The goal of the present study is to investigate the relationship between the degree of cognitive impairment and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness which is measured by the optical coherence tomography (OCT). Thirty-five patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 35 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 35 healthy volunteers, between the ages of 60-87, who were examined in the neurology outpatient clinic among 2012-2013 were prospectively involved in our study. Mini mental state examination (MMSE) test, montreal cognitive assessment (MOCA), and also neuropsychological test batteries were used for the neurocognitive evaluation. RNFL thickness was measured by the OCT technique and the differences among groups were studied. The relationship between RNFL thickness and MMSE scores with demographic characteristics was investigated. RNFL thickness was significantly lower in AD and MCI groups compared with the control group (p < 0.01). No significant differences of RNFL were found between the MCI and the AD groups (p > 0.05). Significant correlation was found between MMSE scores and the RNFL values (p < 0.05). Significant thinning in RNFL along with age was detected (p < 0.05). In our study, it is thought that retinal nerve fiber degeneration and central nervous system degeneration may be concurrent according to the thinning of RNFL measured by OCT in AD and MCI groups. RNFL measurement may also be useful for early diagnosis and evaluation of the disease progression. Further studies are needed to optimize the utility of this method as an ocular biomarker in AD.

PURPOSE: To investigate the refractive results of clear corneal incision performed at the steepest meridian of pre-existing corneal astigmatism. METHODS: One hundred eighty-two patients with astigmatism >0.75 diopters (D) were evaluated. Superior, temporal, nasal, supe rotemporal, or superonasal clear corneal incisions were performed at the steep meridian. Refraction, visual acuity, and topography values were evaluated, and changes in surgically induced astigmatism were calculated by vector analysis using the Fourier formula. Paired t test was used to compare mean values. RESULTS: Postoperative cylinder va lues showed minor changes in all groups, except the nasal group. Nasal incision increased preoperative cylinder from 1.13 D to 1.83 D 6 months after surgery. Temporal and supe rotemporal incisions resulted only in small astigmatic changes. Conversely, superior, superonasal, and nasal incisions induced more pronounced astigmatism. CONCLUSIONS: Performing clear corneal incision for phacoemulsification of cataract at the steep meridian resulted in small changes with temporal incisions, whereas nasal incisions resulted in higher surgically induced astigmatism. [J Refract Surg. 2007;23:515-518.]

Our aim was to compare the choroidal thickness in psoriasis patients and age- and gender-matched healthy volunteers. A total of 38 psoriasis cases and 38 age- and gender-matched controls were evaluated. The left eye was evaluated in all subjects. The choroidal thicknesses were measured at the subfovea and horizontally across the fovea at 500-μm intervals using enhanced depth imaging spectral domain optical coherence tomography. The points of measurement were 1500 µm temporal and nasal to the fovea. Choroidal thicknesses in psoriasis patients were thicker than those in the controls, but these differences were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). A positive correlation was present between the duration of disease and choroidal thickness at certain measurement points, but there was no significant correlation between the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score and choroidal thickness. There was no significant difference between psoriasis patients and healthy controls in terms of choroidal thickness. However, choroidal thickness was associated with disease duration.

OBJECTIVE: Aim of the study was to evaluate the choroidal thickness (CT) in patients with RA and detect the relation with disease activity and joint damage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic infl ammatory disease associated with various extraarticular organ manifestations including ocular manifestations MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 59 eyes of 59 patients with RA and 59 eyes of 59 controls without RA in the study. Subfoveal and perifoveal CT were measured using enhanced depth imaging optic coherence tomography. Disease activity score 28 (DAS 28) and Larsen score were calculated for each patient with RA and compared with measurements of CT. RESULTS: CT was statistically thinner in patients with RA than controls, at subfoveal CT (p = 0.008), at 500 μm temporal to the fovea (p = 0.004), at 1000 μm temporal to the fovea (p = 0.010), at 1500 μm temporal to the fovea (p = 0.005), at 500 μm nasal to the fovea (p = 0.035). Additionally there was no correlation measurements of CT with disease activity and joint damage. CONCLUSIONS: Subfoveal and perifoveal CT was signifi cantly thinner in patients with RA than in healthy controls but there was no correlation detected between CT measurements and DAS 28 or Larsen scores (Tab. 5, Ref. 33). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.

Objective: We aimed to investigate whether a relationship is present between early cataract formation and vitamin D in young adults. Methods: A total of 37 cataract patients (18 males and 19 females) and 53 healthy participants (27 males and 26 females) under the age of 60 years were included in this study. The 25-OH vitamin D values were measured in all subjects and the mean vitamin D levels compared between the 2 groups. Additionally, the differences between the vitamin D levels of the genders in both groups were investigated. Results: The mean age of the study group was 48.1 ± 8.5 (range 33–59) years, and the mean age of the control group was 49.3 ± 7.8 (range 31–59) years (p = 0.48 and p = 0.83). The mean vitamin D level was 15.6 ± 8.4 ng/mL in the study group and 20.8 ± 7.1 ng/mL in the healthy subjects (p = 0.002). Among the females, the vitamin D level was 10.6 ± 4.7 ng/mL in the study group and 18.1 ± 6.4 ng/mL in the control group (p = 0.0001). No significant difference was found between the groups among the males (p = 0.24). Conclusion: We found vitamin D deficiency to be associated with early age-related cataract in a statistically significant manner. We believe it is worth investigating the reason for this concurrence with large longitudinal studies.