Purpose To identify changes in retinal function and structure in persons with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), including the effects of panretinal photocoagulation (PRP). Design Cross-sectional study Participants 30 adults who received PRP for PDR, 15 adults with untreated PDR, and 15 age-matched controls Methods Contrast sensitivity, frequency doubling perimetry (FDP), Humphrey visual fields, photostress recovery, and dark adaptation were assessed in all subjects. Fundus photography and macular spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were also obtained. SD-OCT scans were semi-automatically segmented to quantify retinal layer thicknesses. Main Outcome Measures Visual function test results were compared between patients with PDR and PRP, untreated patients with PDR, and controls. Mean retinal layer thicknesses were also compared between groups. Correlation analyses were performed to evaluate associations between visual function test results and retinal layer thicknesses. Results Patients with PDR exhibited significant reduction of FDP mean deviation (MD) in PRP-treated (MD ± SD: −8.20 ± 5.76 dB, p<0.0001) and untreated (−5.48 ± 4.48 dB, p<0.0001) patients relative to controls (1.07 ± 2.50 dB). Reduced log contrast sensitivity compared with controls (1.80 ± 0.14) was also observed in both PRP-treated (1.42 ± 0.17, p<0.0001) and untreated (1.56 ± 0.20, p= 0.001) patients with PDR. Compared to controls, patients treated with PRP demonstrated increased photostress recovery time (151.02 ± 104.43 sec vs 70.64 ± 47.14 sec, p=0.001) and dark adaptation speed (12.80 ± 5.15 min vs 9.74 ± 2.56 min, p=0.022) whereas untreated patients had no significant differences in photostress recovery time or dark adaptation speed relative to controls. PRP-treated patients had diffusely thickened nerve fiber layers (p=0.024) and diffusely thinned retinal pigment epithelial layers (RPE) (p=0.009) versus controls. Untreated patients with PDR also had diffusely thinned RPE layers (p=0.031) compared to controls. Conclusions Patients with untreated PDR exhibit inner retinal dysfunction, as evidenced by reduced contrast sensitivity and FDP performance, accompanied by alterations in inner and outer retinal structure. PRP-treated patients had more profound changes in outer retinal structure and function. Distinguishing the effects of PDR and PRP may guide the development of restorative vision therapies for patients with advanced diabetic retinopathy.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are the most common neurodegenerative diseases with age as the greatest risk factor. As the general population experiences extended life span, preparation for the prevention and treatment of these and other age-associated neurological diseases are warranted. Since epidemiological studies suggested that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use decreased risk for AD and PD, increasing attention has been devoted to understanding the costs and benefits of the innate neuroinflammatory response to functional recovery following pathology onset. This review will provide a general overview on the role of neuroinflammation in these neurodegenerative diseases and an update on NSAID treatment in recent experimental animal models, epidemiological analyses, and clinical trials.

Corneal transplantation is one of the most common types of human transplant surgery. By removing a scarred or damaged host cornea and replacing it with a clear and healthy donor transplant, this procedure helps to restore vision in a variety of corneal diseases. The traditional technique for corneal transplantation, penetrating keratoplasty (PKP), involves transplantation of all corneal layers. Over the past decade though, there has been a trend away from PKP as surgeons have developed partial thickness transplant procedures, such as deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty and Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty. These partial thickness transplant procedures selectively replace diseased host corneal tissue, while conserving healthy and functioning tissue. This review describes current surgical techniques in the field of corneal transplantation, with special emphasis on indications for transplantation and postoperative outcomes.