence of subfoveal CNV (OR 4.817; 95% CI 1.242-18.681; P = 0.023), and organized interlacing patterns of CNV morphology (OR 5.593; 95% CI 1.397-22.392; P = 0.015) emerged as independent risk factors correlated with worsened visual prognosis following intravitreal conbercept injections.
CONCLUSIONS: Conbercept demonstrates significant efficacy and safety in treating PM-CNV. Key factors influencing visual recovery post-treatment include older age, poorer baseline BCVA, the presence of subfoveal CNV, and organized interlacing patterns of CNV morphology.