Ophthalmology Overview: Pediatric Eye Examinations, How Diet Affects Glaucoma, and More

Highlighting the latest ophthalmology-related news reported across MJH Life Sciences™.

How to Optimize Pediatric Eye Examinations

In an article by Modern Retina, Jeff Locke, MSc, OC (C), COMT, past copresident of the Canadian Orthoptic Society, addressed several small steps that ophthalmologists can take to improve eye examinations among pediatric populations.

Discussing these steps, Locke noted that eye exams could be streamlined and improved by being more competent in assessing visual acuity, checking for binocular single vision, and knowing what visual electrophysiology can do in pediatric populations.

Moreover, recent research has indicated that for best compliance, ophthalmologists should begin with binocular visual acuity with forced-choice preferential looking (FPL) tests like Cardiff at 50 cm, followed by induced tropia. Once successfully completed, he said one can then try monocular visual acuity at 50 cm with the FPL Cardiff test.

Assessing How Diet Affects People Living With Glaucoma

Although following a healthy diet cannot prevent glaucoma, a piece by Ophthalmology Times spotlights the benefits that certain foods may have in reducing symptoms related to glaucoma, as well as foods that people with the condition should avoid.

Notably, fruits and vegetables were cited to be good sources of vitamins A, C, and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are known to protect the optic nerve and other tissues of the eye in glaucoma against oxidative stress and damage. Along with benefits derived from leafy greens, nuts, and fish, great sources of magnesium such as bananas and avocados were indicated to benefit people with glaucoma by improving blood flow to the eye.

Conversely, foods to avoid include any that contribute to metabolic syndrome, obesity, blood pressure abnormalities, and diabetes, as these are all risk factors for primary open-angle glaucoma.

Novel Strategies for Restoring Vision in Glaucoma

Beyond managing eye pressure, an article by Ophthalmology Times discussed potential strategies for glaucoma management that would address the root issue of vision restoration.

Currently, managing eye pressure to stabilize vision is the clinical goal in the treatment of those with glaucoma as eye pressure is known to contribute to the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and their axons. For newly diagnosed patients with early glaucoma, research focusing on neuroprotection has garnered growing interest, which would promote survival of retinal ganglion cells and their axons.

Moreover, neuroregeneration strategies that either help dying ganglion cells sprout new axons or replace lost ganglion cells altogether, such as stem cell transplantation, may benefit those already with significant vision loss from glaucoma.