Retinopathy of prematurity is a disease caused by abnormal vessel regression of the retinal vasculature that affects premature infants with low birth weights. Despite significant improvements in screening guidelines and treatment modalties, ROP is still the leading cause of reversible paediatric blindness worldwide. The authors of this book explore the possibility of applying the concept of fractal analysis to images of retinal blood vessels for morphometric analysis and classification; the quality of life for children with retinopathy of prematurity; the differences in ethnicity and socioeconomic status that influence the prevalence, risks, outcome and management of ROP; the outcome and prognostic factors of the intravitreal administration of bevacizumab for ROP; the outcomes of transpupillary diode laser photocoagulation for ROP; new therapeutic strategies for treating ROP and late complications that can develop and persistent into later childhood and even adult life (for example, long-term refractive errors, amblyopia, strabismus and optic nerve abnormalities).

Macular edema is a serious eye disorder that can be seen in many conditions. Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) are frequent causes of decreased central visual acuity (VA) related to the appearance of macular edema (ME) and ischemia. This book discusses the risk factors, treatment options and long-term outcomes of macular edema. Some of the topics discussed include the management of diabetic macular edema; management of macular edema secondary to retinal vein occulsion by intravitreal bevacizumab; and macular edema in important tropical infections.

This series presents original leading edge results in the field of eye research. The focus in this compilation is on the anatomy of the cornea as well as the causes, symptoms and treatments for uveitis. Topics discussed include conjunctival-limbal autografts; gene therapy for corneal diseases; uveitis in juvenile idiopathic arthritis; retinal vasculitis in rheumatic disease; Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease and the clinical and immunopathological highlights of non-infectious uveitis.

A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light. This book reviews research in the field of cataracts inclusive of the application of virtual reality in cataract surgery simulation for ophthalmology training and an analysis of the surface properties of four different intraolcuar lens materials currently used in cataract surgery. Also discussed, herein, is the future of cataract surgeries; disability glare effects and cataracts as a problem of road safety in driving; the pharmacological treatment of ocular inflammatory diseases; among others.

Dry eye syndrome is a common disease of tear film and ocular surface developed in numerous aetiologies. Tear film instability and ocular surface disturbances that subsequently influence the tear film are among the primarily causes of this disease, but many other factors are involved in tear film disorders. Although eye surface is easily reached by classical ocular dosage forms, novel drug delivery systems for ocular administration offer advantages in terms of increased residence time on eye surface and/or controlled release of the drug, with enhanced therapeutic effectiveness. This book provides an overview on the potential benefits and limitations in dry eye syndrome management and reported successful formulations.

It is well-known that the most common and largely used assistive technology among the visually impaired community is the white cane. Many technologies have been proposed as alternative assistive devices to improve the autonomous mobility of people affected by visual diseases. Nevertheless, whatever is the physical quantity used by these active assistive technologies - mainly ultrasonic or optical sensors - they present many limitations and none of them adequately meets the international guidelines defined for the electronic travel aids and the specific requests coming from the visually impaired community. The first chapter of this book aims to provide an overview of the existing travel aids for people affected by visual diseases, discussing pros and cons of available technologies. The aim of the next chapter is to convince the reader that solutions based on mobile visual aid systems will answer a critical societal challenge. Chapter Three explores the use of electromagnetic technology in support of visually impaired athlete runners. Chapter Four describes the present state of mobile technologies development taking into consideration the point of view of visually impaired people. Finally, the goal of the concluding chapter is to relate how the audio-description has been produced as a communication accessibility resource.

Sleep disorders are increasingly recognized to contribute to medical morbidities and mortality. More and more ocular diseases are linked to sleep disorders, among them in particular being obstructive sleep apnea. Management of these ocular diseases requires a good understanding of such association and often a collaborative approach with sleep disorder specialists. On the other hand, many patients with sleep disorders have concurrent ocular disorders. With this in mind, timely referral to ophthalmologists would greatly alleviate comorbidities and improve the quality of life in such patients. Eye Diseases Associated with Sleep Disorders emphasizes the underlying pathophysiology of each ocular disorder in the respective setting of sleep disorders. A typical case scenario is presented at the beginning of each chapter. The specific ocular disease is then described in reader-friendly terms to facilitate an overall understanding of the condition. The authors finally review the accumulated evidence regarding the association between ocular diseases and sleep disorders, from discussing possible underlying pathophysiologies to the analysis of clinical study data. With a good understanding of the pathogenesis, this book helps bring together primary care clinicians with eye care specialists for managing patient morbidities in an easily digestible figure-rich format.

This book is a collection of relevant topics dealing with recent advances in ophthalmology research. The selected review studies present novel investigation and prospects in ophthalmology concerning ocular stem cells, neurodegeneration, immunology, angiogenesis treatment, and ocular blood flow. All the chapters are written by experts in the selected fields. Discussed topics include novel treatment strategies for major causes of blindness such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusions. In particular, the pharmacokinetic behaviours of the available anti-VEGF medications and their characteristics in conjunction with mathematical modelling used to explain the results seen in clinical trials and to predict the responses in still untested circumstances; and the specifics of the ocular vascular system and an overview of the currently used methods of ocular blood flow are reviewed. Novel applications and technology in ocular circulatory research are addressed; correlation of the pathogenetic mechanisms of two relevant neurodegenerative diseases glaucoma and Alzheimer's disease; the possible link in the context of the axon, dendrite, and synapse and the idea of compartmentalised degeneration of retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma is discussed; the promoters of innate immunity of the ocular surface is presented in context of dry eye syndrome; and the different aspects of stem cell use in treating ocular diseases, including ongoing research efforts and future prospects. This collection is intended for ophthalmologists, as well as for medical doctors from other specialities and medical students who have interest in the field of ophthalmology. The information presented in this book has both scientific and clinical relevance for the reader. This book has been conceived and prepared with the expectation that it would add new insights and inspiration for clinicians and researchers who deal with patients suffering from ophthalmic diseases.

This book presents topical research in the study of macular degeneration, including the correlation of phenotype and genotype in age-related macular degeneration; role of anti-VEGF therapies in neovascular AMD; the biochemical and genetic studies that support the treatment of the pathogenic retina and ocular blood flow in degenerative myopia.

Conjunctivitis (commonly called "pink eye" or "Madras eye" is an inflammation of the conjunctiva (the outermost layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids), most commonly due to an allergic reaction or an infection (usually viral, but sometimes bacterial). In this book, the authors discuss allergic disorders of the conjunctiva as well as novel drug delivery approaches in dry eye syndrome therapy. Allergic contact conjunctivitis caused by ophthalmic preparations is explored and examined also are the clinical signs of conjunctivitis.

The modern physiology of vision has saved up many facts which contradict the accepted approach to mechanisms of primary visual perception. It had always been considered that an image of some object primarily constructed by the eye cornea and lens first unequivocally is projected to the matrix of photoreceptors (rod and cone cells), and then is exposed to processing in several layers of the nervous cells arranged behind them. However, the optical image is actually projected to photoreceptors through the layers of nervous cells, i.e. our retina is inverted. This book offers a new model of primary visual perception which is well co-ordinated with morphological and experimental data and eliminates the arisen contradictions.

Novel strategies for ocular anti-inflammatory therapies are extensively being investigated to increase drug bioavailability and decrease adverse side effects of common treatments. Colloidal carriers based on lipid materials are becoming a suitable alternative due to several advantages, including solubilisation of hydrophobic/lipophilic anti-inflammatory drugs followed by bioavailability enhancement, modification of pharmacokinetic parameters, and protection of sensitive drugs from physical, chemical or biological degradation. This book presents and discusses data on the improvements being made in regards to novel drug delivery systems.

The consequences of aging populations combined with the strain to the human eye caused by computers and widespread poor nutritional practices has resulted in an upsurge of research dealing with vision. This new book presents leading-edge research in this field focusing on glaucoma, corneal transplantation and bacterial eye infections.

The consequences of ageing populations combined with the strain to the human eye caused by computers and widespread poor nutritional practices has resulted in an upsurge of research dealing with vision. This book presents the latest research from around the world in this dynamic field.

This introduction to optics is intended as a supplement to a first course in undergraduate optics. This lively book conveys key modern terminology, and reinforces what it teaches with hundreds of fully worked out problems that run the gamut from candles to lasers.

Cataract affects at least fifty million people worldwide. Conventional methods of correction have always been thick spectacles and surgery. With the current changes in the approach to cataract treatment, the optometrist's role in the early detection and management of cataract is crucial. * Written specifically for optometrists by optometrists * Essential background information is provided together with more detailed aspects of clinical management * The book is well illustrated and fully up to date with the latest clinical and research findings