The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of gender and menstrual cycle on the electroretinogram (ERG). Photopic and scotopic ERGs were obtained in 14 females during the luteal and follicular phases of their menstrual cycle and compared to those obtained on two separate (7 days or 14 days apart) sessions from seven age-matched control male subjects. Our results confirm that the amplitude of the photopic ERGs of females is significantly (P < 0.05) larger than males, and this, irrespective of the cycle phase. In comparison, scotopic ERGs revealed significant male-female differences only during the follicular phase. While in males, no significant (P > 0.05) intersession (7 day or 14 day intervals) variability could be demonstrated, significant (P < 0.001) intersession (luteal-follicular) variability was observed in the scotopic ERGs of our female participants, with 8 of the 14 women, demonstrating a marked increase of 20.17 +/- 4.8% in the follicular ERG compared to the luteal. Our data suggests there should be separate normal ERG values for men and women and that the phase of the menstrual cycle should be taken into consideration when interpreting the ERG results from women.

Optometrists are aware of the impact of smoking on ocular health; however, most respondents do not systematically engage in tobacco use prevention and cessation practices. Providing optometrists with tools, including continuing education, may help support patient conversations about the risks of tobacco use and improve public health.

Background:  Despite the fact that cigarette smoking is a well known risk factor for many ocular diseases, very little data exist regarding optometrists' interventions in smoking cessation counselling with their patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the practices, perceptions and educational needs of Québec optometrists regarding smoking cessation counselling. Methods:  A self‐administered questionnaire pertaining to smoking cessation counselling practices was mailed to 600 optometrists licensed in Québec. Results:  The response rate was 51 per cent. The majority (90 per cent) of respondents (n = 288) reported having the required knowledge of ocular diseases related to smoking. Most respondents recognised that optometrists should ask their patients if they smoke (73 per cent), should advise their smoking patients to stop smoking (65 per cent) and should be cognisant of the resources available that can support patients in their efforts to quit smoking (65 per cent). Few responders asked their patients on a regular basis if they indeed smoked (16 per cent) or advised them to stop, if such was the case (29 per cent). Moreover, only eight per cent of respondents knew the resources toward which they should direct their patients who wish to stop smoking. Only eight per cent of respondents perceived themselves as being competent to offer counselling. For 72 per cent of the respondents, the main obstacle to smoking cessation counselling was the lack of knowledge about counselling. Approximately half (48 per cent) of respondents are interested in acquiring competencies in smoking cessation counselling. Conclusion:  Based on the results of the present study, optometrists in Québec are well aware of the effects of smoking on ocular health and the importance of educating their patients; however, they might not possess the required skills to assist their patients in quitting smoking. Because they have not received sufficient training, optometrists in Québec remain an untapped resource in tobacco cessation counselling.

Decisions differ in difficulty and rely on perceptual information that varies in richness (complexity); aging affects cognitive function including decision-making, and yet, the interaction between difficulty and perceptual complexity have rarely been addressed in aging. Using a parametric fMRI modulation analysis and psychophysics, we address how task difficulty affects decision-making when controlling for the complexity of the perceptual context in which decisions are made. Perceptual complexity was varied in a factorial design while participants made perceptual judgments on the spatial frequency of two patches that either shared the same orientation (simple condition) or were orthogonal in orientation (complex condition). Psychophysical thresholds were measured for each participant in each condition and served to set individualized levels of difficulty during scanning. Findings indicate that discriminability interacts with complexity, to influence decisional difficulty. Modulation as a function of difficulty is maintained with age, as indicated by coupling between increased activation in fronto-parietal regions and suppression in the lateral hubs, however, age has a specific effect in the ventral anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), driven by performance at near-threshold (difficult) levels for the simpler stimulus combination condition, but not the more complex one. Taken together, our findings suggest that the context of difficulty, or what is perceived as important, changes with age, and that decisions that would seem neutral to younger participants, may carry more emphasis with age.

Background: Although most people associate smoking with lung cancer and heart disease, few are aware of the impact of smoking on ocular health. Studies have suggested a better knowledge of this association might promote higher quit rates, particularly in teenagers. The purpose of our study was to determine the knowledge of teenagers about the effects of smoking on ocular health and the fear associated with several tobacco-related health conditions. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 180 high school students aged 14 to 17 years. Measured variables included socio-economic demographics, smoking status, knowledge of the effects of smoking on general and ocular health, and level of fear as well as level of motivation to quit smoking associated with the following tobacco-related conditions: lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, blindness and deafness. Results: Response rate was 100 per cent. Eleven per cent of responders were smokers. The proportion of smokers who thought smoking could cause blindness was 64.3 per cent while it was 13.5 per cent for non-smokers. The proportion of smokers fearing blindness was 30 per cent, as opposed to 69.8 per cent for non-smokers. The proportion of respondents who thought the presented conditions were 'extremely' or 'very good' reasons to quit were similarly high for all smoking-associated conditions. Conclusion: These findings suggest teenagers are unaware of the impact smoking can have on ocular health. Smokers did not seem more concerned about vision loss compared to other tobacco-related diseases, as opposed to non-smokers. Our findings suggest vision loss would be a strong motivator to prevent initiation, but not very effective regarding cessation in this group. However, optometrists should be aware teenagers seem receptive to the message that 'smoking can cause blindness' and use this strategy in order to prevent smoking initiation.