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Objectives: To determine the associated pathogen during the 2023 conjunctivitis outbreak in Vietnam Methods: RNA-sequencing was used to identify pathogens before and during the outbreak. Results: 24 patients with infectious conjunctivitis between March and October 2023 from Hai Yen Vision Institute in Vietnam were swabbed. Coxsackievirus A24v was the most common pathogen identified. Phylogenetic analysis of these strains demonstrates similarities to the Coxsackievirus identified in the 2022 India outbreak. Human adenovirus D was also circulating. Ocular findings of tearing, purulence, and itching were common in this outbreak. Conclusions: Multiple viruses can co-circulate during conjunctivitis outbreaks. Hemorrhagic conjunctivitis, commonly associated with coxsackievirus conjunctivitis, was not a common clinical sign in this outbreak. Repeat genetic surveillance, with the notable inclusion of RNA virus detection strategies, is important for outbreak detection.

Background: This systematic review of teleophthalmology services in Australia, the United States of America (USA), Canada, and the United Kingdom (UK) during the COVID-19 pandemic is aimed to evaluate changes in teleophthalmology, comparing them to New Zealand (NZ). Methods:A literature search of electronic databases Scopus, Proquest, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and Google was conducted using search terms: telemedicine, ophthalmology, teleophthalmology/teleophthalmology, and COVID/COVID-19/coronavirus/covid-pandemic. Studies describing teleophthalmology services created in response to COVID-19 restrictions from March 1, 2020, to January 31, 2024, were analyzed. Results: Of the articles, 37 describing 29 discrete teleophthalmology services were included. There were 15 services in the USA, seven in the UK, two in Canada, two in Australia, and three in NZ. The models of care in the USA were well described, and teleophthalmology was used for general, external, anterior segment, neuro-ophthalmology, and oculoplastic consults, as well as for grading of fundus images in the emergency department setting. In the UK, teleophthalmology was used for general eye care, oculoplastics, and pediatric ophthalmology. In Australia, teleophthalmology was used for postglaucoma surgery monitoring of Intraocular Pressure. In NZ, teleophthalmology was used for general eye consults and triaging, but no formal models were described. Conclusion: COVID-19 offered a unique opportunity for re-examination and expansion of teleophthalmology services globally. Video-based and home-screening teleophthalmology services are feasible but have limitations. Investing in multidisciplinary and community-based technology partnerships can create more equitable teleophthalmology care models (to complement and, when necessary, replace traditional in-person consults), within existing frameworks, making eye care more accessible and efficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are under development for use in diabetic retinopathy photo screening pathways. To be clinically acceptable, such systems must also be able to classify other fundus abnormalities and clinical features at the point of care. Background: We aimed to develop an AI system that can detect several fundus pathologies and report relevant clinical features. Design Convolutional neural network training with retrospective data set. Participants: Colour fundus photos were obtained from publicly available fundus image databases. Methods: Images were uploaded to a web‐based AI platform for training and validation of AI classifiers. Separate classifiers were created for each fundus pathology and clinical feature. Main Outcome Measures: Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for each classifier. Results: We obtained 4435 images from publicly available fundus image databases. AI classifiers were developed for each disease state above. Although statistical performance was limited by the small sample size, average accuracy was 89%, average sensitivity was 75%, average specificity was 89% and average AUC was 0.58. Conclusion and Relevance: This study is a proof‐of‐concept AI system that could be implemented within a diabetic photo‐screening pathway. Performance was promising but not yet at the level that would be required for clinical application. We have shown that it is possible for clinicians to develop AI classifiers with no previous programming or AI knowledge, using standard laptop computers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Importance: There is a burgeoning interest in the use of deep neural network in diabetic retinal screening. Background: To determine whether a deep neural network could satisfactorily detect diabetic retinopathy that requires referral to an ophthalmologist from a local diabetic retinal screening programme and an international database. Design: Retrospective audit. Participants: Diabetic retinal photos from Otago database photographed during October 2016 (485 photos), and 1200 photos from Messidor international database. Methods: Receiver operating characteristic curve to illustrate the ability of a deep neural network to identify referable diabetic retinopathy (moderate or worse diabetic retinopathy or exudates within one disc diameter of the fovea). Main Outcome Measures: Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, sensitivity and specificity. Results: For detecting referable diabetic retinopathy, the deep neural network had an area under receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.901 (95% confidence interval 0.807–0.995), with 84.6% sensitivity and 79.7% specificity for Otago and 0.980 (95% confidence interval 0.973–0.986), with 96.0% sensitivity and 90.0% specificity for Messidor. Conclusions and Relevance: This study has shown that a deep neural network can detect referable diabetic retinopathy with sensitivities and specificities close to or better than 80% from both an international and a domestic (New Zealand) database. We believe that deep neural networks can be integrated into community screening once they can successfully detect both diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: With the advancement in mobile technology, smartphone retinal photography is becoming a popular practice. However, there is limited information about the safety of the latest smartphones used for retinal photography.Aims: This study aims to determine the photobiological risk of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus when used in conjunction with a 20Diopter condensing lens for retinal photography.Method: iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 plus (Apple, Cupertino, CA) were used in this study. The geometrical setup of the study was similar to the indirect ophthalmoscopy technique. The phone was set up at one end of the bench with its flash turned on at maximal brightness; a 20 Dioptre lens was placed 15 cm away from the phone. The light that passes through the lens was measured with a spectroradiometer and an illuminance probe at the other end to determine the spectral profile, spatial irradiance, radiant power emitted by the phone's flash. Trigonometric and lens formula were applied to determine the field of view and retinal surface in order to determine the weighted retinal irradiance and weighted retinal radiant exposure.Result: Taking ocular transmission and the distribution of the beam's spatial irradiance into account, the weighted retinal irradiance is 1.40 mW/cm2 and the weighted retinal radiant exposure is 56.25 mJ/cm2. The peak weighted foveal irradiance is 1.61 mW/cm2.Conclusion: Our study concluded that the photobiological risk posed by iPhone 6 indirect ophthalmoscopy was at least 1 order of magnitude below the safety limits set by the ISO15004-2.2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (OOKP) is a surgical procedure reserved for severe end-stage corneal blindness with a dry, keratinized ocular surface. Late resorption of bone has been described as a complication of this procedure. We present a novel surgical technique to repair laminar resorption associated with OOKP using transpalpebral split-pedicle orbicularis oculi flaps. The technique comes with the advantages of not needing additional bone grafts, and provides the alveo-bonemucosa complex with additional tissue bulk and blood supply., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)