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Purpose: To report an interesting case of a massive iris cyst encompassing nearly the entire anterior chamber in an adult female years after cataract surgery. Observation: A 77-year-old female with a history of bilateral cataract surgery presented with a large ciliary body mass in the left eye. The lesion was first incidentally noted one year prior to presentation and continued to grow and ultimately caused complete obstruction of the visual axis. Per report, the patient received two YAG laser treatments with subsequent recrudescence. Exam on second opinion consultation with our service was significant for a cystic mass involving nearly the entire left anterior chamber with total occlusion of the pupil. Patient underwent surgical excision with ethanol irrigation and partial iridectomy. The pathology report revealed benign stratified non-keratinizing squamous epithelium consistent with benign epithelial cyst and favoring iris stromal cyst. Post-operative course was complicated by corneal edema and elevated intraocular pressure. Conclusion and importance: We describe a case of iris implantation cyst that is unique in several aspects, including the size of the mass encompassing nearly the entire anterior chamber, its presentation in an adult years after cataract surgery, rapid growth across one year, and the severe degree of visual compromise.

AIM: To determine the amount of ultraviolet (UV) light irradiance that various layers of the eye receive as sunlight passes through the eye, and to investigate the protective benefits of UV light-blocking contact lenses. METHODS: Twenty-four porcine eyes were prepared in one of three ways: isolated cornea, cornea and lens together, or whole eye preparation. UV light irradiance was measured with a UV-A/B light meter before and after the eye preparations were placed over the meter to measure UV light penetration in each eye structure. In the whole eye preparation, a hole was placed in the fovea to measure light as it passed through the vitreous. Subsequently, UV-protective contact lenses were placed over the structures, and UV light penetrance was measured. Measurements of UV light exposure were taken outdoors at various locations and times. RESULTS: Cornea absorbed 63.56% of UV light that reached the eye. Cornea and lens absorbed 99.34% of UV light. Whole eye absorbed 99.77% of UV light. When UV-protective contact lenses were placed, absorption was 98.90%, 99.55%, and 99.87%, respectively. UV light exposure was dependent on directionality and time of day, and was greatest in areas of high albedo that reflect significant amounts of light, such as a beach. CONCLUSION: Cornea absorbs the majority of UV light that reaches the eye in this model. UV-protective contact lenses reduce UV exposure to the eye. Locations with high albedo expose the eye to higher levels of UV light.

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic created many challenges for our society. In this study, we explore how measures of mental health, coping strategies, and social support during the pandemic varied by glaucoma status. Methods A cohort of patients aged 40 and over enrolled in the NIH All of Us Research Program, a nationwide longitudinal cohort, who answered the COVID-19 Participant Experience (COPE) survey was obtained. We analyzed several measures of mental health, coping strategies, and social support used during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveys were recurring and answered from May 2020 to February 2021. Demographics and the most recently answered survey responses were obtained and stratified by glaucoma status. Pearson’s Chi-squared tests and multivariable logistic regressions adjusting for age, gender, race, ethnicity, and income were used to generate p-values, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between outcome measures and glaucoma status. Results Of 42,484 patients who responded to All of Us COPE survey items, 2912 (6.9%) had a diagnosis of glaucoma. On Pearson’s Chi-squared tests glaucoma patients were less likely to report drinking alcohol (P = 0.003), eating more food than usual (P = 0.004), and using marijuana (P = 0.006) to cope with social distancing than those without a diagnosis of glaucoma. Further, glaucoma patients had lower rates of probable mild, moderate, or severe depression as calculated by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores (P

Objective: Women who have experienced reproductive loss (i.e., miscarriage, stillbirth, abortion) evaluated the usefulness of a novel screening tool, Reproductive Grief Screen (RGS), to identify patients struggling with ongoing, complicated grief. Methods: This mixed-methods study involved U.S. women who had experienced reproductive loss. Online data collection resulted in 27 interviews and 282 surveys completed. Perceptions of and preferences about RGS were thematically analyzed. Chi square analyses assessed relationships between demographics and tool preferences. Results: RGS validated women's experiences with grief after reproductive loss. Women noted their providers may be unaware of their loss(es). Participants requested periodic screening using RGS beginning shortly after a loss (or during new patient intake) and occurring regularly (e.g., annually). Overall, women preferred completing RGS online before an appointment, though preferences varied by demographics (i.e., age, time since loss). Participants want providers to compassionately discuss RGS results with them and offer appropriate resources. Conclusion: The RGS can help identify largely ignored grief after reproductive loss. Innovation: Findings from group and individual interviews and a survey of women who have coped with reproductive loss suggest that use of a brief RGS tool could reshape clinical practice to aid women who might be facing complicated grief. Moreover, women expressed clear preferences for how to implement use of the RGS in clinical contexts.

Purpose: To examine social factors associated with the 5-year risk of glaucoma suspects (GS) converting to open-angle glaucoma (OAG)., Design: Retrospective cohort analysis., Subjects: We screened for participants diagnosed with GS in the All of Us database. Cases that converted to OAG within 5 years of GS diagnosis (the "conversion group") were compared with control cases that did not convert., Methods: Demographic, socioeconomic and health-care utilization data of the cases were extracted and compared between the conversion group and the control group. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to identify potential factors associated with the risk of conversion., Main Outcome Measures: Hazard ratios (HRs) of significant factors associated with the risk of conversion., Results: A total of 5274 GS participants were identified, and 786 (15%) cases converted to OAG within 5-year follow-up. The 2 groups showed significant differences in age, race, gender, employment status, income/education level, history of intraocular surgery, and health-care utilization patterns. In the multivariable model, African American/Black race (HR : 1.70 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.44-2.00]), older age at GS diagnosis (1.17 [95% CI, 1.09-1.25]), male gender (1.30 [95% CI, 1.13-1.50], no history of recreational drug use (1.23 [1.07-1.42]), history of intraocular surgery (1.60 [95% CI, 1.02-1.53]), and having more reasons for delayed health-care access (2.27 [95% CI, 1.23-4.18]) were associated with a greater hazard of conversion, while being employed (0.71 [95% CI, 0.60-0.86]) was associated with a smaller hazard of conversion (P < 0.05 for all)., Conclusions: Several social factors were associated with the conversion from GS to OAG, which may help to identify patients at higher risk of disease progression. Future studies are needed to examine the basis for these findings and the potential interventions that could address them., Financial Disclosures: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article., (Copyright © 2024 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The sense of taste permits the recognition of valuable nutrients and the avoidance of potential toxins. Previously, we found that bumblebees have a specialized mechanism for sensing sugars whereby two gustatory receptor neurons (GRNs) within the galeal sensilla of the bees' mouthparts exhibit bursts of spikes. Here, we show that the temporal firing patterns of these GRNs separate sugars into four distinct groups that correlate with sugar nutritional value and palatability. We also identified a third GRN that responded to stimulation with relatively high concentrations of fructose, sucrose, and maltose. Sugars that were nonmetabolizable or toxic suppressed the responses of bursting GRNs to sucrose. These abilities to encode information about sugar value are a refinement to the bumblebee's sense of sweet taste that could be an adaptation that enables precise calculations of the nature and nutritional value of floral nectar., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2022 The Author(s).)