Effects of ageing on the eyes

With ageing, significant changes occur in all structures of the eye, resulting in a variety of morphological and functional effects. This review summarises parameters that are within the normal ageing process in order to distinguish them from true disease processes. Understanding the ageing changes of the eye will help to understand some of the visual problems experienced by the ageing population.

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) is a rare condition involving various symptoms that is mainly seen in younger adults. The most commonly involved are the superior sagittal sinus, lateral sinus, and simoid sinus. About 1% of all ischemic strokes are considered CVT. It is seen 3-fold more in young women. The incidence was estimated to be approx. 1/1000000. Cerebral venous sinuses are superficial and deep spaces, and they have vital functions. There are many symptoms. The most common complaint is headache (89%). Studies reported many different clinical symptoms. Neurological signs including motor and sensorial losses, impaired consciousness, speech disorder, epileptic seizures, visual problems (hemianopia, nystagmus, diplopia, and papilledema), and cranial nerve signs may be seen. The diagnosis is made primarily by suspecting the clinical condition and radiological presentation of thrombosis. The most basic diagnostic method is cranial imaging. Anticoagulants are the main method of treatment. The prognosis has improved over the last years thanks to early diagnosis.

Post-stroke Anxiety Among Patients in Jordan: A Multihospital Study

This study aimed to assess the prevalence, correlates, and significant associated factors of anxiety among patients with stroke. A cross-sectional, correlation design was utilized. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale was used to detect and assess the severity of anxiety and depression among mentally well patients at general hospital settings. Among the 226 patients with stroke, 45.6% had clinically significant levels of anxiety to be considered as a definite case. Having a short duration since the stroke onset, being a definite case of depression, being unable to perform self-care activities, having an insufficient monthly income, and having visual problems due to stroke were the significantly associated factors. The high prevalence of anxiety among patients with stroke highlights the need for interventions of early detection and management to enhance recovery. Patients who have any of the significant traits predicted post-stroke anxiety required special attention.

Impact of Common Dizziness Associated Symptoms on Dizziness Handicap in Older Adults

Background: A cross-sectional observational study was designed to determine the impact of dizziness associated symptoms on the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI) in older adults (≥60 years).Methods: In total, 785 individuals referred to a multidisciplinary dizziness unit were assessed. Participants completed self-report questionnaires with general questions about symptoms of dizziness as well as the DHI. The DHI subscores (physical, functional, emotional) were calculated. Medical diagnoses were collected from the medical records of the patients. One-way MANOVA and networking analysis were used to analyze the impact of dizziness associated symptoms on dizziness handicap.Results: Most patients reported swaying dizziness (60.6%) and feeling of unsteadiness (59.8%) with substantial overlap between the types of dizziness. Most frequent dizziness associated symptoms were ear noise/tinnitus, visual problems, and nausea/vomiting. Network analysis revealed that visual disturbances, headache, and hearing impairment were associated with higher DHI and explained 12% of the DHI variance in the linear regression. In the one-way MANOVA visual problems and headache had an effect on all three DHI subscores, while hearing impairment was associated with the functional and emotional subscores of DHI.Conclusion: Distinct dizziness associated symptoms have substantial impact on dizziness handicap in older adults. A multifactorial assessment including these symptoms may assist in tailoring therapies to alleviate dizziness handicap in this group.

Penelitian Terhadap Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Al Quran Braille: Satu Analisis

Visual problems refer to complications involving the sense of sight. In general, vision impairment can be categorised into two main categories - ‘blindness’ and ‘short-sightednesses’ or ‘limited vision’. The Braille Qur’an is a Braille Quranic mushaf that uses the basic Arabic Braille code that represents the hija’iyyah letters, vowel marks such as fathah, dammah, and kasrah, and symbols such as shaddah, sukun and mad. This study aims to examine the issues and challenges faced by the visually impaired in learning Braille Qur’an. These issues and challenges are taken seriously in Malaysia. There are several states in Malaysia that provide Braille Quran lessons for the visually impaired. This qualitative study uses content analysis to gather and obtain information on the aspects of teaching and learning Braille Qur’an. In scrutinizing several documents, the research prompted to discuss numerous approaches implemented by teachers namely talaqqi and mushafahah, iqra’, visual and touch, and others. Additionally, the challenges in the mastering hija’iyyah letters and Quranic Braille, the supporting aspects and other. It is hoped that the discussing of this study will contribute to future research on the teaching and learning of the Braille Qur’an which requires support and actions from various parties.AbstrakMasalah penglihatan merujuk kepada keadaan masalah yang melibatkan fungsi sebagai deria penglihatan. Secara umumnya, masalah penglihatan boleh dikategorikan kepada dua kategori utama, iaitu ‘buta’ dan ‘rabun’ atau ‘berpenglihatan terhad’. Al-Qur’an Braille ialah mushaf al-Qur’an Braille yang menggunakan asas kod Braille Bahasa Arab yang mewakili huruf-huruf hija’iyyah, tanda baris seperti fathah, dammah, dan kasrah serta simbol-simbol seperti shaddah, sukun dan mad. Kajian ini bertujuan untuk meneliti kaedah-kaedah pengajaran dan pembelajaran serta isu dan cabaran dalam pembelajaran al-Quran Braille kepada komuniti OKU masalah penglihatan. Isu dan cabaran ini merupakan perkara yang penting di Malaysia sehingga terdapat beberapa negeri yang menyediakan kelas al-Qur’an Braille bagi golongan orang kelainan upaya (OKU) cacat penglihatan. Kajian ini berbentuk kualitatif dengan menggunakan analisis kandungan yang mengandungi maklumat berkenaan aspek pengajaran dan pembelajaran al-Quran Braille. Berdasarkan kepada penelitian terhadap beberapa dokumen mendapati kajian ini membincangkan tentang beberapa kaedah yang boleh digunakan oleh guru-guru iaitu kaedah talaqqi dan mushafahah, kaedah iqra, kaedah sentuhan dan visual, kaedah penerangan dan lain-lain lagi. Terdapat juga cabaran seperti penguasaan huruf hija’iyyah, penguasaan al-Quran Braille, aspek sokongan dan sebagainya. Diharapkan hasil perbincangan dalam kertas kerja ini mampu menyumbang penelitian lanjut mengenai pengajaran dan pembelajaran al-Quran Braille yang memerlukan sokongan dan tindakan daripada pelbagai pihak.

Visual Acuity Screening for early detection on Students Using Twin Cards Optotype

Myopia is seen as a benign condition which is a public health problem and must be given attention, concerning visual problems, quality of life, and economic consequences. Nearly half of the world's blindness has been caused by uncorrected refraction, with myopia occupying a high percentage of the group, meaning myopia is the beginning of blindness. Uncorrected disturbances of visual acuity should be screened This study aims to develop a method of screening for myopia in school children, resulting in twin card optotypes. The study was carried out by diagnostic tests to analyze the sensitivity and specificity of twin card optotypes in screening for visual impairment in schoolchildren using primary data from the visual test. The results of this study are twin card optotypes which can easily be used in almost any condition, without requiring access to electricity, not causing variables bullies in a row of questions on the same letter size. Faster time because it does not cause repeated questions one paper one object. Installation does not require encoding on the wall, avoid memorization and avoid factors from concerns about clinical validity and application accuracy. Conclusion Sensitivity of sharp vision screening method Optotip twin card when compared with snoten optotip vision sharpening method which is 83.33% while specificity is 71.43 %. Keywords: Screening, myopia, twin card optotypes

Elucidating the Potential Side Effects of Current Anti- Seizure Drugs for Epilepsy

: Over the decades, various interventions have been developed and utilized to treat epilepsy. However, majority of epileptic patients are often first prescribed with anti-epileptic drugs (AED), now known as anti-seizure drugs (ASD), as a first line of defense to suppress their seizures and regain their quality of life. ASDs exert their anti-convulsant effects through various mechanisms of action including regulation of ion channels, blocking of glutamate-mediated stimulating neurotransmitter interaction, and enhancing the inhibitory GABA transmission. About one third of epileptic patients are often resistant to anti-convulsant drugs, while others develop numerous side effects which may lead to treatment discontinuation and further deterioration of quality of life. Common side effects of ASDs include headache, nausea and dizziness. However, more adverse effects such as auditory and visual problems, skin problems, liver dysfunction, pancreatitis and kidney disorders may also be witnessed. Some ASDs may even result in life-threatening conditions as well as serious abnormalities, especially in patients with comorbidities and in pregnant women. Nevertheless, some clinicians had observed a reduction in the development of side effects post individualized ASD treatment. This suggest that a careful and well-informed ASD recommendation to patients may be crucial for an effective and side-effect free control of their seizures. Therefore, this review aimed to elucidate the anticonvulsant effects of ASDs as well as their side effect profile, by discussing their mechanism of action and reported adverse effects based on clinical and preclinical studies, thereby providing clinicians with a greater understanding of the safety of current ASDs.

Development and persistence of patient-reported visual problems associated with serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants

BACKGROUND: The majority of antidepressants inhibit serotonin reuptake and include the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and the serotonin reuptake inhibiting tricyclic antidepressants. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate and describe the range and impact of reported adverse visual effects linked to serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants. METHODS: Using data from a global database of patient spontaneous reports of drug adverse events, we systematically identified eligible reports of visual problems linked to the use of serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants. We analyzed these data using simple descriptive statistics to present the range and impact. RESULTS: We identified 124 reports of visual problems. Reports originate from 18 countries and involve 11 different drugs. The most commonly reported symptoms were vision blurred/visual acuity reduced (n = 79, 63.7%), night blindness (n = 22, 17.7%), vitreous floaters (n = 21, 16.9%), photophobia (n = 19, 15.3%), diplopia (n = 15, 12.1%), palinopsia (n = 13, 10.5%), visual field defect (n = 12, 9.7%), photopsia (n = 11, 8.9%) and visual snow syndrome (n = 11, 8.9%). 74 patients indicated that the side effect was bad enough to affect everyday activities, 62 had sought health care, and 50 indicated that their work had been affected. 49 patients reported an enduring vision problem after discontinuation of treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that serotonin reuptake inhibiting antidepressants can produce a range of adverse effects on vision that in some cases can be long-lasting after discontinuation of the drug. Further efforts are needed to understand the mechanisms involved, the incidence among those prescribed these medications, and identify any risk or mitigation factors.

Hypertelorism and orbital dystopia

Orbital hypertelorism is defined as an abnormally wide distance between the orbits. It is a physical finding often associated with other cranial and facial malformations. Orbital dystopia refers to an abnormal position or shape of the orbits. These orbital abnormalities can be associated with visual problems including amblyopia, astigmatism, squints, and loss of vision. Patients are managed by a multidisciplinary team.