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Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Wiederkehrende Schulreihenuntersuchungen dienen dazu, Kinder und Jugendliche mit erhöhtem Achslängenwachstum der Augen zu identifizieren und dafür zu sensibilisieren, dass die richtige Sehhilfe und ausreichend Aufenthalt im Freien präventive Faktoren gegen die Entwicklung einer hohen Myopie sind. Die erhobenen biometrischen Daten helfen außerdem, die epidemiologischen Datenlage zur Schulmyopie zu erweitern, die schließlich eine Grundlage für die Auswahl von Therapieoptionen bilden. Material und Methoden Mittels berührungsfreier Biometrie wurden Hornhautradius, zentrale Hornhautdicke, Vorderkammertiefe, Linsendicke und Achslänge der Augen ermittelt. Optische Kohärenztomographie (OCT) wurde zur Bestimmung der subfovealen Aderhautdicke eingesetzt. Zusätzlich wurden der mesopische und photopische Pupillendurchmesser bestimmt. Ergebnisse Biometrische Daten der Augen konnten von 257 (Alter 11,2 ± 1,1 Jahre, 31,9 % [82] weiblich, 68,1 % [175] männlich) der untersuchten 274 Schulkinder erhoben werden. Es zeigten sich ein mittlerer Hornhautradius (Mittelwert [MW] ± Standardabweichung [SD], weiblich/männlich) von 7,74 ± 0,23/7,89 ± 0,22 mm, zentrale Hornhautdicke von 556,80 ± 31,31/565,68 ± 33,12 µm, Vorderkammertiefe von 3,62 ± 0,28/3,71 ± 0,25 mm, Linsendicke von 3,48 ± 0,18/3,46 ± 0,17 mm sowie Achslänge von 23,03 ± 0,88/23,51 ± 0,88 mm. Die subfoveale Aderhautdicke konnte bei 240 Schulkindern ausgewertet werden und betrug 335,12 ± 60,5 µm. Die gemessene mesopische und photopische Pupillengröße betrug 6,38 ± 0,70 mm bzw. 3,11 ± 0,63 mm. Diskussion Die ermittelten Achslängen der Augen stimmen mit den Normwerten bei europäischen Kindern überein. Es zeigt sich ein Unterschied in der Biometrie zwischen weiblichen und männlichen Augen. Die geplanten Wiederholungsuntersuchungen werden das Erstellen von ersten Wachstumskurven ermöglichen.

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Wir stellen ein Projekt zur Verbesserung der Augengesundheit bei Schulkindern vor: Jährliche optometrische Reihenuntersuchungen mit Fokus auf die Früherkennung der Schulmyopie. Die logistische Machbarkeit wird am Beispiel eines Pilotprojektes an einem staatlichen Gymnasium in Nordrhein-Westfalen beleuchtet. Die erhobenen biometrischen Parameter tragen außerdem zur Erhebung epidemiologischer Daten bei. Material und Methoden An organisierten Untersuchungstagen wurde bei den Schulkindern der 5. bis 7. Klassen (Alter 9 bis 16 Jahre) die objektive und subjektive Refraktion ermittelt, auf Auffälligkeiten im Binokularsehen getestet und der photopische und mesopische Pupillendurchmesser bestimmt. Mittels berührungsfreier Biometrie wurden die Hornhautradien, zentrale Hornhautdicke, Vorderkammertiefe, Linsendicke und die Achslänge der Augen gemessen. Mittels optischer Kohärenztomographie (OCT) wurde außerdem die zentrale Aderhautdicke der Augen bestimmt. Mit Fragebögen wurden die Sehgewohnheiten der Schulkinder erfragt. Ergebnisse Im Herbst 2019 nahmen 274 Schulkinder (11,2 ± 1,2 Jahre) freiwillig an den Untersuchungen teil; 22 % (61) zeigten eine Myopie (sphärisches Äquivalent ≤ −0,50 dpt), hiervon waren 11 % (7) bisher unkorrigiert (unkorrigierter Fernvisus Diskussion Die Notwendigkeit der optometrischen Reihenuntersuchung ist objektiv gegeben, da insgesamt 4,4 % (12) myope Schulkinder identifiziert werden konnten, die aufgrund ihrer Brillenkorrektion einen Fernvisus von kleiner 0,8 aufwiesen. Durch die Ermittlung der Achslänge und der Einordnung dieses Wertes in Abhängigkeit des Alters in die Literatur kann das individuelle Myopierisiko abgeschätzt und Eltern und Kinder können sensibilisiert werden, um dem Missstand zu begegnen. Die geplanten Wiederholungsuntersuchungen werden genauere Aussagen zum Bulbuswachstum bei Schulkindern liefern.

The aim of the English NHS Diabetic Eye Screening Programme (DESP) is to reduce the risk of sight loss amongst people with diabetes by the prompt identification and effective treatment if necessary of sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy, at the appropriate stage during the disease process, with a long-term aim of preventing blindness in people with diabetes.For the year 2009–2010, diabetic retinopathy (DR) was no longer the leading cause of blindness in the working age group. There have been further reductions in DR certifications for WHO severe vision impairment and blindness from 1,334 (5.5% of all certifications) in 2009/2010 to 840 (3.5% of all certifications) in 2018/2019. NHS DESP is a major contributor to this further reduction, but one must also take into account improvements in glycaemic and blood pressure control, timely laser treatment and vitrectomy surgery, improved monitoring techniques for glycaemic control, and vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor injections for control of diabetic macular oedema. The latter have had a particular impact since first introduced in the UK in 2013.Current plans for NHS DESP include extension of screening intervals in low-risk groups and the introduction of optical coherence tomography as a second line of screening for those with screen positive maculopathy with two dimensional markers. Future challenges include the introduction of automated analysis for grading and new camera technologies.

Summary Background To examine the rural–urban differences in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) in the population aged 50 years and older in Hungary. Methods 105 clusters of 35 people aged 50 years or older were randomly selected. Standardized rapid assessment of avoidable blindness (RAAB) with the diabetic retinopathy module was performed. Participants were classified as diabetic if they had a previous diagnosis of DM or a random blood glucose level ≥200 mg/dl. Each individual with DM who agreed underwent dilated fundus examination and DR grading. Results The prevalence of DM was higher in rural (21.8%) than in urban (18.6%) areas (p = 0.016). The prevalence of DR did not differ significantly between rural and urban areas in DM cases. Blindness (0.9% vs. 0.1%; p = 0.048) and blindness due to DM (0.3% vs. 0.0%; p = 0.021) in diabetic participants was significantly more common in rural than in urban areas. Diabetic eye screening coverage was significantly lower in rural than in urban areas (p ≤ 0,007). Conclusion Based on our results and the high rate of blindness and blindness due to DR in rural areas, primary eye care should be improved and a telemedical eye screening program should be undertaken, especially concentrating on rural areas.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We discuss opportunities to address key barriers to widespread implementation of teleophthalmology programs for diabetic eye screening in the United States (U.S.). RECENT FINDINGS: Teleophthalmology is an evidence-based form of diabetic eye screening. This technology has been proven to substantially increase diabetic eye screening rates and decrease blindness. However, teleophthalmology implementation remains limited among U.S. health systems. Major barriers include financial concerns as well as limited utilization by providers, clinical staff, and patients. Possible interventions include increasingly affordable camera technology, demonstration of financially sustainable billing models, and engaging key stakeholders. SUMMARY: Significant opportunities exist to overcome barriers to scale up and promote widespread implementation of teleophthalmology in the USA. Further development of methods to sustain effective increases in diabetic eye screening rates using this technology is needed. In addition, the demonstration of cost-effectiveness in a variety of billing models should be investigated to facilitate widespread implementation of teleophthalmology in U.S. health systems.

Digital retinal imaging is a challenging screening method for which effective, robust and cost-effective approaches are still to be developed. Regular screening for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic maculopathy diseases is necessary in order to identify the group at risk of visual impairment. This paper presents a novel automatic detection of diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy in eye fundus images by employing fuzzy image processing techniques. The paper first introduces the existing systems for diabetic retinopathy screening, with an emphasis on the maculopathy detection methods. The proposed medical decision support system consists of four parts, namely: image acquisition, image preprocessing including four retinal structures localisation, feature extraction and the classification of diabetic retinopathy and maculopathy. A combination of fuzzy image processing techniques, the Circular Hough Transform and several feature extraction methods are implemented in the proposed system. The paper also presents a novel technique for the macula region localisation in order to detect the maculopathy. In addition to the proposed detection system, the paper highlights a novel online dataset and it presents the dataset collection, the expert diagnosis process and the advantages of our online database compared to other public eye fundus image databases for diabetic retinopathy purposes.

The aim of this study was to assess the socioeconomic inequalities in the use of preventive eye screening services among individuals with diabetes in Korea.Using nationally representative survey data, the concentration index (CI) and decomposition of the CI were used to capture and quantify income-related inequalities.The results show income-related inequality in the use of eye screening services among individuals with diabetes, suggesting that services were concentrated among individuals with higher incomes. After adjusting for need factors, such as sex, age and self-rated health, the inequality still persisted as observed horizontal inequity in the services, indicating that unequal care was provided for equal need. The decomposition approach revealed that the largest contributions to the observed inequality were higher education and higher income levels. Having private insurance and residing in non-Seoul metro areas also contributed to the observed pro-rich inequality.These findings suggest that income- and education-related barriers to the use of preventive eye screening services for individuals with diabetes should be targeted for removal at the national level to achieve the goal of equal care for equal need in diabetes management.

Universal newborn eye screening is gaining increased interest as a potential way to reduce long-term visual impairment through early identification of ocular abnormalities. The number of skilled healthcare providers available to provide bedside examinations for a universal newborn eye screening program is inadequate, but advances in retinal fundus imaging and telemedicine systems have enabled the execution of several pilot studies in India, China and the United States.1, 2, 3 In the study by Goyal and colleagues, they report on fundus image screening of 1152 newborn infants in an Eastern Indian hospital from March 2014 to October 2015.4

Regular eye screening is essential for the early detection and treatment of the diabetic retinopathy. This paper presents a novel automatic screening system for diabetic retinopathy that focuses on the detection of the earliest visible signs of retinopathy, which are microaneurysms. Microaneurysms are small dots on the retina, formed by ballooning out of a weak part of the capillary wall. The detection of the microaneurysms at an early stage is vital, and it is the first step in preventing the diabetic retinopathy. The paper first explores the existing systems and applications related to diabetic retinopathy screening, with a focus on the microaneurysm detection methods. The proposed decision support system consists of an automatic acquisition, screening and classification of diabetic retinopathy colour fundus images, which could assist in the detection and management of the diabetic retinopathy. Several feature extraction methods and the circular Hough transform have been employed in the proposed microaneurysm detection system, alongside the fuzzy histogram equalisation method. The latter method has been applied in the preprocessing stage of the diabetic retinopathy eye fundus images and provided improved results for detecting the microaneurysms.

Many health-related problems arise with aging. One of the diseases that is prevalent among the elderly is the loss of sight. Various eye diseases, namely age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy (DR), and glaucoma are the prime causes of vision loss as we grow old. Nevertheless, early detection of such eye diseases can impede the progression of this problem. Therefore, the elderly are encouraged to attend regular eye checkups for early detection of eye diseases. However, it is time-consuming and laborious to conduct a mass eye screening session frequently. Hence, we proposed a novel approach to develop an automated retinal health screening system in this work. This paper discusses a retinal screening system to automatically differentiate normal image from abnormal (AMD, DR, and glaucoma) fundus images. The fundus images are subjected to the pyramid histogram of oriented gradients (PHOG) and speeded up robust features (SURF) techniques. Then, the extracted data are subjected to adaptive synthetic sampling to balance the number of data in the two classes (normal and abnormal). Subsequently, we employed the canonical correlation analysis approach to fuse the highly-correlated features extracted from the two (PHOG and SURF) descriptors. We have achieved 96.21% accuracy, 95.00% sensitivity, and 97.42% specificity with ten-fold cross-validation strategy using k-nearest neighbor (kNN) classifier. This novel algorithm has high potential in the diagnosis of normal eyes during the mass eye screening session or in polyclinics quickly and reliably. Hence, the patients having abnormal eyes can be sent to the main hospitals which will reduce the workload for the ophthalmologists. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

Congenital glaucoma is a disease potentially leading to blindness in children. It poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge even though new knowledge has been acquired and a sufficient understanding of the pathogenesis has been gained. New discoveries, such as the exact time when Schlemm's canal develops could lead to a prenatal diagnosis and therefore surgical intervention so that other complications including blindness can be avoided. This case report demonstrates that an early prenatal eye screening with ultrasound (after approximately 30 weeks of pregnancy) would be desirable in order to diagnose buphthalmus early and to plan postnatal surgery.

To the Editor : We thank Drs Stratton and Aldington for their comments on our paper. Our manuscript [1] was in the late stages of review at the time of the publication of their paper [2]. We fully acknowledge as stated in our discussion that apparent regression of retinopathy can result from a variety of causes including true regression of disease, changes in the retina that are not captured in retinal photographs and inaccuracy of the actual grading. However, as also noted in our discussion, whenwe constrainedmodels to allow onlymisclassification and no actual regression, the model fit was not as good as when the model allowed for both misclassification and regression, so we do not think the regression noted in the paper is principally a result of issues with grading. As stated in our paper [1], the Scottish Diabetic Retinopathy Screening (DRS) programme has a centralised quality controlled grading system. This is comprised of grading centres all working to a single grading scheme with robust internal and external quality assurance. A high standard of quality controlled grading is essential for any screening programme. We embrace this, and have published data documenting our quality assurance results [3], as cited in our