To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to report an increased level of VEGF in the tear fluid of patients with RVO. Alterations of VEGF levels in tears may be useful for determining stages of RVO. This non-invasive and objective method may also be helpful for estimating the severity of macular oedema and efficacy of treatment.

Purpose: The examination of the e®ects of second generation lotra¯lcon B silicone hydrogel (SiH) lenses on the cornea when worn for three years of daily wear. Material and Methods: 55 healthy patients were divided into two groups: current hydrogel contact lens wearers re¯tted with lotra¯lcon B lenses (Group 1; 28 patients) and neophyte contact lens wearers (Group 2; 27 patients). Each patient's subjective eye comfort was measured with a self-administered questionnaire. The corneas were analyzed using contact specular microscope to measure corneal thickness and the endothelium before the SiH lenses were¯tted after four weeks, one month, six months, one year, two years, and three years of lens wear. Results: Subjective complaints of patients in Group 1 were reduced; however patients in Group 2 experienced discomfort during thē rst two to four weeks of use. In Group 1, objective examinations identi¯ed a decrease in endothelial cell density. In Group 2, the endothelial cell density increased slightly in the¯rst two years but decreased after three years. The results indicate that lotra¯lcon B slows down the deleterious e®ects of contact lenses. The coe±cient of variation signi¯cantly decreased after six months in Group 1 (0.47 vs 0.44; p ¼ 0:049), whereas, in Group 2, the hexagonal cells improved signi¯cantly after one month (27.78 vs 28.25; p ¼ 0:025). Conclusion: Based on the subjects involved and the period of time under examination, it can be concluded that high-Dk SiH lenses support the physiological metabolism and functions of the cornea by improving oxygen provision.

This study aimed to assess the relationship between the rate of nerve fiber loss in non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) and time delay before therapy. Total 24 patients received the same treatment within or after 2wk (early and late groups). There were significantly lower level of destruction of nerve fibers (P=0.0014) and significantly better visual field sensitivity (P=0.039) in early group. The results indicate that therapy should be started within 2wk. The degree of ischemic damage due to NAION correlates well with retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and the ischemia-induced decrease in visual field sensitivity.