Wang and coauthors determined the association between the burden of visual impairment and the national level of socioeconomic development. In a cross-sectional study, socioeconomic factors explained 69.4% of global variations in moderate to severe visual impairment and about 76.3% of global variations in prevalence of blindness. This close association of burden of visual impairment and socioeconomic indicators may help to identify countries requiring greater attention.
Li and coauthors evaluated whether single-staged endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy resulted in faster resolution without more recurrences within 3 months compared with conventional (or secondary) treatment in acute dacryocystitis with lacrimal sac abscess formation. In their randomized clinical trial of 32 participants with acute dacryocystitis and lacrimal sac abscess, primary endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy resulted in faster resolution without more recurrences compared with secondary treatment. No increased frequency of safety issues and operation time was identified, and anatomical and functional success appeared comparable between the 2 treatments. The results support primary early endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy as an initial option in patients presenting with acute dacryocystitis with lacrimal sac abscess formation.
Rosenwasser and coauthors investigated the effect of donor cornea preservation time on the success of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty 3 years after the procedure. In a randomized noninferiority clinical trial, the 3-year success rate of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty using a donor cornea preserved 8 to 14 days did not meet the study’s definition of noninferiority compared with a preservation time of 7 days or less (92.1% vs 95.3%), principally owing to a lower success rate with preservation time of 12 to 14 days. The authors conclude that the success of Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty is higher with shorter preservation time, but preservation time up to 11 days can be expected to have little influence on outcomes.
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Cruickshanks and coauthors determined whether a reported decline in the risk of developing age-related macular degeneration continued for people born during the Baby Boom years (1946-1964). In a longitudinal cohort study of the incidence of age-related macular degeneration among 4819 participants, the risk declined by 60% for each successive generation. Members of the Baby Boom generation were less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration than members of the Silent or the Greatest generations. This relatively large decline in the incidence of age-related macular degeneration suggests that aging Baby Boomers may experience better retinal health longer than did previous generations.
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