Ophthalmic epidemiologyPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-05-08DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2024.2348050
Abu Tahir Taha, Yi Stephanie Zhang, Isabel J B Thompson, Aunoy Poddar, Jeremy D Keenan, Jay M Stewart
{"title":"Race/Ethnicity Analysis of Vascular Alterations in Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Diabetic Patients.","authors":"Abu Tahir Taha, Yi Stephanie Zhang, Isabel J B Thompson, Aunoy Poddar, Jeremy D Keenan, Jay M Stewart","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2348050","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2348050","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Racial and ethnic minorities have a higher prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (DR) and present at advanced stages of disease. In an urban hospital population, we investigated microvascular differences in optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) between racial/ethnic groups while adjusting for socioeconomic status (SES).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>3 × 3 mm<sup>2</sup> macular OCTA scans were obtained for analysis of foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area, FAZ perimeter as well as superficial (SCP) and deep capillary plexus (DCP) vessel density (VD), vessel length density (VLD), and adjusted flow index (AFI). SES was measured using the Area Deprivation Index. Multivariable regression models were used to adjust estimates for relevant confounders.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>217 non-diabetic and 1,809 diabetic patients were included in the study, consisting of 42.2% Hispanic, 24.9% non-Hispanic (NH) Asian, 6.8% NH Black, 9.7% NH White and 16.3% Other patients. NH White was used as the reference group. Hispanic, NH Asian, and NH Black patients had significantly greater FAZ areas and FAZ perimeters, and lower DCP VD and VLD, among both non-diabetic and diabetic patients (Benjamini-Hochberg adjusted P-values <0.05). The addition of SES scores in the models did not modify any regressions significantly.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>In patients with and without diabetes, racial and ethnic minorities have significant retinal microvasculature differences when compared to NH White patients, regardless of SES. These differences are pronounced in DCP and may predispose racial/ethnic minorities to worse outcomes in DR, thus widening disparities in ophthalmic care.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"153-162"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140891929","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ophthalmic epidemiologyPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-06-04DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2024.2354695
Duke Appiah, Hannah Chaudhury, Tristin Chaudhury, Marvelyn Iweh, Obadeh Shabaneh, Noah De La Cruz
{"title":"The Risk of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Adults with Vision Impairment from Low-, Middle- and High-Income Countries.","authors":"Duke Appiah, Hannah Chaudhury, Tristin Chaudhury, Marvelyn Iweh, Obadeh Shabaneh, Noah De La Cruz","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2354695","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2354695","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The limited evidence for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among adults with vision impairment (VI) has often been from developed countries using self-reported VI. This study evaluated the association of objectively-determined VI with the risk of CVD among adults from low-, middle-, and high-income countries.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were from 32,268 adults aged 30-74 years without CVD or blindness from China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russian Federation, South Africa, and the United States during 2007-2010. VI and severe VI was defined as presenting visual acuity worse than 6/18, and 6/60, respectively. The Framingham risk algorithm was used to estimate the risk for incident CVD. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean age of participants was 46.4 years, with half of them being women (49.3%). The age-adjusted prevalence of VI ranged from 1.1% (United States) to 14.2% (South Africa) while severe VI ranged from 0.4% (United States) to 4.5% (Ghana). In models adjusting for country, sociodemographic factors, waist girth, healthcare use, activities of daily living and other health-related factors, VI was associated with CVD risk ≥ 10% (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.22-2.36). This observed association was largely consistent across countries (<i>p</i> = 0.119). The observed CVD risk was similar among adults with moderate or severe VI (OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.50-1.83). CVD risk was higher among adults with VI who were <65 years old (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.36-2.63) or were employed (OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.58-3.16).</p><p><strong>Conlusions: </strong>This cross-national study shows that individuals with VI are at high risk for future CVD.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"163-170"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141247142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ophthalmic epidemiologyPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-07-05DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2024.2372051
Jung Ho Kim, Hyun Wook Ryoo, Jong-Yeon Kim, Jae Yun Ahn, Sungbae Moon, Haewon Jung, Woo Young Nho
{"title":"Causative Activities and Prognostic Factors of Open-Globe Injury: A Registry-Based City-Wide Multicentre Study.","authors":"Jung Ho Kim, Hyun Wook Ryoo, Jong-Yeon Kim, Jae Yun Ahn, Sungbae Moon, Haewon Jung, Woo Young Nho","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2372051","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2372051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Traumatic globe injury is classified into closed-globe and open-globe injury (OGI); OGI leads to a worse prognosis. We aimed to identify causative activities and prognostic factors of OGI in a metropolitan city in South Korea.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This retrospective observational study used a prospective eye-injury registry conducted in Daegu, South Korea, between 1 August 2016 and 31 July 2021. We identified epidemiology and visual outcomes of OGI at four tertiary hospitals. Those with the best visual acuity lower than counting fingers at the 6-month follow-up were considered to have poor visual outcome.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 9,208 patients with eye injuries, 282 had OGI. Most OGI patients were male (261, 92.6%), with the largest proportion in their 50s (76, 27.0%). The most frequent causative activity was mowing (59, 20.9%), and poor visual outcome was most seen in assault (7, 87.5%) and sports activity (9, 81.8%). Hammering, metal work, and sports activity were prevalent in those under 30, and mowing was most prevalent in those in their 50s (16, 21.1%) and 60s (29, 40.3%). In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, OGI related to traffic accident and sports activity were presented poor prognosis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 13.259, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.202-146.205 for traffic accident; aOR 6.801, 95% CI 1.064-43.487 for sports activity).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>We need to develop advanced vehicle safety equipment, implement public education promoting seat belt usage and hazards of OGI, establish eye protection standards for key causal activities, and provide eye protection equipment for sports activities and mowing.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"171-178"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141538293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ophthalmic epidemiologyPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-07-31DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2024.2372045
Evan Bilsbury, Marina Mautner Wizentier, Emma Wood, Sean Doherty, James Ledwith, Juan Ding
{"title":"The Continuing Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Diabetic Retinopathy Screenings.","authors":"Evan Bilsbury, Marina Mautner Wizentier, Emma Wood, Sean Doherty, James Ledwith, Juan Ding","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2372045","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2372045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This retrospective observational study of health claims data seeks to quantify the prolonged impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on DR screening rates in central Massachusetts.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Retrospective claims data from the UMass Memorial Managed Care Network were collected for the years of 2018-2022. Comprehensive and DR screening exams were identified using CPT codes for patients with diabetes. Data were derived from claims submitted by the UMass Memorial Managed Care network to four insurance programs via CPT billing code for comprehensive and DR screening exams for patients with diabetes. Over one million claims for the years 01/2018-05/2022 were collected.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found a significant decrease in unadjusted DR screening rates in the post-lockdown period compared to the pre-COVID-19 period (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Bivariate analysis revealed a 15.1% decrease in weekly DR screenings during post-lockdown (RR = 0.849, 95% CI = 0.811, 0.888). After adjusting for seasonal variation, the mean weekly DR screening rate was 12% lower in the post-lockdown period, with a 95% CI of 6.1% to 17.5% decrease (Adjusted RR = 0.880, 95% CI = 0.825, 0.939 Stratified analysis based on patient status revealed a significant decrease in adjusted DR screening rates for established patients post-lockdown compared to pre-pandemic (<i>p</i> < 0.0001), while no significant difference was observed for new patients (<i>p</i> > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The impact of COVID-19 on DR screening and treatment rates persisted even after the resumption of non-essential care services, with a discrepancy between new and established patients. Future research should work to identify and overcome the barriers to DR screening.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"222-228"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141860511","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ophthalmic epidemiologyPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-07-31DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2024.2371458
Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan, Chen Dun, Grant Justin, Martin A Makary, Fasika A Woreta
{"title":"Open Globe Injury Repairs Among Medicare Beneficiaries from 2011 to 2020.","authors":"Muhammad Ali, Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan, Chen Dun, Grant Justin, Martin A Makary, Fasika A Woreta","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2371458","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2371458","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To explore patient and surgeon characteristics for open globe injury repairs (OGRs) and rates of subsequent operations.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a retrospective cohort design, eyes of patients ≥18 years who underwent OGR among 100% Medicare Fee-For-Service dataset from 2011 to 2020 were included. Current Procedural Terminology (CPT®) codes were used to identify OGR. Patient characteristics were reported, and surgeon characteristics were stratified by sex and compared using Chi-square and Student's t-test. Overall rate of subsequent operations was reported, and trends of subsequent operations over time were assessed using Cochrane-Armitage trend test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 16,576 patients with a mean age of 73.89 years (±12.89) underwent OGR. Most patients were White (79.68%, <i>n</i> = 13,207) and 49.44% (<i>n</i> = 8196) were female. More patients resided in a rural area (18.71%; <i>n</i> = 3102) relative to surgeon location (4.51%, <i>n</i> = 748; <i>p</i> < 0.001). A total of 5,898 surgeons performed these OGRs with 77.33% (<i>n</i> = 4,561) male and 22.67% (<i>n</i> = 1,337) female surgeons. Male surgeons performed most of the OGRs (76.35%, <i>n</i> = 12,655; <i>p</i> < 0.001). On average, a surgeon performed a single OGR annually (Mean: 1.08 ± 1.04; Range: 0.11-40). Among all OGRs, 51% (8,452/16,576) had ≥1 subsequent operations in median 29 days (IQR: 10-86), which increased during the last decade from 47% to 51% (<i>p</i> = 0.008).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Geographic and workforce disparities in ocular trauma warrant future investigation. Further studies can also assess the reasons for increase in the incidence of subsequent procedures after OGR over time.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"197-203"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141860509","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ophthalmic epidemiologyPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-05-21DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2024.2346894
Alison G Abraham, Weiqun Tong, Valentina Stosor, M Reuel Friedman, Roger Detels, Michael Plankey
{"title":"Vision Problems As a Contributor to Lower Engagement in Care Among Aging Men Living with HIV.","authors":"Alison G Abraham, Weiqun Tong, Valentina Stosor, M Reuel Friedman, Roger Detels, Michael Plankey","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2346894","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2346894","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To investigate vision impairment as a barrier to engagement in medical care among aging persons living with HIV (PLWH) who experience multimorbidity and complex care needs.</p><p><strong>Setting: </strong>Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), a prospective observational cohort of aging PLWH men.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We examined relationships of self-reported vision difficulty with indicators of care engagement: 1) adherence to HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART; defined as taking ≥95% of medications); 2) self-reported avoidance of medical care; 3) self-reported tendency to ask a doctor questions about care (>2 questions at a medical visit), as well as with quality of life. A modified version of the National Eye Institute Vision Function Questionnaire was administered at three semi-annual visits (from October 2017 to March 2019) to assess difficulty performing vision-dependent tasks.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We included 1063 PLWH (median age 57 years, 31% Black). Data on care engagement outcomes were analyzed using repeated measures logistic regression with generalized estimating equations adjusted for race, and at visit values for age, education level, depressive symptoms, alcohol use, and smoking status. Compared to no vision difficulty, those reporting moderate to extreme vision difficulty on at least one task had 2.2 times higher odds (95% CI: 1.4, 3.4) of having less than optimal ART adherence, 1.9 times higher odds (95% CI: 1.1, 3.4) of avoiding necessary medical care and median quality of life scores 8 points lower.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings suggest vision impairment decreases medical care engagement including HIV care and quality of life among aging PLWH.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"143-152"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11579247/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141071752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ophthalmic epidemiologyPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-07-05DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2024.2361170
Piotr Chlad, Vinodh Kakkassery, Armin Wolf, Christina V Miller, Olaf Strauss, Ahmad Samir Alfaar
{"title":"The Epidemiology and Survival Outcomes of Adult Conjunctival Malignancies in Germany: A Decade-Long Population-Based Analysis (2009-2019).","authors":"Piotr Chlad, Vinodh Kakkassery, Armin Wolf, Christina V Miller, Olaf Strauss, Ahmad Samir Alfaar","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2361170","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2361170","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aims to evaluate the epidemiological patterns, treatment strategies, and survival outcomes of conjunctival malignancies in Germany between 2009 and 2019.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 1,532 cases were analyzed, with the crude incidence rate calculated. The survival rates were investigated using life tables and Cox regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The overall incidence rate was 1.7 per million. Incidence rates varied across age groups, peaking in the 75+ age group. Carcinomas (43%), melanomas (30%), and lymphomas (20%), were the most prevalent malignancies. Of the total cases with reported treatment, surgical intervention was undertaken in 64.5% of the patients. The 5-year overall survival rates were 90.4% for lymphomas, 73.8% for melanomas, and 72.9% for carcinomas. Age at diagnosis emerged as a significant prognostic factor in the Cox regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study provides the first population-based incidence data on conjunctival malignancies in Germany, noting a generally low incidence with survival rates comparable to other regions. The findings underscore the importance of consistent reporting and further research into risk factors for a deeper understanding of these malignancies. The study calls for improved reporting systems and further investigations into genetic factors and targeted prevention strategies for high-risk groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"187-196"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141538294","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ophthalmic epidemiologyPub Date : 2025-04-01Epub Date: 2024-07-31DOI: 10.1080/09286586.2024.2370260
Yu-Bai Chou, Hsin-Ho Chang, Hsun-I Chiu, Yiing-Jenq Chou, Christy Pu
{"title":"Risk Factors for Developing Neovascular Glaucoma in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion: Two-Year Real-World Study.","authors":"Yu-Bai Chou, Hsin-Ho Chang, Hsun-I Chiu, Yiing-Jenq Chou, Christy Pu","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2370260","DOIUrl":"10.1080/09286586.2024.2370260","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To explore potential risk factors for the development of neovascular glaucoma (NVG) in central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) over a two-year intensive follow-up period.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study reviewed 1545 patients with CRVO between 2005 and 2019 at Taipei Veterans General Hospital. Inclusion was restricted to (1) patients with acute CRVO within 3 months; (2) patients with ocular neovascularization at initial presentation (3) patients had not received any treatment at the time of CRVO; (4) at least bimonthly follow-up schedule over the course of 2 years. The included patients were screened for potential risk factors for developing NVG and assessed with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression model.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among the included 123 patients, the cumulative probability of developing NVG was 26.8% (33/123 cases) in overall follow-up period. The mean interval between the onset of CRVO and NVG was 507 days. Neither macular edema nor central macular thickness at baseline was correlated with the development of NVG (<i>p</i> =.104 and .25, respectively). Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), older age, and poor vision independently played significant risk factors for developing NVG after controlling other covariates. (<i>p</i> =.034, .001, and .013, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Patients presenting with CRVO who have comorbidities such as DM, older age, and worse VA warrant closer attention and intensive follow-up for the development of NVG. Additionally, the statistical analysis indicated that the presence of macular edema, increased central macular thickness, CV events, history of glaucoma, and early PRP within 3 months had no significant impact on the likelihood of developing NVG.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"204-212"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141860510","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Evaluating the Accuracy and Readability of ChatGPT-4o's Responses to Patient-Based Questions about Keratoconus.","authors":"Ali Safa Balci, Semih Çakmak","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2025.2484760","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2025.2484760","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and readability of responses generated by ChatGPT-4o, an advanced large language model, to frequently asked patient-centered questions about keratoconus.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted using ChatGPT-4o to answer 30 potential questions that could be asked by patients with keratoconus. The accuracy of the responses was evaluated by two board-certified ophthalmologists and scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Readability was assessed using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) scores. Descriptive, treatment-related, and follow-up-related questions were analyzed, and statistical comparisons between these categories were performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The mean accuracy score for the responses was 4.48 ± 0.57 on a 5-point Likert scale. The interrater reliability, with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.769, indicated a strong level of agreement. Readability scores revealed a SMOG score of 15.49 ± 1.74, an FKGL score of 14.95 ± 1.95, and an FRE score of 27.41 ± 9.71, indicating that a high level of education is required to comprehend the responses. There was no significant difference in accuracy among the different question categories (<i>p</i> = 0.161), but readability varied significantly, with treatment-related questions being the easiest to understand.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>ChatGPT-4o provides highly accurate responses to patient-centered questions about keratoconus, though the complexity of its language may limit accessibility for the general population. Further development is needed to enhance the readability of AI-generated medical content.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-6"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143743172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Laura N Cushley, Roseleen McCann, Tanya Moutray, Giuliana Silvestri, Tunde Peto, A Jonathan Jackson
{"title":"Trends in Adult Visual Impairment Certification in Northern Ireland: A 10-Year Analysis.","authors":"Laura N Cushley, Roseleen McCann, Tanya Moutray, Giuliana Silvestri, Tunde Peto, A Jonathan Jackson","doi":"10.1080/09286586.2025.2483697","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09286586.2025.2483697","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i><b>Purpose:</b></i> In the UK, people are certified as severely sight impaired (SSI) or sight impaired (SI) according to Government guidelines. Certification ensures people with visual impairments can access adequate support and benefits. Certification of visual impairment data has been collected and analysed in Northern Ireland by a team and full continuous data is available from 2014 to 2023.<b><i>Methods:</i></b> Data from certification forms was collected, entered into an Excel spreadsheet, and 10% was validated by the certification of visual impairment team. This data was collated, cleaned and analysed using IBM SPSS (version 27) for frequency, mean, median and interquartile ranges.<b><i>Results:</i></b> Results show that over a 10-year period (2014-2023) the number of certifications in Northern Ireland has increased to a point where they are aligned with figures from other regions of the United Kingdom (UK). Results show that more people are certified as SSI than SI in Northern Ireland (NI) which is in contrast to figures reported in England and Wales. More females are certified than males in NI. Similarly to England and Wales, the most common cause of certification of visual impairment in adults in NI is Age-Related Macular Degeneration, accounting for around 50% of certifications annually. The second most common cause is glaucoma followed by diabetic eye disease (DED). In working age adults, DED is the leading cause of certification.<b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The results from 10 years of certification data in NI show common themes with other high-income countries, including increased certification, particularly among females, and the most common causes of certification remain AMD, glaucoma and DED.</p>","PeriodicalId":19607,"journal":{"name":"Ophthalmic epidemiology","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143731002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}