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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the causes of visual impairment in Mie prefecture during a five-year period., Subjects and Methods: The study was conducted between April 2004 and March 2009 in Mie Prefecture. 1,322 visually impaired people as defined by the Act on Welfare of Physically Disabled Persons were enrolled. We reviewed age, sex, causes of visual impairment, degree of disability and medical conditions according to their physical disability certificate., Results: The four major causes of visual impairment were glaucoma (20.3%), diabetic retinopathy (18.9%), retinitis pigmentosa (12.2%), and macular degeneration (9.1%), followed by chorioretinal degeneration, stroke or brain tumor, optic atrophy, and cataract. The average ages of the four major causes were glaucoma (77.1 years), diabetic retinopathy (65.1 years), retinitis pigmentosa (62.5 years) and macular degeneration (77.7 years)., Conclusions: The most common cause of visual impairment in Mie prefecture was glaucoma. The four major causes in Mie prefecture were the same as the results of the nation-wide investigation reported in 2006.

Purpose: To detect early diabetic damage in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with no diabetic retinopathy (NDR) using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and to evaluate OCT as a clinical test., Methods: Thirty-two patients with NDR (n = 32) were enrolled. We examined retinal and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness using OCT. Two healthy normal populations were also enrolled for the retinal thickness (n = 48) and RNFL thickness (n = 34). Both OCT measurements were obtained in four areas (temporal, superior, nasal and inferior). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to evaluate the predictor variables., Results: Comparing the normal and NDR eyes, retinal thickness significantly increased (p = 0.03) and RNFL thickness significantly decreased (p = 0.02) in the superior areas. The area under the ROC curve was 0.65 for the superior retinal thickness and 0.63 for the superior RNFL thickness., Conclusions: Both OCT measurements can detect early retinal damage in NDR patients., (Copyright 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To evaluate the utility, safety, and reliability of diode laser endophotocoagulation in a sizable clinical series., Methods: Two hundred twenty-six consecutive eyes treated with diode endophotocoagulation were studied prospectively. Surgical indications included proliferative diabetic retinopathy (134 eyes), proliferative vitreoretinopathy (27 eyes), complicated retinal detachment (50 eyes), and miscellaneous (15 eyes). A retrospective comparison group of 67 consecutive eyes undergoing vitrectomy with argon endolaser photocoagulation was also studied., Results: The desired intraoperative effect of diode endophotocoagulation was achieved in 99.6% cases without complication. Final visual acuity was improved in 159 eyes (71%), and was 5/200 or better in 157 eyes (70%) with diode endophotocoagulation. In comparison, final visual acuity was improved in 48 eyes (73%), and was 5/200 or better in 45 eyes (68%) for argon endophotocoagulation. No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups regarding rate of visual improvement or final visual results., Conclusion: This series supports the conclusion that the diode laser is as safe, reliable, and effective for endophotocoagulation as argon treatment.