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Process Analysis is an emerging approach to discover meaningful knowledge from temporal educational data. The study presented in this paper shows how we used Process Analysis methods on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test data for modeling and predicting student test-taking behavior. Our process-oriented data exploration gave us insightful findings of how students were interacting with the digital assessment system over time. To discover what processes students were following during the NAEP Digital Assessment, we first developed an innovative set of research questions. Then, we used Process Analysis methods to answer these questions and created a set of features that described student behavior over time. These features were used to create an ensemble model that aimed to accurately predict the digital test-taking efficiency of the students taking NAEP. Our model emerged as one of the most successful models in the 2019 NAEP Data Mining Competition, scoring second place out of 89 teams.

Cataract surgery is one of the most commonly performed surgeries worldwide, with nearly 20 million cases annually. Appropriate prophylaxis after cataract surgery can contribute to a safe and quick visual recovery with high patient satisfaction. Despite being the current standard of care, the use of multiple postoperative eye drops can create a significant burden on these patients, contributing to documented and significant non-adherence to the postoperative regimen. Over the past 25 years, there have been a few studies analyzing the use of intracameral dexamethasone (DXM) in controlling inflammation following cataract surgery. This review explores various drug delivery approaches for managing intraocular inflammation after cataract surgery, documenting the strengths and weaknesses of these options and examining the role of intracameral DXM (among these other strategies) in controlling postoperative intraocular inflammation. Intracameral DXM has a particular advantage over topical steroids in possibly decreasing postoperative inflammatory symptoms and objective anterior cell and flare scores. Compared to topical steroids, there may be a slightly less theoretical risk of significant intraocular pressure spikes and systemic absorption. In addition, surveys indicate patients prefer an intraoperative intracameral injection over a self-administered postoperative eye drop regimen. However, there are several adverse effects associated with intracameral DXM delivery that are not seen with the noninvasive topical approach. Although it is unlikely that intracameral DXM will replace topical medications as the standard management for postoperative inflammation, it is seemingly another safe and effective strategy for controlling postoperative inflammation after routine cataract surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy is a hereditary and progressive vision-threatening disease with a high prevalence in our adult population. In the past two decades, endothelial transplantation has dramatically changed the way we treat these patients. Back then, our limited surgical techniques often resulted in less than ideal outcomes. It was unimaginable for our patients to achieve near perfect visual acuity in such a short span of time. Over the years, we have tenaciously refined our surgical techniques to vastly improve patient outcomes, and with the recent advent of Rho-kinase inhibitors, we may even consider delivering a simple injection to our patients in the future. Our purpose is to take a historical perspective on how far we have come in treating this disorder and how rapidly this field will continue to evolve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare and analyze the differences in visual outcomes between Visx iDesign Advanced WaveScan Studio™ System, Alcon Wavelight Allegro Topolyzer and Nidek EC-5000 using Final Fit™ Custom Ablation Treatment Software from the submitted summary of safety and effectiveness of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data. Methods: In this retrospective comparative study, 334 eyes from Visx iDesign, 212 eyes from Alcon Contour, and 135 eyes from Nidek CATz platforms were analyzed for primary and secondary visual outcomes. These outcomes were compared via side-by-side graphical and tabular representation of the FDA data. Statistical significance was calculated when appropriate to assess differences. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) at 12 months was 20/19.25±8.76, 20/16.59±5.94, and 20/19.17±4.46 for Visx iDesign, Alcon Contoura, and Nidek CATz, respectively. In at least 90% of treated eyes at 3 months and 12 months, all three lasers showed either no change or a gain of corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA). Mesopic contrast sensitivity at 6 months showed a clinically significant increase of 41.3%, 25.1%, and 10.6% for eyes using Visx iDesign, Alcon Contoura, and Nidek CATz, respectively. Photopic contrast sensitivity at 6 months showed a clinically significant increase of 19.2%, 31.9%, and 10.6% for eyes using Visx iDesign, Alcon Contoura, and Nidek CATz, respectively. Conclusion: FDA data for the three platforms shows all three were excellent with respect to efficacy, safety, accuracy, and stability. However, there are some differences between the platforms with certain outcome measurements. Overall, patients using all three lasers showed significant improvements in primary and secondary visual outcomes after LASIK surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global burden of acute and chronic wounds presents a compelling case for enhancing wound classification methods, a vital step in diagnosing and determining optimal treatments. Recognizing this need, we introduce an innovative multi-modal network based on a deep convolutional neural network for categorizing wounds into four categories: diabetic, pressure, surgical, and venous ulcers. Our multi-modal network uses wound images and their corresponding body locations for more precise classification. A unique aspect of our methodology is incorporating a body map system that facilitates accurate wound location tagging, improving upon traditional wound image classification techniques. A distinctive feature of our approach is the integration of models such as VGG16, ResNet152, and EfficientNet within a novel architecture. This architecture includes elements like spatial and channel-wise Squeeze-and-Excitation modules, Axial Attention, and an Adaptive Gated Multi-Layer Perceptron, providing a robust foundation for classification. Our multi-modal network was trained and evaluated on two distinct datasets comprising relevant images and corresponding location information. Notably, our proposed network outperformed traditional methods, reaching an accuracy range of 74.79-100% for Region of Interest (ROI) without location classifications, 73.98-100% for ROI with location classifications, and 78.10-100% for whole image classifications. This marks a significant enhancement over previously reported performance metrics in the literature. Our results indicate the potential of our multi-modal network as an effective decision-support tool for wound image classification, paving the way for its application in various clinical contexts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest.

Numerous cosmetic enhancements and augmentations to the natural appearance of the periorbital area are readily available today. Due to the increasing popularity of these cosmetic procedures, it is important for ophthalmologists to be aware of their potential risks, complications and adverse effects. The aim of this literature review was to introduce some of the most common ocular cosmetic enhancements and provide a comprehensive overview of their associated adverse effects reported in various medical journals. PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar were used to identify articles related to the following ocular cosmetic procedures; eyelash extensions, permanent eyelid tattooing, and eyelash dyeing. The most common complication associated with eyelash extensions was allergic blepharitis (79%). Allergic granulomatous reactions were the predominant complication in patients who underwent eyelid tattooing (56%). Besides, 60% of subjects who underwent eyelash dyeing experienced allergic contact dermatitis as the most common adverse effect. Although millions of these procedures are performed annually without any adverse effects, reports of complications continue to increase in the literature. Knowledge of the possible adverse effects associated with these enhancements is important for eye care providers and licensed estheticians to be aware of given both the direct and indirect effects they may have on ocular health and visual outcomes., Competing Interests: Ethical issues have been completely observed by the authors. All named authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship of this manuscript, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given final approval for the version to be published. No conflict of interest has been presented. Funding/Support: None.

The use of Rho Kinase (ROCK) inhibitors as therapeutic agents in ophthalmology has been a topic of discussion for several years, particularly in the realm of glaucoma, Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy, and diabetic retinopathy. In this review, the authors provide a detailed and comprehensive overview of the published literature on the use of Rho kinase inhibitors for the aforementioned purposes. A thorough search of several databases was conducted to find sufficient literature on ROCK inhibitors. This research found strong evidence demonstrating that inhibition of Rho kinase significantly decreases IOP, increases healing of the corneal endothelium, and decreases progression of diabetic retinopathy. The main side effect of ROCK inhibitors is conjunctival hyperemia that is often present in more than half of the patients in certain formulations. Additional clinical trials investigating the reviewed treatment options of Rho kinase inhibitors are necessary to further validate previous findings on the topic. Nonetheless, it is clear that Rho kinase inhibitors have the potential to be another potent therapeutic option for several chronic diseases in ophthalmology., Competing Interests: Ethical issues have been completely observed by the authors. All named authors met the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for authorship of this manuscript, take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, and have given final approval for the version to be published. No conflict of interest has been presented.

Patients with high hyperopia are generally confined to either spectacle wear or contact lenses as a primary means of refractive correction. For this patient population, the surgical corrective methods, such as hyperopic laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) are imperfect options due to induction of higher-order aberrations, optical regression, and loss of best corrected distance visual acuity. Recently, there has been growing interest in lenticule implantation underneath a flap via lenticule intrastromal keratoplasty (LIKE) for high hyperopia correction (+3 diopters to +10 diopters). We instead propose a modified surgical technique (small-incision lenticule intrastromal keratoplasty, sLIKE), in which the lenticule is implanted inside an intrastromal pocket thereby causing less injury to the subbasal nerve plexus injury, less postoperative dry eye symptoms, less reduction in biomechanical strength, and lower chances for epithelial ingrowth. We provide an overview of these novel surgical techniques to treat high hyperopia, and compare the associated advantages and disadvantages. In addition, we will discuss the enhancement options and methods of optimization for both surgical techniques.